Melody of Strength novel

Chapter 33

Barrett fell silent. He had suffered a thorough defeat in today’s battle against Carissa, and it was embarrassing to talk about it.

“Is it really true?” Aurora pressed.

Barrett sighed. “Forget it, let’s not talk about this.”

Pouting. Aurora punched him playfully. “I knew you were lying to me. Anyway, it doesn’t matter how she left. As long as everything’s settled, it’s fine.

“Since she said it’s not worth sharing the position of your wife with me, I actually feel the same. The cunning methods she learned while managing the household affairs are beyond my ability to match.

That’s also where her real talent lies.”

She tilted her head and faced Barett. “I can’t learn her skills, but if you want me to sweet–talk you like her, I can manage that.”

Aurora held her hands to her chest, smiled gently, and called in a cute voice, “Honey!”

She shivered dramatically. “Oh my god, that was so disgusting! How does she act like that?”

Barrett shivered too. Aurora’s deliberate act had reminded him that Carissa never did such things. She spoke softly, but her tone was neither humble nor overbearing. Her attitude was gentle but firm, and she never spoke nonsense.

Aurora skipped away happily. Although Barrett hadn’t taken half of Carissa’s dowry, it didn’t change the fact that she was gone. Aurora would soon be Barrett’s only rightful wife, without having to share the position with another woman.

Both losses and gains were simply a part of life.

The open–minded Aurora didn’t want to be as pretentious as Carissa.

Instead of following after Aurora, Barrett sat down by the lake instead.

When the divorce edict arrived, it felt like a gust of wind had blown away the fog that clouded his confused mind.

He remembered many things–seeing Carissa for the first time, proposing marriage, and being ecstatic when she agreed to marry him after asking him a few questions. He recalled the preparations for their wedding and how reluctant he was to leave Carissa when he had to go off to war on their wedding day.

Even whilst marching to war, he hadn’t been able to stop thinking about how he had lifted Carissa’s veil. The memory of her stunning beauty had shaken him to the core. He could hardly believe Carissa had agreed to marry him; that they were now husband and wife.

Later, as the war raged on and many of his friends fell in battle, Barrett no longer thought of Carissa. Instead, he focused on strategizing with Aurora and their fellow soldiers, trying to figure out how to defeat the enemy.

When he saw Aurora mount her horse with heroic grace, he realized that women could be valiant. Whilst on this battlefield of life and death, Carissa felt so far away from him.

And then a thought crossed his mind–perhaps a woman as refined and noble as Carissa wasn’t that

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great after all.

He fell in love with Aurora when she shared her thoughts. She believed women should be as strong as men, unneeding of protection because they could protect themselves. Aurora’s cheerfulness, bravery, and vigor made Barrett see Carissa as nothing more than a pretty face whose delicate life was protected by the blood and sacrifices of soldiers like them.

He seemed to forget the sacrifices of the Sinclair family’s seven heroes. Compared to them, what were his and Aurora’s accomplishments worth?

When Carissa arrived at Northwatch Estate, she noticed a new plaque bearing the estate’s name had been placed at the entrance. The royal chancellor had personally penned the words, which were then carefully carved onto the plaque by skilled craftsmen.

The main gates were wide open, letting Carissa enter the newly–renovated estate.

The main hall doors and courtyards had all been replaced, erasing any trace of blood or sword marks. Even the bloodstains on the walls, which couldn’t be washed away, were hidden behind a fresh coat of white paint.

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