Her Graceful War Song

Harvey lowered his gaze and showed no trace of anger, yet the veins in his hands resting on the armrest bulged slightly. "You're right."

"Don't worry about Leona anymore. Your daughter's loyalty clearly lies elsewhere. She would rather follow Carissa than return to your estate with you. Honestly, she's no great loss," Eleanor went on. Harvey remained silent, but frustration gradually clouded his eyes.

When Yuvan saw this, he quickly changed the topic. "Well, the matter of the Earl of Gracehold's family is settled. The king won't employ officials who are disrespectful to their families, so their good days are over. I came here today regarding Aurora. I sent assassins after her, but Carissa got in the way. She cost me some of my best men."

"It won't be easy to kill Aurora now, Yuvan. The king has dispatched the Capital Guard to watch over Valor Estate. They're in civilian clothing, but I've looked into it, and they're definitely from the Capital Guard," Harvey replied. "Also, Aurora is cunning. She never steps outside Valor Estate."NôvelDrama.Org: owner of this content.

"What about bribing someone in Valor Estate to poison her?" Yuvan asked.

"I've tried, but it was useless. She only has one servant by her side, and doesn't need anyone else. Plus, she tests all her food with silver needles. There's no way for us to infiltrate Blessed Haven."

Yuvan chuckled, his eyes glinting with amusement. "See, Harvey? It seems your efforts are less effective than Eleanor's. The assassination didn't work, and poisoning was also a bust. Looks like you're at a loss at handling Aurora, huh?"

Though Yuvan spoke with a smile and a light tone, Harvey understood the underlying dissatisfaction the older man felt.

"I'll come up with something else," Harvey assured.

"You better make it quick. The old king in Westhaven can't last much longer. Our people are already close to the Westhaven crown prince, and he's fixated on avenging the former crown prince. Also, there's discontent among the common folk regarding Liam's retreat from the borders. Edmund has been spreading those rumors himself to

pave the way for his own ascension

and to settle things with Starhaven."

Harvey was slightly confused. "Isn't Liam Edmund's uncle? If he stirs things up like this, wouldn't Liam become a target of public criticism?"

"Edmund was already unhappy with

Liam for signing the border agreement with Aurora," Eleanor explained. "At that time, Liam had Aurora and her soldiers surrounded. However, his priority was to rescue the previous crown prince and get him treated instead of eliminating the enemies. Liam let his emotions cloud his judgment, and proved he wasn't fit for a crucial role," Eleanor said.

Then, she shot Harvey a sideways glance. "Do you really not understand what Yuvan is after? He wants Aurora dead. That way, when Edmund ascends the throne and demands accountability, we won't be able to use Aurora as a scapegoat. It would give them more leverage in their negotiations if she was used.

"Plus, if Aurora is gone, all the blame falls squarely on Dominic and his family. It won't matter if he was injured at the time, or that he had just lost a son. Without Aurora, he'll bear the entire burden of responsibility for the massacre of innocent civilians. By law, that means his entire family will be sentenced to death."

Harvey replied, "But even if Aurora is pushed into the spotlight, Dominic still has an unshakable responsibility as the marshal of Victory Pass."

"It wouldn't be the same," Yuvan

said, disappointment creeping into his eyes as he regarded Harvey once more. "Aurora was the one who injured and humiliated Arthur. If that becomes public knowledge, both the kingdom's common folk will leathe her to the bone. They'll be desperate to see her dead. With someone so hated around, the Sullivan family will have someone to deflect the blame onto, and the fallout wouldn't be as significant."

Harvey pondered for a moment, then said, "But it's a fact that killing Aurora won't be easy now, especially with the king protecting her. He probably anticipates the changes in Westhaven. Apart from the Capital Guard, Rafael has also stationed some guards to safeguard her. Still, I do have an idea. I wonder if you two would like to hear it?"

"Go ahead," Yuvan said as he picked up his cup and sipped slowly.

A cold glint flickered in Harvey's eyes.

"Aurora likely knows her fate by now," Harvey said, "and that she's merely surviving day by day. Why not send someone to relay a message to her? We could tell her that if the situation escalates, she should insist that Dominic was the one who ordered her to do what she did. That way, she might still have a chance to save herself. What do you think?"