How to explain the situation to Azula was indeed a terrible headache.
The main problem was not Ursa's romance with Noren, nor even their daughter, Kiyi.
The real problem was that Ursa had chosen to alter all of her mories of the past.
Although Noren had explained Ursa's original struggle and her concern for Azula and Zuko, the result remained the sa.
In the end, she had chosen to abandon everything from before.
Kahn could understand Ursa's choice.
Being forced into a strange city to marry a man she did not love.
Having every tie to her family and hotown severed by force.
Suppressing her longing for her family and the person she loved.
Enduring a husband she despised day after day.
And worse, that husband was a ruthless monster.
Just thinking about it felt suffocating and painful.
Even so, to Azula and Zuko, Ursa's choice was no different from abandoning them.
The pain of being actively abandoned by one's own mother was easy to imagine.
Zuko might be able to understand Ursa.
But Azula was another matter.
Azula had been deeply influenced by Ozai as a child.
Ursa had always wanted to correct her, and because of that, she had been sowhat strict with her.
In turn, Azula had always carried a trace of resentnt toward Ursa.
Although she had now broken free from Ozai's control, so deeply rooted influences were not so easily erased.
Combined with Azula's stubborn nature, Kahn worried that this matter might drag her into a downward spiral again.
From Hira'a back to the Fire Nation capital, Kahn failed to think of any particularly good solution.
So he decided to rest for the day and postpone it until tomorrow at the earliest.
However—
The mont Kahn returned ho, before he even had ti to enter, he saw a nimble figure vault over the courtyard wall with practiced ease.
Who else could it be but Azula?
Seeing Kahn, Azula raised an eyebrow slightly, sowhat surprised.
"You're back?"
"Faster than expected."
"So, what happened?"
Although Kahn really wanted to comnt on the way Azula had just entered, the mont he heard her question, his body stiffened.
"Well…"
"All in all, it went very smoothly."
However, the mont Azula heard that, she imdiately stepped closer and pressed eagerly,
"You found Mother?"
"Yes."
"She's in Hira'a."
"It's just…"
Despite her excitent, Azula imdiately caught the hesitation and uncertainty in his words.
She frowned.
"Just what?"
"Did sothing happen to her?"
"Why are you hesitating?"
"No, it's just…"
"Well, sothing did happen."
Kahn thought it over for a long ti, but in the end, he still could not find a subtle way to say it.
Finally, he gave up struggling and recounted everything exactly as it had happened.
Of course, during the explanation, he emphasized Ursa's hesitation when she made her choice.
But it seed to have little effect.
After hearing the full story, Azula's expression imdiately darkened.
"Forgetting the past…"
"Does she hate that much?"
"Or does my existence simply not matter to her at all?"
"Uh…"
Seeing this, Kahn secretly knew things were bad.
His thoughts raced, and suddenly, an idea flashed through his mind.
He found a good angle to persuade her.
He coughed heavily twice, drawing Azula's attention, then spoke seriously.
"Actually, I think she just hated Ozai too much."
"She wasn't targeting you and Zuko."
"After all, she forgot Zuko too, didn't she?"
"And he was the one she always loved."
"Instead of guessing wildly, I think it would be better to wait until she regains her mories and ask her directly, face-to-face."
Kahn's words made sense.
After hearing them, Azula's emotions eased slightly, though the gloom on her face still did not disappear.
She asked again,
"What if she really does hate ?"
When she asked that, Kahn seed to feel the insecurity and vulnerability buried beneath her words.
Without thinking, he blurted out,
"Don't worry."
"I'm still here."
Azula froze at his words, and her emotions seed to calm a little more.
But only a little.
She turned away and said,
"Then so be it."
Leaving behind those words, she left the courtyard.
Kahn sighed.
He understood that this matter would not be resolved easily.
The one who tied the knot had to be the one to untie it.
To truly resolve Azula's knot, Ursa herself would have to step forward.
So please, Lady Ursa.
Do not disappoint .
Kahn rested at ho for a day.
Azula did not co to find him, and he did not go looking for her either.
He hoped to give her so ti to think alone.
That evening, Kahn entered the Spirit World at the appointed ti to et Iroh.
Now, he could finally tell him the whole truth.
There was no need for hesitation when it ca to Iroh.
The mont Kahn saw him, he went straight to the point.
"Uncle Iroh, I have sothing to tell you."
"I found the whereabouts of Azula and Zuko's mother, Ursa."
"What?"
Kahn's sudden words stunned Iroh for a mont.
Then Iroh imdiately seed to rember sothing and asked,
"Could it be that everything you and Azula have been doing all this ti was for this?"
He had always known that Kahn and Azula were doing sothing behind the scenes.
But before now, he had never interfered or asked too much.
It seed this was the answer.
"Yes."
Kahn nodded, confirming Iroh's guess.
Then he dropped the true bombshell.
"More importantly, while finding Ursa, we also finally uncovered the truth of the night Ozai took the throne."
"What?!"
This ti, Iroh could no longer maintain his calm.
His eyes widened in disbelief, and even his beard seed to bristle, giving him an oddly comical look.
So Kahn told Iroh everything that had happened that night.
Iroh's expression changed several tis as he listened.
At first, there was shock and disbelief.
Then, gradually, those emotions beca sothing far more complicated and unreadable.
In that short span of ti, he suddenly recalled many things from the past.
The astonishnt he had felt when he suddenly learned that his father had supposedly passed the throne to Ozai.
The advice of his trusted followers.
His own struggles.
Ozai's many actions against him.
And his current fallen state.
In the end, Iroh only let out a deep sigh.
"So that was what happened."
"So that was the truth…"
Although the truth had gone far beyond his expectations, and countless emotions surged within his heart, the past could no longer be changed.
Iroh had experienced too much already.
He understood that principle better than most.
After a period of reflection, Iroh returned to himself.
He looked at Kahn with emotion and said,
"You have never disappointed ."
"And this ti, your growth has exceeded my expectations by far."
"I am proud of you, Kahn."
He knew exactly how much risk and effort it must have taken to investigate this matter.
It was not sothing an ordinary person could have accomplished.
From this mont on, Iroh had to look at Kahn with a new and equal gaze.
After this matter, Kahn was no longer rely a child he needed to protect.
Regardless of age, Kahn had truly grown up.
At the sa ti, the mont Iroh learned the truth of Ozai's usurpation, many thoughts imdiately arose in his mind.
He believed that Kahn, who was already dissatisfied with Ozai, would never remain indifferent after discovering this.
Perhaps that was the real reason Kahn had co to him today.
So Iroh smiled and said,
"Although I previously chose not to interfere too much with your actions, it seems I have missed quite a lot."
"I wonder if I may take part in your plans from now on?"
Hearing Iroh's words, Kahn smiled as well.
"Of course."
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