Her Graceful War Song by Summer's Blaze

Chapter 1279

By noon the next day, both Rafael and Carissa awoke lazily, their bodies still heavy with the remnants of sleep.

Their eyes met, and Rafael's gaze darkened. The sleep had restored him completely, filling him with energy. He

pulled her close, his lips brushing her ear.

Carissa quickly pushed him away. "We need to get up!"

Lulu was waiting outside. When she heard noise from inside the room, she feared they would be distracted again

and hurriedly called out, "Your Highness, Your Grace, Lady Helen has sent someone three times already."

Rafael reluctantly withdrew his hand from its resting place, his gaze still burning with intensity. His tone was

commanding yet playful. "I'll listen to you now, but tonight... You'll listen to me."

The night before, Rafael had returned too late to greet Helen.

Normally, she never fussed about where he went, even if it was to the battlefield.

It wasn't that she didn't know the dangers of war, but Helen had always had complete faith in her son's

invincibility.

However, this time, with most of the household sent away and the atmosphere tense, she too had become

nervous.

When Carissa returned the night before, Rafael had not been around. Although Carissa had said he was in the

palace, Helen hadn't actually seen him, and worry gnawed at her.

Even today, after sending people to check multiple times, she was told they still hadn't gotten up. She could

hardly believe it since when were those two so lazy? Even when there wasn't a morning court session, they

would usually be up by dawn.

Now, Helen truly experienced what it meant to be anxious and worried.

At last, she saw them appear hand in hand, both dressed in formal clothes-the man exuded authority, and the

woman radiated elegance.

Never before had Helen been so patient, waiting for them to properly complete all the formalities before finally

allowing them to rise and take their seats.

This time, the worry had been too much. She felt it took a toll on her. Even if they were to take their tand

slowly offer their greetings to her, she would endure it.

After the formalities, the two of them went their separate ways-Rafael to the SuprCourt, Carissa to the

Capital Guard headquarters.

Today, they needed to properly interrogate Tiberius.

Tiberius was nothing but skin and bones now, his body so thin that even with all the dirt and grime, he barely

weighed 120 pounds.

He was constantly on edge, asking every day if Salvador would have him executed. He kept insisting he was

innocent and had only been greedy for a bit of money.

For someone like him, there was no need for a harsh interrogation. A simple question was enough: "Your life

depends on how much truth you reveal."

With those words, Tiberius' already malnourished brain kicked into overdrive, and he spilled everything he knew

without hesitation.

His confession was long-winded and full of unnecessary details, but the one thing that could be confirmed was

that the private soldiers were indeed under Yuvan's command.

At first, Tiberius hadn't known that Yuvan was behind it. It had been Wayne who made contact with him,

promising 5,000 silver coins a year to find reliable people to transport grain to Stone Village. Tiberius hadn't

bothered to investigate the village himself. It wasn't like he needed to pay for the grain anyway. Plus, he was

getting a villa as well as 5,000 silver coins annually-it seemed like a foolproof deal.

Later, when Yuvan secretly cto Lunvale, Tiberius accidentally ran into him. It was then that he noticed

Wayne by Yuvan's side and realized that the people from Stone Village were working for Yuvan. Realizing he

couldn't keep it hidden any longer, Yuvan cclean. He told Tiberius to keep supporting those men and

promised to continue the annual payment of 5,000 silver coins of silver. On top of that, he made an even bigger

offer-if their plans succeeded, Yuvan would make Tiberius a prince.

After confessing, Tiberius broke down in tears before Rafael. "I never cared for his promise of a princely title. It's

just the expenses! | was just trying to make a living with those 5,000 silver coins a year. I'm no traitor-I swear I'm

loyal!"

Tiberius sobbed, his face streaked with tears and snot. "Believe me, my nephew! | have no intention of treason.

I've told you everything | know. You have to helpplease! I'm innocent!"

Seeing the man sobbing and rambling the sexcuses over and over, Rafael realized he didn't know much

about Yuvan's rebellion. He ordered his men to lock Tiberius up to prevent any suicide attempts and reassured

him that he had nothing to fear.

Reporting this information was a meritorious act, and Salvador wouldn't have him executed. Rafael added that if

anything else cto mind, Tiberius should report it immediately.

The hope in Tiberius' eyes flared up at that. He stopped crying, nodding eagerly. "I will. I'll think hard. We cannot

let these rebels succeed!"

Randall had been watching the entire exchange. At first, he had been afraid-afraid of being caught up in this

mess, afraid that others might accuse him of betraying his dad for personal gain.

But as he watched Tiberius' disgraceful behavior, a sudden calm washed over him. If it cdown to it,

so be it he would rather face death than stoop so low and lose all dignity like that.

At least he would hold onto his pride as a man.