As Carissa and Melanie were leaving, Victoria sent Keith to escort them out of Serenity Palace.Carissa took the opportunity to slip him a letter. "Would you be so kind as to pass this along to Her Majesty?"Keith blinked in surprise. "Why did you not hand it to Her Majesty herself just now, Lady Sinclair?"Supporting her mother gently, Carissa replied, "It's merely a note of thanks. I'm not good with words, so I thought it best to write it down."Keith chuckled. "I see. Very well. I shall see it delivered."That very afternoon, Carissa set out for Victory Pass, taking Travis and Lulu along with her. Before departing, she also sent letters to Violet, Bun, and Cynthia, asking them to travel to Victory Pass as well. They all had to arrive before the city's defenses were tested by war.As for the letter to Victoria, it held no words of gratitude at all.Instead, Carissa wrote to inform the queen dowager that Winona, who had long wandered abroad, had returned with troubling news. We
Before leaving for Victory Pass, Carissa wanted to visit Victoria. She had long hoped for the chance to enter the palace to see the queen dowager, and perhaps catch a glimpse of Helen, or even Salvador.In their past life, Victoria and Helen had passed on after living long lives. Even so, their deaths still grieved Carissa deeply. She had mourned for quite some time and thought it was a farewell for eternity.Never had she imagined she would get to see them again.As an unmarried young lady, Carissa could not enter the palace alone. Proper etiquette required her mother to accompany her and present a formal request for an audience. Once Victoria granted it, they were permitted to visit.Since the loss of her husband and sons, Melanie had not stepped beyond the gates of Northwatch Estate. Now, Carissa hoped a short outing might lift her mother's spirits. Additionally, a meeting with Victoria might offer some comfort and possibly aid in her recovery.Melanie didn't want to go at firs
Yes, Carissa had to go to Victory Pass. She had to stop Aurora from slaughtering the villagers and murdering Arthur, the crown prince of Orivenia—now still known as Westhaven.Carissa had to do this for her kingdom and her family.After Arthur killed himself because he couldn't stand the humiliation he had suffered, Westhaven's spies hidden in Starhaven's capital retaliated by annihilating Carissa's entire family.Though she had formed a bodyguard team to keep her loved ones safe and avoid further trouble, she had to strike at the source to truly prevent the tragedy.The border skirmishes between the two kingdoms were likely to escalate into war. This conflict had been carefully plotted by Leroy's faction within Westhaven, and Carissa couldn't change their decisions. But since war was inevitable, she would find a way to alter its course.Back in her previous life, her seventh uncle had died defending the city. If she could change things this time, perhaps she might save him. And p
Inside Northwatch Estate, Carissa held her mother's hand tightly and wouldn't let go. Even as Melanie scolded her daughter for being stubborn, she only smiled and cried without saying a word in reply.Seeing her behavior, Melanie grew worried."Are you ill?" she asked, touching Carissa's forehead.She turned to one of the servants and instructed, "Go quickly and fetch Sebastian."Carissa's sisters-in-law gathered around, each one speaking with concern.The servant soon brought Sebastian. When Carissa saw him, she couldn't help but cry again. She still remembered how deeply saddened she had been when the physician passed away, and how she had taken care of his funeral herself.Now, she knew she wasn't in a dream. She had truly come back to life—back to a time before she married Barrett. Thinking about the many things she could change this time made her laugh and cry all at once.Melanie and the other ladies thought Carissa might have lost her mind.After examining her, Sebastian
In the main hall, Melanie sat quietly in her chair. An old maid stood beside her, and on either side sat the younger ladies of the Sinclair family. The matchmaker and Barrett were seated at the far left.Barrett's cheeks were flushed, and he gathered his courage to say, "Madam Sinclair, please rest assured. I swear on my life that I will take no other wives, nor will I ever fail Lady Sinclair."Before Melanie could reply, hurried footsteps echoed nearby. Her eyes were now too weak to see clearly, so she could only make out a blurred figure. The person rushed forward and threw themselves into her arms, their voice choked with sobs."Mom!"A sharp pain touched Melanie's heart. She ignored Barrett and the matchmaker, reaching out to stroke the girl's hair."Another bad dream?" she asked.Carissa had been kept in the dark about her father's and brothers' deaths, only learning of it after returning from Meadow Ridge. The grief had caused her to faint several times, and even now, she h
Rafael took out the box of incense, broke the seal, and opened it, only to find a single incense bead inside, no larger than a peanut."Only one?" he murmured in surprise.The box had seemed rather large, so he had expected it to hold several. But no, there was just one. He looked at the bottom of the case, where a few characters were faintly inscribed. Though the words were a bit blurry, his eyes were still sharp enough to make them out.[Dreams of the Butterfly.]Dreams of the Butterfly… Dreaming Butterfly? The name sounded rather mysterious.Perhaps it truly could bring beautiful dreams, as the envoy had claimed.On the lid of the box, there were several more lines, carved in tiny seal script, each letter no bigger than an ant. Rafael squinted, but couldn't make out what they said. He didn't trouble himself too much about it. After all, Nerathia and Starhaven had long been on friendly terms. It would hardly be something harmful.Aside from the lines of script, there was also