Tears instantly welled up in Carissa's eyes. “You can’t blame her. Now, I’m the only one left in my family.”That was something she hadn’t shared with her friends. It was her deepest pain, something she couldn’t talk about without trembling with grief.Travis and Bun abruptly threw back the curtain, their faces showing shock and horror in the darkness. They exchanged a stunned glance with Cynthia and Violet, and said in unison, “What?!”Carissa buried her head in her knees, hot tears streaming down her face. “They were killed by Westhaven spies lurking in the capital. All the spies from Westhaven were mobilized, and my entire family was wiped out. At that time, I was still Barrett’s wife and living at the Valor Estate, so I avoided that massacre. But if I hadn’t married, they might still be alive.”Her friends were horrified.The destruction of an entire family was a devastating blow.The four of them moved closer, embracing Carissa and sharing her grief. “Carissa, don’t cr
In the command tent outside Tower City, Rafael leaned forward over the desk, his tall figure tense with excitement. His eyes shone brightly, like stars in the night sky.“Send the order: we will launch a major attack at dawn. Once we capture Ilyrian, we’ll have plenty of food, meat, warm clothes, blankets, and all the supplies we need. The Westhaven forces are rich, and have brought tons of supplies to the Southern Frontier.”At the mention of meat, everyone’s eyes lit up. Rafael's forces had been enduring hunger for too long; they were eager to devour anything they could get their hands on!Unfurling a map, Rafael pointed to a small circle on Ilyrian, and called Carissa forward. He indicated the circle with a slender, dark finger. “Commander Sinclair. After we breach the city, you will take three thousand troops straight to Serene District. The supplies will be stockpiled there. Sandoria and Westhaven have many wounded, so they will prioritize moving them first once the city fall
Rafael acted decisively, immediately ordering the troops to prepare. By midnight, the war drums began to beat, and the attack horns sounded.Today was only the first day of the siege, and the Westhaven-Sandoria coalition inside Ilyrian would never expect a second assault in the early morning hours.The crossbow machines were activated, and archers took their positions. Though bonfires lighted the city walls, Starhaven's attacking forces remained hidden.It was like they were out in the open under the light, while the Hell Monarch's army pushed forward from the shadows.Carissa and her team moved swiftly toward the city gate on horseback. As they neared the city, they used their momentum to leap into the air, charging up to the city towers. Carissa’s Rose Spear pierced through the soldiers controlling the crossbow machines, and then she shattered the machines with a single blow.The archers aimed at her, but Rafael quickly soared up, his golden armor gleaming in the firelight. So
Sweat mixed with blood streamed down from Carissa's face, and in the freezing weather, it quickly turned into ice. The heat hadn't even faded before the cold had seeped into her bones.“Carissa…” Bun panted heavily, frost clinging to his eyelashes. “Shouldn’t we help them? Aren’t we just going to stay here and guard the supply depot?”“Orders are orders. We’ve been told to guard the supply depot, so we guard it,” Carissa replied, leaning against the wall. Though she was wearing golden armor, she had been stabbed in her arm twice. There was no bleeding or pain, but it left her feeling cold and uncomfortable.She glanced at her companions, all of whom were injured and their armor in tatters. It had been a ruthless battle.“Is everyone okay?” she asked, concerned.Violet waved her hand weakly, too exhausted to speak.The sight of the fallen around them—some enemy, some comrades—was deeply distressing.The enemy forces continued their assault. Carissa sprang to her feet, and shout
“Carissa, take a bath and change into clean clothes. I’ll take you somewhere,” Rafael said.Carissa looked up, and asked, “Where are we going?”“You’ll find out when we get there. Everyone else, please leave. I need to bathe and change clothes as well,” Rafael said. Carissa and the generals complied, and exited the tent.In such cold weather, taking a bath required a lot of hot water. Fortunately, Ilyrian had an ample supply of firewood. It had been challenging to get a hot drink, even in the camp outside Tower City. Taking a bath was a luxury.Since Carissa held an official position now, Rafael had sent a criminal slave to attend to her. The criminal slave, who was about forty years old and smelled terrible, was called Thirteen. She used to run a small business in Heartshire City. Due to a business dispute, she smashed a vase on a competitor's head. The competitor didn't die, but ended up becoming mentally challenged. She was sentenced to be exiled to the military camp as a
Carissa and Rafael arrived at a small hill. The leaves had long fallen, and the hill had little vegetation. The paths were numerous, leading to higher terrain. The wind howled, sounding like a chorus of mournful ghosts.Rafael stood on the hilltop with his hands clasped behind his back, gazing at a path to the left. Beside the path stood a blank monument.“The people of Ilyrian erected that blank monument for your father. He stood alone on that path, despite being struck by numerous arrows, and still held his ground with his sword,” he said.Carissa’s eyes filled with tears. Even though she knew Rafael had brought her to the place where her father had died and had mentally prepared herself, the pain in her heart was still overwhelming.“He was leading the troops here at that time, cutting off Sandoria's supply chain to Ilyrian. He wanted to fight with all his might, but after enduring continuous sieges, his troops were exhausted. At that time, the king had just ascended the throne
Since Salvador received the first military report, his blood had been boiling with excitement."Carissa Sinclair, Hector Sinclair's daughter, the legitimate heiress of the Duke of Northwatch—who knew she would be so outstanding? She's even surpassed Aurora Yates!"When Salvador got the news that Ilyrian had been captured, he slapped the table and laughed with wild joy. "Excellent! A general's daughter is never weak!"He immediately summoned Jeremiah and Davis to show them the victory report. Jeremiah was so moved, tears welled up in his eyes. "We've reclaimed Ilyrian! Carissa Sinclair has done a tremendous job. She captured and held the support depot, allowing us to cut down on the cost of supplies. Just think of how much food and money this will save Starhaven! Hector, can you see this from the heavens? Your daughter is truly remarkable. She's living up to the Sinclair family's reputation!"Davis was covered in goosebumps from excitement, and added, "Starhaven had Hector in
Salvador first promoted Carissa to fifth-rank Valor General, then promised a future second promotion to fourth-rank Illustrious General. His actions showed just how much he expected from her.Recognizing that Carissa indeed possessed such capabilities, the prime minister had no objections."The deadline General Yates promised has already passed, yet the reinforcements still haven't arrived," Jeremiah pointed out.Salvador was a bit displeased but made an excuse, "Traveling through snow is truly difficult."Davis chimed in, "Your Majesty, Lady Sinclair has been promoted to a fifth-rank Valor General, while General Warren and General Yates are only fourth-rank Tactical Generals, which is a rank lower than General Sinclair."Barrett and Aurora had accomplished great deeds by negotiating the peace treaty with Westhaven, effectively stopping the fighting and establishing firm borders. By rights, their contributions should be considered as greater than Carissa's, who had merely assisted
At times, I taught my students to face life with courage and own up to their mistakes. Yet, I had not done so myself.All these years, I had hardly seen Thomas. If there was an event where he might be present, I would quietly avoid it.Back when I was still stubborn, Zoey had scolded me, saying I owed Thomas an apology. At the time, I didn't quite agree. In fact, I felt rather aggrieved.But thinking back now—what was I so aggrieved about? Who truly owed me anything? Had the heavens not already treated me kindly enough? Everything I lost, I brought upon myself.More than once, I had unfolded a sheet of parchment, intending to write him a sincere apology from the heart. Yet, each time I put a quill to paper, the ink would fall, but not a single word would follow.I feared the letter would seem sudden and out of place, that it might stir suspicion in his wife's heart, or in Barrett's. Even though Barrett and I were husband and wife in name only, I still didn't wish to disturb the pe
It had been a month since I arrived at Victory Pass, and I began to wonder what I ought to do with myself.Though I was Barrett's wife in name, in truth, we had very little to do with each other. He spent most of his time at the camp, only returning now and then. As such, I had plenty of time on my hands and thought I might start a little trade.Victory Pass was not quite as I had imagined. I thought a border town like this would surely be cold and short on supplies. But to my surprise, one could buy almost anything here—save for things like the finest jewels and luxurious brocade.That was not to say they couldn't be found at all. When merchant caravans brought such treasures, they were quickly stored away and sent on to Orivenia, where they would be sold to nobles and the wealthy.The common folk in Victory Pass bought ornaments for their prettiness rather than their worth, and no one really cared whether they were costly or not.I had been thinking about what sort of business I
I heard Franklin endured quite a few rejections from Isaac. In the end, Franklin had no choice but to release Merrick and send him to plead on their behalf—only then was Gabriel rescued.With the matter settled, they were deeply grateful to Isaac, though they all knew it had been a calculated move. What else could they do? After all, their son had behaved badly and been caught in the act.When Merrick learned of his mother's mistreatment of Courtney, he kept quiet for a time. However, once they were married, he made it clear that he wished to live separately. He didn't want to cause a rift in the family, but in Starhaven's official evaluations, being dutiful towards family mattered more than talent. A single accusation of being disloyal could end a person's career.Merrick's reason for wanting to live separately was perfectly reasonable—he said he needed peace and quiet to prepare for his upcoming exams. His family was too large, so the distractions would make it difficult to focus.
I finally understood Cari's plan.Maya had made a scene at the Prince family's residence, and would naturally have to go there and apologize. But the real plan was to use the scandal around Gabriel's disgrace to put pressure on the Saunders family. From now on, even if Courtney married into their family, they would be too scared to mistreat her.With both leverage and a secret weapon in hand, it was a solid move.But for me, today was about getting some justice, especially with Maya. I wasn't going to leave without making my point.Once Michael and the others left, I turned to Maya. "I heard you say that your family is one of high standing and noble reputation. Truly, that's a laugh. What kind of noble family would kidnap a woman and make a scene by beating up someone at another person's residence?"I was ready to tear your whole house apart and expose your hypocrisy to the city today, but you're lucky. Since Merrick genuinely cares for Courtney, I don't want to make things too ug
The reactions of the Saunders family were telling. They stood frozen, as if they couldn't believe what they were hearing. It was clear that no one in the capital had warned them, and they hadn't heard anything about it.Seizing the opportunity, I spoke again, my voice icy, "Who doesn't know that my husband, the third son of the Prince family, dotes on Courtney more than anyone? She's been wronged so severely, and he's beside himself with worry."I had to talk him out of rushing to the grand queen dowager to complain about this. But since I'm here, whoever it was that raised their hand against Courtney should step forward and accept the consequences."Isaac, while holding many positions in the capital, was most known as my husband, an apprentice of the Pathfinders Guild, the armory's overseer in the Ministry of Defense, and the owner of several enterprises in the capital. His connection to the Prince family was downplayed, but it still proved useful in situations like this.Among hi
Let me tell you about the day the Saunders family crossed a line even I, Violet Spencer, couldn't ignore.It was beyond outrageous!The Saunders family held nothing more than a minor earl's title, yet Maya dared act so arrogantly! In all my years alive, I had encountered plenty of ill-mannered women, but never had I encountered one among the powerful and influential.When I heard that they had dragged Courtney out and slapped her, calling her shameless for having feelings for a young man, I wanted to storm into Averton Estate, break down their door, and give them a taste of their own medicine.Cari was angry too, but she reminded me that we couldn't just go rushing in without thinking. The most important thing was to check on Courtney and Viola—who knew if they might do something rash?I had to admit, Cari had been in court long enough to know how to handle these things. She could stay calm when it mattered most.I rushed straight to the Prince family's residence. As I feared, I
When did I truly realize how wrong I was?It wasn't when Thomas returned, nor was it after my divorce from Barrett, nor even when the Prince family fell into misfortune.No, it was when talks were going on to arrange the marriage of my niece, Courtney.During the Prince family's fall from grace, I was imprisoned and narrowly escaped death. As I reflected on the past, I knew I had made mistakes and was willing to change. But I wasn't fully aware of just how deep my mistakes went.At the time, I thought it was all my own problem. No matter how much I suffered, it was my burden alone. No one else had the right to speak on it.I knew that my sister-in-law, Zoey, had suffered because of my stubbornness. She had worked tirelessly, running here and there, trying to help me, and perhaps I had grown accustomed to her always doing that for me. Because of that, I felt both gratitude and respect for her.Still, I wasn't ready to face the full weight of my past. I didn't want to dwell on it—i
Carissa stopped and turned back to me. "Her family treats her well. It's just that things didn't go smoothly when they were arranging for her niece's marriage. Thankfully, that niece is now married to a good man."I think Viola worries that, being unmarried at her age—twice wed, no less—she might invite gossip. She doesn't want to burden her nephews and nieces or trouble her sister-in-law."I nodded, thinking of Zoey—the fierce woman who was also kind-hearted. She had one son and one daughter, as well as more children from her late husband's concubines. She had likely faced many challenges while arranging marriages for all her children. I imagined the amount of gossip and judgment she must have endured.I truly cared for Zoey like a sister-in-law, and I felt for all she had gone through."Think it over," Carissa said.I nodded, then glanced outside, where there wasn't a soul in sight.I couldn't help but ask, "Aren't you afraid that Prince Rafael might grow jealous, you being her
At General Sullivan's 80th birthday celebration, I saw Carissa again. Before that, I had seen her a few times when she visited Victory Pass on occasion.We were like strangers now. We never spoke, but I would secretly see her off every time she left. I didn't know why I did that, or what I hoped to accomplish.I always carried a sense of guilt toward her.As for Aurora and Viola, I also felt I owed them something. But with them, it was a constant cycle of mutual exhaustion and arguments. They hurt me in the past, but I had also hurt them.But when it came to Carissa, it was my family and I who had wronged her. She never did anything to deserve it. Even after our divorce, she could have ignored my mother's illness. Instead, she helped Amelia learn how to obtain the Snowdrop Pills.When I saw Carissa at General Sullivan's birthday celebration, she was the regent's princess consort. The political affairs of the court were of little concern to us soldiers on the frontier. What mattere