Chapter 941: Baring his Soul
Translator: TransN Editor: TransN
Appen suddenly froze.
In other words, that accident years ago was a lie specifically set up by Earl Quinn to cover up the fact that his daughter became a witch?
Andrea was a demonic Fallen one all along...
He never knew...
But the fact remained that the ones who murdered his father and brought destruction to his kingdom were indeed witches. If it weren't for their unimaginable abilities, the current situation would be totally different.
His wish to avenge his father... was it wrong?
The two thoughts were colliding in Appen's mind, bringing him an unbearable headache.
"Your rule ends now." Earl Quinn came forward. "No matter what, the Kingdom of Dawn must not continue to act according to your will. The witches will get their deserved recognition and obtain the same status and rights as the common people. They will be able to walk the streets freely, hold official positions, claim inheritances from their families, and even govern this kingdom." He paused for a moment and looked at Andrea. "As for you—"
"What, do you intend to kill a member of the royal family?" Appen glared at him with a ferocious scowl. "Did you forget your oath to your ancestors? Did you forget my family name?! Answer me, Horford Quinn!"
His sharp questioning made everyone who was present retreat a step in fear—except for Andrea and the God's Punishment Witches.
"I am a direct descendant of the royal house of Moya and the one and only heir! Even if I am no longer a king, you will carry the title of Kingslayer from now on!" he shouted, "The order of the Kingdom of Dawn will be destroyed by you and the great noble families will never trust you again!"
"I won't kill you," Horford sighed, "If my family wasn't at stake, I would have never chosen to act like this. But you need to swear to leave the Kingdom of Dawn forever and never come back. This way, you can take whoever you want with you and leave the king's city. The only alternative is that I imprison you in the castle's dungeon, just like what you did to the eldest son of the Luoxi family."
"Is this decision supported by all three big families?"
"The Tokat family doesn't have any objections." Earl Tokat touched his chest.
"The Luoxi family agrees as well." Earl Luoxi continued.
"We aren't as cold-hearted as you," Oro Tokat said, "Fortunately, your order was one step too late, or else..."
"Enough," Otto interrupted him, "Say no more."
"Such a group of considerate people. But when faced with the huge differences in power, how long will you be able to sustain such a ridiculous friendship?" Appen gazed at the nobles in the hall coldly and thought for a long time before saying, "I choose the first option."
He could not let himself be imprisoned in a place where he might never see daylight again. As long as he was alive, he would always be a member of the royalty of the Kingdom of Dawn. Whether it was the Kingdom of Wolfheart or the Kingdom of Everwinter, he would still be treated according to his status. Leaving was preferable to being held in a cage. And it was impossible to guarantee that neither Horford Quinn nor the King of Graycastle would ever make a mistake. So once a dispute eventually arose, the nobles from the other territories would definitely remember his existence.
"Then... please take an oath." Earl Quinn nodded.
Once Appen Moya finished his oath in the name of the ancestors, the matter was finally resolved. But only Andrea noticed that when the guards escorted the King of Dawn out of the hall, Elena, who was supporting her, had a cold smile on her face.
While leaving the castle, Otto suddenly called Andrea from behind, "Andr... Miss Quinn...thank you for saving my life. Mister Hill told me in general about what happened in Neverwinter City."
She smiled and asked, "Why are you being so formal with your savior and once childhood friend?"
"No... I'm just—" Otto was struck speechless for a moment, his eyes revealing a somewhat happy expression.
"Then call her big sister!" Oro came forward and grabbed his neck. "Don't forget who the leader among the four of us was back then, unless of course, you want to take her position!"
"Oro!" Otto struck the latter's chest with his elbow.
"Ahem, fine, I'm just joking around because you were too tense..." Oro acted as if he was hurt. "It's been so long since we last met. Today, the Flower of Glow is back with us, we must have a good gathering tonight. How about at our usual old place?"
"The Silver Antler Tavern?" Andrea raised her eyebrows. "That place still exists?"
"It is, after all, a Luoxi family business. It won't close so easily. The manager is quite incapable though."
"Hey—"
"I don't have a problem."
"Then it's decided. I'll leave you two alone for now. I have somewhere to be." Oro waved.
"An, Andrea..." Otto took a deep breath. "I want to talk to you in private."
Even though he didn't know why his old friend was willing to let go of such a chance to catch up with Andrea, for him this was an extremely rare opportunity.
He did not want to borrow Oro's words anymore to tell her that he had missed her. And he could feel the difference in Andrea's attitude from they the time they met in Neverwinter city. Even though it seemed like she was still in conflict with her identity as a lady of the Quinn family, at least she did not treat her childhood friends as strangers. This was obvious from the way she had smiled before.
"..." Andrea thought for a moment and then nodded. "Let's go to the courtyard."
Otto felt his heart suddenly beating faster.
The person supporting her did not follow them, so the two of them, one behind another, walked into the courtyard.
"Are... are you alright?" Looking at the witch's back, which was shaking as she was walking, Otto wanted to but did not dare to help her. These kinds of gestures had been so common back when they were children.
"This is just a side-effect of excessive use of magic power, it's not really harmful to the body. Actually, we all have to go through this in order to improve our magic capacity. I'll be back to normal in two days so don't worry," Andrea said while shrugging her arms, "It's just the two of us now, what would you like to talk about?"
Otto bit his lips. "Do you still remember what I told you in Neverwinter city? That Oro would go to your grave every year and leave flowers..."
"I remember."
"In fact, there's one more thing that I didn't tell you..." He took a deep breath. "I also did the same every year—because I couldn't forget you. Back at the dungeon, when I heard you saying 'I am here', I almost can't describe the feeling of joy that I felt in my heart. At that moment, I decided that no matter what, I have to say this to you. Andrea, can you stay here?"
Andrea didn't seem surprised. She only smiled and said, "Thank you, but you are too late."
"What do you mean by too late..."
"I already have someone I want to always stay beside, so... I won't be staying in the City of Glow." She replied seriously in a soft and quick manner, "If you had asked me ten years ago, maybe I would have agreed."
Otto's heart sank. "Is it His Majesty Roland? If you mean him, then he's definitely a better choice than me..."
"I would never compete against Nightingale," Andrea interrupted him, "I am her most trusted ally."
"Huh?"
"Um, no, nevermind..." She coughed twice. "Well, it's not what you think. Otto, witches can't continue the family bloodline and in fact, I don't want to be restricted by the rules of nobility. Ten years is a long time. I'm no longer the Flower of Glow that you used to know. It's better like this, do you understand?"
Otto opened his mouth and was about to say "I'm willing to give up everything about the nobility", but there was an invisible force that stopped him before he could.
He was also not a capricious child anymore, who could just avoid taking any responsibilities.
It would be the greatest disappointment for his father and sister Belinda.
In the end, Otto could only watch as Andrea's back disappeared through the courtyard's entrance.