After saying that, Carissa released her grip on Vi''s arm. Vi stumbled back and copsed into a chair, covering her face with her hands.


    "If it''s not you, then who? Who''s trying to harm me? If it''s not you, then who else could it be?"


    Carissa found herself at a loss for words, grappling with frustration. She wasn''t angry-Vi was simply too sheltered by her family and the Farrell family to think for herself.


    To put it inly, Vi was both selfish and foolish.


    Sitting down, Carissa took a deep breath. Getting angry at someone like Vi was pointless. Logic might not work either, but it was worth a shot.


    "Let me ask you something. What grudge do I have against you?"


    Vi pulled out a handkerchief to dab at her tears, her eyes swollen and red. "Are you saying there''s no grudge? You''re Barrett''s first wife, and we were married on the same day. You overshadowed me in terms of dowry, which made me looked down upon when I entered the Warren family." Carissa gripped the armrest of her chair, inhaling deeply before slowly exhaling. It was truly maddening.


    "When have I everpared dowries with you? If you wanted to measure yourself against me and lost, why is that my fault? Why would I be angry at you? What grudge is there between us? Why would I supposedly harm you on purpose? Can you please use your brain for a moment?"


    "But you and Ss..."


    Carissa raised a hand to interrupt. "I went to Arcane Sanctum to get medicine for Lady Leona. She''s about to give birth. Ss is in charge of the sanctum''s procurement, and he manages the medicine store. Since Sebastian wasn''t around, I had to get the medicine from him. On that day, I did see you two acting suspiciously, but I didn''t think much of it. I just assumed you were awkward because he''s Thomas'' cousin."


    Vi sniffled, tears falling again. Her eyes and nose were red, and she looked utterly pathetic. Yet, she stubbornly retorted, "I don''t believe you! Who else would go to such lengths to harm me?"


    Carissa''s temper red, and she mmed her hand on the table. "Give me one good reason why I''d want to harm you."


    The sudden outburst startled Vi, and her tears stopped flowing. She stared nkly at Carissa, then instinctively blurted out, "Because I married Barrett..."


    Carissa snapped, "He''s someone I don''t want. I couldn''t care less about who he marries."


    Vi shook her head, disbelief etched across her features. "If you don''t care, then why did you go to save him? You can''t forget him."


    "Because I''m the deputy


    assassins lurking in the capital, and I went to track them down. I''m not so heartless that I could stand by and watch the people in Valor Estate get ughtered. It''s as simple as that."


    "I don''t believe you! With the way he and Aurora treated you, how can you still return kindness for cruelty?"


    Carissa watched as Vi''s crazedText content ? N?velDrama.Org.


    е


    expression began to fade, yet her stubbornness remained. Suddenly, Carissa decided to give up on the conversation. It was futile-there was no point in wasting her breath. She just needed to stall until someone from Valor Estate or Silverstone Estate came to take Vi away.


    "Here''s your chance: if you have any grievances against me, spit it all out now. That way, you won''te banging on my door to berate meter. I let you off the hook this time, but next time, I''ll handle this properly and have you dealt with by the authorities." Vi gazed at Carissa''s face, which was cold and almost dismissive, and felt humiliated. But as she reyed their past grievances in her mind, she realized there wasn''t much to justify her anger.


    After a long pause, Vi started to whimper, then broke into sobs. Eventually, she buried her face in her hands and cried openly.


    Carissa pressed her fingers against her temples. She was initially indifferent, then grew increasingly impatient. Finally, she couldn''t hold back anymore.


    "Shut up! If you want to cry, go back to Valor Estate and cry there! Don''t make a scene here. It''s just not appropriate."


    "You look down on me," Vi cried, her voice breaking. "Isn''t it just because you''re an esteemed princess consort?"


    Carissa sneered. "I do look down on


    you. What have you done that deserves respect? You think your status in the Warren family is low, so you''re trying to cling to Thomas, the third-rank major general. But you''re carrying Barrett''s child. What kind of person would respect you?"


    Vi red at her with hatred, and Carissa met her gaze with icy resolve. Since Vi hade here to stir trouble, Carissa felt no obligation to y nice.