"Do you suppose this is a good idea?"
"I see no problem in it."
"But great father! Announcing this at the victory celebration banquet is a bit absurd."
Felix turned his head towards Rezef, "And why is it absurd in any way?"
"The banquet is for the warriors who won the war... Me announcing the addition of another in the Lily family would only overshadow their feat." Rezef replied keeping the knights' morale in his mind.
"Under normal circumstances, yes." Felix calmly placed his book onto the mantel of the fireplace. "But you were the one leading the knights. It's only right you ask for his approval to add another in our family at this time."
"Ask for his approval? To let us adopt Owen?" Rezef raised his eyebrow. He stood up from the sofa, walked behind it, and laid his hands on the back, trying to comfort himself. "I want to ask the Emperor for a different favour... something that can only be granted after a great feat like this."
Felix turned towards Rezef, his arms crossed behind his back, "You want to free Gallahan?"
"Not just him," Rezef rubbed his face with his hands, "All of the generations to come."
"You think he'll actually free him?" Felix spoke sharply but there was a heavy feeling in his throat as he continued, "Those royals, who couldn't forget an incident that happened three centuries ago?"
"Great father, I-"
"They can't forget. That's the only way they can put a leash on us.. to control us." Felix's chest felt heavy. It stretched for what felt like years, though only moments had passed. They stood quietly, their steps frozen in one place.
"Speak of Gallahan when he asks you what you want. Adopting Owen shouldn't be the first priority." Felix turned towards the door.
"But you want to adopt Owen." Rezef's voice was unsure, unable to read Felix's face.
Felix opened the door, not looking at him, "It's what I want, not what I need." Saying so, he left the room and shut the door behind him.
The night of the victory celebration had dawned and in just half an hour, there was chaos in the banquet hall.
"What's the commotion about?" A noble reached out to where a crowd had gathered.
"Apparently, Baroness Bernard has offended Duchess Oleander." The person next to him replied.
"You sure the duchess wasn't just in a bad mood? She was spoiled a lot by her family's adults."
"She was spoiled, not rotten." The other man replied, "She knows what boundaries are and she never crosses them- unless it's for the benefit of the people of the empire."
"I suppose. So what's the reason?" The man inquired.
"She was disrespectful to her." The other man spoke as he saw Baroness Bernard leaving while gritting her teeth.
"Show's over! Chop chop, get your noses out here." A powerful feminine voice came along with the clapping of her hands.
"Isn't there anything better for you nobles to do other than prying into others' lives?" Another feminine voice spoke.
"There isn't, sweety. You can't get rid of a bad habit from society so easily." The first feminine voice taunted the nobles.
"Lady Bouvardia and Lady Lily, a pleasant afternoon to you." The noblemen, who were gossiping a moment ago, bowed, their tongues dripping with flattery.
"Well it isn't pleasant anymore." The woman, with blonde hair tied into a bun spoke, physically annoyed by their presence.
"Oh, Violet!" The redhead stroked the blonde's head playfully, "Luna's in a much more tensed up state. Let's go cheer her up."
"You're right, Arum." Violet resigned with a nod. The two girls left, searching for Duchess Oleander.
"My! The rumours are true. The ladies of the duchies are very close." The man spoke seeing them leaving.
"A powerful union, if I say so myself."
"How come?" The first noble asked, leaning closer.
" The daughters of the three duchies are in a very good relationship. That strengthens them as a whole, potentially making them even more powerful than the imperial family as one."
Duchess Oleander made her way to the stairs leading to the resting rooms of the banquet hall. She went to the one in the corner- a habit she had obtained to avoid confrontation with the nobles to get some peace of mind.
As she entered the room, the man sitting on the sofa made her stop on her heels. The man looked up from the book he was reading, and for a moment, time stopped for the both of them. The emerald green eyes locked into the rhodonite pink eyes, both lost in secretly admiring each other.
The two felt their hearts skip a beat within the rapid rhythm, as if a new song had just been composed—something neither had ever experienced.
"Are you lost, Miss?" The gentleman initiated the conversation, coming back to reality.
"Ah, yes...I mean, no. I'm not." Duchess Oleander came back to her senses. "I was just surprised to see someone already here."
"It seems you frequent this room." He flipped to the next page.
"Just to relieve myself from the noise. May I?" She pointed to the sofa facing him.
"Sure." He looked from his book to the woman standing in front of him, "The loud music really disrupts the state of mental peace, especially when it's accompanied by meaningless chatter."
"I agree." Duchess Oleander nodded, "Say, what's that you're reading?"
"Noble Families and their Political History by Sir Johansson." The man replied curtly, "Ah, it seems I've come to the part where you are written: Luna Oleander, duchess of Oleander household. The first ever woman in the Evimeria Empire to receive the title of the family head. Quite a feat, I must say."
"I suppose, but anyone could've achieved it. There's no need to glorify it. It only takes wit and courage to stand on your feet in order to gain the title."
"Well my lady, not everyone possesses both. Many are witty but not courageous enough to speak their minds. Those with courage may as well be to their knees when it comes to intelligence." He gracefully shut the book and placed it on the table, "Those who possess both are able to gain success."
A maid knocked on the door and brought a tray with teacups and a kettle brimming with warm water. She left after placing them on the table residing between the two occupants.
The man took out a folded parchment paper from his coat and unfolded it revealing some dried herbs.
"Would you like some tea?"
"Of course."
As he left the tea to brew, he continued where he had left off, "Your wit and courage has given the women a stepping stone to dream bigger than they're allowed to."
"Allowed to?" Luna tilted her head
"To many, thinking far beyond society's expectations is but a luxury." The man explained to her. Luna had taken a liking to him- not because of his looks, but because of his ideology and philosophical thoughts. Their chatter was a pleasant change for each other.
"What is this tea? Not only do I love its aroma and colour, its taste is quite delicious." Luna exclaimed as the tea aroused flavor in her tongue.
"It's a collection of different flowers and herbs. Highly poisonous if I say so myself."
Luna stopped sipping the tea and looked straight up at him.
" Let me finish." The man spoke gently, "Poisons are deadly as they are, but sometimes when mixed with another poison, the effect either amplifies or nullifies. In this case, it's the nullification."
"Would you explain?" Luna asked, her fists clenched, ready to strike him if he was messing with her. She couldn't believe that she had lowered her guard against a stranger and had an unknown tea just because she liked the colour it gave to the water.
"Oleanders are known to be poisonous. Increasing heart rate, nausea, dizziness, diarrhea and much more are its symptoms. The tea I brewed works well enough to reverse all those symptoms that are caused by oleander poisoning."
"But no one's been poisoned with oleander." Luna looked at him with utter annoyance.
"You may be doing your best in hiding your aura, but you have yet to perfect it from seeping out." He placed the empty cup on the table, "The Oleanders have a knack of subconsciously secreting the toxins of oleander from their aura- a trait they've gained as to being able to control poisonous plants especially the oleander."
"So you're saying that I'm poisoning the air?"
"In a way, yes. With a very strong aura such as you hold, it would be best if you learn how to completely mask your aura. The sooner you do, the less people around you will be harmed."
"You think I have a strong aura?" Luna chuckled.
"I don't think. I can see that you possess a lot of magic power- the thing that builds up one's level of aura."
Luna couldn't believe it. No one had ever been able to find out about her immense magic power- not anyone before him.