Her Graceful War Song

Stories

### Chapter 1: Chapter-1

As Violet and her companions were still guests at the estate, Melanie chose not to embarrass her daughter too much. She allowed Carissa to accompany her friends and show them the sights and wonders of the capital.As the New Year approached, the streets were bustling with people stocking up for the celebrations. Suddenly, a galloping horse charged through the city gates, racing straight toward the palace.The rider shouted at the top of his lungs, "Great news! The Hell Monarch has reclaimed the Southern Frontier! The Southern Frontier is ours again!"Standing in the doorway of a silk shop, holding two bolts of fine satin in her arms, Carissa heard the cry with her own ears.She remembered how Rafael had swept through the Southern Frontier like wildfire after heading to the battlefield, reclaiming more than a dozen cities in quick succession. It wasn't until he reached Ilyrian City and Simonton City that the fighting had dragged on. And when Westhaven forces lent their aid to Sandor

By the time they returned to Victory Pass, Barrett was running a high fever. Even on the road, he had barely been holding on. The pain gnawed at him endlessly, and in a rare moment of clarity, he had even begged Bun to finish him off, just to put an end to the torment.Once back, the army physician took over Barrett's care. The wound was cleaned, the rotting flesh scraped away. It was a process that brought fresh waves of agony.The days that followed passed in a haze. Barely able to keep anything down, Barrett grew thinner by the day.Meanwhile, Aurora's body was not sent back to the capital, but buried there at Victory Pass. As for her deeds—both good and bad—Dominic would report everything to Salvador in due time.Ultimately, Westhaven's army withdrew. Without supplies, Leroy's men couldn't keep up the fight even if they wanted to.According to Starhaven's scouts, Liam had returned to Westhaven's camp. It seemed he had set out to find Arthur at the border but fell into an ambus

Aurora's wounds were far too grave. Carrying her on his back, Travis could already feel how faint her breathing was. Though she could barely complete a sentence, she managed to whisper something."Help… me, I don't want to die…"When they arrived at the abandoned house they had previously stayed at, the first thing they did was stop Barrett's bleeding. There was still hope for him to live.However, Aurora was in much worse condition. She had lost too much blood, and was likely suffering from internal injuries as well. It was a miracle she had survived this long.There was a look of despair in her eyes, yet one hand still clutched Carissa's sleeve with all her remaining strength. Her lips moved as though she wanted to plead for help, but no words came. When she opened her mouth, only blood poured out.Her gaze was unfocused, but she kept trying to find someone. Most assumed she was searching for Barrett, but he was being tended to. Travis was pressing down on his wound, trying to s

After escorting Barrett and Aurora safely away, Cynthia and Bun hurried back to help Carissa escape.Aurora was reckless to risk her life by sneaking back. If Violet and the others hadn't been worried that she would put Carissa in danger, they would never have returned.Barrett stumbled awkwardly with Aurora in his arms, unable to fend off the attackers surrounding them. It didn't take long for her to be cast to the ground, and before she could regain her footing, a guard slashed her leg with his blade.Her scream echoed through the supply depot as Barrett struggled to hold his ground. He glanced back, paling at the sight of her left leg bleeding freely."Barrett, save me!" Aurora screamed, her face pale as death and her whole body shaking violently.The guard clearly wanted her alive, as he didn't strike to kill. A blade pressed against her throat as someone yanked her up. The furious guard muttered angrily under his breath, while another guard brought a rope to tie her up.At t

Carissa saw that the others had already escaped. After waiting for the fire to burn a little longer, she flew towards the supply depot with her Lightfoot Skill.Though most people were busy fighting the fire, the supply depot was of the utmost importance. Around a dozen guards stood watch there. When they saw Carissa, who was dressed like a mountain villager, they moved forward to question her.Quickly, Carissa raised the oil barrel high and shouted loudly in Westic, "Fire! We need to help put it out!"As she shouted, she hurried toward the fire on the east side and pretended to join the effort to extinguish it. At the same time, nearby villagers soon arrived to help fight the flames. Running ahead of them, Carissa didn't seem out of place.The scene was chaotic. Some smothered the flames with thick cloth, others carried buckets of water, while some shoveled sand. Everyone tried every method they could. But the fire fed on the wood, growing too fierce. They had to stop it from spre

Aurora didn't dare reply to Carissa's words.Instead, she swallowed her pride and quietly said, "Barrett, I'll go with you."Barrett cast a cool glance at Carissa and said, "Let's follow orders. Earning merit or not isn't the point. The important thing is to finish the task and get back alive."He didn't truly believe Carissa was going into the supply depot alone. After all, once the wood nearby was set aflame, the supply depot would become the most dangerous place of all. If she were to light the fire inside, how could she escape the roaring flames?Most likely, while they set fires outside, someone already hidden inside the supply depot would start the blaze, while Carissa would simply go through the motions.At first, Barrett felt a bitter sense of injustice. Such was the way of official life. Great families passed down their rank and influence through generations. With the support of the family's older generation, one could rise quickly, gain honor, and preserve the family's l

Rafael shot a glance at Kyle before striding in. "Sage Everett, why are you making Kyle hold a pot over his head again? With so much going on, I was hoping he could help me out more. If he's always busy being punished, he won't be able to."After hearing that, Everett said, "Then, he's excused from p

In the royal study, Salvador took a sip of his coffee and looked up at Rafael."I wasn't aware the Supreme Court was investigating this case along with the Ministry of Justice. Did I issue such an order? Or is it that after your investigation into Eleanor's rebellion went nowhere, you're now trying t

The confession was written entirely in Stellish, which Westhaven envoys couldn't fully understand. The two interpreters read it aloud in Westic for them.Icarus took full responsibility for the plot, explaining that his motive stemmed from Hector's past victory of Westhaven, which had resulted in the

Salvador paused the movements of his quill, his voice cold as ice as he said, "That statement wasn't wrong. I do intend to cultivate new generals, but I am no fool. Even if I want to raise new blood, I would never abandon the veterans who have served the country loyally for half their lives."Doesn't

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### Chapter 2: Chapter-2

As Violet and her companions were still guests at the estate, Melanie chose not to embarrass her daughter too much. She allowed Carissa to accompany her friends and show them the sights and wonders of the capital.As the New Year approached, the streets were bustling with people stocking up for the celebrations. Suddenly, a galloping horse charged through the city gates, racing straight toward the palace.The rider shouted at the top of his lungs, "Great news! The Hell Monarch has reclaimed the Southern Frontier! The Southern Frontier is ours again!"Standing in the doorway of a silk shop, holding two bolts of fine satin in her arms, Carissa heard the cry with her own ears.She remembered how Rafael had swept through the Southern Frontier like wildfire after heading to the battlefield, reclaiming more than a dozen cities in quick succession. It wasn't until he reached Ilyrian City and Simonton City that the fighting had dragged on. And when Westhaven forces lent their aid to Sandor

By the time they returned to Victory Pass, Barrett was running a high fever. Even on the road, he had barely been holding on. The pain gnawed at him endlessly, and in a rare moment of clarity, he had even begged Bun to finish him off, just to put an end to the torment.Once back, the army physician took over Barrett's care. The wound was cleaned, the rotting flesh scraped away. It was a process that brought fresh waves of agony.The days that followed passed in a haze. Barely able to keep anything down, Barrett grew thinner by the day.Meanwhile, Aurora's body was not sent back to the capital, but buried there at Victory Pass. As for her deeds—both good and bad—Dominic would report everything to Salvador in due time.Ultimately, Westhaven's army withdrew. Without supplies, Leroy's men couldn't keep up the fight even if they wanted to.According to Starhaven's scouts, Liam had returned to Westhaven's camp. It seemed he had set out to find Arthur at the border but fell into an ambus

Aurora's wounds were far too grave. Carrying her on his back, Travis could already feel how faint her breathing was. Though she could barely complete a sentence, she managed to whisper something."Help… me, I don't want to die…"When they arrived at the abandoned house they had previously stayed at, the first thing they did was stop Barrett's bleeding. There was still hope for him to live.However, Aurora was in much worse condition. She had lost too much blood, and was likely suffering from internal injuries as well. It was a miracle she had survived this long.There was a look of despair in her eyes, yet one hand still clutched Carissa's sleeve with all her remaining strength. Her lips moved as though she wanted to plead for help, but no words came. When she opened her mouth, only blood poured out.Her gaze was unfocused, but she kept trying to find someone. Most assumed she was searching for Barrett, but he was being tended to. Travis was pressing down on his wound, trying to s

After escorting Barrett and Aurora safely away, Cynthia and Bun hurried back to help Carissa escape.Aurora was reckless to risk her life by sneaking back. If Violet and the others hadn't been worried that she would put Carissa in danger, they would never have returned.Barrett stumbled awkwardly with Aurora in his arms, unable to fend off the attackers surrounding them. It didn't take long for her to be cast to the ground, and before she could regain her footing, a guard slashed her leg with his blade.Her scream echoed through the supply depot as Barrett struggled to hold his ground. He glanced back, paling at the sight of her left leg bleeding freely."Barrett, save me!" Aurora screamed, her face pale as death and her whole body shaking violently.The guard clearly wanted her alive, as he didn't strike to kill. A blade pressed against her throat as someone yanked her up. The furious guard muttered angrily under his breath, while another guard brought a rope to tie her up.At t

Carissa saw that the others had already escaped. After waiting for the fire to burn a little longer, she flew towards the supply depot with her Lightfoot Skill.Though most people were busy fighting the fire, the supply depot was of the utmost importance. Around a dozen guards stood watch there. When they saw Carissa, who was dressed like a mountain villager, they moved forward to question her.Quickly, Carissa raised the oil barrel high and shouted loudly in Westic, "Fire! We need to help put it out!"As she shouted, she hurried toward the fire on the east side and pretended to join the effort to extinguish it. At the same time, nearby villagers soon arrived to help fight the flames. Running ahead of them, Carissa didn't seem out of place.The scene was chaotic. Some smothered the flames with thick cloth, others carried buckets of water, while some shoveled sand. Everyone tried every method they could. But the fire fed on the wood, growing too fierce. They had to stop it from spre

Aurora didn't dare reply to Carissa's words.Instead, she swallowed her pride and quietly said, "Barrett, I'll go with you."Barrett cast a cool glance at Carissa and said, "Let's follow orders. Earning merit or not isn't the point. The important thing is to finish the task and get back alive."He didn't truly believe Carissa was going into the supply depot alone. After all, once the wood nearby was set aflame, the supply depot would become the most dangerous place of all. If she were to light the fire inside, how could she escape the roaring flames?Most likely, while they set fires outside, someone already hidden inside the supply depot would start the blaze, while Carissa would simply go through the motions.At first, Barrett felt a bitter sense of injustice. Such was the way of official life. Great families passed down their rank and influence through generations. With the support of the family's older generation, one could rise quickly, gain honor, and preserve the family's l

Leila had heard that Zoey was investigating the servants in Valor Estate, but she had no idea what it was about. When she was brought in, she wore an expression of complete confusion.It wasn't until Zoey questioned her about having coffee with a friend from her hometown the day before Rebecca's fune

Outside Arcane Sanctum, two lanterns hung, casting a faint glow. As Rafael and the others arrived on horseback, Carissa, supported by Violet, emerged from the building.The moment she stepped outside, Leroy's body stiffened and his heart pounded wildly. Had they truly failed?A wave of red fury floode

The next evening, Cindy arrived in the capital. She didn't go anywhere else first, but made her way straight to Hell Monarch Estate.Carissa had known her third aunt was coming back, but hadn't expected it to be so soon. Dominic had said it would be several days before they could meet. When she heard

Hearing this, Zoey sensed that there had been some friction between Viola and Amelia. Her heart sank—she hoped it wasn't related to the events surrounding Amelia."Please tell me the details. I want to know everything, no matter how minor," Zoey insisted.After Poppy recounted everything she knew, Zoe

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