Her Graceful War Song

Kyle looked up and said, "You two should head out for now. We're not finishing anytime soon. There's still plenty I need to adjust, and we might end up painting a dozen or more portraits."

Rafael stared blankly at the completed painting of the adult woman on the chair. He felt the woman in the portrait resembled Carissa's mom. Not the Melanie he had seen before heading to the Southern Frontier, but the one he remembered from his teenage years. Back then, Melanie had a rounder face, and her smile was soft and gentle.

"Let's go," Carissa said as she tugged on his sleeves lightly.Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDrâ/ma.O(r)g!

Rafael glanced down at her. "Carissa, don't you think she resembled someone?"

"Who?" Carissa asked, her gaze drifting back to the painting. There was no sense of familiarity for her.

Seeing that she didn't share his thoughts, Rafael quickly amended his statement. "Perhaps I was just seeing things. Let's step out so we don't disturb them."

As they walked out, Rafael recalled his younger days of following Salvador to Northwatch Estate. Back then, Melanie was still quite young, and Carissa hadn't yet been sent to Meadow Ridge. Carissa was an adorable little girl, soft and sweet, with a lively and playful personality. Being the only daughter after six older brothers, she was greatly cherished, and her lively, gentle nature made her all the more endearing.

Yet, the portrait of Jaina as a child didn't resemble Carissa at all. Carissa had always been much prettier. That painting on the chair truly did remind him of his mother-in-law back then, though she was older than the woman depicted in the portrait.

He didn't dare mention this to Carissa, as he was afraid it would remind her of her family and sadden her.

Feeling it was still early and with the rain having stopped, he was about to ask Carissa if she wanted to go to Richspire Peak when she instructed Lulu, "I'm heading to the treasury. Have Rod come here. I need to talk to him."

Rafael swallowed the question he had been about to ask and instead inquired, "What do you need to see Travis for?"

Carissa replied, "It's about Alana and Leah. They refuse to take any pay for looking after Leona, claiming it's to atone for their mistakes. But Samuel's misdeeds shouldn't be something they bear alone. Their guild is indeed struggling, and we can't leave them in debt. What's due should be paid."

"Okay. I'll wait for you in the room," Rafael said with a nod.

The treasury consisted of three separate rooms. Carissa usually managed the accounts in her own private space, so she called Travis to that particular room.

As she entered, she noticed Travis now wore the embroidered tunic that showed he was the commander of the estate's household army. He looked much more impressive than before, with far less of his former rogue-like demeanor. It was clear that working in such a prestigious household had truly transformed him.

Just as the thought entered her mind, Travis plopped down on her desk, grabbed a quill and bit down on it. Then, he mumbled, "What's up?" Carissa propped her head on her hand, and silently retracted her earlier thoughts.

No, Travis hadn't changed at all.

"It's about Alana and Leah's wages. They say they don't want any pay, but they've worked so hard. So, I

want you to take their wages and et

send them back to your mentor Don't mention it's their pay, just say it's a reward for you doing a good job here in the estate," Carissa said.

"Can't I tell Alana and Leah?" Travis asked.

"No. Just say it's your reward." Carissa reached over and snatched the quill from his mouth, rubbing it against his tunic a couple of times. "Don't bite it. We shouldn't waste books or quills."

Travis stared at her, his eyes wide with surprise. "You've changed. You used to say weapons shouldn't be wasted, but you didn't mind ruining quills when you used them as little darts Sage Everett even gave you a beating for it, and you limped around for two weeks."

Carissa felt her face flush in embarrassment. "Let's not bring that up. That's all I called you here to discuss, so make sure you get someone to send the money to your master."

"Got it," Travis said. He understood that his guild seniors had indeed worked hard, and staying in a place like Gracehold Estate for so many months must have been tough. "But once I accept this, you can't tell Alana or Leah about it. Otherwise, I won't let you off."

"I won't say a word. Just don't get drunk and spill the beans in front of Vivi," Carissa replied as she unlocked the cabinet and pulled out a few banknotes that added up to three hundred silver coins. "Let's send back three hundred first..."

She counted out the banknotes, then kept one away. "Let's make it two hundred. Three hundred is a bit much, and your master will suspect something. We can send the rest of it at the end of the year."

Travis happily accepted the notes. "Actually, even two hundred would raise suspicion. My master thinks I can't accomplish anything on my own. She thinks you all helped me so much on the battlefield, and that's how I managed to get the hundred gold coins." He folded the notes neatly, and added, "By the way, Jacob's informant at Valor Estate reported that Harvey sent a note to Aurora, but they don't know what it says."