Calanthe said, "There are no warlocks in Cintra, you know that."

Easter nodded and put her arms around her lover's waist, "Mossak is a druid, I know that."

Calanthe leaned closer to the other's chest with some fatigue, and said, "My family has suffered a lot because of magic. My mother is like this, and so is my daughter Paveta. I am the only one who escaped by chance because I chose the sword. That is the magic carried by my blood. For me, it is not power, but a curse.

You did not want to have children with me because you felt that the ancient blood of the House of Cintra was incompatible with the fiery nature of the Skellige people. That is why I did not want Lann and Ciri to be together.

I have read many books left by my mother, and I am worried that the combination of Ciri and Lan will strengthen the power of this magic again, which will bring more misfortune. I don't want that power to increase, I don't even want it to continue, I just want it to disappear! "

When talking about her daughter who died young, Calanthe became weak. Ester hugged her lover tightly and sighed in her heart.

"My love?"

"I am here."

"What Lan said actually makes sense. Write a letter to your brother. A small navy is safer, and Cintra will bear the extra losses. I can't afford to lose any more relatives."

"Of course, my love."

Outside the palace.

Lann looked at the distant horizon. The sun was setting and dusk was approaching.

Where have all his servants gone?

…

"How did you find us?"

Sword and House looked at each other and asked their comrade who was holding the entire wine jug in front of him to quench his thirst.

"I went to the tavern, and the owner told me that the Earl gave you a big bag of money." Ace gulped down the wine flask and wiped his mouth with satisfaction. "Where else can you two go with your money?"

Ace, Sword, and House looked at each other, with the corners of their mouths gradually rising.

"Mr. Geralt, what do you think of this place?"

The White Wolf who was pinned to the ground picked up the person who was on top of him and gently put him down. Amid the other's sweet laughter, he picked up a small mirror on the table and looked at the "rose mark" on his neck.

"I regret not visiting Sintra more often in recent years."

The three servants smiled with satisfaction. They felt that they had completed the Earl's task perfectly.

"But," House suddenly said worriedly, "I don't know when the Earl will come back from the palace. If Ace can find us, the Earl will definitely be able to find us too."

"I found it. Doesn't the Earl like it very much?"

"Have you forgotten? Last time, because of the 'Rose Mark' incident, the Earl was very angry and said that he would never pay us again."

After being reminded by House, Ace and Sword finally woke up from their dream, and then they looked solemn.

Their gazes gradually shifted to the cloth bag embroidered with vines and leaves on the table.

"How about we spend all the money right now?"

“That’s not good…”

Before he could finish his words, the door of their private room suddenly opened, and the noisy singing, whistles, cheers and groans from outside poured in.

A young man with a lion embroidered in gold on his chest walked in. His silk robe wrapped his slender and strong body like a sculpture. Several girls followed closely behind him, their eyes shining.

The three attendants hurriedly stood up and saluted, "My Lord Earl!"

The three servants shouted in their hearts: We have found it!

Lann sneered at Geralt who was pressed to the floor again, and said to the three servants, "Go find another room. I have something to say to Geralt."

The three men nodded in agreement, pulled the girls beside them aside and walked out, freeing Geralt who was pinned to the ground.

"Wait." Lann tilted his head and pointed to the money bag on the table. "Take it too."

The three attendants were delighted: "Yes!"

The wolf-faction witcher who once claimed to have no emotions was now lying on his back on the floor, squinting his eyes and smacking his lips, as if he was savoring something.

White Wolf sighed: "You came at a bad time."

Lann sat down next to Geralt and wanted to pour himself a pot of wine, but found it was an empty bottle and threw it away in disgrace.

"I just came out of the palace."

“Did you tell Calanthe about me?”

"The Queen knew you were coming."

Geralt nodded, sat up, and said sarcastically

"I suppose she told you to keep Ciri away from me?"

Lan nodded.

"The queen always told me to stay away from her granddaughter, guarding against me like a wolf." Geralt sighed, "But the druid always advised me to take the unexpected child away. He believed that resisting fate would bring disaster to fate and eventually destroy the kingdom."

Geralt picked up the wine glass, but found that there was no wine; he wanted to find the wine jug, but found that it had been thrown aside.

The witcher whispered, "Fuck his fate."

Lann shook his head. “I didn’t believe in fate until a year ago. After seeing some things, I felt that even if I don’t believe in it, I should still be in awe.”

Geralt threw the empty cup aside. "Your queen is the opposite of you. She once sent eight men to kill me in defiance of fate."

Lan was stunned. He didn't expect that Calanthe had ever done such a thing.

But it certainly seemed like something she could do.

"I'm sorry, Geralt."

"It has nothing to do with you. And those eight people need to apologize more."

Lan opened the door and called the waiter, who brought in two bottles of Everrose wine.

Geralt reached out to take it, and the two of them clinked glasses lightly and drank in one gulp.

"When do you want to start learning swordplay and monster knowledge? The sooner you finish, the sooner I can leave here."

"Even if I finish earlier, your armor won't be finished so quickly. I asked the court craftsman, your armor is not light, but not heavy either. The most suitable design is medium-weight armor, but this is the most difficult. The process is more complicated than ordinary armor, so it will take some time."

Geralt took a sip of his wine glumly.

"Although, I don't think a set of armor can keep you in Cintra." Lann looked into Geralt's eyes, his green pupils facing the amber cat's eyes. "But it can't attract you to Cintra, right?"

Geralt was silent for a moment, then said, "What do you want to say, Lann?"

"You didn't come to Cintra for any so-called reward, and no amount of money can influence your decision. You wanted to come back, but you tripped over your right foot with your left foot, and had to wait for someone to give you a suitable reason. You don't resist fate, nor do you resist the child of your destiny, Geralt. You resist yourself."

Geralt was silent, drank a glass of wine, then another, and finally tilted his head back to empty the bottle, then snatched Lann's wine.

"You'll pay, right?"

"Not if you're drunk. I have something else to talk to you about."

Geralt shook his head. "Now is not the time, Lann. Not the time."

"Well, I said this only in the hope that you can protect Ciri in the future." Lann sighed, "Then let's talk about another commission."