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Lord Zealot was a man of great ego. So he revered being worshipped by the people for getting rid of the witch leader and tried as much as possible to hide how paranoid he was feeling, especially with the strange deaths of a few elders. However, with the birth of Harold, everything became worse for him, as he could feel his influence dying.

He had also taken his anger out on Arya. Even though she was the queen, he had assaulted her a couple of times, including hitting her for not bearing an Alpha. Then imagine what he did to her when she gave birth to not only a girl but an Omega.

Unfortunately for him, it was difficult to control things when he wasn\'t very sane. He needed to live a long life to be able to shape the kingdom back into what it was supposed to be.

When he could not hold it anymore and needed a good excuse to start witch-hunting again, he opened up about the curse, bringing back fear in the elders. It was around the same time his wife had died "mysteriously," according to what everyone else knew. He was Lord Zealot after all, so it didn\'t take much for people to believe him, and they also trusted him to get rid of the others, claiming that by getting rid of all of them, whatever stupid curse would be lifted.

But in reality, Lord Zealot wanted to find that girl. She was the direct descendant of the witch leader, and he believed she had the power to lift the curse and make him sane again. Also, he had been suspecting that the girl was probably protecting Wilder, and if they found her, they would find him, even though he had a strong feeling that Wilder was dead. There was no way anyone could survive what had happened to him. Not even if the greatest witch helped them.

And once again, Richard was forced into it.

This time, the search was difficult since they had no idea where the rest of the witches were spread out. They only knew Anne\'s face, but this has been six years since then, and she must have changed. However, they still used her portrait, and a year later, they received \'good news\'. It was anonymous information that the person they were looking for resided in a certain kingdom, and not just that, she was the current queen.

That was how they found out about Anne and also realized that the one who had informed them was none other than a concubine whom Lord Zealot was able to use his influence to make queen after Anne\'s public execution.

The Moon Kingdom was influential, as was Lord Zealot. So it was quite easy for him to influence decisions in this small kingdom. Besides, it also seemed like the king had been looking for an opportunity to get rid of Anne but couldn\'t because of how she was adored by the villagers. With the claim of her being a witch, the King was more than happy to comply with her execution.

But had it been that simple?

Of course not.

Richard remembered when he saw her again back then. He hadn\'t wanted to join them. But Lord Zealot has kept an invincible leash around his neck since that incident.

He had felt very guilty, and when she looked at him from the dungeon gate, he prayed for the moon goddess to take him away— to kill him so he could atone for his sins.

Anne looked a lot different. It was 7 years since the last time he saw her. He heard tales about her when they arrived in this village. How she helped people, freed slaves, and was adored by the villagers. And once again, Richard showed up in her life to ruin it once again.

"I... am sorry." Richard apologized when he visited her in the dungeon.

Anne looked haggard and bruised from the interrogation. She sat on the dirty floor in the dark, stinking cell, and her little daughter was sleeping on her lap.

"Tomorrow. I will help you escape. There is a boat—"

"This is my fate," Anne said in a quiet, defeated tone.

It was as if she already knew this. She didn\'t put up a fight. She just accepted it all.

He looked at her with guilt and sadness before he fell to his knees.

"Let me... let me at least save you." He begged.

"He... is gone, isn\'t he?" She asked.

Richard sniffed and nodded.

She blinked and sniffled before looking at him with a sad smile. "If you wanted to save me, you wouldn\'t come here. But I can see it. Our fates will constantly be intertwined. Even after death."

She sniffled again and looked like she was going to cry, but she only nodded and looked to the other side, ignoring Richard until he eventually left while in tears.

Lord Zealot had tried to have her lift the curse her mother had placed on them. He had even tried to bargain with her to let her go if she did that. But from the look on her face, she didn\'t believe it.

Even Anne who didn\'t know him did not believe his offer but Richard, who knew the man quite well had believed him like a fool all those years ago.

"I cannot lift your curse because I feel aggrieved just like my people." Those words sounded like knives to Lord Zealot\'s heart.

"Then how can the curse be lifted." He asked at once, looking hopeful.

"Only from a descendant who had not been born at the time the curse was placed. Who wasn\'t in the world when the blood of our people was shared." She said in a serious tone.

Lord Zealot pondered before asking, "Your... daughter?"

"Save her. And let her live. At 20, she will have the power to break your curse and set you free." Anne instructed.

Richard didn\'t know whether she was telling the truth or simply wanted to save her daughter. And Lord Zealot looked like he felt she was deceiving him too.

"So we should live with your curse until she is 20? That is not possible! She will just die with you!" Lord Zealot said, his face red in annoyance.

*****

A/N

I\'ve been away due to a family issue. Been with my aunt for a couple of days now. She was preparing for surgery and finally had it last night. It\'s been quite hectic for me and I\'m hoping I\'ll be able to do my best with the updates after she travels back tomorrow.

15/04/2023