Somewhere within Fire Moth.
"That damn bitch, what a piece of work!"
"Just because her niece is the Herrscher of Finality, she thinks she can walk all over me? How dare she humiliate me like this!"
"..."
A priceless porcelain vase shattered into pieces.
Everything on the desk was swept violently to the floor, crashing down in a chaotic, earsplitting mess.
A man stood there, cursing furiously.
It was as if he were unleashing a storm of rage.
If not for the closed door and the excellent soundproofing in the room, the whole building would have undoubtedly heard the commotion.
He had once been one of the councilors of Fire Moth.
And unlike those who merely filled seats, he held real influence.
He controlled considerable resources, had the backing of many supporters, and had even been the frontrunner to become the next leader of the organization.
But now...
It was all gone. Everything!
All because of Kiana's so-called aunts and uncles.
He had watched helplessly as every fair-weather ally drifted over to their side. Even his most loyal underlings had surrendered, one after another.
One moment he was riding high, the next he was completely isolated.
The sheer injustice of it was unbearable!
What stung even more was the humiliation he'd suffered today.
Kiana's aunt had proposed relocating the headquarters of Fire Moth to Shenzhou.
Preferably to Sapphire City.
He had objected!
In response, she'd simply said, "Alright, one vote against. Anyone else opposed? Raise your hand."
Not a single hand went up.
And that pitying look in her eyes—it made his blood boil.
Not long ago, he had already been dreaming about it: the old man stepping down, him taking over, expanding his power under the banner of fighting the Honkai, and leading his family to renewed glory.
But now...
Nothing. All of it, gone.
Dammit!
He snatched up his phone, tempted to just smash it to bits.
But then something stopped him. His eyes fell on a number saved on the screen. For a moment, hesitation flickered across his face, but it soon hardened into something ruthless.
"Hello?"
"..."
"Forget-Me-Not. I have a job for you."
"..."
--+--
A few days later.
Kiana's mother was on the phone. The longer she listened, the more her expression shifted into something subtly amused. She glanced over at Kiana, who was playing a board game with Elysia, and seemed to be fighting back a laugh, as if she'd just heard something incredibly ironic.
She was clearly struggling to keep a straight face.
Which, naturally, made Kiana curious.
Noticing her daughter's attention, she finally spoke up. "What is it, Mom?"
"It's your aunt on the phone," Kiana's mother replied.
"Aunt? Which one?" Elysia asked, perking up with interest. Kiana looked puzzled, too.
She had quite a few aunts—which one were they talking about?
"Your third aunt, the one who's a councilor in Fire Moth."
Kiana's mother walked over, a faint smile playing on her lips. "She said there was a political rival she never had much respect for—thought he had a few screws loose. Well, now he's really gone and done it."
"The idiot hired an assassin to take out a few of your aunts and uncles. But the moment the assassin heard their names and looked into who they were related to, she turned right around, hunted him down, and... well, let's just say he won't be causing any more trouble."
"..."
"Wow... just wow," Elysia murmured, her expression a mix of shock and amusement.
"Really, your aunts should consider themselves lucky," Kiana's mother said gently, her tone turning more serious. "That assassin is notoriously skilled and takes her work very seriously. She's easily one of the most dangerous types out there."
"If she hadn't been wary of you, and if she didn't seem to know the truth about the Honkai..."
"Your aunts wouldn't have stood a chance."
"..."
Kiana thought back to her aunts and older female relatives in Fire Moth—some of them had even held her when she was little.
She'd always been rather fond of them.
Then, a sudden realization hit her. "Who was the assassin?"
"Hmm... Forget-Me-Not, I think? Yeah, that sounds right," her mother replied, though she didn't seem entirely certain.
Oh. Well, that explained everything.
If it was Miss Sakura... then this was exactly the kind of thing she'd do.
It made perfect sense.
After all, Sakura took on assassination jobs to earn money—all so she could better care for her frail younger sister, Rin. She wanted to give her a more comfortable life.
Even if it was just a rumor she'd heard...
She knew better than to risk it.
The Herrscher of Finality was not someone you crossed.
What if that ticking time bomb suddenly went off? Sakura could accept her own fate, but Rin... Rin was still so young. What would happen to her if Sakura wasn't there to protect her?
"You know, Auntie could try recruiting Forget-Me-Not," Kiana suggested.
She quickly checked with her system.
According to the system, during this period, Fire Moth's covert ops team, Cocoon, hadn't yet been fully established. Forget-Me-Not was still a free agent and hadn't joined their ranks.
Thinking back on that foolish councilor's logic...
He probably thought:
'I'm not targeting the Herrscher of Finality herself.'
'I'm just playing the political game, going after relatives she might not even know she has.'
'Surely that's allowed, right?'
...
Sorry.
But no, it really wasn't.
Kiana imagined what she'd do if anything happened to her aunts—she'd undoubtedly seek revenge.
Given her current status, influence, and power, all she'd have to do was say the word, and every nation would scramble to act.
Just for a chance to earn a favor from her, they'd be willing to move heaven and earth.
As for dealing with the guy personally?
Sorry.
She couldn't be bothered. And besides, who did he think he was? Important enough for the mighty Herrscher of Finality to personally handle?
Get over yourself.
As for suggesting that her aunt recruit Forget-Me-Not, Kiana was already thinking ahead—she knew she'd eventually end up in Fire Moth.
That way, she could meet Sakura and Rin properly.
Sisters... that sounded pretty wonderful.
And of course, Sakura and Rin were definitely going to be among the ones featured in the upcoming Celestial Showcase. That meant she didn't need to seek them out early. She could just wait, and they'd come to her. Wasn't that even better?
Oh, right.
She'd almost forgotten...
The third Celestial Showcase video was scheduled to air tonight.
She should take a nice, relaxing bath beforehand.
Then head out to the balcony early with Elysia to wait.
Kiana hadn't made a big secret of the fact that she could sense when the Celestial Showcase was about to begin.
She treated it as just a small privilege of being the Herrscher of Finality.
She'd simply say she had a vague feeling, a premonition. What, was that not allowed?
Elysia really wanted to ask, "How come I don't get that too?"
But she didn't dwell on it too much.
These days, her biggest regrets were: first, that despite all this time, she still hadn't managed to sneak into Kiana's bed, and second, that Kiana would rather have her mom help with bath time than let Elysia join her.
So distant~
You're my wife, after all!
"My dear Kiana... how about we take a bath together today?" Elysia purred, sidling closer.
"No. We'll each take our own."
"Aww, come on! Look at you, getting all shy again! After you've already taken so many of my firsts... what's the big deal about a little bath?"
"Not happening."
"..."
Watching Kiana and Elysia banter back and forth, Kiana's mother covered a soft laugh with her hand.
She rested her cheek lightly against her fingers, tilting her head as she observed them with gentle fondness.
Nothing made her happier than seeing her daughter like this—joyful and surrounded by love.
Even moments as simple as these filled her with warmth.
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.