……
“Please enjoy,” the maid placed the wine on the square table, glancing at the three of them with a strange look, “If you need more wine, just pull the rope by the door.”
“Understood, you may leave.” Otto waved his hand, and the maid bowed, turned, and left. As the door closed, the noise from the hall was shut out, and the room became quiet.
Even now, he still felt his heart pounding, his eyes fixed on Andrea, afraid she would suddenly disappear. “I thought this was a dream. Belinda and Auro thought you were dead. I never thought I would see you again one day…”
After he couldn't help but call out her name in the market, she turned her gaze to him—the fact that she reacted to the name proved that she wasn't just similar in appearance.
No, it should be said that they couldn't possibly be two different people. Andrea's voice, appearance, and demeanor were so outstanding, and her every move possessed a unique charm that few other women could match.
But her reaction wasn't as pleasantly surprised as he had expected. Instead, she frowned, walked up to him, and ordered him to follow her, then hurriedly left the market.
Perhaps she didn't want to attract too much attention. Yes, nobles shouldn't be shouting in places where commoners gather. He was being too impolite.
It wasn't until he followed the two of them into a private room in a tavern that he had the opportunity to examine her closely again. It had been a full five years, and she was still as he remembered. If this was a dream, he hoped it would last a little longer.
“Is this your old 'lover'?” the black-haired woman whistled.
“Since you insisted on coming along, you should know the value of silence at times like this,” Andrea glared at her, “No one would mistake you for a mute if you didn't speak.”
“I'm here to protect you,” the other woman grinned, “Besides, you dragged me along to buy Tilly's birthday present in the first place, and now you want to get rid of me. That's not very aristocratic of you.”
“Aristocratic manners depend on who you're dealing with,” Andrea snorted, “There's no need for it with you.”
“This is…” Otto, seeing that his words had not been answered, felt a little awkward and had no choice but to look at the black-haired woman, who was equally outstanding in appearance. “Your friend?”
“Ashes,” she said directly, without waiting for Andrea to speak, “Who are you, and why do you know her?”
“I am Otto Rossi, from the Kingdom of Dawn,” he was slightly surprised to hear the other woman’s question—the woman calling herself Ashes spoke too bluntly and sharply, and didn't seem like a well-educated noble. Why would Andrea be with someone like this? “I've known Andrea since I was a child, as well as my sister Belinda, Auro of the Tocat family, and His Highness Ampain, the eldest son of the Lord of Dawn. We are friends who talk about everything.”
“Sounds like a story about a bunch of powerful people,” Ashes shrugged. “You said she was dead?”
“That’s because—”
“Enough,” Andrea interrupted, “Belinda and Auro were right. The young miss of the Quinn family that you knew is already dead.”
“But you’re clearly still here,” Otto shook his head repeatedly. “What exactly happened back then?”
In Dawnlight City, the capital of the Kingdom of Dawn, the most prominent nobles besides the royal family were the Tocat, Quinn, and Rossi families. Their heads were all trusted partners of the king and powerful ministers. This tradition had continued since Dawnlight became the capital, and it was still the case in their generation.
Andrea was the eldest daughter of the Quinn family, and she was impeccable in both appearance and family background. She had countless suitors, including himself and Auro.
But no one expected that during a spring outing, Andrea's carriage would suddenly lose control and fall into the mountains. The accident even alarmed the king. The three families and the royal family searched for a long time before finding her mangled body at the foot of the mountain.
After learning of this result, Otto was heartbroken for a long time. Unlike Auro, who had already started his pursuit, he hadn't had time to tell her how he felt. He thought he would never have the chance again, but he didn't expect that in
this foreign land, he would meet her again.
After a long silence, Andrea sighed softly. “It wasn't an accident.”
“What…?”
“The carriage losing control and falling from the mountain five years ago was all planned by the family,” she said in a low voice. “My father discovered that I was a witch.”
Otto was stunned. “A witch?”
“Looks like you were hiding it pretty well,” Ashes covered her mouth and said, “You even managed to deceive your childhood friends.”
Andrea ignored her. “That's right, my father arranged the accident as soon as he found out about it—the person in the carriage wasn't me at all. The driver and the maid also lost their lives for it. Then, I was sent out of the Kingdom of Dawn by him and eventually settled in Cliff Edge City in Greycastle.” She paused. “In fact, he never asked for my opinion about this matter from beginning to end, nor did he care about what I thought. All he did was get rid of me as soon as possible.”
So that's what happened… Otto fell silent. The “Flower of Dawnlight” who was loved by the people had actually become a witch. If this news were to spread, it would probably cause serious damage to the Quinn family. However, faking the accident was also a way to protect Andrea's safety—as a well-informed upper-class noble, he had heard more than once about how cruelly witches who fell into the hands of the church were treated.
After hesitating for a moment, he voiced his thoughts, but was interrupted by Andrea's cold laughter.
“Protect me? What can the church do as long as my father doesn't hand me over? Lead the Judgment Army into the inner city to arrest me?” Her voice rose a few notches. “He is the prime minister before the Lord of Dawn, and he also controls the outer city patrol. And he did nothing. The father of Miss Nana Weber was originally just a baron, but he rushed into the lord's castle for his daughter and argued with Prince Roland face to face. And he would only drive me out of my home. Is that protection?”
Otto was momentarily speechless. After a long silence, he asked hesitantly, “Will… will you ever go back?”
“That day will never come,” Andrea stood up. “I said, the young miss of the Quinn family died five years ago. That's what my father wants to see.”
“Auro goes to your grave every year to offer flowers. He still can't forget you.”
She walked to the door and said in a low voice, “That's just wishful thinking on his part. One day, he will forget.”
Watching the two disappear outside the room, Otto slumped helplessly onto the bench.
He hated his own cowardice.
He still brought up Auro at this point, instead of expressing his own feelings.
I can't forget you either.
He closed his eyes.
.(。)