Falling petals

Kano's Devotion.

Her plan starts to form in her mind, as if she was a director who was directing a play.

'Aunt Sapphire won't be taking Adeline to the town this time, so her survival is set for now. Now the next cannon fodder who would die, her fate is what I have to change next.'

An image of Adeline appears in Sakura's mind.
'The moment she is taken would be her end. I could have prevented her from going out today, but I won't be a hundred percent sure she wouldn't go out and be kidnapped any other day, so I need it to happen today, where I know which day, time and place she will get taken from. Where I can actually control everything in my hands.'

The image of Adeline crying while holding her mother inside a carriage runs through her mind, but rather than Sapphire being held, it is switched with Sakura and Adeline holding onto each other while a fight is occurring outside the carriage.'

'I would be here in place of aunt Sapphire. And with Kano being here, he can head out and fight with with those cult men the moment a fight occurs. They wouldn't expect it, seeing as they would believe that Adeline and Sapphire would be the only one inside the carriage, and not a knight who is in the top 50 of the rankings done yearly inside the palace for the palace knights. All those cult bastards should be at low tier stages, maybe one or two would be at mid tier.'

The figures of men in black robes being slain one after another by Kano, the blood staining the long sword in his hand.

'The good ending to my plan is with Kano defeating all of those bastards and little to none casualties in our side. However, if their is a chance that there would be people who can rival Kano, I am positive he would die protecting us against those men, and if he dies fighting them, then I can be assured those men would be mortally wounded. A few guards can finish them off or if I have no choice, I wouldn't have a problem giving them the final blows.'

A crying and trembling Sakura would push Adeline behind her, while watching a wounded man try to grab her, only to freeze in shock, with a knife handle sticking out of his chest. The whole area there being stained by his own blood, while the one who stabbed him would look on with no expression.

'Bait them to get close, believing that they won, and just strike when they reach my side. They would be too weak to use magic and to use any real strength against us. They wouldn't expect a fatal strike from a seven year old child who is trembling with tears and snot staining her face.'

Sakura remembers that the carriage that they are riding in right now has a hidden compartment where weapons are hidden for self defense if needed.

'In the backstory of Adelines and aunt Sapphire's deaths, Aunt Sapphire opened that compartment and took out a knife hidden in it, she waited for those men to enter because she knew she wasn't strong enough to fight with her magic, she surprisingly killed two before being slashed through with wind magic.'

"Your highness."

Salura opened her eyes lazily and glanced at Kano.

"We have arrived in Great Magician Gabriel's home."

His clear and steady eyes stares into hers. A moment of hesitation and bit of guilt rose in Sakura's heart, but she squashed it before it can be shown in her exterior. She smiles at Kano.

"I see, thank you for informing me, we should get out then."
Sakura spoke in a monotone voice and waited for him to open the door.

Kano really felt something was different when he saw her expression. He hesitated in his actions, which caught Sakura's attention.

"Is something wrong? If there is something you want to say, quickly say it."
She furrowed her brows and displayed an impatient attitude.

"... your highness."
A look of resolution passed through his eyes, and inside the spacious carriage, he went on one knee and did a knight bow that represents giving their respect and alliance to one master.