Her Graceful War Song

Salvador raised a hand to calm the room, and said, "Aunt Eleanor, please try to calm down. It is indeed improper for Carissa to have trespassed and insulted you-it shows a lack of the grace expected from a noble lady.

"What exactly did she say to you? Are there any witnesses? If you provide details, I will take charge. As for the accusation of her fabricating the miniature chastity belt sculpture, I'll have the Royal Citadel officials investigate. If it turns out to be false and an attempt to slander you, I'll ensure she is punished accordingly."

"Witnesses? There are plenty! The entire staff of my palace can testify. She barged in without any restraint, and the guards couldn't stop her. As for her insults, the people in my palace also heard them," Eleanor replied in a firm tone.

She paused before continuing, "As for the sculpture, having it investigated by the Royal Citadel officials is unnecessary. Conducting a large-scale investigation would only stir up more commotion. The common people are easily swayed. They might believe any scandal that arises, even if it is later proven false. Clearing my name would be nearly impossible then."

Victoria grew impatient, and demanded, "What exactly did she say to insult you? Just tell us."

Eleanor scowled. "The specifics of her insults are not important. What matters is that she dared to insult me. I am the current Grand Princess. Even if she marries Rafael, she will still be a younger member of the family. Disrespecting an elder is a punishable offense. And since she isn't married to him yet, her actions are a direct affront to the royal family-a grave disrespect!"

Victoria waved her hand dismissively. "Stop with the talk of grave disrespect. You haven't specified what exactly she said. Are we to believe if she had called you stern- looking, that would be an insult? If that's the case, it's just stating the truth. I need to know exactly what she said to determine if it was truly an insult."

Eleanor's face turned a deep shade of anger. "Victoria, you're clearly biased in her favor."

Then, Eleanor said to Salvador, "Your Majesty, you must understand that even if it were a high-ranking minister insulting the royal family, it would warrant punishment." Salvador noted Eleanor's unwillingness to clarify the nature of Carissa's insults, and he made up his mind.

"You're right. That's why I suggested you provide evidence, Aunt Eleanor. At the very least, you should state clearly what Carissa said or have the witnesses from your residence come here. We can then summon Carissa for a direct confrontation. This way, the matter can be clarified, and we avoid punishing her based solely on your word, which could undermine the morale of our loyal subjects."

"You want me to confront her?" Eleanor suddenly stood up, her face furious. "Your Majesty, do you know what you're asking? Who do you think she is? How dare you suggest that I confront her directly?" She suddenly grasped the implication, her gaze snapping to Salvador. "Wait, are you suggesting you don't believe me? Do you think I'm fabricating accusations against her?"

"Aunt Eleanor, why would I think you're lying?" Salvador replied calmly. "However, every matter requires evidence. You claim she insulted you, but haven't provided any specifics. When I said to summon her to the palace for a confrontation, you say she's unworthy of it. So, on what grounds should I punish her?"

Eleanor responded harshly, "It's about her trespassing into Harmony Palace and insulting the grand princess-acts of grave disrespect!"

Salvador smiled slightly, and asked in a probing tone, "Aunt Eleanor, are you sure you want me to punish her on these grounds?"

"Of course..." Eleanor's voice faltered.

She suddenly realized there might be a problem. The scandal involving the miniature chastity belt sculpture had only recently emerged. If they decided to convict her of trespassing and insulting the grand princess, the public might connect it to the miniature chastity belt sculpture scandal.

Wouldn't that imply she had indeed sent the miniature sculpture? Such a scandal could incite public outrage and military discontent. How would the officials and soldiers under the command of the Sinclair family view it?

Understanding this, Eleanor finally saw why Carissa had dared to storm into Harmony Palace and break the miniature sculpture in front of her.

The miniature sculpture itself wouldn't have ever been displayed. Even if it were, Carissa wouldn't have claimed it was given by Eleanor.

But if the charge of trespassing and insulting the grand princess was confirmed, combined with the rampant speculation by storytellers, the public would believe the scandal to be true.

Thus, Carissa had broken the miniature chastity belt sculpture openly because she knew it would be impossible to hold her accountable. Even if she were punished, it would only be a few warnings at most since she just came back with military achievements.

This wouldn't be enough to deter anyone, and might even make Eleanor a joke.NôvelDrama.Org owns all © content.

In other words, Eleanor could only suffer this insult quietly. That was, unless she chose to risk her reputation and let the public believe that after the death of Hector and his sons, she had sent the miniature chastity belt sculpture to the Sinclair family.

In that case, she would be drowned in public scorn without even needing to leave her residence!