Before being unexpectedly rescued by Leticia, Andreas' original plan had been to find a way to contact the Sunstrider family. He intended to gauge their views on the Burning Legion and see if he could persuade Dath'Remar to help rescue Tyrande.
As outliers among the Highborne, the Sunstrider family was frequently mocked by their peers, yet they remained one of the ancient noble houses with a long history in the Night Empire. The current patriarch, Dath'Remar, served in Azshara's court just like Liander, acting as a member of the Queen's advisory council.
After being shot down by Archimonde, Andreas had adjusted his plan to focus on the Moonsong family, intending to use Liander's channels to infiltrate the palace. However, before he could finalize a strategy, he suddenly found a new opportunity.
Andreas had little interest in the gatherings of noble young ladies; at best, it was just a group of underage girls chatting to pass the time. When Leticia boastfully introduced him to her friends, Andreas felt helpless but cooperated by displaying a degree of "spiritual intelligence," drawing curious onlookers among the young nobles.
Among these pampered girls, Andreas paid the most attention to a young child named Celece. She was slightly younger than Leticia, perhaps only seven or eight years old, with a face so delicate it was quite endearing. But that wasn't the point—Andreas wasn't a lolicon. What caught his eye was the girl's long golden hair, which was extremely rare among Night Elves.
Since crossing over to this world, Andreas had encountered many of his kin and various hair colors. Night Elf hair colors were typically shades of purple, blue, green, and white; at most, there were variations in tone or temperature. It was the first time he had seen a pale golden color like Celece's.
Her full name was Celece Sunstrider, the apple of Dath'Remar Sunstrider's eye. Word had it she also had a brother who was over a hundred years older than her. From her behavior, Celece seemed no different from any other little girl, waving her chubby hands as she circled the "spiritual crow" that was the focus of today's gathering.
To show friendliness, Andreas went out of his way to interact with Celece, often hopping onto her small hand and staying there, drawing envious gazes from the surrounding Highborne girls.
"Heehee~" Celece laughed happily as she held the crow. It had been a long time since she had received such envious stares from her peers.
Due to the friendly relationship between the Sunstrider and Moonsong families, Leticia had no objection to Andreas' actions, watching with a smile as Celece wandered around.
Knock, knock~
A gentle knock sounded from outside the small parlor doors, followed by a smiling inquiry. "Young ladies, it is Dath'Remar. May I come in for a moment?"
The girls giggled and whispered for a few seconds before the eldest, a beautiful girl of about fifteen, spoke up. "Of course! Please come in, Uncle Dath'Remar."
"Pardon the intrusion." The door was opened from the outside, and a Night Elf man stepped in, his long golden hair bound with a silver accessory. This handsome young man was dressed in magnificent Highborne attire, a warm and kind smile on his face. Upon entering, his gaze immediately shifted to Celece.
Seeing the happy smile on Celece's face, the young man—Dath'Remar—seemed momentarily surprised. He then offered an apologetic look to the girls present. "I am sorry. Since I have to go on a long journey soon, I have some matters to explain to Celece. Please give us a moment of your time."
"It's no trouble. Please go ahead, Uncle Dath'Remar."
Andreas was currently scrutinizing this man—the legendary founding King of Quel'Thalas known in the games. Hearing Dath'Remar's words, he instantly felt a surge of energy. The opportunity has come.
When Celece trotted over on her short legs toward her father, who had knelt and beckoned her, Andreas did not fly away from her hand. Despite Leticia's hesitant expression, he followed the little one and Dath'Remar out of the parlor.
Taking Celece into the Sunstrider's small garden, Dath'Remar looked with some surprise at the crow in her hands. "Celece, this is..."
"Blackie!" Celece's chubby face broke into a brilliant smile, revealing a gap where she was losing her baby teeth. "Leticia found Blackie by accident recently. He is very intelligent~"
"Oh? Is that so?" Dath'Remar glanced casually at the crow, not paying it much mind. "Listen closely, Celece." His gentle expression grew serious as he half-knelt to stroke his precious daughter's hair. "I have received an order from Her Majesty the Queen to leave the city for a while. It should take about two to three days."
"During this time, you must listen to your brother and mother. You absolutely cannot go running around outside. Do you understand?"
"Mhm..." Celece tilted her head cutely. "Father, Mother and Brother both say it's dangerous outside the city lately. Why is Her Majesty making you leave now?"
Dath'Remar shook his head with a bitter smile. "It is a long story; you likely wouldn't understand yet. In short, be good at home and don't cause trouble for your mother and brother."
"Okay, Celece knows!" Dath'Remar kissed Celece's soft forehead with satisfaction. "Good girl."
In truth, this trip was not exactly an order directly handed down by the Queen as Dath'Remar had claimed. More accurately, he had taken the initiative as an advisor to apply to Azshara.
He wanted to meet with the Resistance face-to-face to see if he could reach a ceasefire or reconciliation through peaceful means. Due to the Burning Legion's increasingly outrageous behavior, Dath'Remar himself felt pessimistic about this mission.
But one always had to try. The Sunstrider family had a tradition of favoring adventure and initiative. Dath'Remar decided to chat with the high-ranking members of the Resistance first—at the very least, he needed to know what the core demands of these "rebels" and "untouchables," as his colleagues called them, actually were.
Queen Azshara had shown little interest in his proposal, and other colleagues close to the Burning Legion had offered nothing but merciless ridicule. However, the Sunstrider family was an important member of Highborne society. After multiple requests and persistence from Dath'Remar, the Queen had finally, reluctantly, agreed. She didn't even bother to assign additional guards to "protect" him, leaving the entire diplomatic process to his discretion.
The young Celece failed to notice the melancholy in Dath'Remar's eyes, but Andreas, who had been watching coldly from the side, saw every subtle change in his expression. After scanning the garden to ensure no one was watching, Andreas suddenly flapped his wings and flew up from Celece's hand.
"Ah!" Celece waved her small hands toward the sky in panic. "Blackie, where are you going?"
His gold-rimmed black pupils locked onto Celece. For the first time since his injury, Andreas cast a spell. "Humanoid Hypnosis."
Seeing his precious daughter's once-vibrant eyes suddenly go vacant, Dath'Remar's expression changed instantly. He pulled Celece behind him, his gaze sharp as he stared at the unusual crow. "That is Shadow energy. What on earth are you?"
Andreas was slightly surprised by the powerful Arcane energy surging within Dath'Remar, but he leisurely folded his wings and landed on the stone table in the garden pavilion.
"Please, there is no need for alarm." The crow's eyes shimmered with the light of wisdom as it spoke in a human tongue under Dath'Remar's shocked gaze.
"Mr. Dath'Remar Sunstrider, please forgive my rudeness. I have important matters to discuss with you alone, and the details are not suitable for your daughter's ears. After all... knowing too much is not a good thing, especially for a child who lacks a sense of confidentiality."