Carissa entered briskly. After greeting Rafael, she felt a strange


    unease.


    What was wrong with Dn? Why was he looking at her with such an odd look on his face?


    When Rafael gave Dn a cold look, thetter chuckled and said, "I''ll take my leave, then."


    Once outside, Dn didn''t stray far. He hid just beyond the entrance to eavesdrop.


    "Have a seat," Rafael told Carissa.


    Rafael cast an irritated look at the entrance. It was obvious someone was eavesdropping. Even if Dn wanted to do so, couldn''t he have hidden better?


    Aware of Dn''s presence, Carissa sat down and gave Rafael a questioning look, then pointed at the door, wondering why Dn was still there.


    Rafael shook his head with a smile. "Ignore him: What brings you here?"


    Carissa straightened and asked earnestly, "Marshal, I know we''re preparing to return to the capital. Before that, may I visit the ce. where my father and brothers fell? I''d like to pray for their souls to apany us back to the capital."


    The remains of her father and brothers had been sent back to the capital after their deaths. However, if their spirits still lingered, they would surely want to witness the Southern Frontier''s remation with their own eyes.


    Rafael nodded slightly. "Of course, but you needn''t go. I''ve already


    +IS BONUS


    been there myself. I cut down arge tree from that ce and am carving memorial ques for them. We''ll bring their ques back with us."


    He lifted a silk cloth to reveal the carved ques arranged beneath. One of them was already finished, bearing the name ''Hector Sinir''. Carissa''s lips quivered as tears welled up in her eyes.


    At the Sinir family''s memorial hall, her father and brothers'' ques were also disyed. When she went ba to pay her respects, she could never bring herself to look directly at them, as if doing that could keep them alive in her memory, rather than reducing them to cold, lifeless ques.


    As tears streamed down her face, she pulled out a handkerchief to wipe them away, only to realize it was the one Rafael had given her.


    She quickly returned it, her voice choking with emotion as she said, Thank you."


    Rafael''s gaze lingered on the handkerchief for a moment before he took it back. "It was the least I could do. When I first went into battle, it was your father who led me."


    Carissa nodded silently, her emotions overwhelming her.


    After a long pause, she said, "Since you''ve arranged everything, I won''t make the trip myself."


    It wasn''t that she didn''t want to go she was simply terrified.


    She had learned of her father and brothers'' deaths upon returning home from Meadow Ridge. She had seen her mother weep until she was nearly blind, and had seen the widows and orphans in her family. Since then, Carissa had buried her grief deep within herself and was afraid to confront it.


    "What are your ns after we return to the capital? Are you thinking


    of pursuing a military position, or... "Rafael asked aThis is property ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    he resurred carving Carissa''s elder brother''s memorial que with a deliberate slowness


    He casually continued, “Or perhaps, finding someone else to marry?


    "My mother didn''t want me to follow a military path, Carissa replied.


    Rafael looked up. "Your mother hoped you would marry someone and lead a stable life."


    Tve followed my mother''s wishes and married before," Carissa answered.


    There was a meaningful look in Rafael''s eyes, but it was subtle and hidden. "If the marriage wasn''t satisfactory, it''s null and void. You can find someone better."


    Carissa''s eyes were slightly reddened as she smiled. "It''s a fact that I''ve been married once. How can it be null and void? As for whether it was good or bad, you only know by living it. Marriage is like a high- stakes gamble. I''ve just lost once, so I have no intention of gambling again."


    Rafael''s smile was warm and reassuring. "That''s a good mindset. Never settle for just anyone. Following your mother''s wishes is one thing, but marrying without thought is another. I haven''t nned to marry either."


    Carissa refrained frommenting on his personal matters but found his words curious. It seemed he hoped she would continue in a military role. The courtcked young, capable generals, and Salvador was troubled by this shortage.


    They had managed to take back control of the Southern Frontier. Even though their issues with Westhaven wereplicated and not fully resolved, this victory was a relief and allowed Westhaven to get


    some revenge.