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 some malice," 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 come out 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 come with 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!"
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.
"I 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."
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: Her Graceful War Song
What happens to the other chapters, I've been waiting to read more of this story, the character's and the screening are fantastic, very intriguing story...
Next chapter please, what's happening...
Very captivating novel....
Both content and context are very intriguing, the writer style of pulling out characters in their unique ways are profound,I have recommended this book because it's very captivating...