That night, before leaving the Arcane Sanctum with Rowan and his medicine chest in tow, Sebastian informed the night physician on duty that he was heading out to treat Carissa's leg injury.

The carriage rolled to a stop outside Hell Monarch Estate. Sebastian stormed inside, his expression thunderous. When the others emerged, he cast a glance at Carissa but held back his anger. Instead, he directed it at Jacob.

"If you're going to use me as a cover, at least have the decency to warn me first," he snapped. "I nearly let something slip in front of Lord Wright."

With Sebastian's temper exploding, the others finally recall what had happened.

Jacob hastily apologized. "Did Lord Wright question you?"

"He's fallen ill, and High Princess Meredith summoned me to treat him. He wept like a child and kept asking if there was a way to cure the king. At first, he didn't even say what the illness was left me grasping in the dark," Sebastian replied curtly.

He let out a sharp huff after he finished speaking.

"You didn't give anything away, did you?" Carissa asked quickly.

Irvin's resolve to make an Oathbound Plea had alarmed them all. He was the kind of person who couldn't tolerate even the slightest flaw. But now, he thought he had misunderstood the king and pushed him to the point of vomiting blood. From here on, he would likely live with endless guilt.

It was a delicate balance. Telling him the truth was out of the question. Yet, leaving him in the dark was just as dangerous.

Sebastian scoffed. "Do you take me for a fool? How could I give anything away? This concerns His Majesty's health-I hardly need to spell it out for him. I told him to stop asking, and that was that." He brushed off his cloak with an air of finality.

"My apologies for putting you in a difficult position," Carissa said.

Sebastian glanced at her. How could he bear to blame her?

After returning from Irvin's residence, Sebastian had taken the time to understand the full scope of the recent events. Only then did he realize how grave the situation had become.

"So it truly is lung disease?" he asked.

"We only have Mr. Walker's word for it," Carissa said, her expression heavy. "The exact details remain unknown."

Sebastian exhaled slowly. "I came tonight to ask-what do you all plan to do next?"

Carissa knew Sebastian was concerned about the Hell Monarch's household getting entangled in the political storm. She said calmly, "Since I'm still recovering, I'll focus on that for now and leave everything else alone."

But that wasn't what Sebastian meant.

He looked at her steadily. "Do you intend to stay uninvolved forever, or just for the time being?"

Carissa considered this. "I'll handle what needs to be handled."

Sebastian nodded, his expression serious.

"Then do your part. Don't make a habit of avoiding things. You're a member of the royal family, and your husband commands the military. The only way to truly stay out of this is to leave the capital. If you have no plans to leave, then instead of waiting to be dragged in, you'd do better to claim your place now. That way, you can see the situation for what it is and act accordingly."

His words were a wake-up call for both Jacob and Carissa.

Sebastian was right. There was no avoiding this trying to stay out of it now would only seem insincere. Salvador was gravely ill. She was the commander of the Mystic Army · while Rafael was the marshal of the Southern Frontier and the Chief Judge. If the court descended into chaos, there was no way they could stand idly by.

Acting detached now really seemed hypocritical.

Sebastian tapped Carissa's foot

lightly with a small hammer. "You're fine. Limp your way back to the Capital Guard headquarters. At the very least, if anything happens at court, you'll hear about it

diately instead of having to

chase down news."

Carissa flinched and pulled her foot back sharply. "That still hurts! Why did you hit so hard?"

Sebastian chuckled. "Did you really think I'd go easy on you? Get back to work. It's just a minor injury, yet you're acting like you have a broken leg."

Carissa could actually walk without much trouble now. The wound still pulled painfully as it scabbed over, but it was nothing she couldn't handle.

"I'll return to duty tomorrow," she said.noveldrama

On the 25th of December, news arrived from Victory Pass-Leroy had been beheaded, and the Westhaven's forces had retreated.

Upon hearing this, Salvador's health seemed to improve. He issued a royal edict to reward the generals at Victory Pass.

However, there was still no word from the Southern Frontier. No war reports, no updates-nothing. The Hell Monarch and the entire Southern Frontier Army had seemingly vanished.

Even Skywing Spire had been unable to uncover any information.

The last report had been the Hell Monarch's declaration that he would lead his troops in pursuit of the Sandorian army, taking with them every bit of provisions and weaponry they could carry.

That had been over a month ago.

Even if they had yet to secure victory, the Southern Frontier should have at least reported back and requested more supplies. Yet, no such request had reached the court.

Salvador, weakened by illness, grew increasingly suspicious.

Where was the army now?

No one knew, and that was far from normal.