Her Graceful War Song

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Chapter 903

That night, Rafael held Carissa quietly as they slept. Her breathing was steady, as if she had drifted off to sleep.

Rafael knew she hadn't. Curled up in his arms, she lay still with not a single movement, each steady breath so controlled it seemed deliberate.

She didn't want him to worry.

At the Sullivan family's residence in Victory Pass, the royal edict had arrived. The messengers sent were Felix and Homer from the Septimus Tetra reconnaissance team. Naturally, they were accompanied by people from both the Crown Guard and Royal Guard.

Felix and Homer were both fourth-rank generals, but had yet to be assigned significant duties by the king. This task, delivering the royal edict to Victory Pass, was their first real assignment. If they performed well, Salvador might start using them more frequently.

Yet, this task felt like an impossible burden. Most of the soldiers and officers still looked up to Dominic and Hector. They were here under the guise of delivering an edict, but in reality, they were escorting him. Felix and Homer both felt deeply uneasy about the situation.

Originally, a Crown Guard officer, Galen Kimber, wanted to leave that day itself. However, Felix and Homer managed to convince him to allow Dominic to say his goodbyes to his family, and they would depart the following day.

At the Sullivan family's residence that night, everything was the same as usual. The meal was served at the regular time, and the same number of dishes were prepared as before.

This day had been expected to come eventually, and everyone was mentally prepared. However, at this meal, no one could eat except Dominic.

"Dad!" Wyatt put down his cutlery and looked up at his aging father, his eyes red-rimmed. "I'll accompany you back to the capital."

Dominic calmly continued eating and simply said, "No need."

"His Majesty has issued an edict for Wallace to take command of the troops. It would make sense for me to accompany you back to the capital. Besides, I'm just a broken shell of a man now. Whatever happens, I can bear the responsibility on your behalf," Wyatt argued.

"Ridiculous!" Dominic shot him a sharp glance. "What do you mean, a broken shell? You've only lost an arm. You can still wield a blade with one hand. You're still a general. His Majesty has ordered your eighth brother to take command, but Wallace doesn't have your experience. Westhaven is stirring up trouble now. You must stay here and hold the line.'

"Dad..." Wallace also set down his cutlery, his voice trembling with unshed tears.

Over the past year, the brothers had discussed countless times how they could help their dad escape the consequences of that disaster. Unfortunately, there was no way out.

"What Wyatt says makes sense. You were seriously injured by the arrow back then, and all decisions were left to us. But as you've said, Wyatt is more experienced than I am, so he should remain at Victory Pass. I'll accompany you to the capital. I'll shoulder all the blame," Wallace said.

"No, Wallace, you can't go! I will!" Shane said. "Uncle Dominic, I've already packed my things. I'll set out with you first thing tomorrow."

Dominic glanced at the table full of sons, daughters-in-law, grandsons, and granddaughters. He saw the concern in their eyes and smiled faintly.

He put down his cutlery and wiped his mouth. "Enough. Why is everyone fighting to go with me? You think this old

body of mine can't handle things, huh? You think you're tougher than me?"

Wyatt choked up. "Dad, that's not what we mean. It's just that the Fawnrun City incident... Someone has to take responsibility. Whoever it is, it doesn't matter. It was my mistake, and it's my duty to bear the consequences." "You? You're not ready to take it," said Dominic.

The old man's face softened, a rare hint of tenderness showing. He was usually a stern and tough man, never one to show emotion toward his sons and grandsons.

"I must handle this matter. I'm the leader of the army in Victory Pass. As long as I'm still breathing, whatever happened in Fawnrun City is on my shoulders," he added.

"Aurora... she's done a lot of harm!" Cindy, Wyatt's wife, spat angrily. "She and Barrett are both vile! Father has always been strict with the military troops. For all these years, we've never violated the agreement between the two kingdoms not to harm civilians.

"Then, she comes along, and what does she do? She slaughtered entire villages! How could she be so vicious? How could she even do such a thing? I just want to go back to the capital and tear them both apart!"