The Flower of Separation

Simon knew that he wouldn't hide it, so he just told her upfront, which led to this current situation.

Jorah said she made a new friend recently who is good at finding people, but who would have thought her friend was this person?

A woman with long black hair wearing formal knight-like clothing and ruby-colored eyes. Yes, it was the evil General Ageha Lilian. Why is she training all the way out here when the Ageha family has a training ground?

No, right now, he needs to stop his wife from getting herself killed.

"Wait, Jorah, this is a bad idea."

He recalled his aunt's behavior earlier. He doesn't understand the problem exactly since she never told him directly, but he knew it had something to do with this person.

"It's okay, it's okay," Jorah said as she happily waved her hand. "Lili."

Li--li? Did his wife just use a nickname? Is she crazy? Simon watched as the men around the General reacted the same way.

"Oi, oi, did you hear that?"

"Does she want to get killed?"

"It's that woman again."

"That woman?"

"They met at a tea party, and surprisingly the general is kind to her."

Simon looked over at the woman who raised her head when Jorah called her name. Sure enough, there was a strangely gentle look in her eyes.

"Jorah? What's wrong?"

"I need your help with something."

Simon watched as her gaze darkened. He immediately felt the sudden change in atmosphere, and he panicked. Should he rush over? What if she hurts Jorah?

He would never be able to forgive himself if something happened to her right in front of him.

To his surprise, nothing happened; instead, the General asked. "Did somebody bother you?"

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Jorah shook her head. "No, I want you to find somebody for me."

"Find somebody?" Lilian repeated. "I don't mind, but you have to tell me first. You know even with my power, my hands are tied if you're after some high-ranking official."

"My husband's cousin, the Empress child."

Simon's face color turned pale when he heard his wife's worse. He wanted nothing more than to rush over and tell her to be quiet. But it was difficult for him to go near the General. There was a strange dark aura around her.

"The Empress," Lilian repeated. "I see."

What is with that strange silence? Ugh, this was a bad idea. He shouldn't have called out to his wife and just continued searching for Salt.

Lilian put the sword back into her sheathe and grabbed a red-colored cloak from the side. She unties her hair. "Alright, let's go."

Huh?

Huh?

Simon could only stare in confusion as his wife tells him to follow. He dumbly leaves the training grounds with the two women. Wait, wait, is she going to help them? But why? The Empress should be her enemy, right?

He knew one of the main reasons this Kingdom did not have an Empress candidate or even substitute leader is this woman. This woman has failed every single person who tried out. Simon knew it would be the same this time too. She will cruelly test aunt Zushi and then fail her.

The ones with the most power in the Empire are the Ageha family and not the Imperial family.

Simon wished his aunt didn't make this decision. It would be difficult to escape from their household clutches, but surely there would have been a way.

Becoming the Empress isn't easy. No, being the second Empress right after that person. Simon sighed deeply. This is no good.

"That child, could you describe him to me?"

"Ah." Jorah looked over at him. "He is a bit older now, right? I am sure he looks different. Dear, why don't you tell Lili?"

Simon, however, couldn't talk in the General's presence. How on earth can his wife stand the aura around this woman? To his surprise, she suddenly appeared a few feet away from him.

She leaned forward slightly, and he completely froze. But he got a clearer glimpse at her bloodshot eyes. Now that he thought about it, Ageha Lilian's eyes are a brighter shade of red than most of her family. Why is that?

Lilian drew back after a second as she suddenly described Braden.

"Am I right?"

"U--uh yes."

"Then okay."

What an unusual woman, she is a bit different from the rumors? Yet, there is still a strange aura around her.

For the next few minutes, Simon observed the two while he stood behind them. He knew those rumors did not exaggerate, and he saw the general kill people before. So why is she so nice to his wife? It puzzled him.

It doesn't make any sense either, and he could tell they were quite close. So this is the new friend his wife mentioned. While he seldom attends social events anymore after breaking ties with his family. His wife still maintains appearances for his sake and occasionally attends a tea party.

To think she would meet the General there and become close.

Simon sighed deeply. Well, forget it, the important thing is to find Braden. He can worry about the complicated details later on.

"Say, Lili? Didn't you attend the ceremony? Why were you training?"

"Before you came, my soldiers challenged me, so I had no choice. There is still time before the large banquet near the end, and I knew I would finish up quickly."

"Ah, the banquet! Thank you for getting us a place."

"Everybody likes your food Jorah, and it was nothing."

Simon had a hard time ignoring their conversation. Indeed, it does seem genuine. But it doesn't change the fact that Ageha Lilian has murdered so many innocent lives in cold blood. So even a psycho killer like that can laugh and do things with their friends? Simon shuddered.

The women in this Empire are far too scary.

His thoughts broke off when his wife went over to him. "You have to stop acting like that, Lili can tell you're afraid of her, and that is why she is walking ahead."

"How can I not be scared? Jorah, you should have told me who your friend was."

Simon naturally wanted to know his wife's new friend's name since they even helped get a spot in the great banquet for them. He figured it was a noble with a bit of power, but he did not think it would be the evil General.

"She does seem to treat you well, but I don't know." Simon felt very uneasy.

Did Jorah not notice? That woman did not flinch when she mentioned his his relation to the Empress family, and it is almost like she already knew about it.

Simon yelped loudly when Jorah stepped on his foot. She looked quite upset.

"This is why I didn't want to tell you. I knew you would behave this way and discriminate against her."

"It's not discrimination, and it's the truth; everybody knows what she is."

Why does he have to get hurt for mentioning the truth?

"Then I wonder, did you ever think of her circumstances? Did you think about her feelings?"

Simon stared at her dumbfounded. Why would he even think of those things? After all, Ageha Lilian's reputation as a cold-blooded killer is something everybody in the Empire knows.

"Sometimes people are not what they seem, even if they do bad things. There is always a hidden message somewhere." Jorah trailed off. "For me, Ageha Lilian is a great friend, and I will stick to that."

His wife is way too stubborn. But he doesn't want to let his guard down. He is sorry, Jorah, but he can't risk those dear to him getting hurt ever again.

___

"Have you found her yet?"

"Not yet, keep searching."

A small girl around seven years old beamed happily as she went straight past the soldiers. Recently she mastered how to turn invisible, well, at least as long as she has her cloak on. It was still difficult to do full-on invisibility but for now, this would do as a substitute.

She was the young miss of the Ageha family, Nira.

Moreover, she was a fast learner, and many debated that she would one day grow up to be stronger than her sister. Nira, however, didn't care for that. It was enough to have the strength to stand by her sister. It didn't matter what place she was as long as she did not disgrace her.

Unlike the other members of her family, she did not bother sucking up to father. Elder sister is strong, brave, beautiful, and evil. One day she wants to grow up like that.

The last part was a bit difficult, though. A part of her sympathized with her family victims. Others don't know this, but she would occasionally give good food to the prisoners.

Of course, she knew it would not help them. Even if they regained their strength, they all died in the end, even if they escaped.

Nobody has escaped and lived. She heard from the guards that somebody escaped earlier, but she doubted it would last long. No matter who the prisoner is, sister will always find them.

Nira undid her invisibility when she arrived at a park. It should be quiet in these parts since the villagers are mainly in the center of the village. She sighed deeply. Even though she wanted to see her sister, that stupid guard of hers wouldn't let her.

She understood the reason why.

She was a necessary asset for the family, and they do not want her to develop thoughts outside the family. Her sister refusing the Empress position and becoming an imperial family general already made their father mad. She couldn't step out of line too.

If she wants to do whatever she wants, she has to have power and strength. She has to build up connections and grow stronger like her sister; only then can she have an actual say in anything.

Nira slumped down on the meadows. Ah, she doesn't want to think about any of this stuff; she is only a child anyway.

Her thoughts broke off when she spotted something or rather somebody from the corner of her eyes. It was a young boy with blonde hair and blue-colored eyes.

Blue and blonde hair? Those were the traits of individuals born with noble blood. These traits are part of the reason why her sister refused the Empress position, she may have the power, but she did not have the appearance. Her sister did not want the added discrimination.

The boy made eye contact with her, and in the next second, he jumped down. For a moment, it felt like she saw white feathers surrounding him. An angel?

Nira quickly shook her head. Angels don't exist; besides, what kind of angel would be eating an orange?

"An angel?"

Huh? What did he say? Her thoughts broke off when he suddenly sat her up and grabbed her cheeks. "You look like an angel."

WH-?!!!! Nira felt like screaming; she was furious. What on earth is wrong with this kid?

Also, touching aside, why is he calling her an angel? She also has black hair and red eyes. Her eyes were not as red as her sisters, but it was still red. If anything, her appearance would resemble a devil. Yet she watched as the boy continued talking about how much like an angel she was.

"Miss angel, do you have a name?"

Nira sighed deeply. For some reason, she felt like correcting him wouldn't work.

"Nira." Saying her full name is dangerous. He may look like a harmless little boy, but who knows? Her family trained her on the art of assassination, so she understood these tricks quite well.

"Im Braden!"

The moment he said his name, Nira immediately knew who he was. She saw her sister's investigation reports. So that explains his appearance. Oh great, did she just bump into the Empress child?