Warrior's Serenade

Upon receiving Kylie's summons, Carissa found herself bewildered.

Why was she being asked to meet Gerald? If they wanted to question her, they could have called her directly to

the palace. Why go to the Quinton family's residence to see him?

Gerald was gravely ill. If he wanted to scold her, she wouldn't even have the chance to retort. And if he died in

front of her, no words would save her then.

Violet had filled her in on Gerald's condition, gathered from the past couple of days' inquiries. He had stopped

eating and drinking, and it seemed like he was on the brink of death.

"Does Gerald want you there to watch him die? That old man's got smalice," Cynthia said.

She was aware of the whole situation, and she had always been sharp-tongued. Knowing how Gerald had treated

Carissa, Cynthia didn't hesitate to speak her mind.

"Don't go just refuse the order," Bun chimed in from the side. "The queen's order isn't that serious. The king's

reaction is what really matters.

Violet had matured a lot now, and she said, "Ignoring the queen's summons might seem like no big deal on the

surface, but the king will remember. He might not show it, but he'll definitely hold a grudge since he'll think

you're disrespecting him. You're better off going. At least you'll be able to go on record as having done your duty.

It was bound to happen, and there's no avoiding it."

Violet knew how Salvador operated. When things were fine, there were no issues. But when things went south,

he would remember every little detail. He wouldn't cout and say it, but he would give the person the cold

shoulder and make life difficult for them.

Carissa had already felt his frustration because of the gentlemen's retreat incident.

In short, both the king and queen were difficult to deal with.

"I'll go with you, Cari," Violet said.

Carissa thought for a moment. Given how things had escalated, she knew she would be blamed no matter what.

At least she had the accomplishment of capturing the spies from the Sandoria.

Fine, she would go.

"You don't need to cwith me. I'll have Sebastian accompany me, and I'll request Madam Marjorie to come

along as well."

Carissa believed the Quinton family wasn't completely without boundaries. If Kylie had set a trap, she could try

to avoid it. But even if she did, they would still use Gerald's death against her. In that case, it was better to go

there herself and bring witnesses to ensure she was covered.

It was better to be accused directly than to remain ignorant of a trap. At least this way, she would know what she

was up against.

"Alright, I'll go see Sebastian and ask if he's willing to go with you," Cynthia offered.

Violet grinned knowingly. "No need to ask. He'll agree without question. Sebastian's always looking out for her."

Cynthia smiled brightly. "That's great!"

Cynthia and Bun both believed that

no matter how big the problem was, it could always be dealt with. If they needed people, they had them. If they

needed money, Violet would provide it. If all else failed, they could retreat to Meadow Ridge. It wasn't a big deal.

3T

When Carissa arrived with Sebastian at the Quinton family's residence, they saw Jeremiah already waiting at the

gates. She watched as the coachman helped Jeremiah down the carriage. The moment he emerged, Carissa

couldn't help but notice his head full of white hair.

She sighed softly. She had heard from Natalie that Jeremiah had been wanting to retire to his hometown

for years. But as each year passed, he hadn't been able to let go. He just couldn't bring himself to let go of his

duties to the kingdom.

Even in a situation like this, it was still him who had to cpersonally.

Carissa felt a pang of guilt in her heart.

She knew exactly why Kylie had called Jeremiah. It was to have him as a witness-if Gerald passed away after

scolding Carissa, they would say she drove him to his death by angering him.

Jeremiah certainly couldn't go into court and argue on her behalf. He couldn't tell them that Gerald was already

on his deathbed and wouldn't have lasted long anyway, even if he hadn't gotten angry.

No one would care about the details. They would only look at the outcome.

Carissa stepped forward and said respectfully, "Thank you for making the trip, Mr. Murray."

"You're too kind, Commander Sinclair," Jeremiah said with a smile. "I was just thinking of visiting Lord Gerald."

Then, he turned to Sebastian and nodded slightly. "How are you, Sebastian?"

"I've been doing well. Thank you for asking, Mr. Murray," Sebastian responded with a smile, nodding in return.

The three of them entered together

and made their way into the main hall, where they found Kylie already seated in the grand chair. Several

members of the Quinton family were gathered, including Logan's dad, Heath Quinton. He was idly tossing a

leather ball back and forth

completely unfazed by the solemnity of the situation.

Upon spotting Carissa, Heath smiled. He knew she was his daughter-in-law's sister-in-law, so he stood up

with a chuckle and offered her the leather ball.

"Here, have a go. It's a lot of fun. My son made it for me."

"Heath, stop being rude!" Malcolm quickly scolded.

Carissa smiled and took the leather ball. She tossed the ball quickly between her hands in rapid movements that

were almost too fast to follow, leaving Heath in awe as he clapped in admiration. "Enough!" Kylie's sharp voice

broke the moment.

She turned to Jeremiah.

"| called you here today to accompany Carissa into the inner chambers to meet my grandfather. If there's any

dispute, you can act as a mediator."

word

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