Richard and Lord Zealot waited for her to give in, but Anne seemed unfazed. She simply shrugged and said, "That is fine then. Everyone in your kingdom can keep rotting. And all of this will be for nothing because you will die, and so will your entire generation until there is no one left to remember you and all of these disgusting achievements you think you have."
Her words and entire countenance took them back to that night 7 years ago, when her mother had caused them and it awakened fear in them.
Lord Zealot bellowed. "HOW DARE YOU—"
"YOU WILL NOT RAISE YOUR VOICE AT ME!" Anne yelled at him with fire in her eyes.
"If you really do not wish to see the next full moon. Go on and raise that voice again." She threatened in a dark voice.
Even Richard was shaken. From her tone, she was serious, and they couldn't take her words lightly.
Lord Zealot stared at her and swallowed before he cleared his throat and asked calmly, "How do I believe you? What if you are trying to give her enough time to gather more witches and come for revenge in the future?"
"Cowards." Anne snorted. "Now I know why you have been constantly hunting us down. Pathetic cowards."
Lord Zealot's face turned red. He looked like he wanted to blow up, but he kept it in.
"You can keep her isolated and watched. Away from this kingdom. Take her maid, Paulina, with her. And most especially, keep her away from the Moon Kingdom."
Lord Zealot didn't like that. "If we keep her under my watch in the Moon Kingdom, she will grow just fine, and I will know what she is up to." Lord Zealot said in a tone that said he was not willing to compromise and let the girl live in a place where he wouldn't be able to tell what she was up to.
"Do you think a descendant with such blood filled with resentment can bring peace to those who've caused our ancestors nothing but sorrow if she lived in your land?" Anne asked, almost sounding amused.
"It's different if she lives away. But if she lives within, whether intentionally or not, tragedy is bound to keep happening in your kingdom."
Anne looked pointedly at Zealot as she ordered, "Keep her away and safe. Until she is 20."
Anne turned and left the room when she was done. She didn't beg or try to confirm if he was truly going to keep her daughter safe. She had this confidence around her, as though she knew her daughter was going to be safe.
Lord Zealot looked like he didn't believe her. But at that point, he didn't have a choice. Besides, he felt like a 6-year-old girl was harmless.
So he related it to the king to keep her isolated. The king hadn't been pleased since he didn't want another witch who was going to outshine him around, so he had gladly sent her far away to the mountains. He also reasoned that executing Anne and her daughter was going to make the villagers angry, so by keeping the little one alive, they would still see him as a merciful leader.
Only Lord Zealot and Richard knew about the girl who was exiled. But Richard suspected that the King knew. King Eli seemed to know a lot more than he let on and that always made Richard uncomfortable.
It was another reason why Sir Richard had been stationed in that district all those years to keep an eye on what was happening with her over the mountain away from the Moon Kingdom.
But after Lord Zealot died in his sleep shortly after, Richard completely ignored it.
Richard didn't even care about the stupid curse. If it was going to bring their doom, they all deserved it. He had also been too guilty to ever meet her, and eventually, he forgot about her.
Honestly, he hadn't known it was her in the palace all this time until her identity was revealed.
He was wrong to have acted like he knew nothing and watched her almost die.
Harvey just stared at his father as though he were looking at a stranger. He could not believe it.
Harold was also deep in thought because all he had heard tonight was something he hadn't heard before. Not only about his uncle, Prince Wilder, who had barely been mentioned in the kingdom, but also about his relationship with Anne, and not just that, he had also heard about his mother. He had never cared for Lord Zealot. He barely met the man when he was alive, but he knew how much influence he had.
"Why?" Harvey asked in a heartbreaking voice. "Why... did you remain here after... doing all that?"
"WHY DID YOU ACT SO HONOURABLE?!" Harvey yelled in anger.
"WHY DID YOU TRY TO GET BENEDICTA MARRIED INTO THE SAME FAMILY WHO DID ALL THAT? WHY DID YOU TRY TO MAKE ME GET MARRIED TO LADY SUSAN?"
Sir Richard kept his head down through Harvey's outburst.
"Why... do you have to disappoint me like this?" A tear ran down Harvey's eyes, and he didn't even try to hide it as he buried his face in his palm and began to cry.
Alicia looked at him. She had been trying so hard not to cry, but seeing him cry like this made tears leave her eyes.
"Sir Richard," she called him.
He looked up at her.
"I... think I can understand you to some extent," Alicia said to him as she cleaned her tears.
"It must have been difficult being given such unfair options. You had to save your family and that of your lady wife. And you did your best. You thought you could handle things without bloodshed. You tried to stay loyal."
Sir Richard looked up and blinked back tears as he tried to remain calm, but his emotions weren't letting him, and tears escaped his eyes.
"But... Anne... my mother... was a child." She said in a tight voice filled with pain.
"She... didn't deserve it. She saved your life and that of your Prince. Your friend." She laughed in disbelief.
"I don't care for whatever happened to Prince Wilder. Even though... Anne loved him, he wasn't exactly a good person. But... Anne... my mother... was a good person. You... should have done better for her." She choked on her words in tears and turned to look at Harvey, who had just realized what an ill-fated relationship he had with Amber.
And when the time came for Amber to draw her sword for revenge, she might point it at him too.
Their fates were all connected.
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