Her Graceful War Song (Carissa Sinclair)

Chapter 942

On Royal Street, the only sound was the clatter of horses' hooves and the occasional rattle of carriage wheels. There was nothing else to break the silence.

Travis was expertly guiding the carriage. He was getting better at it with every passing day-after all, he was now the owner of a carriage.

Violet sat inside the carriage with Carissa, resting her head on her friend's shoulder. Feigning weakness, she complained, "You all got to go inside, eating and drinking to your heart's content, while we were stuck out here in the cold wind. Thankfully, Lulu had us bring some meat and pastries from home. She even thoughtfully packed some coffee in a water pouch. If we hadn't had that, I might have passed out from hunger by now."

Carissa chuckled. "It's truly a sin to leave you hungry, Ms. Spencer. After this is all over, we'll have to throw a feast to make it up to you."

Violet didn't seem offended. Instead, she gave a playful smile and quipped, "You know me best. The one thing I can always indulge in is spending money."

Violet enjoyed spending money on the people around her, especially those she was close to. When it came to strangers, it depended on their situation. If she felt sympathy for them, she would be willing to spend a bit on them.

Carissa leaned her head against Violet's, their two heads resting together. They didn't need to listen to the sounds outside-Travis was handling everything.

At Hartstone Estate, a dim light flickered in the study, casting shadows across a face weathered by wind and time. The usual signs of weakness and hesitation were gone, replaced by a dangerous gleam in his eyes as they reflected the flickering light.

They couldn't afford the slightest mistake during tonight's mission.

War between the two kingdoms had to happen now, or their opportunity would be lost. The chance at the Southem Frontier had already slipped away. This time, they couldn't afford to miss it.

Salvador was already suspicious of them, so they couldn't afford to aim for both power and a righteous reputation now. What did it matter if they were called traitors and rebels? The victors would write history and determine how it would be remembered.

Now, to succeed in their plan, they needed war to break out simultaneously again at the Southern Frontier and Victory Pass, mobilizing their scattered forces across various regions to stir up internal chaos. Then, they would blame Salvador for his cruelty, claiming his actions led to widespread turmoil, and use this as justification to lead a righteous campaign.

Harvey's visit to Westhaven was a necessary step to find Leroy. Among all the people in the enemy kingdom, he and Edmund were the most eager for war. But since Harvey couldn't meet the king, he had to turn to Leroy.

He and Leroy had secretly formed an alliance. Leroy had one condition: to ensure Westhaven's victory at Victory Pass. He didn't ask for much-just the capture of Victory Pass and the relocation of its people to a nearby city. The only way to guarantee their success at Victory Pass was to kidnap Carissa and take her to Westhaven. She was the apple of Rafael's and the Sullivan family's eye. With her in their grasp, they could secretly threaten Rafael, preventing him from joining the war, as well as coerce the Sullivan family into withdrawing from Victory Pass. Yuvan's suicide soldiers would be working with Icarus in their large-scale plan to capture Carissa. Her martial arts skills were formidable, so they couldn't afford any mistakes. They had to strike swiftly and take her without delay.

Icarus was Westhaven's greatest fighter. As long as Rafael wasn't present, Leroy and the suicide soldiers would have no problem kidnapping Carissa.

Harvey closed his eyes. Tonight was the first step toward success, and a critical one at that. There could be no mistakes.

Leroy should be able to draw Rafael away. The negotiations were tomorrow, so the prince would be eager to probe Westhaven's stance before that.

The plan would succeed, without a doubt.

"Your Highness."

A knock on the door jolted Harvey upright, and he quickly recognized his wife's voice.

Irritated, he responded coldly, "What is it?"

Heather's anxious voice came through, "Your Highness, I just wanted to ask where you went earlier. The queen dowager sent a physician to check on you, and she knew you weren't in the estate."

"No need to ask so many questions. Rest for now. If there's nothing important, don't come near me," Harvey replied, his voice devoid of emotion.

He was already aware of Victoria's actions, but it didn't matter. There was no evidence to back up any claims, nor would Salvador bother with him, a useless prince.

Even if there was suspicion, Harvey could always come up with a reasonable explanation. It was absurd that Heather was so frightened over something so trivial. While she and Melanie Sullivan were sisters, Heather lacked even a fraction of Melanie's courage and intelligence.