Her Graceful War Song

After a while, Max finally arrived. Upon seeing Carissa and Connor together, he let out a sigh of relief.

"Commander Sinclair, we need to get Prince Connor back right away. Her Majesty is worried, and she's already sent people looking for him. However, the attendants are too afraid to go into the fenced area, so they've been calling from the outside." Connor clearly looked conflicted and didn't want to go back.

"Your mom cares about you. She'll be worried. You should return," Carissa said gently.

Connor pouted. "She doesn't really love me. She only scolds me. She's a bad person."

Carissa looked at him, somewhat surprised. Kylie doted on him—even spoiled him-so he should have been able to feel that love.

Now, after just a couple of scoldings, Kylie was suddenly the bad person?

However, as Carissa thought back to her time at the Pathfinders Guild, she understood. There, no matter how strict Everett was, no matter the punishments, she never dared to complain. But if Adrian scolded her even a little, she would sulk and feel as though he was a bad person.noveldrama

Everett had once gleefully said to Adrian, "This is the result of overindulgence— too much pampering lowers one's authority."

It was true, but the difference was in the nature of the affection. Adrian, while loving, made sure Carissa learned when it was time to focus and trained her when

it was time to practice. He was strict but fair.

Kylie's affection for Connor, on the other hand...

Carissa reflected that Kylie must have endured great hardships in her youth. Now, as the queen, and with Connor being the king's firstborn, Kylie probably didn't want him to face the same struggles she had.

It was natural for parents to project their own childhood experiences onto their children.

Carissa comforted Connor a little longer before asking Max to take him back. Though he was reluctant, Connor didn't dare defy his aunt's request. With his head hung low, he followed Max, his steps slow and unwilling.

As she watched him go, Carissa couldn't help but recall how domineering he had been when bullying Ryan. There had been a noticeable change in him. Victoria's personal guidance had certainly made a difference.

Max escorted Connor back but didn't mention to Kylie that the child had secretly entered the enclosure. Instead, he simply reported that Carissa had found him.

When Kylie saw Connor return, his clothes were dirtied and the hem was covered in cockleburs. She immediately rose and led him inside, instructing Lydia to help him change.

Though Kylie had been occupied with socializing, her mind had never fully left Connor. She had worried he might have caused trouble, or worse, gotten into danger. Now that he was safe, her heart finally eased. She couldn't bear to scold him just yet.

Once he was changed, she exchanged a glance with Lydia. After a brief

hesitation, Lydia went to bring him some water.

"Here, drink this, Your Highness," Lydia said.

Thirsty from his run, Connor took the cup eagerly and drank it down in large gulps. Within moments of

the wa his stomach began to ache. The pain

intensified, soon accompanied by violent vomiting.

Kylie immediately sent for the royal physician, Dorian Judd, who examined Connor and asked about his symptoms. After a moment of consideration, he spoke.

"It seems he has eaten something that upset his stomach. What did he eat today? Are these symptoms recent?"

Connor was too preoccupied with pain and clutching his stomach. How could he answer?

"He mentioned having a slight stomachache when we set out this morning, but it wasn't serious-just some weakness all over," Lydia said. She thought for a moment and added, "Oh, right. He ate a few pieces of honey cake this morning. I made them yesterday, so maybe they went bad."

Dorian rummaged through his

medicine chest and took out a few pills. "Give him these for now. Later, we'll prepare a medicinal soup for

him to take in the evening. Witho

or three days of rest, he should recover fully."

"Thank you, Mr. Judd," Lydia said, taking the medicine from him.

She quickly administered a pill to Connor, whose face had gone pale, drained of

all color.

Dorian hesitated, as though he had something more to say, but Lydia had nodded and said, "I'll see you out."

With that, she discreetly slipped a gold coin into his sleeve.

Dorian let out a small sigh but didn't protest. He returned the nod and left the

room.

With the physician gone, the ladies of the court would surely be eager to check on Connor. Word had already spread that he had been feeling unwell that morning- weak, vomiting, and with stomach pain.

So, it wasn't hard to understand why he had performed poorly.

However, when Connor had been brought back from the forest earlier, Kylie had mentioned he was unwell.

It left the people wondering: If he was so ill, why did he even come to hunt in the first place?