Falling petals

A Fairy Like Women

While bickering and playing around they finally arrived at the west wing garden. What you first see when you arrive is a gate made of maple wood.

The gate painted a light red, close to pink, with bushes of roses blocking the inside from prying eyes. When they arrived, their was a royal knight blocking the entrance, which surprised Sakura. 'It seems well protected for just being a garden'.

The man noticed them before they were close enough to see, he wanted to warn them that no one is allowed to enter, but before he could: he saw Sakura in the shoulder of Ariel. Which halted his actions.

He glances at Azrael and then at Ariel, what he got back was a nod of the head. That was all he needed. So he turns toward the gate and removes a set of keys in his breast pocket. The one he chooses was a beautiful golden key, it had an emblem of a purple tulip and a peony flower. 'Royalty and beauty' That was the first thing she thought of when she saw those flowers designs.

'I remember reading this in a book about flower meanings... remembering why I read it brings me great shame as I grew older.' While cringing from her middle school days, she tries to push the memory in the back of her head, so she wouldn't remember the embarrassment of the middle school faze she had.

But while trying to forget that part, she really starts to notice the love he had for the empress.

"Your father personally created the lock and the keys. Can you believe such a man shut himself in a room and studies the meaning of flowers just to give an unforgettable present for your mother? He then gently used his magic to melt and mold the keys and lock. He carved those flowers with such delicacy that it took him an hour and a half to finish each petals, and then he coated those flowers so he can get the right color to show the meaning he wanted to give her." Ariel explained to Sakura the backstory of the keys and the garden.

"Your father traded with the elf ruler for the maplewood. I know we have maplewood trees, but you see Sakura. The trees grown in the elfen territory are stronger, even when cut down, the vitality and strength of it is high. So your father only wanted the best for your mother, that he even traded 5 year worth of high level embedding gems for the seeds of the flowers inside this secret garden."

Sakura widen her eyes from the love Mihkael has for her mother, that he went that far for just one person.
'Didn't he have issues for showing too much favoritism to the empress? Wasn't he worried it would have been used against him?' Rather than awwing for the tender love between the couple, she first thought of the political issues that would have appeared from this love.

'Love? Ha! It really is the number one weakness a human being can ever have. Because of love, people forget their surrounding and commit unforgiving acts. I should know, I played this stupid game where the villainess fiance, whomever it was, will always fall for the heroine, and breaks their engagement just for their "love".'

While remembering how much the game really pushed the villainess to the brink of despair, she starts to think of what to plan for her future, what actions must be taken and whomever or whatever she has to use to gain the happiness the villainess loses in all those endings.

'There was never a truly happy ending for the villainess Sakura Serenity. But the moment I ended up here, I will make sure that in this one, the villainess does get one, no matter what.'

"Sakura? Is something wrong?" Ariel notices the change in Sakura's eyes, he expected a different response, not this one.

"Aren't you happy to know the love your dad has for your mother?"
Just a cold gaze appeared in Sakura's eyes, but before any of the men there can see it, she switches to a blushing child, who covers her cheeks in a bit of embarrassment.