Anpei was stunned on the spot.
Was he saying that the accident years ago was a deception deliberately created by Earl Quinn to cover up the news of his daughter becoming a witch?
Is Andrea a fallen, evil person...
He didn't know.
But the murderers who harmed his father and disturbed the kingdom were indeed witches. If they didn't have such unreasonable abilities, things wouldn't have turned out this way.
Was his desire to avenge his father... wrong?
Two thoughts collided and tore at each other in Anpei's mind, causing him a splitting headache.
"Your rule ends here," Earl Quinn stepped forward, "In any case, Dawn should no longer blindly follow your will. Witches will be vindicated and have the same status and rights as ordinary people. They can walk normally on the streets, hold official positions, inherit families, and even manage this kingdom." Saying this, he glanced at Andrea, "As for you—"
"What, do you want to kill a member of the royal family?" Anpei clutched his forehead and said with a grimace, "Have you forgotten the oath you swore to your ancestors? Have you forgotten my surname! Answer me, Hoford Quinn!"
This sharp rebuke caused everyone present to take a step back involuntarily—except for Andrea and the God's Punishment Witches.
"I am a direct descendant of the Moa royal family, and the only heir! Even if I am no longer the king, you will bear the title of a kinslayer!" he hissed, "The order of Dawn will be destroyed in your hands, and those noble families will no longer trust you!"
"I won't do that," Hoford sighed, "If the family wasn't in dire straits, I wouldn't even want to take this step today. But you must swear—to leave the Dawn Kingdom forever, and never set foot on the kingdom's land in your lifetime. In that case, you can take the people you can take away from the royal capital. Otherwise, I can only lock you in the castle's dungeon, like you did to the eldest son of the Rossi family."
"This is the decision made by the three of you?"
"The Tocat family has no objection to this." Earl Tocat stroked his chest.
"The Rossi family feels the same way." Earl Rossi added.
"We are not as cold-blooded as you," Auro Tocat snorted, "And it's thanks to your order being one step late, otherwise..."
"Okay," Otto interrupted him, "Don't say any more."
What a group of considerate people. But how long can your ridiculous friendship last in the face of such a huge difference in power? Anpei coldly scanned the nobles in the hall, and after a long silence, he opened his mouth and said, "I choose the former."
He could not be imprisoned in a place where he would never see the light of day. As long as the bloodline continued, he would always be the royal family of Dawn. Whether he went to Wolfheart or Everwinter, he would receive treatment commensurate with his status. Even if he was living under someone else's roof, it was better than being locked in a cage. What's more, neither Hoford Quinn nor the King of Graycastle could guarantee that they would not make mistakes. Once disputes arose, the nobles of other territories would definitely not forget his existence.
"Then... please swear." Earl Quinn nodded.
When Anpei Moa swore in the name of his ancestors, this incident finally came to an end. However, only Andrea noticed that when the guards led the Lord of Dawn out of the hall, Elena, who was supporting her, showed a sneer.
As they left the castle, Otto suddenly called out to Andrea from behind, "Quinn xiaojie... thank you for saving me. Mr. Hill has told me about what happened in Neverwinter."
She chuckled, "Are you being so distant with your savior and childhood friend?"
"No... I just—" Otto seemed a little speechless for a moment, but a hint of joy appeared in his eyes.
"Call me Big Sister!" Auro put his arm around his neck, "Don't forget who was the leader of the Fab Four back then, or are you trying to usurp my position!"
"Auro!" Otto elbowed him in the chest.
"Cough cough, okay, I was just joking because you were too nervous..." Auro put on an expression of being severely hit, "But it's been so long, and now the Radiant Flower has been resurrected. We must have a good gathering tonight. How about the old place?"
"The Silver Antler Tavern?" Andrea raised an eyebrow, "Is that place still open?"
"It's still the Rossi family's property, so it won't close so quickly, although the manager is really terrible."
"Hey—"
"I'm fine with it."
"Then it's settled. I'll go first, you guys chat slowly." Auro waved.
"A, Andrea..." Otto took a deep breath, "I want to talk to you alone."
Although he didn't know why his old friend was willing to give up this opportunity to be with her, it was a rare opportunity for him.
He didn't want to use Auro's mouth to say words of longing again. He could also feel that Andrea's attitude had changed a little since they met in Neverwinter. Although she still seemed quite resistant to her identity as Quinn's eldest xiaojie, at least she didn't show any strangeness towards her former playmate, which could be seen from her joke just now.
"..." Andrea seemed to think for a moment, then nodded, "Let's go to the courtyard."
Otto felt his heart pounding.
The supporter did not follow, and the two of them walked into the courtyard one after the other.
"Are you... okay?" Looking at the witch's back, who was walking a little wobbly, Otto wanted to help but didn't dare to reach out. These actions were common when they were children.
"This is just the aftereffect of excessive use of magic power. It doesn't have any substantial impact on the body. On the contrary, we have to increase our magic power capacity through it. It will return to normal the next day, so don't worry." Andrea shrugged, "Now it's just the two of us, what do you want to talk about?"
Otto bit his lip, "Do you remember what I said to you in Neverwinter? Auro goes to your grave every year to offer flowers..."
"I remember."
"In fact, there is one more thing I didn't tell you," he took a deep breath, "I also do this every year—because, I can't forget you either. When I saw you in the dungeon saying 'I'm here', I could hardly describe the joy in my heart. At that moment, I decided that no matter what, I must say this. Andrea, can you stay here?"
Andrea didn't seem surprised. She just smiled slightly, "Thank you, but you said it too late."
"Too late means..."
"I already have someone I want to be with, so... I won't stay in Radiant City." She replied in a deliberately cheerful tone, "If you had said it ten years earlier, maybe I would have agreed."
Otto's heart sank, "Is it His Majesty Roland? If it's him, he is indeed a much better choice than me—"
"How could I be an enemy of Nightingale," Andrea interrupted, "I am her most steadfast ally."
"Huh?"
"Uh, no, I didn't say anything..." She coughed twice, "In short, it's not what you think. Otto, witches can't continue the family line, and I don't want to be bound by the rules of the nobility. Ten years is too long, I am no longer the Radiant Flower of the past, so this is the best, understand?"
Otto opened his mouth, he wanted to blurt out "I am willing to give up everything of the nobility", but an invisible force stopped him.
He was no longer a child who could shirk all responsibility and act willfully.
That was the greatest betrayal of his father and his younger sister, Belinda.
In the end, Otto could only watch Andrea's back disappear into the entrance of the courtyard.