Lulu was the happiest and the most tearful.


    She practically flew as she chased after the king''s carriage, crying out, "Mydy! Mydy...!"


    Carissa nced at her helplessly. Lulu wasughing and crying at the same time, showing no restraint at all.


    Sitting beside Carissa, Rafael nced at Lulu and said thoughtfully," Her name is Lulu, isn''t it?"


    "You still remember her, Your Highness?" Carissa asked in surprise.


    "Yes," Rafael replied with a slight smile. "I remember one year when I went to the Pathfinders Guild, I saw that girl picking apples from a tree. When she saw your senior and I, she was so frightened she fell off the tree."


    Carissa was even more surprised, "You''ve been to the Pathfinders Guild before?"


    "Yes. Before I was deployed to the Southern Frontier battlefield, I used to go to the guild once a year," he said softly..


    The June sunlight shone brightly in his eyes, but his gaze quickly dimmed as he continued, "I haven''t been there since."


    "I didn''t know about that. I''ve never seen you there," Carissa said, astonished. "Why did you visit the Pathfinders Guild every year?"


    "To travel and also to seek guidance on martial arts from your master and uncle. It''s no wonder you never saw me. I was always in and out quickly, and I stayed at Treasure Emporium, which you usually avoided."


    Carissa gasped.


    He even knew that she avoided Treasure Emporium?! It seemed her master and uncle must have frequently talked about her


    embarrassing moments in front of the prince!


    Treasure Emporium was her uncle''s residence, which had secret rooms for confinement. Carissa was often locked in those rooms whenever she made a mistake, so she avoided that ce as much as possible.


    Moreover, at the Pathfinders Guild, she feared noth g and no one but her uncle. He had a perpetually stern face and was the enforcer of the guild''s punishments. Everyone feared him-even her master, who was her uncle''s senior, showed him some respect.


    Carissa was inwardly astonished. So, Rafael used to visit the Pathfinders Guild every year. That meant they had known each other since childhood-so why didn''t he ever seek her out to catch up? After the procession, the Protocol Department''s vice minister took them into the pce for the celebration feast. However, not everyone was invited. Barrett was on the guest list, but Aurora was


    not.


    In the past, Aurora would have certainly asked the Protocol.


    Department''s vice minister about it. But now, with her spirit broken, she turned and left without a word after seeing that her name was not on the list.


    Inside the pce, the royal family members as well as civil and military officials were in attendance. The empress dowager, Victoria, even sent over fine wine and ordered for Carissa to visit her In Serenity Pce after the celebration feast.


    Since her marriage to Barrett, Carissa had not visited Victoria in the pce.


    Firstly, she was upied with the household and taking care of her


    ailing mother-inw.


    Secondly, she was aware of her inws'' motivations. If they learned that Victoria favored her, they might entertain different thoughts, and she preferred to avoid stirring up trouble.


    The celebration feast was rather dull, filled with empty ttery.


    The most praise was directed towards Rafael, followed by the seasoned generals who had spent many years on the Southern Frontier battlefield. Surprisingly, even a new general like Carissa received praise for her courage and resemnce to her father.


    There were some awkward moments too.


    Troy, who was slightly tipsy after having a few drinks, jokingly asked Barrett if he regretted his marriage to Aurora.


    Barrett nced at Carissa, his eyes dim and hesitant. He wanted to speak but kept pausing. He couldn''t admit regret, because he had requested a marriage edict from the king. So, he dared not voice his thoughts. However, his expression spoke volumes.


    Did he really regret it?


    The atmosphere turned ufortable. Though Carissa maintained a calm exterior, she felt that Troy was indeed drunk. Such questions were inappropriate in any setting, especially this one.


    Rafael stepped in to defuse the situation, saying, "I must thank the Ministry of Defense for promptly sending winter clothing. Otherwise, the campaign would have been much more difficult. Here''s to you, Minister Llyod."


    Rafael raised his ss and cast a cold nce at Davis, the Minister of Defense.


    Looking visibly ufortable, Davis stood up to respond, "Your


    Highness, it is all thanks to your valor that the Southern Frontier was


    LIA REHAIRThis is property ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    reimed. Supplying military resources is the Ministry of Defense''s duty and does not warrant your gratitude."


    Troy''s behavior, influenced by his drunken state, had been inappropriate. It looked like Davis would have to scold him. tomorrow.


    Meanwhile, at Valor Estate, Reba had just heard the rumors circting outside when someone reported that Aurora had


    returned. But instead ofing to pay her respects to her mother-inw, Aurora went straight to her quarters.


    Reba was so enraged that she clutched her chest. "Bring her to


    me at once!"


    D