Her Graceful War Song by Summer's Blaze

Carissa had indeed extended an invitation to the Farrell family. They were a distinguished family of military tradition, and Timothy was still serving in the Hell Monarch Army.

Due to an old illness, the family's elder general had been bedridden for the past two or three years. Currently, the matriarch of the Farrell family was Timothy's wife, Opal. The other branches of the family, having lost the people of the younger generations, tended to keep a low profile and rarely made public appearances.

A family of military officers bore a unique pain that others might not understand.

With her husband still serving in the military and her children unmarried, Opal had to make public appearances to plan for the marriages and futures of her children.

Her eldest son was also a soldier but had been injured in battle, which prevented him from settling down. Meanwhile, having passed the national examination, her second son was pursuing a scholarly career and needed to continue his studies.

There was also a daughter, Nina Farrell, who was thirteen this year. Though there was no immediate rush, some families made marriage arrangements for girls as young as twelve or thirteen, and she had yet to find a suitor.

This time, when the Farrell family received the invitation to Helen's birthday banquet, Opal decided to take her aunt-in-law, Alice, out for a change of scenery. She had heard that no one from the Warren family had been invited, so she felt it was safe to bring Alice, who was the mother of Thomas Farrell, along.

Alice had been melancholic for years, grieving over the loss of Thomas. However, she needed to think about her other children and could not remain in her sorrow forever. After some persuasion, she agreed to attend the banquet.

Estate to celebrate Helen's birthday. She would also bring

In the lead-up to the event, the people of Hell Monarch Estate had been busy

added many more. The bougainvillea on the

in advance, and they would take turns to

that would be served to the guests were made by the household's dedicated pastry chefs, and they were not at all inferior

dishes, including a variety of mountain delicacies and seafood, but also some unique homemade favorites. There were even vegetarian options prepared for guests who

meat. Several of the older Sinclair family members also followed a vegetarian diet, hoping that their prayers for their family's men would ensure their invincibility on

of Carissa and Ryan. Despite this, the Sinclair family members continued to eat vegetarian food. One reason was out of habit, as they could no longer tolerate even the slightest bit of meat. The other reason was a hope for the souls of the departed to attain rebirth

dressed in a soft pink-colored dress with a peach-colored outer cloak. The cloak was made from cloud satin and was light

makeup was subtle, and her hair was styled in a sophisticated bun. A Mystic Pearl headpiece sat on her head, which added a touch of elegance and grace without overshadowing her natural beauty. Rafael, on the other hand, wore a

dressed

with a lavish array of jewels and pearls, and her luxurious brocade outfit was embroidered with large peonies in gold and silver thread. Over her attire, she wore a silk shawl, which was made of a lighter and more refined material than cloud satin, offering a subtle but

of sixteen, gave birth to Rafael at seventeen, and this year, turned forty-two. She always insisted she still looked young, and dressed like this, she really did. Her complexion was fair and smooth, with only faint lines at the corners of her eyes and a few white hairs, which had

her neck, she