Kendrick had been shaken by the attack, and the royal physician had already been called to prepare a sedative to calm his nerves.


    When Carissa visited him, it was a pitiful sight. His face was as pale as paper, drained of all color. His lips trembled, and he shakily asked if the assassins were gone.


    She reassured him, saying they had gone, and only then did his trembling subside slightly.


    The people around him had already informed him that the assassins were driven off, but he hadn''t believed them. He needed to hear it from Carissa to feel any sense of security.


    Carissa reminded him to rest and recuperate before she left.


    Meanwhile, Davis was busyforting the others. As the Defense Minister, he had seen his fair share of chaos and remained calm. Also, he trusted Carissa and the Mystic Army. He didn''t think there was much to fear-at worst, they had just risked losing a head.


    It was Meadow Ridge''s members who gathered together, specting that the ck-d figures they had encountered in Victory Pass might be the same as the assassins who had attacked them.


    It was Violet who first brought up the theory.


    She believed the way that group had disappeared was too strange there had to be some hidden passage they used to slip away. It all felt premeditated.


    And then there was the matter of their ck clothing. The number of them might not add up perfectly, but that was easy enough to exin. Some of them had probably stayed behind, lying in wait.


    "At the time, they must have sent out so many people to target us," Violet theorized. "But then, they probably realized that in Victory Pass, even if they killed us, they wouldn''t be able to escape."


    She continued analyzing, growing more convinced.


    She nced at Carissa and asked, "Do you think I''m right?"


    Carissa took a moment to think before shaking her head.


    "It wasn''t them. Or rather, these assassins weren''t as skilled as those people. If they could move freely in and out of Victory Pass, as you said, that idea doesn''t hold up. They could''ve struck and then escaped without us being able to catch up or trace them. Think about it-after we finished our meal at Spring Pavilion, we sent people to look for them. Aside from the staff there, no one else had seen them."


    Violet thought about it and agreed. Those ck-d people from the other day had shown remarkable skill. The assassins from tonight were good, but not to the same extraordinary degree.


    Carissa continued, "Also, tonight, the assassins had people covering their escape. Do you think the ck-d group we met before needed that?"


    Everyone seemed to agree. It was clear that the ck-d figures from before had not needed any such help.


    After they left the restaurant, Carissa rushed out to follow them but saw not even a shadow.


    Thaddeus had conducted an investigation and now came to give Carissa an update.


    His Stellish was rough, but it was clear enough to understand.


    He exined that these assassins had once been under the former king''smand. They had been trained to hate the people of


    Starhaven deeply. Even though


    Edmund had abdicated, their hatred was so ingrained that they had plotted this assassination


    Thaddeus assured Carissa and the others that he had already dispatched people


    to apprehend those responsible and promised that such an incident would never happen again.


    Carissa knew he had already dealt with a few of the guards involved, but she didn''t wish to press further. It was pointless to dig deeper. Many people probably understood how Edmund had abdicated.


    History was full of victors and vanquished those who lost had to step aside. However, their influence lingered. Furthermore, Orivenia was still and of turmoil, especially after a female ruler had taken the throne. There were likely many who résented her and were eager to disrupt these negotiations.


    Edmund was the younger brother of Westhaven''s former crown prince Arthur, who had been killed by Aurora at Victory Pass. Arthur had been beloved by the people and had considerable weight in the court. So, even though Edmund acted erratically after taking the throne, he still gained some support because of his brother.


    As for those who didn''t support him, they didn''t strongly oppose him either.


    Other noble families and factions were likely fighting behind the scenes. With a new ruler came a new court, and everyone was scrambling to rise to the top. So, it was hard to say if those assassins were Edmund''s people or not.


    In the end, it didn''t matter. Thaddeus'' assurances meant little now. Carissa and her group would need to be on high alert and exercise extreme caution.


    As expected, another assassination attempt urred two dayster.


    This time, the assassins were clearly not the same group as before. Their skills were much weaker, and they were quickly defeated.


    Thaddeus captured a few for interrogation. It was unclear if he got any answers, but Travis saw several bodies being dragged out. They must have been tortured, as their deaths looked brutal.


    Thaddeus'' exnation was the same asst time-they were people who used to serve the former king.