Her Graceful War Song (Carissa Sinclair) novel Chapter 453

All eyes were on Serena as she lay on the ground, her tears on the verge of spilling. Her knees and forehead throbbed with pain.

But the pain was secondary—she had come so close to falling into the Hell Monarch's arms.

She thought that although Rafael was a martial general, he would surely have a compassionate heart. Any man would instinctively reach out to help if a woman was about to fall.

However, just as she believed she was about to be caught, she felt as if some force had pulled her forward. She landed on the ground while Rafael had swiftly stepped back.

The speed of his retreat was so swift it was barely perceptible, as if he had never moved at all.

Struggling in pain, Serena raised her head, her eyes filled with tears, only to meet Rafael's cold, icy gaze. The intensity of his stare made her shiver uncontrollably.

A maid helped her up, but Serena could barely stand, leaning heavily on the maid for support. Instinctively, she looked towards Jessica, who was standing nearby, watching with a detached expression and showing no sign of wanting to assist.

Everyone was observing her, their gazes filled with scorn or judgment.

"I recognize her. She's a lady from the Warren family. Her name is Serena."

"Are you sure? What is someone from the Warren family doing here?"

"I don't know. The princess consort wouldn't be hosting someone from the Warren family, would she?"

"Is she trying to elevate her position? It looked like she was deliberately throwing herself at Prince Rafael. Is the Warren family completely shameless?"

"Hmph, does the Warren family have any shame left? They've long since lost all sense of propriety and limits."

Hearing these comments, Serena burst into tears. She had never expected Rafael wouldn't come to her aid.

In a state of desperation, she hurried towards Viola, crying as she tried to explain, "Viola, it wasn't intentional! Someone pushed me."

She wanted to clarify, but Viola's face was a mix of anger and disbelief, clearly unconvinced by her words.

Whoever pushed her was irrelevant—it was clearly premeditated. Even if Viola wasn't aware of Serena's plan, she had clearly seen that Serena had aimed to throw herself at Rafael.