Carmen's shoulders trembled as tears dripped down her cheeks.
Violet didn't offer her any comfort. Instead, she turned to look down the alley.
Why wasn't Ivy here yet?
After a moment, Carmen, her voice thick with emotion, said, "When I brought Mom back that day, she told me in the carriage not to trust anything my sister said. I think Mom already knew about everything, but I don't understand why my sister would do that."
Did Carmen finally believe Violet's words?
Violet turned back to her, surprise etched on her face. "Your mom really said that to you? Then, she must know. As for why Celeste did it, your mom also probably knows. You should ask her when you get back."
Just then, Ivy rode into the alley on a donkey.
Violet waved her hand and called out, "Over here, Ivy!"
Ivy spotted them and approached. She was a bit confused as to why they weren't waiting by Lester Estate's entrance.
"Why were you waiting here?"
"They're not living at Lester Estate anymore. They're over there," Violet said. Then, she glanced at Carmen. "Don't act out of impulse. Your mom's condition is serious. Cari specifically told me to ensure she gets treated. You can disregard her good intentions, but don't let your emotions jeopardize your mom's health."
Ivy looked at Carmen, whose eyes were red and swollen. "What happened? Does she not need treatment anymore?"
Carmen quickly wiped away her tears and bowed slightly. "Ma'am, please come with me."
"Alright, you two go ahead. I'll be leaving," Violet replied, her pride flaring.
She didn't want to argue with Carmen any further. She was aware her words could hurt, and she didn't want to subject herself to any unfair treatment either.
Carmen tugged gently at Violet's sleeve. "I'm sorry for how I acted earlier, Ms. Spencer. Please don't be mad. I just... I just can't accept this right now."
Tears streamed down her face again as she spoke, and there was a shattered look in her eyes.
Carmen looked at Ivy with hopeful eyes, silently urging her for reassurance, but Ivy didn't meet her gaze. She pulled a bottle of medicine from her kit and placed it on the table.
"If the coughing gets severe, take one pill. It will help. But this medicine only alleviates the cough. You still need to take the prescribed medicine twice a day."
Carmen recognized the emblem on the medicine box—it belonged to Arcane Sanctum, and their medicines were never cheap. She tugged at Violet's sleeve and pulled her aside.
"Ms. Spencer, you said you could lend me some money. Is that still possible? I promise I'll repay you."
Violet reached into her purse and handed Carmen a banknote. "Here's a hundred silver coins to start with. When you're ready to do business, come back for another two hundred."
"That's too much! Just setting up a stall to sell pulled pork only requires a few silver coins," Carmen protested.
"Take it for now. If you don't use it, just return it. Besides, your mom still needs treatment and medicine." Violet had seen how Ivy had avoided eye contact with Carmen, which indicated Melanie didn't have much time left.
Carmen reluctantly accepted the money. "Alright, I'll see Ivy out and get the medicine."
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: Her Graceful War Song (Carissa Sinclair)
Can you please update? It has been more than a month. Thanks...
No update today??...
I wonder who will be queen now...
I’m losing interest in this story because of the lack of pages....
You used to upload many pages at a time before, why only 1 per day now?...
This is a crazy cliffhanger to leave us on 😭😭😭...
Please increase the number of pages uploaded, 2 pages per day is torturing. Thank you...
This novel is so wonderful! I wait for new chapters every day, checking on multiple occasions if uploaded already. Please, continue this story....
I wish there were more chapters uploaded daily. Atleast 10 per day....
When will the next chapter be uploaded? This story is so awesome!...