Chapter 393

Chapter 393

I didn't answer Leroy's question but kept going on with my own point. "Since the priest's son had the king's permission to leave, it doesn't count as an escape."

"What makes someone an escapee?" I threw the question to the Atlanteans below but then answered myself. "An escapee is someone who leaves Atlantis without the king's permission, breaking Atlantis' laws. But the priest's son had the king's consent, so he wasn't an escapee; he was a captor."

"It was definitely the priest's son's fault that Amelia managed to escape, but he tried to make up for his mistake," I continued, laying out my reasoning. "As the saying goes, 'To err is human; to forgive, divine.' We should have a heart that forgives those who recognize and correct their mistakes, unless they are beyond redemption."

"Plus, we saw the tomb the priest's son built for Amelia, and from Amelia's descendant Carl, we learned that the priest's son never stopped trying to bring Amelia back. But, Amelia found Ralph's reincarnation and didn't want to leave. Even when forced, Amelia chose to end her own life."

Leroy thought for a moment and said, "So, it wasn't that he didn't want to come back; he couldn't bring her back. That's why he stayed to guard Amelia's tomb, out of shame."

"Exactly." I began to steer the conversation towards the main topic. "The priest's son made mistakes, but he's been trying to make up for them. I think we shouldn't keep blaming him. He stayed by Princess Amelia's side to atone for his errors."

Someone from Edward's lineage raised a doubt. "Wait, aren't we discussing the guilt of the priest's lineage? Why are we talking about the priest's son's mistakes?"

I countered, "What mistake did the priest's lineage make?"

The person replied, "Of course they made a mistake. If the priest's son hadn't helped Amelia, she wouldn't have escaped."

"You said it yourself; it was the priest's son who helped Amelia escape, not the entire priest's lineage. Why should the priest's lineage bear the blame for his mistake?" I continued to question him. "If you found out that a family member committed a crime without your knowledge, would you be guilty too? Should you go to jail for their crime? Isn't that reasoning a bit absurd?"

The person was at a loss for words and couldn't argue further.

Randy spoke up, "I agree with this outsider. One person's mistake shouldn't implicate everyone. The priest's son's mistake shouldn't be attributed to the entire priest's lineage. That wouldn't be fair to the other members of the priest's lineage."

Randy then looked up at Brandon. "Father, we established these laws in Atlantis to protect our people, didn't we? If one person's mistake implicates many, then the law fails to protect the innocent."

Brandon didn't respond to Randy but said, "We'll discuss this issue later. For now, let's continue addressing the matter of the priest's lineage."

The floor was mine again, and I posed the question to the Atlanteans. "So, do you think we should bear the consequences of a family member's mistake if we were unaware of it?"

"No," someone answered. "We didn't tell them to do it. Why should we take the blame? That's not fair."

"Exactly. Everyone should own up to their own mistakes. Why drag others into it?"

Pleased with the responses, I clapped my hands. "So, we shouldn't just scratch the surface of the problem but dig deeper. If the priest's lineage knowingly let the priest's son help Amelia escape, then they should be held accountable."

"But the thing is, the priest's lineage didn't know. The priest's son acted on his own feelings and secretly helped Amelia escape. The one who messed up was the priest's son. Why should the priest's lineage take the fall for his mistake?"

I wasn't done yet. "And let's not forget a crucial point: why did the priest's son fall in love with Amelia?"

This question didn't need my explanation for the nobles, but the common people of Atlantis might not get it.

Because they didn't understand, they were easily swayed by those with hidden agendas.

So, I explained to the puzzled Atlanteans. "The priest's son fell in love with Amelia because Amelia, possessed by Lana's soul, was determined to find Ralph. The king at the time, to prevent the Atlanteans from suffering Amelia's deadly smile, planned to have the priest's son pretend to be Ralph and kill Amelia to end their suffering."

The root of the issue was the king's decision. If the king hadn't given the priest's son that task, he wouldn't have fallen in love with Amelia, and everything that followed wouldn't have happened.

And why did the king do that? Because of Lana's curse.

So, tracing it back, it all led to Lana's curse, which stemmed from a love triangle, and above the love triangle was war!

I looked at the silent gathering and said, "By now, everyone should understand who caused these events, who the real culprit is, and who the victims are."

"War!" I said. "It's not a good word. It's a word that brings blood and tears. To avoid such things, we must avoid war. An eye for an eye leaves the whole world blind. Let's stop here, let go of past grudges, and look forward to hope."

Leroy suddenly clapped for me. "Well said! We should look forward and chase hope, not dwell on past pain."

We had resolved the royal family's issues and the priest's lineage's issues, it was time to address our situation.

I asked Brandon, "King Brandon, my next question might offend you, but I need to understand. Why do you Atlanteans sacrifice living people to the Heavens Goddess? The Heavens Goddess represents good fortune. Why tarnish her blessings with such cruelty?"

"How dare you!" Leroy shouted at me. "Our faith is not something an outsider can casually discuss! Alex, insulting our faith is a capital offense!"

Brandon remained calm and gestured for Leroy to calm down. "Our faith in Atlantis is indeed not for others to question. But since you helped us with our internal matters, I'll let it slide. However, some things are best left unasked, or they might bring you harm."

"But, is your name really Alex?" Brandon suddenly asked.