Her Graceful War Song by Summer's Blaze

Chapter 872

Chapter 872

Barrett's eyes darkened with sorrow. "I know I've disappointed you, Sebastian. I regret my choices deeply."

"When the Duke of Northwatch's family was choosing a son-in-law, they set the bar so high. Yet, they chose you. Do you know what Madam Sinclair saw in you?"

Barrett's voice got stuck in his throat as Sebastian mentioned his late former mother-in-law.

"I do. She said I was eamest and honest, and that I promised I would never take a concubine.... It was my fault. I broke that promise. I let her down."

"That's part of it,' Sebastian said. "The second reason is that, even though you're the second son, you were willing to shoulder your family's burdens. It showed you had a sense of responsibility. To put it bluntly, it was going to be hard to restore your family's reputation then, and even harder with just you at the helm.

the outside affairs and Carissa handling the home front, you might not achieve great heights, but securing a military honor and a position in

Your ancestors were once prominent, but by your father's generation, the family had declined. There was a lack of strict family teachings

family, and you yourself wish to bring your family back

Sullivan and Carissa to assist you, you would have ultimately achieved something worthwhile. While your family may never have returned to the heights of the past, you could have at least carved

her supposed strength as a woman. If only you had more insight, you'd have realized her words were all misguided. When a woman belittles others to elevate herself, she inherently disrespects all women. And after she achieved her success, you were further enamored by her. Back then, Aurora stood out brilliantly among the officers, and you thought Carissa could never compare to her. "Your mistakes stem from your youth, your lack of experience, your muddled thinking, and your blindness to the corrupting influence of wealth. You naively believed you had found true love. At that point, you weren't beyond saving. If you had returned to the capital and had elders to help you analyze your situation, you should have been able to regain your

to force Carissa to give you and Aurora money for the wedding. When that

acted that way,

his remarks, Sebastian drained his cup and turned to

gone, yet she lives on thanks to the devotion of her two daughters-in-law. She should have considered it a blessing. But now, one is no longer part of the family while

still did them. While you may not have committed great evils, the things you've done are utterly repulsive. Because you haven't

trembled, his

a hammer, forcing him to relive his past mistakes. Step after step, he had gone wrong. Just as Sebastian had said, he did know some things