Her Graceful War Song

Let me tell you about the day the Saunders family crossed a line even I, Violet Spencer, couldn't ignore.

It was beyond outrageous!

The Saunders family held nothing more than a minor earl's title, yet Maya dared act so arrogantly! In all my years alive, I had encountered plenty of ill-mannered women, but never had I encountered one among the powerful and influential.

When I heard that they had dragged Courtney out and slapped her, calling her shameless for having feelings for a young man, I wanted to storm into Averton Estate, break down their door, and give them a taste of their own medicine.

Cari was angry too, but she reminded me that we couldn't just go rushing in without thinking. The most important thing was to check on Courtney and Viola- who knew if they might do something rash?noveldrama

I had to admit, Cari had been in court long enough to know how to handle these things. She could stay calm when it mattered most.

I rushed straight to the Prince family's residence. As I feared, I found that

Courtney had slit her wrist. And when I heard Viola had sent away all her maids, I knew it was only going to get worse.

Sure enough, Viola was determined to hang herself up like winter provisions. I lost my temper and slapped her right across the face.

I've had a good temper these past few years, but seeing her like that, I couldn't hold back. All those years spent at the workshop and she never learned a thing. Not how to be strong, nor how to stand up for herself.

After that, I stormed over to Averton Estate.

When I arrived, I was taken aback to see Cari there, accompanied by some soldiers from the Mystic Army. My anger, still simmering, gave way to confusion.

As a court official, Cari wasn't supposed to be here. We had agreed I would be the one to storm in and deliver payback. Yet there she was, clad in full official robes, seated sternly in the main hall.

Michael stood at her side, while several armored soldiers restrained a prisoner. I took a closer look-wasn't that Merrick's brother and heir to the family, Gabriel Saunders?

The whole estate seemed to have come out, including the servants, and of course, Maya herself. It was clear something big had happened, though I wasn't sure what yet.

I stayed back and kept quiet for a moment, trying to figure out what was going on. Cari hadn't warned me she would be here, and now I was caught in a bit of a mess-fuming but unsure what to do about it.

From what I could hear, the Saunders family was bowing and scraping, begging Cari for mercy. And from there, I began to understand just what had happened.

It turned out that Gabriel had gotten involved with a wealthy merchant's concubine, and they had been caught in the act. Gabriel thought his noble Status gave him the right to act as he pleased and had beaten up the merchant.

Just as luck would have it, Michael and the Capital Guard were patrolling nearby and "happened" to come across the scene. They reported it to Cari, who had the man arrested and brought back.

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Now, the merchant intended to press charges against Gabriel for abusing his power, kidnapping the concubine, and assaulting the merchant's servants. If those charges were proven, Gabriebwould never be able to inherit his title. Cóntent

The pleas for mercy had gone on for at least as long as 15 minutes, but Cari remained unyielding, her expression as stern as ever.

It was then that she gave me a look. We had known each other for so long that there was no need for words. I understood perfectly.

I stepped forward, my voice cutting through the tension, "Oh, quite a gathering

here, isn't it? Perfect timing. I've come to settle a debt."

The people in the room seemed to just notice me for the first time, their eyes shifting toward me in

confusion. Recognition flickered acrosstheir faces, followed by bewilderment. What debt could I possibly have with them?

"However have we offended you, Ms. Spencer?" Maya asked.

"You went to the Prince family's residence with a group of people and beat them up. When two young people take a liking to each other, proper families either bless the match or decline with grace.

"As parents, you didn't approve. But instead of discussing the matter calmly, you went over to their home and used violence. And now, I see where your family's manners come from. No surprise, really," I replied coldly.

Everyone stiffened. Clearly, they had forgotten Courtney was my husband's niece. Admittedly, few knew of this connection.

Maya offered a razor-thin smile. "A misunderstanding, truly! My foolish boy failed to explain properly. He's always treated Ms. Prince as a sister, but she misinterpreted his kindness and clung to fantasies of marriage.

"And with his own betrothal negotiations underway... Well, we couldn't let such rumors jeopardize his prospects, could we? I may have acted hastily, but I fail to see how this concerns you, Ms. Spencer."

Her last remark seemed to suggest that I was meddling in matters that didn't

concern me.

"How can it not concern me? Everyone in the capital knows that my husband is the third son of the Prince family," I answered coldly.