Her Graceful War Song

As the scream pierced the air, the remaining nine assassins sprang into action and scattered quickly. Michael felt a sinking certainty. They had not come to rescue Eleanor, but to kill her.

But when he turned to the carriage, he froze in disbelief. The assassin that had attacked the carriage had been yanked inside. His legs were dangling outside, clearly unable to move.

Carissa smiled as she stepped forward and lifted the curtain of the carriage. Michael leaned closer to see inside, and his jaw dropped.

Rafael?

Rafael’s presence aside, Eleanor was bound to one side of the carriage. The scream he had heard had come from her, and now she glared at the incapacitated assassin with fierce intensity.

Rafael yanked the assassin down from the carriage and handed him over to Michael.

“Take him back to the Supreme Court. I’ve immobilized him and extracted the poison capsule from his mouth, but we can’t let our guard down. Once he’s there, feed him muscle–relaxing powder. Apart from having poison on them, these suicide soldiers can also kill themselves with their inner force.”

Michael motioned for some men to grab the assassin, casting a puzzled glance at Rafael.

When had he gotten into the carriage? When they started the journey, the carriage had clearly been empty. Also, the Capital Guard had been surrounding the carriage all the way out of the Supreme Court.

“What’s going on, Commander Sinclair?” Michael asked.

“Let’s get her to the Heritage Bureau first,” Carissa replied. She looked at Rafael and made a triumphant fist pump, smiling. “You ride Lightning back. I’ll stay in the carriage.”

“Alright, the rest is up to you,” Rafael said, glancing at Eleanor as he led the horse away.

Eleanor shot him a cold stare. “Do you think I’ll talk now?”

Rafael chuckled softly, leaning in. “Whether you talk or not doesn’t matter. Our goal is to capture the assassin and instill more fear in someone. I know exactly who that someone is.”

Eleanor wasn’t surprised. She merely scoffed, then smirked and said, “And what of it? Go tell the king. Bring out the evidence.”

“You’ll see it soon,” Rafael replied with a grin, swinging onto the horse and urging it forward.

Carissa climbed into the carriage and urged, “Let’s go!”

Michael lowered the curtain and rode ahead to clear the way. Inside the carriage, Eleanor fixed her eyes on Carissa. This was the first time she had been alone with Carissa since being captured.

Every time Eleanor was interrogated, it was always someone from the Supreme Court. Carissa had appeared a few times too, but only to listen in before leaving.

“You bitch!” Eleanor spat. Published by Nôv'elD/rama.Org.

Her face was swollen and she could barely lift her arms. Despite enduring torture, she still managed to sit

upright. She was indeed a tough woman.

“Are you disappointed you didn’t die? Carissa asked, glancing at Eleanor’s shredded sleeve with a cool

smile.

When the assassin lunged at Eleanor, his sword was altmed directly at the center of the carriage, while she sat on the right side. The fact that her sleeve was shredded meant she had moved toward the sword’s tip before Rafael had shoved her back, causing her head to hit the edge and resulting in her

scream.

Eleanor knew she was going to die anyway. Even if she somehow survived, she certainly wouldn’t want to suffer in the Heritage Bureau after a lifetime of being coddled. That was why she had tried to meet the assassin’s sword head–on, hoping for a swift end.

Carissa had read her thoughts like an open book, and Eleanor’s face turned ashen. “You think dying is any easier than living? What’s there to be disappointed about?”

Carissa replied, “Living is hard, and dying isn’t easy either.”

Eleanor seethed with hatred, venom dripping from her words, “If it’s so hard, how did your entire family die? Look how easily they met their end! Their bodies were chopped into pieces and there wasn’t a single corpse that was whole. Doesn’t that seem easy?”

She aimed straight for the deepest pain in Carissa’s heart, smirking with a satisfaction that made her eyes gleam like a viper’s. She thought this taunt would be enough to shatter Carissa and unleash her fury.

But Eleanor was disappointed as Carissa’s expression didn’t change at all. Her gaze remained icy as she retorted, “Even as ghosts, they are still together. But you will always be alone, whether in life or death.”

“Do you think I care?” Eleanor laughed, the sound harsh as she tugged at the small lacerations on her face and mouth, blood seeping from them. Her entire face was bruised and battered, yet she glared at Carissa with an intensity that could freeze hell. “I don’t care at all.”

“You’d better not care about anything at all. Otherwise, you won’t survive the Heritage Bureau. You know I don’t want you to die too easily,” Carissa replied with a blank expression.