Falling petals

How did you know?

"So..... please start from the very beginning your highness."
 
A man with stormy gray hair sat right in front of Sakura. His clear and intelligent eyes stared right at her, making sure not to miss one thing.
 
Feeling his gaze the child just across from him gulps and feels sweat dripping from her forehead.
 
'Ah! Of all people, I have to be interrogated by uncle Seraph. Haha I'm fucked.'
 
Taking another gulp she looks around the room and sees her papa and her papa Raphael with the other uncles. All seem to follow her every action and were fully focused in what she would say.
 
'Damn. Now I'm regretting opening my big stupid mouth.'
 
She wanted to smack herself for informing her father about her involvement with why Kano said those things. Right now she wanted to dig a hole and bury herself in it so she can dodge all those stares.
 
"Ah... I-I told Kano about the ambush up ahead in the road. I knew what was there."
 
"How."
 
"Uh-"
 
"How would our ignorant and young highness who knows little to nothing about this twisted world; know about a well hidden ambush that not even one guard or even Kano would sense it with their level of ability. Or better yet, the distance would even be hard for Ariel to take notice, so how did you know. Especially when they held concealing magic tools on them. Hm~?"
 
"..."
 
'Ah..... I'm definitely fucked.'
 
"Seraph. Come on. Your scaring our little princess with that tone."
 
Ariel lightly walks over and pats Sakura to ease up her nerves and assure her she can relax with them.
 
"I'm just curious why she knew about the ambush and why she lied to get the guards and Kano to move."
 
His eyes not once leaving her while he spoke. And she watched those clear and intelligent eyes narrow in wonder.
 
"Why did she have to lie about how she knew. Is there a reason she rather not tell the truth? Did she really detect something by her own abilities or did she know before hand? But if she did: how?; how would a child have information that we, who have hidden agents and informants all around our empire and other areas not have even an ounce of knowing this information, yet she, a sheltered child did?"
 
"...."
 
'I'm royally fucked.'
 
"Maybe its intuition. Instinct?"
 
"Instinct?"
 
Seraph moved his eyes to Ariel and gave him a look of contempt and annoyance. Ariel wasn't offended and just shrugged his shoulder.
 
"The princess always had a knack of knowing things beforehand. Remember that time she guessed Alyona will have a son and his name before Alyona and Igor even revealed it?"
 
"..."
 
"Or that time she quickly stopped Axel from eating the imported Guada fruit because turns out he was allergic to it. And she somehow knew before he could eat a whole one by himself and almost endanger his life."
 
"..."
 
"Or that time...."
 
Sakura did a mental face palm from hearing all his recollections of her sudden knowledge of things. She wanted to strangle the older man to make him shut up at the many 'coincidence' she had about things.
 
'This bastard remembers all of them too well!? I can even see how everyone else eyes widen in realization from the many times I knew something beforehand! Fuck! Now I'm really getting the gaze of wonder and suspicion.'
 
"Oh! And that time with the almost assassination attempt on Igor! She was just inches away from the silent magic range when assassins tried to kill Igor so they didn't notice anyone else watching  and that she screamed for help until they heard her scream and watched her run."
 
"...that truly was quite the lucky situation wasn't it."
 
Seraph soon ended up recalling the many times she had close calls and the many things she did with prior knowledge before anyone else can realize it.
 
'She truly was 'Lucky' when she was just inches away from the radar of that concealing magic, if she unfortunately took one more step and screamed for help, she would have been discovered and no one else would have heard. She and Igor would most likely have died that day if she did.'
 
His gaze return to her and he watched her take a gulp and her eyes shake from his gaze.
 
"Aren't you quite the peculiar child your highness."
 
'I will remember this Uncle Ariel.'
 
"Sakura. I'm not asking you this to make you uncomfortable, I'm asking this of you because of what you told Kano, he was sent to prison because they believed he lied and may be a traitor."
 
"Seraph!"
 
"Don't say it in such a way! Don't guilt her in speaking, it'll make her feel bad!"
 
Mihkael and Raphael both stepped in in her defense and looked to see if Sakura was feeling wronged or hurt.
 
But what surprised everyone there was a sigh leaving those small pouting lips.
 
"Is it that important how I knew about the ambush?"
 
She looks straight into Seraph's eyes, not even a show of emotions displayed in those eyes, just a look of focused attention. Seraph eyes widen again at her gaze and only questions filled his mind.
 
"Your highness... it is important because we want to understand if someone is informing you this things without our knowledge. We are just worried that someone shows up and the barrier we have around your palace hasn't detected it. We just have to make sure that you really are well protected or if there is a loophole in the barrier."
 
"...no one."
 
"Hm?"
 
"There is no one who tells me anything. No one meets me in secret and tells me things that even you guys would not know."
 
She looked down and started to swing her legs, as if to use that to distract her.
 
"Then how did you know?"
 
"... I don't know if you'll believe me if I said it."
 
"Your highness. We won't know unless you tell us. We just want to make sure you aren't in danger anymore that you have been."
 
"Sakura, Trust us."
 
'....She always trusted you, and ended up dying with a broken heart each time.'
 
"I get dreams."
 
'Let's go with this lie. I remember that people receive oracles of sorts by the gods and goddesses and mythical beings of this world. So I'll use that in my favor.'
 
"Dreams?"
 
She hesitantly nodded, displaying an awkward and confused image.
 
"Since I was little, I don't know when; but I have been getting strange dreams that seemed so real. I had dreams of papa and everyone else as if it was actually happening but then I wake up and find out it was a dream, until that day I get déjà vu and then realize it was something I've seen in the dream. Then it occurs just like the dream and I stop it before it goes to a bad end."
 
"!!!"
 
"Prophesied dreams!?"
 
Seraph covers his mouth and whispered in a startled voice when he heard her answer. Everyone else there were startled to finally learn the truth of her knowledge, and even they didn't expect this outcome.
 
"I lied to Kano because I was scared he will ignore my warning and still go on without telling the others. Then they would all have died and Adaline would have been taken."
 
"Why just Adaline? What would have happened to you?"
 
Seraph surprisingly didn't dismiss her claim and rather questioned what she saw in the dream.
 
"They wanted Adaline. I wasn't there , but instead it was Aunt Sapphire.'
 
'For now I'll tell them how their future was supposedly going to go. And I'll add a bit of lies here and there.'
 
"I was actually supposed to go but because I was too late in waking up, I ended up missing it and didn't go."
 
Sakura used their knowledge of her being a sleepy head and her adamant hate of waking up to add more truth into her story.
 
"It really was a surprise that aunt Sapphire was pregnant. In the dream she wasn't so she ended up going along and...."
 
"And? What happened Sakura, it's fine to say it."
 
Seraph spoke in a soothing tone and leaned closer to her. Mihkael and Raphael wanted to scoop her up and end this but knew that they had to wait for her to speak out for it.
 
But everyone there ended up panicking when she started to tear up.
 
"A-aunt Sapphire and everyone else.... th-they!"
 
"Its fine now, you don't have to say it."
 
From her reaction Seraph could understand what may have happened to them in the original ambush. He stopped the talk the moment he saw her cry.
 
Gabriel as well looked away and a shadow casted over his eyes when he heard that he could have possibly lost his wife and daughter that night if Sakura hasn't gone and if Sapphire wasn't found to be pregnant. Fear at the thought squeezed at his heart from the possible out come and he sighed in relief it didn't happen like it did in her dream.
 
Even if in the political world Seraph was considered a cold and heartless man; when it comes to his family, he doesn't want them to cry and feel depressed. But when he tried to assure her it was fine to stop she shakes her head and looks at him in resolve that she wants to finish it till the end.
 
She sniffled a bit more and Uriel steps up to have her blow her nose in his handkerchief. She complies and relaxed a bit more that now she isn't a hiccupping mess.
 
"Adaline was taken and was put in an alter."
 
"!... the one in the cave."
 
Azrael who return from the village the girls was taken to didn't even have time to change clothes and was still dressed in the armor he had on the night prior.
 
Sakura nods to his question and a look of horror crosses her eyes as she recalls what she has seen.
 
"She was crying. Her pretty dress was ruined because the dragged her there and shackled her hands together on top of the alter.... she was beaten unconscious when taken and they had healers heal her wounds when it was time for her to be a... 'vassal' for their lord or his minions."
 
"! But why Adaline!? She is just a 7 year old child!?"
 
Gabriel was appalled at the image of his daughter being dragged to be forced in drinking corrupted blood, dread that his daughter would have lost everything if they haven't arrived like they did drained the blood in his face.
 
"Maybe it is best you go out of the room Gabriel. You are getting too worked up, remember that your magic is actually extremely dangerous if not controlled."
 
Seraph glances at the overexcited man and can already see a swirl of magic being released. Gabriel as well quickly noticed and took breaths to calm himself.
 
"....I'm sorry. But please let me stay. This is my daughter were talking about. I need to hear why. Please Sakura, go on."
 
'Ah I feel really bad if I tell him it's actually because she is his child she was taken. But I have to.'
 
"...Because Adaline was your child Uncle Gabriel."
 
"!?"
 
"She... she was likely going to inherit your abilities to even use magic outside her spectrum at a high tier, just like both her brothers. So before she was able to be tested and then kept tightly protected, they decided to kidnap her beforehand and make her into a vassal."
 
Gabriel staggers when he heard it was because his blood was running through her veins, that her being his child was the reason she was sought out and placed in danger.
 
"Gabriel!"
 
Mihkael and Ariel quickly went by his side and saw the dejected look of their friend. Mihkael felt even more of an understanding to his friends pain because since Sakura was his only heir many will try to get close and control her at a young age or take her out of their way so he would have no choice but look for another wife and another child for the throne.
 
"Sit down Gabriel. Calm yourself."
 
"What happened? Did they succeed?"
 
"... They tried to quicken the process so they made a mistake. They gave her pure corrupted blood of high-tier in one quick motion. She was too young and the blood was too pure and was too much in one intake. "
 
Sakura was getting tired in trying to sound like a child while she revealed what she remembered.
 
"She couldn't withstand it and it.... it.... broke her. It released itself in a great explosion of magic and killed the bad men."
 
She closed her eyes as if to not see the image again.
 
"You found them a day or few days later, I don't really know. But you found her...... with her blood around her, dry blood left her clear glass eyes and her skin was see through with cracks filling it... she was reaching out for help."
 
She looked at Gabriel and saw his dazed eyes. He held his mouth and you can see he was gagging.
 
"Take him to the restroom!"
 
Uriel quickly stood up and followed Azrael to the connected bathroom, they closed the door but small sounds can still be heard.
 
'Now I really feel horrible. But that's how it should have gone, but I can imagine the horror of knowing you haven't arrived in time and only found that horror stricken death of your child must be a haunting experience. I'm really glad I was able to Save Adaline in this life.'
 
".... I think it is best to end it here. Let's talk after a few hours later."
 
Mihkael calmly spoke those words and walked toward Sakura and held her to his chest.
 
Sakura can hear his heart beating quickly and loudly.
 
'Maybe uncle Gabriel wasn't the only one effect by what they heard.'
 
And Sakura was right. Because when Mihkael heard the way Adaline died, for some reason a flash of a translucent young lady appeared in his mind, one who haunted him in his dreams for the past few years.