The Flower of Separation

Lillian could not mistake the disgust in his tone when he mentioned Seira. Unknowingly a relieved sigh passed her lips. So nothing happened; that was a relief- Lillian paused in mid-thought. Why would she be relieved over something like that?

Snap out of it, Lillian.

This is not like you.

"Those two siblings messed with Natalia?" She swiftly changed the topic again.

"Sir Shuhei was trying to provoke the child. It seemed he mentioned your engagement. The kid was the first one to snap, by the way."

A deep sigh passed her lips. "That girl needs to control her emotions more." She trailed off and mumbled. "As do you," Lillian said that last part quietly, but she knew he heard her.

Lucas did not say anything to her at first.

"I do not want you to be alone with that guy Lilian."

"It wasn\'t deliberate."

"Yeah, but you have a habit of underestimating your enemies too much. You are one of the strongest people in this Empire. I acknowledge that. But you have to remember there will always be someone stronger out there."

"Are you saying he is stronger than me?"

"No." Lucas shook his head. "He isn\'t."

He said that without hesitating, but she also thought the same. The mana around sir Stuart is strong, but he cannot beat her like that.

"He said that you can\'t kill him," Lillian recalled the snippets of the conversation. "Is that something to do with the scrolls he stole?"

Lucas sighed deeply, he looked at her frustrated, and she immediately understood. It seems like she got that right.

"Those scrolls contained your weakness?"

"Not my weakness exactly but the weakness of my bloodline."

\'Then does that make it your weakness-\' Lillian paused in mid-thought. Lucas probably does not want to directly admit that somebody knows his weakness. So even Lucas has something he struggles with.

Since they first met, this man has kept up a flawless image.

"I\'m sorry, Lucas."

The words seemed foreign; she was not the type to apologize.

Perhaps it was the fever getting to her again, but before she knew it, an apology had escaped her lips. She didn\'t even understand what she was apologizing for. It is not like she did anything wrong. Yes, she met with sir Stuart alone, but she was confident that he would not do anything to harm her.

After all, it seems like that man intends to use her as a pawn.

Lucas extended his hand out and flicked her forehead. "If you are going to apologize, at least be sincere."

"That was sincere."

At those words, Lucas placed his hand on her forehead, and his eyes twitched, annoyed. The heat from her skin transmitted to his palm.

"So you were sick."

"You noticed?"

"Miss Lillian underestimates the link between us far too much."

There he is with that Miss Lillian comment. Is he making fun of her again?

"For those two to provoke Natalia like that. Don\'t they know how scary that child can be?"

"Yeah, it surprised me a bit. Normally that girl is so calm, but she is just like you."

"I shall take that as a compliment."

Lucas did not comment, and there was an unusual silence around them. What is with this atmosphere? She wonders when did things become like this between them. Back when they first met, they had more things to talk about; there were no awkward silences.

Sensing the odd atmosphere, Lillian laid down on the couch with her back turned, so she was not facing him. Lucas draped his cloak around her and a blanket.

"You don\'t have to return till the Empress shows up; till then, you ought to rest."

Despite those calm-sounding instructions, Lillian still sensed the anger in his tone. He must still be mad, but he is holding himself back because she isn\'t feeling well.

He is being considerate towards her. A strange feeling appeared in her chest. The fever aside, it was difficult for her to forget the conversation with Ramon earlier on.

\'You two have feelings for each other.\'

Her own feelings aside, it is difficult to imagine Lucas having feelings for her. When they first met, he made it clear to her how he hated humans. She didn\'t have to pry on the details since it was written all over his face.

This person truly dislikes humanity, just like how she disliked her bloodline. This man has the same feelings towards everybody in this world. \'I thought because we were so similar, he would make a good partner.\'

After the accident with her brother Raiju, it did not take her long before she realized that she could not do this alone. She needed at least one person to be on her side. So when she encountered Lucas, she felt that it was fate.

He is a foul-mouthed and yet powerful magician. He did not make a good first impression, and yet, for some reason, she thought it would work out. Despite their conflicting views, they surprisingly worked well together. During their first time on the battlefield together, he covered for her quite well.

But that is all; there should be no romantic feelings.

On the other hand, if she thought about somebody with romantic feelings for her, the first one that came to mind was Ramon.

It would make more sense for Ramon to like her. A part of her probably saw the signs a long time ago, and that was why she decided to be distant. Even after so many years have passed, he still behaves that way. Even if she rejects love, she isn\'t oblivious to it.

When he mentioned that thing about her and Lucas, it was hard for her to keep a straight face since he sounded bitter. Why mention it only to get upset?

Lillian sighed deeply. \'I shouldn\'t think of such troubling things.\' Her thoughts broke off when she felt Lucas take a strand of her hair. A familiar light appeared around her body.

"Checking on me again? You do that a lot lately."

"Isn\'t that your fault? Are you sure you\'re not hanging around with any weirdos lately? You keep getting curses stuck to you."

"I see a lot of people daily; how am I supposed to know?" Lilian trailed off. "Besides, sir magician, you can deal with something this minor, cant you?"

"Of course I can.

\'Just like that, we are talking normally again.\' Perhaps she was worrying for nothing.

Lillian turned around only to see Lucas staring at her with an unusual gaze in his eyes. Why is he looking at her like that? Why does he keep doing strange things recently? Before she could speak another word, they heard the sound of a familiar chime.

\'That\'s the sound of the royal family carriage.\'

Lucas stood up and peeked through the window. "Lilian, I think you need to get down there."

Huh?

Lillian left the couch when she saw his serious gaze. The moment she looked out of the window, she clicked her tongue, annoyed. \'That stupid woman, why does she always find trouble no matter where she goes?\'

"Lucas, take me down there."