Her Graceful War Song

While Kylie was still fervently attempting to bring Cecil to Everspring Palace, Carissa arrived.

"I have long been waiting for you to ask me whether Prince Connor said anything before he passed, Your Majesty. Yet, you never did," she said, looking at the queen.

Kylie sharply turned her head toward her, her expression filled with resistance. "There is no need to speak of it. He would have blamed me, for he was always angry with me."

"On the contrary, he said that he loved you very much," Carissa replied.

A bitter smile curled on Kylie's lips. She clearly didn't believe Carissa's words. "He is gone. Why would you make up such things to make me sad?" she said.

Carissa looked at the clear finger marks on Kylie's face and her swollen, red eyes. The pain of losing her son should have been a wound to the soul itself, yet here she was, scheming to bring Cecil to her side.

Was it for revenge? Or was she trying to secure leverage, pushing Cecil to become the crown prince and crushing Grace's hopes once and for all?

"I am but the messenger. Whether you believe it or not, that is for you to decide," Carissa said.

After offering a shallow bow, she took her leave.noveldrama

Once Carissa departed, Kylie pressed her hands to her face and collapsed into uncontrollable sobs.

Of course she knew how utterly, ridiculously absurd her actions were. How could she not? But she had lost her son, and Sylvia had died. After all the fighting and scheming, the one who benefited in the end was Grace, the person she looked down on the most.

Kylie loathed Cecil. But if he became her son-the queen's son-he would be able to rival Caden.

As for Connor's murder, she had plenty of lawful ways to exact revenge on Cecil. Anything beyond that, she had not yet considered. All she knew was that she couldn't allow Grace to rise above her.

It was Salvador's lack of heirs that had brought her to this point. Had there been any other alternative, she would never have entertained the idea of adopting Cecil.

Lydia made no attempt to console her, allowing her to cry freely. The former felt a profound regret and an overwhelming sorrow. She realized that she should never have listened to the queen and done so many things.

Sylvia had probably carried out the murder because she and Kylie had plotted against Jeanette together, yet only she was punished. On top of that, Kylie even made a scene at Laurel Palace, kicking Sylvia while she was down.

Someone as proud as Sylvia could never endure such humiliation. Retaliation was only a matter of time-but no one had expected it to happen so soon, or that she would target Connor.

After the funeral, the year came to an end.

The investigation had continued without pause, though Carissa had refrained from directly questioning Grace. Instead, she carefully sifted through the court's staff, seeking to understand who served which concubine, and where loyalties truly lay. swnovel

This relentless digging left Grace on edge. It was as if a sword was hanging over

her head, ready to fall at any moment.

As for Cecil and Phoebe, they were brought to Serenity Palace to be raised under Victoria's care. The queen dowager hadn't shared the true cause of Sylvia's death with her grandchildren, only telling them that she had succumbed to a sudden illness. The same explanation was also given to the public. swnovel

Cecil and Phoebe were heartbroken-losing their mother at such a young age left them feeling like their whole world had collapsed.

Patrick and Gladys were also devastated by the loss of their daughter. Violet visited them, and later told Carissa that Gladys had cried so much her eyes were nearly blind from grief.

Violet let out a heavy sigh. Everything had happened so suddenly and without warning. It was hard not to feel sorrowful.

Carissa didn't respond. Her eyes only dimmed, the image of Sylvia dying in front of her playing over and over in her mind. If she had been a little more alert, maybe she could have grabbed the scissors in time.

That thought crossed Carissa's mind, but she wouldn't dwell on it. Sylvia had made up her mind. Even if Carissa had managed to prevent it, Sylvia would have found another way.

The path to death was one she had chosen for herself.

Violet sighed again, then asked, "How's the investigation going? Did Lady Sylvia really kill Prince Connor? And was it really Prince Cecil who planted the caltrop?"

"Prince Cecil is a suspect, but I spoke to Ryan. That day, Prince Cecil was indeed riding Prince Connor's horse, but it was Prince Caden who helped him down. Prince Caden wasn't strong or tall enough, so it took some effort," Carissa replied. swnovel

"So, Prince Cecil wasn't the only one who touched the horse," Violet pointed out.

"Exactly. I verified Ryan's words with the guards who were there." Carissa paused. "But right now, Prince Caden is still recovering, and Prince Cecil just lost his mother. I haven't questioned them yet."

In addition to this, Carissa had gathered other pieces of evidence, all of which pointed toward Grace and Caden.

Once the truth was uncovered, she feared it would be even more painful to bear.