Her Majestic Battle Cry

Before leaving the capital, Molly made another trip to Hell Monarch Estate to see Violet and ask her for the letter she wanted to write to her father.

Having been warned by Carissa, Violet didn’t entertain Molly’s request. She didn’t give her the letter and quickly dismissed her instead.

Molly tried again, but only embarrassed herself. But this time, she didn’t seem angry. Instead, her eyes brimmed with tears.

“Violet, I know you look down on me, but I truly see you as my little sister. While we were in the capital, we bought so many things that we can’t take back with us. If Skye Embroidery can use them, I’ll send everything there.”

Violet crossed her arms, her tone skeptical as she asked, “Are you really this generous?”

Molly bristled at the accusation. “I’m a woman too. Naturally, I want to help other women. Besides, it’s all things we don’t need anymore–grain, clothes, fabrics, embroidery supplies, and even flowers. It’s impractical to bring them back to Valken. If you don’t believe me, you can oversee it yourself as I have the items delivered.”

If Molly hadn’t been annoyed, Violet would have suspected ulterior motives. But seeing her irritation now,

Violet figured her cousin wasn’t entirely insincere–more likely, she just

wanted to win favor.

Still, the items would be useful. The flowers from Edgeview Estate, in particular, were stunning and diverse. They would be perfect for Leona to tend to. They would surely brighten the spirits of Camila and Soraya too.

“I’ll wait until Carissa gets back and go with her,” Violet said cautiously.

Either way, Carissa usually stopped by the workshop every other evening.

Molly frowned. “Then, send someone to ask when she’ll return. We can’t wait that long, we’ll be leaving the city in two hours. Or how about this–I’ll leave you the key, and you can send someone to collect the items yourself?”

“That won’t work,” Violet replied. “If something goes missing, you’ll blame me for stealing. I’m not falling for that.‘

Violet glanced at the clock. It wasn’t even midday yet, but Carissa likely wouldn’t return from the Capital Guard headquarters until evening. With the Garrison Unit having just finished an overhaul and starting a new round of assessments, she was quite busy.

Seeing Violet’s stubbornness, Molly grew impatient. “Forget it. If you don’t want to watch, I’ll have someone from the household bring the items over. Stop being so fussy—it’s just some stuff. I’m giving them all to you. It’s not like I’m asking for anything in return. It’s exhausting to deal with you when you’re being so difficult.”

Violet immediately objected, “That won’t do. I can’t trust all of you to just walk into the workshop like that. I need to inspect everything first.”

Molly scoffed. “Fine! Wait at the gate of Edgeview Estate, and I’ll have my people bring everything out. You can inspect each item yourself, and once you’re satisfied, I’ll have it sent to the workshop. You can even ride along with the cart if that makes you feel better. Is that safe enough for you?”

Violet considered this. It sounded reasonable. Most of the items weren’t a concern, but the flowers needed to be moved carefully. If they were left behind in Edgeview Estate without anyone to tend them, they would surely wither

“Alright, that works. I’ll ride my horse there.”

Violet still had her guard up. She wasn’t about to ride in their carriage.

As she prepared to leave, she ran into Travis. He didn’t ask too many questions since Violet often went out, but after a moment of thought, she decided to tell him.

“I’m heading to Edgeview Estate. They’ve got some fabric, clothes, and grain they’re donating to the workshop.”

“Cari specifically said you’re not to go to Edgeview Estate,” Travis said, immediately on

alert. NôvelDrama.Org holds © this.

“I’m not going inside,” Violet reassured him. “I’ll stay at the gate, inspect the items, and then accompany the cart to the workshop. I don’t trust them to deliver everything to the workshop themselves.”

“Why not wait until later?” Travis suggested. “I have an errand to run, but I’ll be back in two hours. I can go with you then. It’ll be safer that way.”

“No need. I’m not going inside,” Violet said as she led her horse away.

Making such a big deal out of something so small only made it look like she was afraid.

Travis frowned but relented. “Be careful. Don’t go into the estate, and don’t eat or drink anything they offer you. That Wayne fellow is very suspicious.”

“I got it,” Violet said as she mounted her horse. She left through the side gate and joined Molly’s carriage, heading for Edgeview Estate.

When they arrived, Violet stayed outside, just as planned. Molly and Fiona directed the servants to dig up the flowers, carefully wrapping the roots in damp cloth before arranging them neatly.

There were numerous fabrics, many of them luxurious and expensive. Violet counted over fifty bolts in a variety of colors.

$2/3

There was also grain, smoked meat, and staples like oil, salt, vinegar, and coffee. Violet took out a silver needle to check everything carefully. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary, but she made a mental note that once the items arrived at the workshop, they would need to be inspected again by either Ivy or Rowan, just to be sure.