Her Graceful War Song

At Hell Monarch Estate, the spring rains of March and the Spring Remembrance Festival season had come one after another, leaving everything damp and

soaked.

"Clarence, how is Aunt Carissa doing?" Ryan asked, concern heavy in his voice as he helped his friend out the door.

Clarence was dressed in a plain blue coat, his hair already grey with age.

He let out a soft sigh. "Aunt Carissa is already eighty-eight this year. She really shouldn't have gone out to visit the graves. The rain and chill have gone straight to her lungs."

Ryan sighed. "I tried to stop her; we all did. But she wouldn't listen. Her memory's not what it used to be. Over these past two years, she forgets many day-to-day things, but somehow remembers the past so clearly. If we didn't let her go to pay her respects, she would've thrown a terrible fit."

Clarence walked out of Orchid Hall and made his way to the side room to write a prescription.

"Aunt Carissa has never recovered from the grief of losing her whole family; she'll carry that pain for the rest of her life. Uncle Rafael is watching over her now, though his own health isn't what it once was. He ought not to tire himself," he said.

"Elise and the children are there with her," Ryan replied as he unfolded the prescription slip and began pulling out an ink pot for Clarence. "But Uncle Rafael insists on caring for her himself. They've been devoted to one another all their lives. At a time like this, he won't leave her side for a moment. Every day, he tells her who he is, not allowing her to forget him. Thank the heavens she never has."

Carissa no longer remembered many people. Sometimes, she couldn't recall her own daughter and grandchildren. Even her nephews' names had faded from her mind. But she never forgot her husband.

This year, when the Spring Remembrance Festival came, she insisted on going to the ancestral graves, just as she had always done. She remembered the date as she always did, and said it must be observed. Though her health wasn't strong and the spring rains hadn't let up, none of their persuasion could stop her.

In the end, she returned soaked through and fell ill soon after.

Clarence wrote a prescription, and she took the medicine for two days. Her condition slowly improved, but she still had a persistent cough.noveldrama

As soon as she seemed better, Rafael began sending people away. He wouldn't allow too many visitors, as seeing too many faces wore her out. Every day, she spent what strength she had trying to recognize each person, leaving her exhausted.

At last, the dreary rains passed and the warm sunshine returned. The whole household seemed to breathe easier under its golden light.

The old couple walked two slow rounds around the garden, hand in hand, before taking a seat beneath the locust tree. The maids served their tea and quietly withdrew.

Rafael held his wife's hand as they sat side by side.

"Carissa, do you still remember who I am?" he asked gently, repeating the same question he asked several times a day.

A soft breeze stirred the silver

strands of Carissa's hair. She had

styled it in a simple knot that morning, but finding it too much trouble, she had undone it herself and tied it back into a loose ponytail. After their short walk, a few locks had already slipped free.

She had been a great beauty in her youth, her features striking and well-formed. Even now, in old age, she carried herself with grace and elegance. Tucking her hair behind her ears, she leaned back lazily in the lounge chair, tugging her cloak tighter about her shoulders.

Only then did she speak, slowly and clearly: "How could I not know? You're my guild junior."

Rafael looked at her, the affection in his eyes no different from when he was young.

"Yes," he said softly. "I'm your guild junior and husband. You must never forget. Even if we live to a hundred, you must still remember."

"Alright!" she answered, then raised her head and gave him a teasing look. "You want to live to a hundred?"

Rafael smiled and corrected her gently: "No, I want us to live to a hundred. And if we could live to a thousand, let's try for that too. As long as we're together."

"Sure!" Carissa said, leaning over and rested her head against his chest. "I'm feeling a bit sleepy."

"Then, rest a while. Let's try the Dreaming Butterfly incense the Nerathian envoy gave us."

Years ago, the envoys from Nerathia had brought them a gift of rare

incense called Dreaming Butterfly They said it would bring sweet

never used it, Rafael and Carissa had even forgotten where it was kept. It was only a few days ago that Lulu had come across it when she sent someone to tidy the storage chests.

dreams if lit before bed flyet

Clarence said that Carissa's heart had never truly healed. That the tragedy—the night her whole family was massacred-still haunted her like a nightmare. And he had been right.

Rafael and Carissa had shared a bed for decades, and he had lost count of the times she woke in the night, trembling and crying out, "Mom, run!"

She would be soaked in sweat and tears, her whole body shaking from the memory. Even after her memory had started to fade, those dreams never left her. If this incense could help, Rafael would have someone ride to Nerathia at once and bring back more.