Her Graceful War Song (Carissa Sinclair)

Chapter 901

When Carissa left, Alistair naturally followed behind her.

Alistair had a big mouth, and today, the topic of Carissa and Barrett's conversation-Aurora's massacre of civilians-was no longer a secret.

What bothered Alistair the most was Dominic's involvement. He knew Dominic was innocent. The man had been gravely injured at the time, nearly dying. It was no wonder the treaty had been signed by Aurora.

Alistair felt a deep sense of injustice for Dominic. Upon returning to the Royal Guard headquarters, he couldn't help but voice his thoughts.

Who in the Royal Guard didn't respect the grand generals, Hector and Dominic? So, when Alistair spoke up, more people started to speak out on Dominic's behalf. The Royal Guard wasn't one to openly plead for justice, but they would certainly discuss it in private.

This was Carissa's first move-she had to stabilize the foundation of her grandfather's credibility and the respect he commanded among the people. Additionally, the admiration of the military officers in the capital was just as vital. When a plan had to unfold gradually, these factors were non-negotiable.

Fortunately, the so-called victory at Victory Pass had been a deliberate attempt by Salvador to elevate Barrett and Aurora, ensuring Barrett's absolute loyalty. Salvador awarded the glory of the victory to Aurora and refrained from lavishly rewarding Carissa's grandfather and uncles.

This precedent of elevating subordinates directly while bypassing the marshal had occurred before-Carissa's dad had risen in this way. Hector, however, had earned his position through real military merit; unlike Aurora, who had only relied on deception.

With Aurora now imprisoned, the Ministry of Justice began its secret interrogation. The proceedings were kept under wraps, but Salvador sent Barrett and lan to oversee them.

lan used to be the head of the crown prince's personal guards. He had been with Salvador since the latter was crown prince, building a network in silence. However, Salvador had made sure his men stayed in the shadows. Once exposed, his chess pieces would no longer be hidden.

During Salvador's time as crown prince, he had always followed Sigmund's directives. lan had kept a low profile. After Salvador ascended the throne, many had forgotten about lan entirely.

Recently, lan had become more active. Salvador had appointed him as deputy commander of the Crown Guard, just below Barrett. This was Salvador's way of protecting lan, using Barrett as a shield.

The reason Salvador had Barrett and lan oversee the interrogation was because Aurora's testimony had to align with Barrett's account. lan's role was to supervise the proceedings.

That night, no one at Hell Monarch Estate spoke. They were all in the study, organizing the information they had gathered so far. Though the lines of the investigation were already clear, they had to go over everything again. There could be no mistakes.

The facts were set, and there was no changing them. It was impossible for Carissa's grandfather to walk away completely unscathed. If generals and commanders didn't take responsibility for the mistakes of their subordinates, it would set a dangerous precedent. If a commander's underling harbored ambitions or committed a grave crime, they could simply blame a loyal subordinate to escape punishment.

Neither Rafael nor Carissa had entertained the idea of completely exonerating Dominic. They only hoped to minimize the punishment as much as possible.

The light flickered over Rafael's strikingly handsome face as he furrowed his brow. His thumb rubbed the side of his index finger in a nervous gesture-a subtle sign of his unease.

"We have to do everything we can to prevent war between the two kingdoms. As long as there is no renewed

conflict, this will remain a matter for the two kingdoms to resolve diplomatically. We can avoid the situation where death sentences are even on the table," he said.

Rafael knew his words were harsh.

The words "death sentence' were never something they had spoken aloud, but the reality was unavoidable. If the two kingdoms went to war again over the incident at Fawnrun City, Aurora, who had claimed the glory, would certainly be executed. And Dominic, the marshal of Victory Pass, would probably meet the same fate.

Carissa trembled, fighting back tears.

Seeing this, Kyle felt a pang of sympathy for her. "His Majesty should take into account General Sullivan's years of service, his advanced age, and his long tenure defending Victory Pass. He hasn't even been able to return to the capital. The ministers will surely vouch for him, so a death sentence shouldn't be on the table."

Carissa took a deep breath, forcing the tears back and steadying herself. "We can't rely on His Majesty's goodwill. What if he doesn't care? We can't take that chance. Raf is right-war between the two kingdoms must absolutely be avoided. Once war starts, even if the king truly wants to protect Grandpa, there won't be a way to save him."

Even more troubling was the possibility that Salvador might not want to protect Dominic at all.