Her Graceful War Song by Summer's Blaze

Eleanor smiled at Florence. "Why are you so worried? I haven't captured him yet. I've only gathered some information. On the thirtieth of September, he plans to leave for Serenvale with a coachman and servant. I'll have all of them brought back to Harmony Palace and locked up in the dungeon. Who will notice that they've gone missing? Once the Emberfest Festival is over, there'll be plenty of time for me to make my move on him." Florence felt her heart tighten. "Your Highness, General Sinclair was ungrateful and cruel to you. Why do you want to bear a child from the Sinclair family? Though Lord Henry is cowardly, he's still your rightful husband."

A bitter taste rose in Eleanor's mouth, stemming from the depth of her heart.

She pressed her fist against her temple and closed her eyes, hissing her next words through clenched teeth, "He was unfeeling and wanted nothing to do with me. I won't give him the satisfaction. I'll bear a child from the Sinclair family, so he'll never know peace." Florence sighed. "You're just setting yourself up to clash with a dead man. If you truly wanted a son, you would have done so long ago. Why wait until now? Your cycle schedule is all messed up now, and you may not even conceive.

"Please don't punish yourself like this, Your Highness. Let the dead rest. He should be long dead in your heart too, so you don't concern yourself with him any longer."

Eleanor's eyes snapped open, a fire blazing in them. It looked like anger, yet also like the heat that had stirred the first time she had seen Hector in her youth.

"Do you think I want to dwell on him? He haunts my dreams every night. He's the reason I can't find peace. Even in death, he doesn't leave me be."

Tears spilled from her eyes, and her shoulders trembled as she fought to contain the torrent of emotions surging within her.

"Sometimes, I don't even know whether I still hate him or love him. When he died, I was more heartbroken than anyone else. No one in this world loved him like I do. Melanie Sullivan's love for him paled in comparison. If I had married him, I would have died the day he died. But did Melanie do the same?"

knew Eleanor well, and her heart ached fiercely for the grand princess. The older woman

Whether it's love or hate, you

her eyes. "In this lifetime, let me be reckless just this once. Let me indulge myself without regard for the consequences. Don't try to talk me out of it anymore-I've made up my mind." Florence sighed. "Let me summon

Eleanor waved her hand, then

slept poorly at night and suffered from severe drowsiness

household physician, Lilian, had been monitoring Eleanor's health and knew her condition better than anyone else. Hearing that the grand princess wanted

impossible, but you must follow the prescribed

pose any danger to my pregnancy?"

the princess. As you age, the risk increases. So, I advise you

to be uninterested

wanting a son to Florence, the desire had burned brightly within her. But now that she had

a blue coat as he rode confidently down the