Her Graceful War Song by Summer's Blaze

Lisandra continued, "The irony is, when I was a grand princess, I could call for women to join the ranks of government without hesitation. Now that I am the queen, I must move slowly, cautiously, balancing all the factions, weakening their hostility and wariness toward me. There are so many things to consider and so many forces at play. At times, I grow impatient, and I wish I could simply rid myself of those who oppose me."

Carissa thought for a moment before replying, "In truth, whether one is a king or an official, man or woman, I believe their goal is the same, Your Majesty. It's to ensure the long-term stability of the kingdom and the peace and prosperity of the people.

"When the nation prospers and war is no longer a threat, any reforms you wish to make will face less resistance. But for now, you must first secure your position, Your Majesty."

Her meaning was subtle, but Lisandra understood clearly. The kingdom was still in turmoil, with various factions causing obstacles. Simply maintaining stability in the court was already an immense challenge.

If she pushed for radical reforms now, she wouldn't even be able to secure her throne. In that case, how could she even think about the future?

Violet nodded in agreement with Carissa's assessment. "There is more than one way to accomplish a goal. Confronting them head-on is one way, but it's the worst one. Changing the mindset of a single person is difficult enough-changing traditions that have lasted for a thousand years is even harder. However, you can plant the idea now, Your Majesty. Over time, there will be those who follow in your footsteps, little by little."

After a brief pause, she added cautiously, "Just like when Cari and I trained in Meadow Ridge—many refused to accept us at first. But we proved ourselves by defeating them one by one. Words alone won't change anything. The best way is to be capable and prove yourself through action."

Lisandra fell into deep thought, seriously considering their words.

feel this way because this has been on my mind for so many years, and it already feels like such a long

topic and instead relaxed, chatting with them about more

throne meant she no longer had friends in court-only court officials and ministers. But with these two foreign women, she could talk like

Starhaven, couldn't fully set aside her official

everything she had been doing in secret, she had developed her own views on right and wrong,

about family, friendship,

were the most beautiful emotions in the

them all, but if she couldn't, she wouldn't

would always be regrets

it something to be celebrated-but it was,

conversation was

hours before finally taking their leave. Lisandra watched their retreating