Chapter 28

Milia extended a dinner invitation to everyone, including the busy Liam, who, along with Ethan and Alec, had visited the camp and had a conversation with Annina, now living back at the villa.

Together with Heidi, Milia prepared a spread of grilled steaks, stew, and meat soup, pouring each guest a glass of newly brewed berry wine. She raised her glass in gratitude. Liam, savoring the wine, forked a piece of steak into his mouth, murmuring, "That woman is remarkable. She admitted being an elf, saying she was appointed by the gods to treat those exiled in Newcastle."

"But regardless, she made the poisoned sweet soup," Heidi said, displeased.

"True, but she could deny it, claiming she left the room, so she wasn't the one who poisoned it," Liam said, sighing.

Milia gathered her emotions, determined to speak. "I plan to appeal for Morrison's innocence of murder." Everyone was surprised. "Are you going to claim he's insane?" Heidi asked, knowing this would conflict with Milia's conscience.

"Why help him?" Ethan asked, puzzled.

"He's not Morrison. His name is Odessa," Milia took a deep breath. "Odessa is my father. Many years ago, the one who was judged to have committed suicide by jumping off a cliff was Morrison, Annina's real father."

Everyone paused, astonished. "So your father didn't die but became Annina's father?" Liam asked, intrigued. Heidi, familiar with Milia's past, slammed the table. "So he faked his death, fled, and let you, an orphan, bear the consequences?"

Ethan frowned, recalling Milia's childhood story of her father's suicide and her subsequent solitary wanderings. He felt a pang of heartache. What emotional turmoil must she have been enduring, meeting her supposedly deceased father as a murderer? What irony.

"Annina found Odessa, my father, and used him to kill Newcastle," Milia said calmly, tears flickering in her eyes. "My father faked his death by falling off a cliff. The body under the cliff was Annina's father, Morrison, who fell during the struggle."

"I thought my father had committed suicide, but I can't deny that I might actually remember him returning to tell me that only death could bring me peace. His death might have been a deliberate deception, and I might have been aware. When I arrived in Lawrence, I lied to the old leader, Dadasa, making him believe I was an abandoned orphan, and Odessa's guilt went unpunished."

This was the truth Annina wanted to reveal.

Milia shared the burden that had weighed on her for years with her friends, feeling a wave of relief wash over her.

Ethan raised his glass in a toast to Milia. "Don't be too hard on your younger self. Back then, you had nothing and were seeking a safe haven. And," Ethan took a sip of his wine, "now I understand. As a father bearing the stigma of a criminal, someone without a stable life, he truly wished for you to have a better future, which is why he didn't come forward to acknowledge you."

"So, are you planning to treat his madness? Or are you trying to absolve him of murder by claiming insanity?" Heidi was visibly angry. "He abandoned you when you were most helpless, and went to serve that Annina. He doesn't deserve to be your father again. Are you really going to save him? To fall into Annina's trap?"

"I believe he is innocent. He just followed Annina's instructions to feed Morrison a bowl of sweet soup," Milia affirmed. "And he didn't premeditate to impersonate his friend Morrison; that must have been a later development due to some accident."

"You're too naive," Heidi slammed the table again and stood up. "If you're really going to save this Morrison, count me out." With that, she grabbed her coat and stormed out, Alec following quickly after, unable to stop her.

Liam shook his head, then looked at Milia. "Morrison has already confessed to the murder, and the poisoned sweet soup he fed was also confirmed. There's also Kenny as a witness. What are you going to do?"

Milia pondered. She needed more time to consider her next move.

Kenny knocked on the door of Annina's villa in the canyon. After a while, Burke opened the door, eyeing Kenny warily. "What do you want?"

"I'm here to see Annina. I have something important to discuss with her."

Burke smirked. "She's not here. Go away, don't come back."

The door slammed shut.

Kenny stood silently outside the door. He knew Burke was guarding Annina and simply refused to let him in. He raised his fist and pounded on the door. Impatiently, Burke opened the door again, and Kenny pushed it open with both arms, causing Burke to step back several steps.

Kenny barged into the villa and coldly looked at Burke, then walked straight to where Annina was in a comfortable room, lying on a long couch, quietly watching Kenny come in.

"Mr. Kenny, I heard you went to the dungeon to visit my father, and now you've come here to find me. What's going on? Don't you have anything else to do today?" Annina chuckled lightly. "You used me just to get back at Milia, right? You used me to take revenge?"

Thinking of the gold coins, Kenny gritted his teeth. "What do you mean? The gold coins have been returned to the tribes. What else can I do?"

Annina shook her head. "The gold coins are still in the Lawrence Temple, under the control of the high priest Osha. Do you think I have a way to get the gold coins out?" She smiled coquettishly, but this coquettishness was not directed at Kenny, but at something that didn't exist in the air, as if it was her instinct.

Kenny was taken aback, immediately calming his anger. "Do you really have a way?"

"Of course, as long as you follow the original plan and get the gold coins, give me half, that's all." Annina said softly, "Of course, I have a condition. You have to testify for my father."

Kenny squinted, unsure if this was another of Annina's schemes. "You still don't trust me. What do you want me to do?"

Annina's smile softened even more. "I want you to testify that you saw my father, and that he killed Newcastle. Just giving this testimony is enough."

Staring at her, Kenny felt an endless chill in his heart. He now had a clearer understanding of this woman's terror. But asking him to testify, and this testimony not being a lie for him, made him wonder. Most importantly, this testimony would make Milia feel pain. Why wouldn't he do it?

In the temple, Heidi overheard her companions, the medical priests, discussing Newcastle's death. She knew they had the authority to conduct spiritual investigations on the bodies of the deceased. Despite her anger at her good friend, she would still do what needed to be done.

Liam also sent someone to visit the leader of the Elven tribe to learn more details about the incident of Milia's father being judged to have died by jumping off a cliff. The messenger quickly returned with some information. Liam received it and passed it on to Milia.

After several days of preparation, Milia, using elven magic, brewed a bottle of healing elixir. Under the guise of treating illness, she went alone to the dungeon of the council hall to meet the prisoner known as Morrison.

"What happened back then, was it not an accident?" Milia asked calmly, using the real name of her father, Odessa.

"No, it was an accident. I didn't kill anyone, my daughter," Odessa muttered, his face full of wrinkles.

"I have received information from the Elven tribe. They said that when the body was found under the cliff, the robe worn by the body still bore your family crest. So, at that time, this body was judged to be you who had died," Milia bit her lip, she really didn't want to face these truths, but what she couldn't face even more was covering up her conscience. "If you didn't intentionally kill, why would the body that fell off the cliff have your emblem?"

Odessa couldn't speak, his lips trembling, everything from that terrible night reappeared before his eyes. His only remaining friend came to visit him, but because he urged him to surrender, the two argued and fought, and in that muddy night, an accident happened. Morrison fell off the cliff, and he immediately climbed down the cliff without hesitation to save Morrison.

However, when he saw Morrison lying on the rocks covered in blood, he had other thoughts. This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity; he could finally live in anonymity, escaping all these responsibilities. The tremendous temptation made his hands tremble, and he took off his family emblem from his chest and placed it on Morrison's robe. Even when he touched Morrison's chest and felt a faint breath from his friend, he dared not be sure, but he finally did nothing. He stood in the rainy night, crazily watching Morrison lying on the ground, bleeding more and more, staining the rock red, and finally, his body grew cold.