Her Graceful War Song

Although the Duke of Northwatch's family was known for their military background, Carissa was well- read, so she wanted her attendants to be literate as well. "Alright, all of you can stay. Serve Lady Sinclair well. She will name you later," said Holly.

The four were overjoyed.

"Thank you, Ms. Holly!"

"Don't thank me yet. Serving Lady Sinclair comes with rules. If you don't follow them well, you'll end up as second- or third-tier maids," Holly warned.

"We will definitely learn and follow the rules properly," the four replied, bowing respectfully.

After Holly and Lily picked more servants to join the household, they instructed the agent to find coachmen, carpenters, stablemen, and gardeners. However, the positions of steward and accountant were too important to be left for the agent to procure.

"Rest assured, we will have some people tomorrow for your selection," the agent promised.

After receiving his payment and handing over the contracts, the agent smiled and presented Holly and Lily with an envelope.

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Accepting the envelope, Holly and Lily simply nodded politely before having someone walk the agent out of the estate.

As Carissa had just returned to Northwatch Estate after getting a divorce, people were curious about her current situation. The senior servants of the household knew to remain tight-lipped to prevent these shrewd and cunning agents from making wild guesses and spreading rumors.

Since not everyone had arrived yet, Holly took the four personal attendants they hired to meet Carissa.

Carissa was now residing in Exquisite Pavilion, where she had lived before marriage. Since no one had lived there after her departure, there were no signs of refurbishment. Besides routine cleaning, no one had entered the place.

That was why Exquisite Pavilion had been empty when the massacre occurred, so there was no need to cover up blood stains with paint.

In Exquisite Pavilion, there was an armory where Carissa trained. Naturally, there was also a small study filled with books she had read. Most of them were related to military strategies and tactics. Being married for a year had felt like a nightmare. If Carissa hadn't gotten married, the assassins wouldn't have been able to wipe out her entire family, as she could have fought them off with her martial arts skills.

Now, the Sinclair family had both war heroes and restless spirits.

Carissa stood in the armory, gazing at the weapons she had trained with-spears, swords, daggers, whips, and halberds. As the best apprentice of her guild, she had trained hard with the hope that one day, she would fight on the battlefield like her father and brothers.

Unfortunately, her father and brothers had died in the battle on the Southern Frontier. Her mother had cried until she was almost blind, and only had one request for Carissa-to give up thoughts of war and weapons, and instead focus on settling down and starting a family to have a peaceful life..

Though Carissa had always been rebellious since childhood, opposing her parents on everything, this time, she had been obedient.

Studying under her mother and sister-in-law's tutelage, she learned how to manage a household and handle estate affairs. She excelled in her studies and quickly grasped all that she was taught. Her mother had once said that her daughter might not become the best female general, but could certainly become the best lady of the house.

Yet, her mother had been wrong, and so had Carissa.

She should have rebelled and not followed her mother's wishes. Then, her family wouldn't have been wiped out.

The extermination of her entire family was something Carissa couldn't comprehend. Why had the spies from the Westhaven done that?

The investigation by local authorities revealed that it was because Hector had achieved a great victory in the battle against Westhaven. He had defeated their forces of one hundred thousand with just ten thousand soldiers-humiliating the people of Westhaven.

When they returned to seek revenge, Barrett had fought back against them alongside Dominic, Carissa's maternal grandfather. Once those soldiers were defeated, all the Westhaven spies in the capital were ordered to kill everyone in Northwatch Estate.

The investigation seemed logical on the surface, but fell apart upon closer examination.

Getting spies to infiltrate the capital was no easy task. It might have taken generations to cultivate such agents. They had no reason to go to such lengths to kill elderly people, women, and children just to vent *their anger.

It wasn't worth the effort. The king of Westhaven wouldn't have issued such an order.

D