Her Graceful War Song

Caden's eyes were wide with terror and his expression was one of sheer horror, as though he had been suddenly awakened from a nightmare.

Gasping for air, he clutched his ears and shouted desperately, "No! Mom, I don't want this! I don't want my brother to die! I don't want it..."

Grace collapsed to the ground. From the moment Salvador had taken out the caltrop, it was as if all her strength had been drained from her body, leaving her crumpled on the floor.

However, Salvador paid her no mind. His gaze remained fixed on Caden, the coldness in his eyes unyielding.

"It is too late. Your elder brother is dead. You killed him," said the king.noveldrama

Caden whirled around, his head slamming into Grace's abdomen. A shrill, anguished cry escaped his lips as he shouted, "You lied to me! You said he wouldn't die! You said that he would only be crippled! You lied to me! You lied to me! I killed my brother-"

The force of the impact left Grace breathless, her insides twisting painfully as if they might shift from their place. Gritting her teeth against the pain, she lurched forward, trying to silence her son's outcries by covering his mouth.

But Caden, in his madness, seemed unrestrained. Still screaming, he leaped to his feet and hurled himself against the wall. He collided with the stone wall, his forehead splitting open with the force.

After quickly restraining the boy, Derek swiftly knocked him unconscious, then called for someone to take him away to bandage his wound.

As the door slammed shut, Derek positioned himself silently by Salvador's side. Meanwhile, Grace and Lyra remained kneeling on the floor.

Grace knelt upright, her back straight as realization sank in-she had lost. There was no turning back now. She had failed to secure what she so desperately desired. And with that failure, she knew that nothing could save her now. Her anger and frustration were meaningless in the face of what was to come.

Salvador's rage exploded as he drove his foot into her stomach, roaring, "Vile woman! How cruel you are!"

The force of the kick sent Grace tumbling backward, her body crashing to the floor. Pain radiated through her, yet she managed to cradle her abdomen with trembling hands.

"I'm not a vile woman, Your Majesty. I simply had no choice. What flaw does Caden have, apart from not being born of Queen Kylie's womb? In every way, he surpassed Prince Connor. Why should Prince Connor be the one to be made crown prince? It is not fair. It is so terribly unjust for Caden!" she said, laughing bitterly.

Salvador knew exactly how to strike where it hurt the most. With a flick of his hand, he signaled Derek to set down the edict in his hand.

"This is the edict I placed in the royal chapel, naming my heir. Read it," the king instructed.

Derek carefully unrolled the parchment and laid it in front of Grace.

As soon as she saw it, the mocking curve of her lips froze, and her face went pale with shock. Her hands, trembling uncontrollably, reached for the edict. She held it up, scarcely able to believe what she saw.

It was Caden's name on the scroll.

"No... it's impossible... this can't be..." She drew in a shaky breath, her disbelief growing. Then, a shrill scream tore from her throat as she shook her head violently. "No! No! Your Majesty, you cannot deceive me like this! You cannot trick me!"

She clutched the edict to her chest, inching backward. This was the edict she had dreamed of, the one she had schemed for so long to secure. Everything she had done was for this-for her son's name to be written on it. But now, as she held it, a chilling cold crept over her.

Derek wrenched the edict from her hands, his tone as sharp as ice as he said, "It is a pity. Prince Caden has murdered his brother and thus is unworthy to inherit the throne. This edict must be nullified."

Derek handed the edict to Salvador. Without a word, the king signaled for servants to bring forth a brazier. Before Grace's horrified eyes, he burned the parchment to ash.

Grace snapped back to her senses, throwing herself toward the fire, her hands frantically trying to snatch at the burning parchment. "No, it cannot be nullified! The king's

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is law! It cannot be undone! It was my fault. I pushed him to do it, he didn't want this. It took me so long to convince him..."

Her hands beat desperately at the flames, but it was futile. The edict, once her salvation, was now reduced to a charred fragment. Only a small corner of it remained, and even that bore no trace of her son's name.

Her mind seemed to unravel as she collapsed onto the floor, her body wracked with sobs.

She beat her forehead against the cold stone as she cried out, "Your Majesty, it is my fault. Caden had no part in this! Please, punish me, not him! He didn't murder his brother! Please, Your Majesty, I beg of you...!"

Grace could accept failure, or even death by royal edict. But what she couldn't bear was the thought that her own foolishness had destroyed the very honor that had been within her grasp. She despised foolishness, just as she despised Kylie for always making blunders and stepping on her own feet. And yet, here Grace was, having made the same mistake.

Salvador merely gazed at her coldly without a word.

The edict he had just burned was not the original one kept in the royal chapel. When Carissa had first informed him of Grace's suspicious activities, he had already prepared a new edict.

He knew she would try to justify her actions to try and convince him that her wrongs were not as great as they seemed.

There was no point in debating with her. Grace would never listen or understand that the succession to the throne wasn't merely about talentor ability. No further words were needed. Just this edict alone would be enough to make her make her mourn her loss and drive her to madness with regret.