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    The courtyard was in chaos. Violet''s furious shouting had sent Travis fleeing in panic, while Lulu and Sydney rushed to get a hotpress to reduce the swelling on Carissa and Violet''s faces and eyes.


    It wasn''t entirely ineffective. After all, once they applied some powder, Violet''s face didn''t look as bruised anymore. But Carissa''s eye socket was slowly turning ck and blue.


    Lulu offered to put powder on her too, but Carissa waved her off. "What a joke! Have you ever seen a court official wearing makeup? No, leave it."


    "But your eye doesn''t seem to open as wide as usual. You still need to appear before the king today. Wouldn''t this be considered disrespectful?" Lulu said anxiously.


    Carissa didn''t think it was a big deal. During the audience, she would mostly keep her head down anyway. She rarely ever raised her head to meet the king''s eyes directly. And even if she did, the distance between them would be far enough that it wouldn''t be noticeable.


    Carissa went to the stables herself to fetch her horse.


    As she stroked its head, she squinted with one eye and whispered, "From now on, we''re off to a new battlefield, Lightning. We''ll face it together, side by side."


    Lightning had been idle in the stables for too long, only asionally being taken out for a walk or two. Usually, when Carissa went out, it was by carriage, which wasn''t pulled by Lightning. Now, the horse snorted through his nose and scraped the ground with its hooves, clearly eager to go.


    The stable hand stepped forward and respectfully said, "Don''t worry, Your Grace. The saddle is brand new, and I''ve trimmed his hooves. Early this morning, I fed him the best hay and grain. Lightning is in excellent shape."


    Carissa patted the new saddle. It was true what people said-clothes made the man, and a saddle made the horse. The new gear made Lightning''s already regal bearing even more impressive.


    She took the whip from the stable hand and boldly instructed, ''Go see Luketer and ask for a reward. Tell him I sent you."


    "Thank you, Your Grace! I wish you continued sess."


    The stable hand couldn''t stop grinning, though he was curious as to why one of Carissa''s eyes was swollen and bruised. But with a reward on the line, he wasn''t about to ask.


    After Carissa left, Violet also headed out with half her face still swollen. That troublemaker Travis had gotten involved again, so things were bound to go south.


    There was no morning court session today, but Salvador was ever diligent and had risen early. Ever since the treason case came up, he hadn''t been sleeping well.


    Since Salvador ascended the throne, he had been suspicious that someone was plotting to usurp him. But up until now, those suspicions were based on nothing more than paranoia. However, he had hard evidence today. It proved that his earlier fears weren''t unfounded-there really were predators lurking with ambitions for his crown. He hadn''t slept well, and waking early had left him in a foul mood. Last night, even the queen had received a scolding when he stayed in her quarters.


    At the crack of dawn, officials were already gathered outside the royal study, waiting to be called in. Rafael hadn''t reported in yet, and Salvador had just finished discussing matters with Jeremiah when Derek came in.


    "Commander Sinir has arrived and is waiting for an audience, Your Majesty."


    Salvador paused for a moment before finally recalling that "Commander Sinir'' was none other than Carissa. He let out a slow breath. "Summon her in."


    "Commander Sinir is granted an audience!" Derek announced loudly.


    Carissa adjusted her hair and strode confidently into the hall. She was tall to begin with, but in her official uniform, she cut an even more impressive figure.


    She knelt on one knee. "Greetings, Your Majesty. Long live the king!"


    "You may rise," Salvador calmly replied.


    Carissa stood. "Thank you, Your Majesty."


    Salvador looked at her. ''Lift your head. Let me see your spirit."


    Carissa hesitated briefly before slowly raising her head. The hall doors were closed, but there was a Night Pearl glowing from the crystal chandelier overhead. During the day, its light wasn''t usually noticeable. But with no natural light and themps unlit, the Night Pearl stood out.


    Coincidentally, its soft glow fell directly on her face, revealing the bruise around her left eye.


    Salvador''s heavy mood lightened a bit at the sight of her ck eye.Original content from N?velDrama.Org.


    Teasingly, he asked, "What''s this? Has the Chief Judge dared toy a hand on you?"