Her Graceful War Song by Summer's Blaze

Chapter 1167

On Midwinter's Dawn, before the grand banquet for the entire court, the ladies of the inner and outer courts came to the palace to offer their greetings.

Victoria usually preferred quiet. But on this day, she welcomed visitors, chatting with the noblewomen from various families. Kylie stayed to keep her company for a while before returning to Everspring Palace to wait for her family to arrive. Little did she know that after all the waiting, her mother wouldn't show up. Instead, it was a group of aunts, cousins, and distant relatives.

Upon asking, she learned that Marjorie felt unwell and couldn't bear to face the wind. As customary, Marjorie would need to offer her greetings to Victoria if she came into the palace. Since she didn't wish to risk passing on her illness, Marjorie refrained from visiting the palace.

Of course, Kylie didn't believe it. The last time Marjorie spoke to her about the workshop, she had turned the latter down. She could see the disappointment and surprise on the older woman's face, so she suspected her mother was merely throwing a small tantrum. Kylie felt a bit disappointed, but didn't show it. Instead, she quietly told Lydia to send a message to her mother along with a small gesture of respect.

After the usual pleasantries, Kylie asked Jocelyn to stay for a chat.

Jocelyn was the troublemaker alongside Cassidy and Hailey. The three had been causing havoc in the academy, and Jocelyn had been particularly nasty toward Rosalind. After being put in her place once, she had toned it down a bit.

Every now and then, though, Jocelyn still tried to provoke Rosalind in hopes of angering her and tarnishing her reputation as a temperamental teacher unsuitable for the academy. The standing of Gracewood Women's Academy would also be damaged. Jocelyn puffed up her cheeks, upset. "Mrs. Ashford is so fierce! Mr. Spencer also scolded me, and I didn't dare to cause trouble again. Perhaps it's best to let it go. If the queen dowager hears about it, it wouldn't be good." Kylie leaned slightly to one side, casting a cold glance at her.

"Do you think I'm the one who wants to be at odds with the people at the academy? His Majesty feels the same way. When the academy was first founded, he feared Carissa might overshadow him, but he couldn't outright refuse since the academy was the queen dowager's idea.

"So, we resorted to more subtle methods to tarnish the academy's reputation. If the queen dowager ever questioned anything, Carissa would be blamed for failing to manage the academy properly.

"Frankly, I agree with him. Someone with a military background has no business running Gracewood Women's Academy."

whether Carissa was fit for the position. She simply did as her cousin instructed, so to her, there

When we return

Kylie nodded, satisfied.

she had neither a noble title nor widespread recognition, so it was natural that Kylie would

of the scholarly elite, so claiming they

disciplined, some of their actions had drawn criticism. Malcolm, in particular, had a history of personal misconduct. It was clear now

the scholarly

family-even better, if some private moral issues came to light-then outsiders couldn't criticize the Quinton family anymore. "You've come of age now," Kylie

Kylie wanted Jocelyn to

offered a big

powerful families-one of

The Quinton family arranged

daughters had even married

Dakota's son, and became

with ties through marriage was beneficial, especially for Connor's

marriage, lowered her eyes. "I'll

Traditionally, the Quinton family's

either