Her Graceful War Song by Summer's Blaze

Rafael stole a glance at Carissa, relieved to see she wasn't angry. Turning away, he felt the urge to slap himself for even worrying. It was clear that Trevor truly adored his granddaughter. Rosalind seemed to be Trevor's youngest grandchild. As the baby of the family, it made sense she would be the most cherished.

"Are you two in a hurry? Today, we "

"Yes, we're in a hurry! That girl is practically in tears!" Trevor rubbed his knees anxiously, eager for them to seek out Thomas immediately. "She may be stubborn, but if the Farrell family gives her an answer she believes, she'll be able to let it go. She won't cling to it forever."

Mildred nodded in agreement. "Exactly. Right now, all they've said is that they don't want to hold my granddaughter's life up. Rosalind thinks they're just making excuses. If they're not interested, they should just say so. She's the kind of person who needs honesty." Hearing this, Rafae's heart sank. It was clear he wouldn't be taking his wife to see the sunset at Richspire Peak today.

He hid his disappointment, and said, "Alright then, I'll send someone to invite Thomas here. Do you want to be present or not?"

"We won't be present. We'd prefer you and Lady Carissa to handle this privately. If I'm there, he might just stick to saying he doesn't want to hold up our granddaughter," Trevor replied.

Carissa stood to see them off. "Then I'll see you both out."

"No need for that," Mildred replied. "We'll leave this matter to you and Prince Rafael. It would be best if you could get an answer after speaking to him, so we can all rest easy tonight. My husband hasn't slept well for the last two nights."

"Alright, I understand," Rafael reluctantly replied as Luke and Jacob guided the elderly couple out. He turned to Carissa with a lamenting look. "Looks like we won't make it to Richspire Peak today."

"You can go next time you

time off I have, we'll

rush," Carissa reassured him, realizing she might not fully understand the nuances of romance. If their relationship were based solely on mutual respect, she was more than capable of that. But if they wanted something

Violet had asked if she missed Rafael. Carissa wasn't sure if she did. She had definitely thought about him, but more than that, she was worried about whether the rescue would go smoothly

afraid of loving someone. Love meant caring, and

someone to summon Thomas as Carissa mulled over

with Thomas

of

get

day off for Thomas' sake, and he hoped the man wouldn't beat around the bushes-Rafael just needed a straightforward

heads-up. "Thomas probably doesn't really want to get married. He's just letting it be known

have a wife by his

that. We can't force him

saying this wouldn't be Thomas' first marriage. I swear, I wasn't trying to imply anything." Carissa smiled knowingly.