Her Graceful War Song (Carissa Sinclair) novel Chapter 587

Barrett was on duty today, tasked with helping the Capital Guard maintain order.

As the eleven young soldiers rode past him one by one, he carefully studied each of their faces. When his gaze fell on Thomas, he noticed that the once-handsome, striking figure seemed less radiant than before. A mix of nostalgia and complex emotions stirred in his chest, along with a fleeting sense of inferiority.

Heroes.

Barrett had once been a hero too. When he returned from the Victory Pass battle, the citizens had cheered for him the same way.

But now?

Now, he had been reduced to a mere ninth-rank capital guard, stripped of the glory that once surrounded him. No longer the golden boy, no longer entrusted with important duties. Watching the eleven young soldiers, Barrett couldn't shake the sense of being worlds apart, like a speck of dirt beneath their feet.

If he was ever going to rise again, it would have to be through his brother-in-law's support. Or perhaps, another war would break out, giving him the chance to earn military merits once more.

How foolish Barrett had been back then, always imagining things so idealistically. He had once thought military accomplishments were easily won. After all, back at Victory Pass, Wyatt Sullivan had taken a blade for him, losing an arm in the process.

And on the Southern Frontier battlefield, Barrett had witnessed the true horrors of war—the brutal siege, mountains of corpses, and rivers of blood. Only then did he realize that earning glory on the battlefield was not as simple as Aurora had once made it sound.

How many brave soldiers had died with their ambitions unfulfilled?

And how many, like the eleven young heroes, had been captured and tortured? To escape and form an intelligence network like they had—they were probably the only ones who could pull off such a feat.

As thoughts of captivity and torture filled his mind, a chill ran down Barrett's spine, freezing him to the core.

He didn't know what would ultimately become of the Victory Pass incident. The king hadn't pursued the matter yet, but had sent people to keep a close watch on the Warren family.

One thing was certain—if Westhaven underwent a shift in power, so too would the Warren family. The new crown prince wouldn't be as concerned with preserving their reputation as the current king of Westhaven.

All the fanfare and glory belonged to someone else now, while Barrett could only continue scraping by. Despair settled deep in his bones at that moment, and his mind wandered to something Aurora had once said with such conviction: All she wanted was success.

Yes, success. But it was far too difficult to obtain the success she wanted.

The true cruelty of this world lay in how blood ties, once so close, could be severed, with no promise of ever meeting again.

When she returned home, Carissa went straight to her room. After sharing in everyone else's happiness, she was left with her own sorrow. The weight of her grief settled over her, and she locked herself away, not wanting to burden anyone else with her emotions.

She stayed alone in her room for nearly two hours, working through her feelings.

Rafael had wanted to stay by her side to comfort her, but understood that she needed this time to process her emotions on her own. So, he sat outside on the stone steps, making sure no one disturbed her.

When Carissa finally emerged, her emotions in check and dressed in fresh clothes, Rafael immediately rose to greet her. He reached for her hand, noticing that although her eyes were dry, the traces of tears were still visible.

Gently, he wiped the corners of her eyes with his thumb, his heart aching for her. "Let's go see Mom."

"Yes, that's exactly what I was planning to do," Carissa replied with a soft smile.

But after her tears, that smile carried a hint of fragility, making Rafael's heart ache even more.