Her Graceful War Song

Violet returned to the palace, and called Carissa and Jacob to the study. Rafael was still not back at the time. Jacob was anxious to hear the news, so he didn't want to wait for Rafael to return. Violet's first words brought tears to Jacob's eyes. "Jacob, I'm sure she's your sister."

Since Violet had left, he had been restless. He hadn't been able to sleep the night before, and dark circles hung under his eyes. When Violet returned, he had just gathered himself to ask her about it when she spoke up first.

He was momentarily stunned-then, tears streamed down his face.

Carissa and Violet were still present, and he trembled as he made his way to the desk. He sat down, and rested his forehead against the surface for what felt like an eternity.

Finally, he looked up with red-rimmed eyes and asked, "Are you sure, Ms. Spencer? You must take responsibility for your words."

"I'm sure of it. She even mentioned some past events, and shared many memories she remembered. There were some details you never told me, either. Did your mom ever hit you with a feather duster? Did you fall into a ditch and struggle to get out? Did you sell your grandmother's chickens to buy a candied apple? And did you once put a pile of dog poop at your dad's study door?"

Jacob whimpered, and shook from the overwhelming emotions. "H-How could she have remembered wrongly? None of those things happened! She must have mixed things up! That was another child, not me."

Seeing his reaction, Carissa and Violet exchanged knowing glances. They knew the child in the stories was indeed Jacob, and they basically confirmed that Darin was Jaina. Such embarrassing childhood stories couldn't be told unless they were witnessed firsthand.

Jacob was overwhelmed with excitement. He had never dreamed that his sister was in the capital, and had been living in Harmony Palace for so long. He had always wanted to find her, but he had convinced himself that it was hopeless deep down. Continuing the search had just been a way to comfort himself and give his family a glimmer of hope.

Tears brimmed in his eyes, and his voice trembled as he asked, "How did she escape from those traffickers? And how did she end up in the performance troupe? Did she tell you any of these things?" "She did."

Carissa planned to have a detailed discussion, so she asked Lulu to prepare some refreshments. Once the drinks and food were ready, they closed the study door, and Violet began to share the story.

"She never remembered her true

identity. The last thing she recalled

was being abandoned on a small hill in Stonebridge City. She was thrown there by the traffickers during heavy rain because she was running a high fever. The performance troupe leader, Lucas, found her and noticed she was still alive, so he took her in. NôvelDrama.Org copyrighted © content.

"In a stroke of luck, she survived. Lucas named her Darin, which means 'precious gift'. Because she had that memory, she always believed she had been abandoned by her parents. Over the years, she harbored resentment towards them and never thought about searching for them."

"Oh my god." Jacob's lips quivered, his eyes reflecting deep fear and pain. "She must have been terrified when she was taken. She's always been such a timid girl, and would scream when she got scared. She probably got beaten a lot. She must have been really hurt or traumatized."

He took a deep breath.

"What has tormented us all these years is this uncertainty. We often wonder what kind of suffering she endured. I dream about her crying and calling for help. When Lord Ryan was rescued, I had nightmares for a long time. I imagined she was treated the same way back then, and I feared she wouldn't have survived it."

Carissa and Violet couldn't help but feel a pang of sorrow at his words.

After sighing deeply, Violet

continued, "Though Lucas found her in Stonebridge County, he took her to Wexford County as soon as she recovered. She grew up there, and the performance troupe performed in Wexford County to make a living. е But as she blossomed into a beautiful young woman, some local Scoundrels took notice of her. One particularly nasty one even led a group to try to abduct her, but they were beaten up by her fellow performers and Lucas. After that, the performance troupe feared those scoundrels would retaliate, so they fled to Stonebridge County overnight.

"When they arrived in Stonebridge County, things went alright at first. But over the years, they faced a lot of trouble. The performance troupe struggled to stay afloat. There were days when they performed tirelessly, yet they couldn't even earn enough for a few buns. Realizing he was getting old, Lucas eventually disbanded the group and urged everyone to find their own paths."