Extinct

Of course, Rhys didn't want to give credit for his relaxation to that little rude and presumptuous thief he met that night. But it was also a fact undeniable that it all started that night.

As if thinking of something, Rhys raised his hand and placed it on his chest. He recalled that the same night, he not only met that thief but also found the existence of the Blue Flake. Although he hadn't found any information about that flower in the books in these days, it didn't mean he was willing to just let it go.

The reason why he slowed down his pace was because he was trying to figure out if there was really such a unique flower in the world. He hadn't told Albert about it until now.

Even now, he was wondering if he should tell Albert about this flower or not.

He was still keeping that one petal wrapped in a silk handkerchief in his chest pocket. And if he focused, he could feel a warm current flowing in his heart right where he placed that single petal of the Blue Flake.

So, was it really because of this?

"Have you thought of something?" inquired Albert as he noticed the change in Rhys. Although there wasn't much difference in his expression, Albert could still tell the difference.

"Albert, I'm gonna ask you a question."

"Please do, M'lord."

"Answer seriously. Don't try to throw me off as always."

"I'll try my best," responded Albert.

Rhys took a pause to consider before asking, "Have you heard about a flower named The Blue Flake?"

Albert's body stiffened and his eyes widened when he heard that name. This change didn't escape Rhys' eyes especially since this change was so obvious. After all, it was rare for Albert to express anything on his face apart from his cunning smile.

"You do. Don't you?" Rhys' words were affirmative.

"M'lord, where have you heard about the flower?" asked Albert as he calmed himself down and went back to being his stern and indifferent self.

"I asked the question first," reminded Rhys. "I told you, don't try to throw me off. Tell me what you know. Don't tell me to go and find the answers myself. Since you know, help me right now."

Albert took a deep breath and said, "I'm just curious about how you know about this flower. I don't think anyone has talked about it in the past century. The younger generation doesn't even know about its existence."

"Why?"

"Because it went extinct."

Rhys's brows knitted up slightly because if that was true then what was he holding in his hand? What did he see? And if what he saw was really the Blue Flake that Albert spoke of then where did it come from? How did this extinct flower come back to life again?

"Still, there should be some records of it right?" asked Rhys not giving up.

"There is a book that has its record," stated Albert. "The Seven Legends. That's the book's name."

"The Seven Legends?" repeated Rhys.

"It's on the seven legendary flowers that appeared in history. But each one caused wars and bloodshed. So, they have another name for the seven flowers."

"What?"

"They call them 'The Death Repears'," answered Albert. "Some called them the treasures but to most, they were harbingers of death. I don't know where you heard about this flower. But I hope you never spoke about it again carelessly in front of other people. It won't end well."

"I know that much," said Rhys. "Then do you know what this flower looks like?"

"Why are you curious, M'lord?" asked Albert very seriously. He felt like Rhys' curiosity was different. Rhys was always curious and he always asked Albert strange questions since he was young but today, this curiosity was somewhat different. Albert couldn't tell what was so different about it though.

"Just to add to my knowledge. What if I come across a flower one day and don't even know what it looks like? Won't I be taking a loss by missing out on it?"

"Don't worry. You won't come across it. As I said it went extinct."

"You can't be sure about some things in life," replied Rhys. "Isn't that what you taught me?"

"But I'm sure about this one," Albert seemed very certain of his words.

"Why are you so certain? Maybe I have already seen the flower and I'm just asking for confirmation from you."

Albert clenched his fists and Rhys observed the emotional changes in him that seemed so new to him. Oh, he never thought he'd find something that could have an effect on Albert's emotions. This was getting more interesting than he originally thought it was.

Now, he was even more curious about the reason for Albert's change than the flower itself.

"Albert, my trusted aide, why don't you answer?"

Albert looked at Rhys trying to see if he was just saying it or he was speaking the truth and in fact, he had the answer in his heart. Rhys would never lie to him. It's just that his heart wasn't willing to believe that what he heard was true. If it was true wouldn't that mean...

"Albert!" Rhys called him again. "Is it that difficult to tell me?"

"The flower has six petals and looks like a snowflake. It has blue petals. But they change patterns under the moonlight. It's one of the most unrealistically beautiful flowers you'd find in this world. It exudes a sweet but cold fragrance that is calming to the soul. But at the same time, the flower is capable of killing people." Albert elaborated cleary to Rhys and then asked, "Is it the same flower you saw?"

"It's the same," answered Rhys with a complicated emotion in his eyes as he continued to look at Albert who sucked in a cold breath and turned his face away from Rhys not allowing Rhys to see his emotions at the moment.