Her Graceful War Song (Carissa Sinclair)
Chapter 719

+25

Rafael pretended to be in deep thought before replying, “As for the military generals, I currently have no

suspects.”

Though Salvador found that answer unsatisfactory, he didn’t lose his temper.

“The Supreme Court will investigate this case. I will assign people to look into the other matters separately.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Salvador began to roll the emerald ring on his thumb. “You mentioned before that you don’t plan to have children anytime soon, right?”

“That’s right. We have no plans at the moment.”

“I see,” Salvador replied thoughtfully. “Carissa is the deputy commander of the Mystic Army. Since you’ve taken on the role of Chief Judge, I intend to promote her to the position of commander of the Mystic Army.

Rafael was taken aback. “You mean, with actual power?”

“Exactly. She’ll assume the position with immediate effect.”

Rafael hesitated before saying, “But while there are precedents for female generals in our court, there are no examples of women holding such official roles.”

“Precedents can be established,” said Salvador.

Rafael struggled to understand the king’s intentions. Was he truly willing to let Carissa take charge of security in the capital and the palace district without concerns? Or was there another motive at play?

“Carissa mentioned that she wants to establish a women’s academy. She’s been considering resigning from the deputy commander role for some time. She didn’t act on it since it’s a nominal title,” Rafael said.

“Then, she doesn’t need to resign. She will no longer hold a nominal title. The Mystic Army includes the Capital Guard and the Royal Guard. I am handing over the military authority of the Mystic Army to her, and I hope she won’t disappoint me.”

Seeing his brother remain silent, Salvador couldn’t help but chuckle. “What’s the matter? Do you doubt her abilities? Do you think she can’t handle the responsibility? Or are you reluctant to let her step into the spotlight? Do you want to confine my female general to the inner household?”

Rafael smiled. “Not at all. I fully support her in whatever she wishes to pursue. It’s just that she has never mentioned wanting to serve in court. She only expressed her desire to start a women’s academy. Why not let me return and ask her opinion?”

Salvador didn’t give him a chance to refuse. “There’s no need to ask. I’ll issue a royal edict for her to enter the palace directly. As for her wish to establish a women’s academy, I believe the queen dowager will support it. Speaking of which, I have someone in mind to recommend to help–Rosalind, the royal chancellor’s granddaughter.”

With that, Rafael realized he could no longer push back.

He looked at the king and said, “You mentioned earlier that we should speak from the heart as brothers. Perhaps you could explain to me why you want Carissa to oversee the Mystic Army. Although the Capital Guard and Royal Guard are technically part of the Mystic Army, they’ve been operating independently. Does this mean you intend to entrust the command of both the capital and royal guards to Carissa?”

Salvador paused momentarily before responding, “The Mystic Army is divided into three divisions: the Capital Guard, the Royal Guard, and the Crown Guard. Carissa will oversee all of them, including the Garrison Unit.”

This left Rafael quite perplexed.

Previously, the Crown Guard had been under the command of the Royal Guard. After ascending to the throne, Salvador established a separate institution for the Crown Guard, to train his most trusted aides. Now, he was handing that responsibility over to Carissa. Was he really willing to relinquish control of the people he had nurtured for so long?

It seemed illogical, especially since Salvador had always been cautious of Rafael. Yet now, Salvador was promoting Carissa to such a high position without anyone to counter her authority.

Holding the command of the Mystic Army and all its divisions meant basically being in control of the capital and palace district. Why would Salvador suddenly place so much trust in the Hell Monarch’s household?

Moreover, once Carissa was in charge, she would be privý to all of Salvador’s suspicions about various ministers.

“It’s settled then,” Salvador declared. “You need not attend court today. First, take control of the situation in Harmony Palace and bring the people back for questioning. If you can’t extract any confessions, hand them over to Commander Sinclair for interrogation.”

Commander Sinclair!

Rafael frowned. This case was already under the Supreme Court’s jurisdiction. Saying it would now be passed to Carissa for interrogation felt like a signal that if Eleanor didn’t confess, they intended for Carissa to apply harsher methods.

Once Rafael stepped outside, he spotted Derek waiting at the door. Their conversation in the royal study had been quite loud, so he had surely overheard.

Rafael cast him a pleading look, and Derek lowered his gaze.

“Take care, Your Highness.”