Flower of Steel

Even while I was wiping my mouth with the handkerchief that Daisy gave me, I tried my best not to look at the bodies. While I was soothing myself, I heard Lumi’s voice.

“Are you all alright? Anyone hurt?” asked Lumi.

“We’re all fine, thanks to you, milady!”

I felt at ease because of the knights who were looking at their lady with admiration.

***

“Are you all okay?!”

Uncle, who came running home after hearing about the attack, was looking at Lumi with sweat all over his face. She looked down, and he sighed. “You’ve done a good job, Illumina. My foolishness has cost lives today. Let’s go talk in the drawing room. Aiden, take care of the rest.”

Baron Aiden, one of the workers of the Reclans, bowed at my uncle. Then we followed Uncle into the mansion.

As we got into the drawing room, silence fell upon us. I felt so uncomfortable in this situation. It was as if I was sitting on a fire. It was evident that the fight between father and daughter would break out once the silence was broken. It was my uncle who broke this weakly built truce.

“So, you found out.”

“Yes. I found out that my cousin is the strongest swordswoman.”

“I can see that it is impossible to hide talent even if I try,” Uncle said bitterly as he gazed at me with his blue eyes.

“What happened? These assassins must have been very skilled since we had great casualties today. I can’t understand why such men came after you.”

“Hah… Let me explain, Uncle.”

I sighed with a heavy heart for the damage that happened to the House of Reclan because of me. I was the target of today’s attack. Many lives were taken away just because the enemy wanted to capture me alive. And this may not be the last time people close to me fall into danger.

“It’s fine. They’ve attacked my family, so this isn’t only your problem. Besides, trying to harm you already means the problem falls into my hands. So tell me.”

My uncle seemed to understand my dilemma and went right to the center of my thoughts. Yes, he was right. The House of Reclan’s motto was to “pay back as much as we got.” Even if I tried to run away from my enemy, my relatives already had taken much damage. And even if I got through to my uncle, Lumi was already guessing what was going on, so she wasn’t going to stand by. Even if I run, she’ll follow me and go after my enemies. This wasn’t only about me anymore.

“Actually…” I explained the problems that had been haunting me in recent days to my uncle and cousins. Their expressions turned ferocious at my stories.

“How dare they attack my lovely niece…!”

“They dare come after my precious sister…”

“HOW DARE!!”

They all shouted in anger and began shivering in fury.

“I’ll show them!”

As they unleashed their anger against the enemy in hiding who attacked me, they began questioning me for an answer.

“Do you have any idea who it could be?”

“I have a guess… but I’m not certain, so I can’t tell you yet. But I can be sure of one thing. The assailant who attacked the Crown Prince and I seem to be related in some way.”

And as soon as I answered my uncle’s question, Jianne fiercely asked his own, “Do you know who might have sent you that letter?”

“No…”

Rumors about my past had spread in central, so it was probably one of the central nobles. It was probably someone who had a bad relationship with me and who also happened to know my past. It might have been Kyles, Elise, or someone related to them.