Her Graceful War Song (Carissa Sinclair)
Chapter 209

Carissa also noticed that Rafael started coughing as soon as he ate, and his cheeks turned red from the coughing.

Clearly, he wasn't used to spicy food. So why did he choose this restaurant?

She moved the list of non-spicy dishes to his side, and said, "Even though you like spicy food, I think your throat is sore today. You should avoid spicy dishes for now and eat something lighter." "My throat does feel off," Rafael said, clearing his throat as he felt the lingering burn from the spices.

It was quite uncomfortable.

"I'll have someone bring you a glass of milk," Carissa said, standing up to open the door to the private room. She called for a waiter to bring a cup of milk.

"Milk can help neutralize the spiciness," she said with a smile, as if comforting a child. "Drink up."

Rafael took the glass of milk. It had a slight gamey taste, but it was cool and refreshing, making it bearable. More importantly, it was a gesture of her thoughtfulness.

He appreciated her unspoken understanding, not revealing his discomfort or his attempts to please her.

She had truly changed since their time in Meadow Ridge.

But he felt quite bitter, because the scene of her coaxing him to drink milk was probably how she had always served Rebecca in the past, right?

She had truly regarded the Warrens as her family, and genuinely wanted to spend her life with Barrett. How could a pack of ungrateful wretches deserve her sincerity?

Rafael's eyes darkened with anger. Liam's revenge on Aurora was indeed too presumptuous. He had thought that humiliating Aurora would drive her to commit suicide, just like Westhaven's crown prince. However, Aurora was still alive and well.

Carissa noticed his sudden cold demeanor, and asked, "What are you thinking about?"

Rafael's expression was cold as he shook his head. "It's nothing. We'll talk about it later."

Dylan, recognizing Rafael's need for privacy, signaled to Lulu and Pearl. "Let's move to the adjacent room for our meal."

Lulu understood that there might be serious matters at hand, so she called the waiter to help them move the food to the next room.

A few minutes later, only Carissa and Rafael remained in the room.

"Is something troubling you, Your Highness?" Carissa asked.

Rafael looked at her. "Seeing how you coaxed me into drinking the milk, I imagine you were equally patient when you attended Rebecca. You once treated the Warren family as your own, yet they all betrayed you. I'm angry on your behalf. And it seems to me that Aurora's punishment was too lenient. Even the military punishment she faced was endured by Barrett on her behalf."

Carissa hadn't expected that a simple cup of milk would remind Rafael of her time in the Warren family.

She thought for a moment, and said, "Perhaps. But I trust that after careful consideration, the king will have her removed from the Ministry of Defense. She used to look down on women of the inner court. Now, she'll have to settle for being a general's wife and serve her in-laws and husband."

Carissa remembered Aurora's once proud declaration that she despised fighting with the other women in the household. But in the end, she would inevitably become the very type of person she despised. It was a fate that seemed all too predictable.

"Your family was annihilated, and she is indirectly responsible. Don't you want to kill her?" Rafael asked.

This was a question Carissa had pondered many times.

She furrowed her brows. "Killing her would be easy-it's just a matter of a single strike. But would it be true revenge? The people of Westhaven won't reveal the evil she committed at Victory Pass. Killing her wouldn't be true revenge."

True revenge would involve exposing the truth. The people of Westhaven choose to conceal it, and Salvador would be even less likely to make it public. Such an action would be detrimental to Starhaven. Moreover, the Starhaven soldiers would be branded as cruel and ruthless, and it would also implicate her grandfather, Dominic.

So, revenge was unattainable. The cost was too high.

In truth, both of them understood the situation-it was merely a matter of unresolved resentment.

Aurora's existence was like a thorn, embedded in their hearts. It was not only the grudge of having Carissa's family killed-Aurora's actions had cast a shadow of shame over the soldiers of Starhaven, tarnishing their honor and dignity.

"Eat up," Carissa said, bringing her thoughts back to the present. She smiled at him, her heart warmed by the fact that someone cared about the wrongs done to her family.

Rafael returned her smile warmly. He picked up a piece of pepper, and offered it to her. "I know you like spicy food, so eat up."

Carissa tilted her head with a playful smile. "When did you replace out that I like spicy food?"

"When I was at Meadow Ridge, I heard them mention it," Rafael replied.

"That's odd. Why didn't you ever meet with me when you were there?" Carissa asked, puzzled.

They weren't strangers, and since he was already at Meadow Ridge, why hadn't he sought her out?