Chapter 903
That night, Rafael held Carissa quietly as they slept. Her breathing was steady, as if she had drifted off to sleep.
Rafael knew she hadn't. Curled up in his arms, she lay still with not a single movement, each steady breath so
controlled it seemed deliberate.
She didn't want him to worry.
At the Sullivan family's residence in Victory Pass, the royal edict had arrived. The messengers sent were Felix
and Homer from the Septimus Tetra reconnaissance team. Naturally, they were accompanied by people from
both the Crown Guard and Royal Guard.
Felix and Homer were both fourth-rank generals, but had yet to be assigned significant duties by the king. This
task, delivering the royal edict to Victory Pass, was their first real assignment. If they performed well, Salvador
might start using them more frequently.
Yet, this task felt like an impossible burden. Most of the soldiers and officers still looked up to Dominic and
Hector. They were here under the guise of delivering an edict, but in reality, they were escorting him. Felix and
Homer both felt deeply uneasy about the situation.
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Originally, a Crown Guard officer, Galen Kimber, wanted to leave that day itself. However, Felix and Homer
managed to convince him to allow Dominic to say his goodbyes to his family, and they would depart the
following day.
At the Sullivan family's residence that night, everything was the sas usual. The meal was served at the
regular time, and the snumber of dishes were prepared as before.
This day had been expected to ceventually, and everyone was mentally prepared. However, at this meal, no
one could eat except Dominic.
"Dad!" Wyatt put down his cutlery and looked up at his aging father, his eyes red-rimmed. "I'll accompany you
back to the capital."
Dominic calmly continued eating and simply said, "No need."
"His Majesty has issued an edict for Wallace to take command of the troops. It would make sense forto
accompany you back to the capital. Besides, I'm just a broken shell of a man now. Whatever happens, | can bear
the responsibility on your behalf," Wyatt argued.
"Ridiculous!" Dominic shot him a sharp glance. "What do you mean, a broken shell? You've only lost an arm. You
can still wield a blade with one hand. You're still a general. His Majesty has ordered your eighth brother to take
command, but Wallace doesn't have your experience. Westhaven is stirring up trouble now. You must stay here
and hold the line."
"Dad..." Wallace also set down his cutlery, his voice trembling with unshed tears.
Over the past year, the brothers had discussed countless times how they could help their dad escape the
consequences of that disaster. Unfortunately, there was no way out.
"What Wyatt says makes sense. You were seriously injured by the arrow back then, and all decisions were left to
us. But as you've said, Wyatt is more experienced than | am, so he should remain at Victory Pass. I'll accompany
you to the capital. I'll shoulder all the blame," Wallace said.
"No, Wallace, you can't go! | will!" Shane said. "Uncle Dominic, I've already packed my things. I'll set out with you
first thing tomorrow."
Dominic glanced at the table full of sons, daughters-in-law, grandsons, and granddaughters. He saw the concern
in their eyes and smiled faintly.
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He put down his cutlery and wiped his mouth. "Enough. Why is everyone fighting to go with me? You think this
old
body of mine can't handle things, huh? You think you're tougher than me?"
Wyatt choked up. "Dad, that's not what we mean. It's just that the Fawnrun City incident... Someone has to take
responsibility. Whoever it is, it doesn't matter. It was my mistake, and it's my duty to bear the consequences."
"You? You're not ready to take it," said Dominic.
The old man's face softened, a rare hint of tenderness showing. He was usually a stern and tough man, never
one to show emotion toward his sons and grandsons.
"I must handle this matter. I'm the leader of the army in Victory Pass. As long as I'm still breathing, whatever
happened in Fawnrun City is on my shoulders," he added.
"Aurora... she's done a lot of harm!" Cindy, Wyatt's wife, spat angrily. "She and Barrett are both vile! Father has
always been strict with the military troops. For all these years, we've never violated the agreement between the
two kingdoms not to harm civilians.
"Then, she comes along, and what does she do? She slaughtered entire villages! How could she be so vicious?
How could she even do such a thing? | just want to go back to the capital and tear them both apart!"