Chapter 137: Hundred Flowers Kin, Past Events of Flying Flowers

Chapter 137: The Beloved of a Hundred Blossoms, Memories Amid Falling Petals

"Madam Rose!"

Li Wei looked up. It was Evelyn.

The constable dismounted swiftly upon seeing her.

"Edson, at your service, Madam Rose."

Edson, who had moments ago stood defiant before the crowd, now bowed his head in meek submission.

Evelyn glanced briefly at Edson and walked toward Rohta.

She casually pulled out a sheet of paper and handed it to him. "Take it. From now on, Pumpkin Manor will be registered under my name—yet remain part of the Sett family."

"Starting this year, production at Pumpkin Manor must gradually resume."

Rohta accepted the contract, his heart heavy.

But the few behind him wore expressions of stunned joy.

To gain the patronage of Madam Rose—this was an unexpected salvation for the dying Sett lineage.

The title *Madam Rose* had been bestowed by the former ruler of Blossomfall City.

Within the city walls, it carried immense prestige.

Even the current lord, Kira, sought every opportunity to win her favor.

Madam Rose represented the old regime—the legacy of the former lord—and still wielded considerable influence.

At Evelyn’s words, Edson’s face darkened.

Pumpkin Manor was land claimed by Lord Kira himself. Even Madam Rose could not simply take it back.

"Madam Rose," Edson pressed, "the Sett family has already broken the noble covenant. The manor now belongs to the lord."

Evelyn didn’t even glance at him. “If he wants the manor, let Kira come see me himself.”

Edson’s expression hardened. To speak the lord’s name so bluntly—it was a grave disrespect.

Yet he dared not protest.

Madam Rose’s power was no mere title.

He bowed stiffly. “In that case, I shall take my leave.”

“Let’s go!”

He mounted his horse and rode off, his face clouded with displeasure.

Rohta looked up at Evelyn, voice soft. “Thank you.”

Evelyn met his gaze, then turned to Li Wei, and finally toward the manor. “Won’t you invite us in?”

“Us?” Rohta asked, puzzled.

Evelyn raised one finger, pointing at Li Wei.

“Him and me.”

Only then did the others notice Li Wei.

Leon recognized him and gasped, “Y-you… you’re that prodigy mage!”

Lena quickly added, “Please, come in at once.”

They were brothers—Lena the elder, Leon the younger. Their father was Rohta’s cousin.

Inside the manor, Lena brought hot tea for the two honored guests.

The Sett family had fallen so far that there wasn’t even a proper servant left.

Lena herself had to attend to visitors.

Lena stood nearby, uneasy as she watched Evelyn and Li Wei.

“I’m sorry,” he said awkwardly. “Our home is poor, our hospitality lacking. Please forgive our shortcomings.”

Evelyn took a sip of tea. “Not bad. The taste is decent.”

Lena’s cheeks flushed faintly, a quiet warmth blooming in her chest.

Never had she dreamed of being praised by Madam Rose.

In Blossomfall City, Madam Rose was the idol and aspiration of countless young women.

There were four most revered figures in the city, each granted a Crystal Blossom insignia by the lord.

Madam Rose was one of them.

To bear the Crystal Blossom was to stand among the highest—second only to the lord himself, above all others, honored throughout the land.

Li Wei also sipped the tea, nodding slightly. It truly was good.

The richness of the leaves perfectly balanced—neither too strong nor too weak.

Rohta looked from Li Wei to Evelyn, then down at the low table before him, and began to speak of the past.

“Eighteen years ago, I was an apprentice mage at the academy, on the verge of becoming the youngest journeyman mage in Blossomfall City.”

“Then came an accident. I left the city—and never returned for eighteen long years.”

Through Rohta’s words, Li Wei slowly pieced together his history.

Eighteen years ago, the lord of Blossomfall City was not Kira.

Back then, the Sett family was one of the city’s noble houses.

They had close ties with the former lord—Rohta’s parents had even served in the lord’s personal guard.

That year, a great tragedy occurred.

The lord, traveling outside the city, was ambushed by mysterious enemies and gravely endangered.

The attack happened less than ten kilometers from the city gates.

He sent out a distress signal.

Yet every noble house in Blossomfall saw the signal—and none moved to help.

By cruel chance, all four holders of the Crystal Blossom were away from the city that day.

An entire city stood idle while its lord fought for his life.

In the end, the personal guard was wiped out. Rohta’s parents died. The lord returned, barely alive.

From that moment on, the Sett family severed all ties with the lord.

And thus began their slow descent into ruin.

Rota pleaded repeatedly with his family to lend a hand, to send someone to rescue the city lord.

Even if they wouldn’t save the city lord, at least for the sake of his parents, they should send aid.

Yet the Sette family remained indifferent, abandoning Rota’s parents without a second thought.

Heartbroken and shattered in spirit, Rota’s once-brilliant reputation plummeted like a star fallen from the sky.

In the end, it was Evelyn who pulled him back from the edge of ruin.

After awakening, Rota felt too ashamed to face Evelyn again—or the many teachers at the academy who had once placed such hopes in him.

Utterly disillusioned with the Sette family, he ran away from home, wandered across distant lands, and finally settled in Maple City.

The turning point of the Sette family’s decline came with Kira’s rise to power.

They had bet on the wrong horse—the one they supported failed to become city lord.

Once Kira seized control, the Sette family, stripped of their patronage, became prime targets.

Over a decade later, they had fallen into this wretched state.

Evelyn’s verdict: “Serves them right!”

Had she not been absent from the city then, such a tragedy might never have occurred.

She suspected the four of them had all been deliberately lured away.

After the city lord was gravely wounded, he vanished after some time.

Evelyn believed he had met foul play—murdered in secret by Kira.

The four bearers of the Crystal Blossom insignia confronted Kira together, demanding the truth.

Kira claimed innocence, swearing the disappearance had nothing to do with him.

Later, a battle erupted between the four and Kira.

One against four, the clash ended in a stalemate.

Afterward, two of them stormed off in fury, leaving Flyflower City—no one knows where they went.

Lady Rose and another remained in the city, tirelessly searching for traces of the lost lord.

But that other person hasn’t been seen in over ten years.

Even Evelyn only knows he still lingers somewhere within Flyflower City—never seen, only sensed.

Of all the Blossom Kin, only Lady Rose remains visible to the world.

As Li Wei and Rota walked back toward their inn, Li Wei sighed, “All because of greed.”

“If the Sette family hadn’t betrayed the city lord, they’d never have come to this.”

Rota shook his head. “You don’t understand. The secret the Flyflower City lord held was far too important—so vital that countless families sought her death, all chasing that one secret.”

“Secret?” Li Wei asked, surprised.

He hadn’t heard mention of this before.

Rota said, “A mere rumor, vague and elusive.”

“They say the Flyflower City lord could commune with the Spirit of a Hundred Blooms, drawing divine power.”

“That was how she became ruler of a city while still so young.”

(End of Chapter)