Her Graceful War Song by Summer's Blaze

Chapter 1414

The garden at Tranquil Palace wasn't small, but it couldn't be compared to the royal garden.

If one took their time strolling along, admiring the flowers, or stood still to enjoy the view for a while, one could easily spend a good portion of the afternoon.

But Carissa was accustomed to walking briskly. Flowers didn't require her lingering attention-she could glance at them and move on, seeing little difference between one bloom and the next.

She had seen fields upon fields of flowers, all of which had left a lasting impression on her. These

meticulously tended peonies in their pots, though, hardly stirred any great interest.

By the time they finished their walk, some of the other ladies hadn't even finished their coffee. Just as Jeanette began to speak of Skye Embroidery, they found themselves back at the main hall of Tranquil Palace.

Jeanette forced a smile. "Shall we go inside and congratulate Lady Sylvia?"

Carissa shook her head. "I have matters to attend to, so I'll have to excuse myself."

"Your Grace." Jeanette's voice was hurried, and she quickly called after her.

turned. "Is there something you need,

her urgency with a smile. "No, nothing at all. I only wanted to thank you, on behalf of all women, Your Grace. Your kindness and generosity, your concern for the suffering of the people, are

mean by "concern for the suffering of the people"? She certainly wasn't as noble as Jeanette seemed to

may have felt humbled, what was with the "us" she referred to? Was she speaking of the other concubines

this a genuine gesture of gratitude, or an attempt to stir resentment? To praise Carissa and, at the same time, subtly undermine the other concubines was that an act of foolishness, or something more

grew tense as she quickly glanced around. Sure enough, she noticed several pairs of eyes trained on them, each gaze filled with varying degrees of curiosity

home as well. Shall we leave together?" Gladys said

well. I'll bid farewell to

room together and left together, deliberately avoiding another glance at Jeanette

of the palace, Gladys remarked, "Lady Jeanette was once quite favored by His Majesty. He showered her with affection for a time. But lately, he

Don't take it to heart, Your Grace. I'm sure the other ladies understand as well and won't be swayed by her

"I didn't take it to heart. I just don't understand her

today, the woman kept approaching her first to admire the flowers, then with compliments. Then just before Carissa left, Jeanette made that sarcastic

bit unsettling. However, it was unlikely to cause any significant discord. What would truly spark a conflict between Kylie and Sylvia was that

about the palace's complicated matters. She just analyzed it on the surface. After leaving the palace, she forgot about it and considered it a small

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