جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 180

After soaking in the medicinal bath, Carissa felt a warm flush spread through her body. Just before bed, Pearl brought a basin of medicinal foot soak and said she had to soak her feet every night.Carissa complied dutifully, soaking her feet for a while before drinking a cup of calming tea, a remedy formulated by Sebastian to aid sleep.Aside from the first two days after returning from the battlefield, when she slept deeply, the past few nights had been plagued by insomnia. Even when she managed to fall asleep, nightmares haunted her.Her father, her brothers, her family—once vibrant and full of life—now appeared before her, drenched in blood. She would wake up, unable to return to sleep.After dealing with her family’s massacre and returning to Valor Estate, she had needed to drink calming medicine every night to sleep. Sebastian had always kept her troubles close to his heart.After finishing the tea, Pearl added a candy to her cup and smiled. “Lulu said that since you dislike

Although she was touched, Carissa still refused. “His Majesty’s edict requires me to find a husband within three months. I believe he intends to designate a successor for the title. If I were to marry you under false pretenses, His Majesty might not approve.”Rafael hadn’t anticipated this response. It seemed she still didn’t fully understand Salvador’s intentions. After a moment’s thought, he pressed his hand down in a calming gesture. “You needn’t worry about that. I will speak to the king. His concern about designating a successor is likely due to his fear of you finding someone as fickle and unfaithful as Barrett.”Disparaging her former suitor was a petty tactic, but it likely seemed reasonable to her.When Carissa heard Barrett’s name, she remained unmoved. However, what Rafael said wasn’t without merit. The title of duke was now backed by the Sinclair Army—the generals and soldiers who used to follow Hector, and now Carissa. So, choosing a successor required careful consi

Salvador examined the medal of command presented by Derek with an inscrutable expression. After a moment, he retrieved the other half of the Sinclair Army's medal of command, aligning it with the one Rafael had handed.The Hell Monarch Army’s medal of command was now complete. Their father had given it to Rafael before, allowing him to command the Hell Monarch Army indefinitely to defend the nation. Rafael didn’t have to surrender it.Salvador traced the edges of the Hell Monarch Army medal of command with his fingers, feeling a peculiar sensation from the unfamiliar engravings.“Carissa agreed?” he asked, almost incredulously.“Yes, she has,” Rafael replied with evident joy, as though he were still the naive younger brother he used to be. “Before I set out for the campaign, I went to propose to her. I never expected Melanie to marry her to Barrett. Even more unexpectedly, she has returned to me after all that happened.”Rafael looked up, his smile radiating sweetness. “Natu

Helen lay on her chaise lounge, her heart burning with resentment towards Carissa. Her attendant, Gillian, stood beside her, trying to offer comfort. “There’s no need to be so upset, Your Highness. Prince Rafael is a man with his own thoughts. He’s merely infatuated with Lady Sinclair’s beauty at the moment. I’ve heard she’s the most stunning woman in the capital. "When Madam Sinclair first planned to marry her off, many noble families sought her hand. It’s a mystery why Madam Sinclair ended up marrying her to General Warren.”As she dabbed Helen’s tears away with a handkerchief, she continued soothingly, “After all, she is merely a secondhand item. There’s no need for you to be so enraged. If Prince Rafael insists on marrying her, so be it. A beauty from afar is pleasing to the eye, but living with her every day can become tiresome. "No matter how beautiful a woman is, if she becomes petty and jealous, which man wouldn’t grow weary of her? Prince Rafael will have many concubi

After Rafael left Evergreen Palace, he headed to Serenity Palace to pay respects to Victoria and seek her approval to marry Carissa.Victoria was delighted. “Child, you're silently accomplishing great deeds! Just two months ago, your mom was expressing her worries about your marriage to me. Who would have thought you'd meet Cari on the battlefield and instantly hit it off? Cari is a good girl. You need to treat her well and cherish her.”“Mother, I will definitely treat her well,” Rafael assured. “However, it seems my mom doesn't like Carissa much. She might summon Carissa to the palace in the next couple of days to give her a hard time.”Victoria immediately understood that he was indirectly asking for her help. Her eyes softened with affection as she said kindly, “Don't worry. As long as I'm here, she won't suffer anything.”Rafael knelt, and solemnly thanked her. “I’ll leave everything to you, Mother.”Victoria gazed at him, a flicker of complex emotions in her eyes. However,