Her Graceful War Song by Summer's Blaze

Violet returned to the palace, and called Carissa and Jacob to the study. Rafael was still not back at the time. Jacob was anxious to hear the news, so he didn't want to wait for Rafael to return. Violet's first words brought tears to Jacob's eyes. "Jacob, I'm sure she's your sister."

Since Violet had left, he had been restless. He hadn't been able to sleep the night before, and dark circles hung under his eyes. When Violet returned, he had just gathered himself to ask her about it when she spoke up first.

He was momentarily stunned-then, tears streamed down his face.

Carissa and Violet were still present, and he trembled as he made his way to the desk. He sat down, and rested his forehead against the surface for what felt like an eternity.

Finally, he looked up with red-rimmed eyes and asked, "Are you sure, Ms. Spencer? You must take responsibility for your words."

"I'm sure of it. She even mentioned some past events, and shared many memories she remembered. There were some details you never told me, either. Did your mom ever hit you with a feather duster? Did you fall into a ditch and struggle to get out? Did you sell your grandmother's chickens to buy a candied apple? And did you once put a pile of dog poop at your dad's study door?"

Jacob whimpered, and shook from the overwhelming emotions. "H-How could she have remembered wrongly? None of those things happened! She must have mixed things up! That was another child, not me."

Carissa and Violet exchanged knowing glances. They knew the child in the stories was indeed Jacob, and they basically confirmed that Darin was Jaina. Such embarrassing childhood

had been living in Harmony Palace for so long. He had always wanted to find her, but he had convinced himself that it was hopeless deep down. Continuing the search had just been a way to comfort himself and give his

voice trembled as he asked, "How did she escape from those traffickers? And how did she end up in the performance troupe? Did she tell you any

Once the drinks and food were ready, they closed the study door, and

never remembered her

last thing

Stonebridge City. She was thrown there by the traffickers during heavy rain because she was running a high fever. The performance troupe leader, Lucas, found her and noticed she was still alive, so he took

stroke of luck, she survived. Lucas named her Darin, which means 'precious gift'. Because she had that memory, she always believed she had been abandoned by her parents. Over the years, she

always been such a timid girl, and would scream when she got

took a

years is this uncertainty. We often wonder what kind of suffering she endured. I dream about her crying and calling for help. When Lord Ryan was rescued, I had nightmares for a long time.