542 CH 502: APOLOGIES
Hundreds of witches were flying in the sky or standing on their towers and observing the negotiations.
Powerful witches all had their eyes riveted on him, glaring at him, examining him, analyzing him and so much more.
Any of his words could determine the future relationship that witches will have with humans for years to come and one mistake from him could change witches into true and absolute enemies.
It should have been nerve-wracking and in a way— It was.
But Sol had never felt so calm and at peace.
Even as he sat right here and accepted the pointed stare of the council members, his poise was at the maximum possible and he never wavered.
“Sol Dragona Luxuria. As the Crown Prince and sole ruler of Lustburg, for what reason do you seek the witches?”
Medea showed no emotions as she started the discussion officially. Right now, she wasn’t just Medea, Sol’s lover. She was Medea, The witch of time. One of the Four Directions and the Leader of the Council. It was her duty to act as befitting of the situation even if she was on his side.
A smile ever present on his lips he spoke,
“One thousand years ago, my ancestors, Jupiter Luxuria did the unthinkable by betraying the witches out of a misjudged feeling of pride and superiority. He thought the results of his conquest were solely due to his own strength or that the witches were not needed now that he was close to his goal—”
He began calmly, his voice moving and reaching every witch present, as if he was talking directly to their ears;
“ —History shows that he was very wrong.”
He smiled and this action prompted many of the witches to smile before they caught themselves.
Sol knew that he was not some grand orator but thanks to his own aura, he was able to bring up the emotions in those who listened to him.
“Even so. Before anything. Before any negotiation or the like, I would like to say one thing —”
Sol stood up from his seat and turned slowly as he looked at all the witches who were floating in the sky, looking at each of them deeply then he did something that made all the witches open their eyes wide.
“I am sorry.”
Sol bowed deeply as he apologized to all the witches, showing no hesitations in his eyes or actions as he did so.
Sol had his pride and his own ego had slowly developed through all the tribulations he went through ever since he awakened.
But even so, he was not so arrogant that he could not apologize to those who deserved it.
Murmur filled the stands as all the witches, even Medea were more than surprised.
They all knew who Sol was and what kind of identity he had. This made this bow all the more meaningful and sincere.
Straightening up, Sol continued, not speaking to the council but the witches as a whole,
“I know and understand that simply apologizing will never be enough. The words ‘I am sorry’ cannot erase the thousand years of pain, hatred, betrayal, and so many more negative feelings. To think the opposite would be an insult to you. Even so, I believe that apologies were long overdue and they are the first steps for a new relationship between humans.”
His words were clear, he did not consider the witches as a separate race. For him, they were all humans no matter what and should be considered as such.
“This is why. I hereby swear. That no matter what the results of the negotiations are — I will still officially apologize to all of you through the entirety of Lustburg and in the eyes of the whole population and even the entire world if necessary. The royal family will recognize its fault from one thousand years ago and will endeavor in making sure that no future witches have to go through what you had to.”
His gaze was stern,
“You may not know me and you may even believe that I am lying. But I swear upon my name and my title as Blessed. From now on, one of my greatest goals will be to bring humans back together rather than separated as it is now. The witches shed blood and tears to help in the freedom and development of Lustburg like any humans of that time. You are citizens of my country, no matter what anyone says.”
Silence greeted his speech. Many of them were unable to make head or tails of what he just said, confused and speechless they simply gazed at the prince standing on the podium and overshadowing everything with his light.
In the deep of their hearts. Something stirred.
A desire that had been hidden and suppressed for years as most of them had even given up on such a thing ever happening.
Perhaps if it was him.
Would it be possible to go back?
To once again be seen as humans?
To not be mocked, insulted, or harassed?
To not be insulted, attacked, or hunted?
The light started to burn in their hearts but at the same time, fear bloomed as well. Because they knew.
One of the most beautiful things in this world was hope.
But one of the most dangerous things in this world was also hope.
What would it be in this case?
They looked at each other, gulping, hesitating, reticent, and in the end, they simply decided to take a step back and observe.
Once burned, twice shy. They had been hurt too much to simply sweep everything under the rug because of one beautiful speech — As convincing as the said speech was.
Sol quietly observed all of this, his smile never leaving his face but in fact stretching further.
He had never expected any great reactions from them. All he needed was to plant seeds in their hearts. Even if they did not show up, he knew that he already obtained the approval of many of them.
This was enough.
Satisfied with his speech, he finally turned back to face the witches of the council. His eyes twinkled as he observed the string of fate slowly aligning for him to reach the best outcome.
Though he could not see their face, he could feel their emotions and he knew, they knew as well, that if this negotiation was on a balance, by showing such a clear goodwill from the start, he had managed to tilt things heavily in his favor.
If his goal had been to simply use them for his advantage, he could say that this speech alone would have been enough to restrict how much they could rebut him. Thankfully for them, he truly had their best interests at heart.
“I apologize for the long speech. I am ready to start the negotiations.”
This time he did not bow. He merely acknowledged his fault and sat back on his designed seat.
“I am ready to discuss the future contract that will unite us back into one body and nation.”
Befana laughed inwardly, speechless at the way he was implying that they were the ones moving in bad faith to stop the union of the witches with Lustburg.
He was more cunning than she thought.
This promised to be interesting.
