Her Graceful War Song (Carissa Sinclair)

Chapter 829

At Valor Estate, Viola gradually calmed down as her pregnancy progressed

However, Rebecca’s health continued to decline with the onset of winter. The more medicine she took, the more wan she appeared.

Sebastian still refused to come. Whenever Rebecca felt particularly unwell, she would complain that Viola lacked the skills of Carissa, who had truly vast connections.

Viola refused to indulge her mother–in–law. Not only did she not attend to Rebecca’s needs, she didn’t even bother to check on her. She left the older woman’s care entirely to Amelia, the eldest daughter–in-

law.

Rebecca lamented to Barrett, “You’re now the Crown Guard’s commander, yet you can’t even manage your own wife? She’s disrespectful and rebellious, and is always contradicting me. A poor choice in a wife can bring disaster for three generations!”

Barrett was in the midst of his career’s ascent, and he didn’t want to quarrel with Viola. Every argument left him drained and exasperated, so he had to comfort his mom while also asking Amelia to take better

care of her.

Amelia found herself in a bind.

“Taking care of Mother is my duty, Barrett. I’d do it even if you didn’t ask, but I’m not well myself. Plus, the household finances are really tight. Your wife is running things without a care in the world, and the money is disappearing fast. We don’t even have enough to buy the Snowdrop Pills for Mother next month. Maybe you could talk to your sister about it? After all, she’s part of the Marquis of Ironridge’s family now. Surely she has some funds?”

Barrett replied, “I’ll find a way to get the money. There’s no reason to have Serena manage our household

affairs.”

Amelia sighed. “If that doesn’t work out, let’s sell some of our servants. With so many people to support, we need quite a sum of money for food every month. We also have to ensure everyone has appropriate clothes for every season.”

“Please discuss that with Mom, Barrett said.

“If it were that easy, I wouldn’t need to bring it up with you. Mother won’t agree to sell off any servants, especially now that you’ve become Crown Guard Commander. It wouldn’t be proper for the household to lack a certain level of decorum.”

After a pause, Amelia continued, “Aurora’s monthly allowance is non–negotiable. If she doesn’t get it, she’ll throw a fit–her tantrums can be worse than Viola’s. We’ll have to figure out how to cut expenses. To be honest, I’ve already sold everything I can.”

Amelia felt a deep sense of helplessness. Each person was more formidable than the last, and she couldn’t possibly confront them all.

Barrett waved his hand, his brow furrowing slightly. “Don’t mention her and don’t worry about her. As long as she doesn’t cause any trouble and stays in Blessed Haven, that’s all that matters.”

“Well, she’s lucky then, but I’m the one suffering,” Amella retorted, unable to suppress her frustration. “If it

weren’t for her, Carissa would still be here. Carissa could handle any burden on her own. She wouldn’t require as much effort as me to handle things.”

Barrett tried to keep the peace. “Please be understanding. Amelia. Now that Viola is pregnant, you’re the only one who can manage the household affairs.”

“Then, you’d better make sure I get the money to manage it,” Amelia replied, knowing she shouldn’t mention Carissa but was unable to contain her frustration. “Don’t blame me for speaking harshly, Barrett. When Carissa was here, everything at Valor Estate ran smoothly. We never lacked money. When Mother was ill, we had the best medicine and Sebastian was always available. And now? I truly don’t understand how Aurora can compare to Carissa in any way.”

As Barrett’s mind conjured up Carissa’s graceful features, his heart raced. He shook his head violently as if to dispel the thoughts.

“Let’s not dwell on the past. From now on, you’ll manage the family finances. I’ll turn over my monthly salary to you and you can oversee everything in the household.”

With that, he hurried away, desperate to escape.

He knew what he had lost, and understood that it could never be reclaimed. Yet, after taking office, his gaze would inevitably follow Carissa whenever he saw her in her official uniform.

Barrett couldn’t even face his own heart. It was only after losing Carissa that he felt regret and learned to cherish what he had. But by then, it was far too late.