Melody of Strength novel

When Salvador heard that Kyle sent the letter, he was quite surprised. He quickly ordered Derek to hand it to him.

As he read the letter, he recognized the handwriting–it really did seem to be Kyle’s. When he was the crown prince, he had the honor of receiving a calligraphy piece from Kyle, so he was familiar with his script.

The letter mostly described Kyle’s travels, but the last part was different.

[After climbing Rocky Mountains, I saw thousands of Westhaven soldiers all dressed in Sandoria uniforms. They were also carrying provisions. Sandoria’s third prince personally welcomed them into the territory.Text property © Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org.

[This puzzles s me greatly. Was Westhaven allying with Sandoria? But why would they bring nearly 300,000 soldiers into Sandoria? I trailed them quietly, and found that they were heading towards the Southern Frontier battlefield.

[I fear they might be planning to attack our troops in the Southern Frontier. This is a serious matter. Please consider whether to report this to the king…]

Carissa kept her head down the whole time, feeling a bit uneasy. She was worried the king might notice something was wrong.

After reading, Salvador asked Derek to bring Kyle’s calligraphy for comparison. The handwriting was indeed the same.

However, Salvador had a deep love for calligraphy and a thorough understanding of scripts. Because of this, he noticed that while the handwriting resembled Kyle’s

it also bore signs of deliberate imitation.

Moreover, it was impossible for Kyle to actually write this letter in Sandoria. Sandoria didn’t have this type of paper. This particular paper was produced in Starhaven. Since Sandoria invaded the Southern Frontier, the two countries have ceased trade, and Sandoria couldn’t obtain this paper.

Upon closer inspection of the ink’s scent, he confirmed it was a product from Lotus Library in the capital. Although the aroma wasn’t extraordinary, he had frequently purchased Lotus Library inks during his time. as the crown prince and could easily identify it.

So, this letter was a fake.

Carissa could tell from the king’s expression that he had seen through the forgery. He was wise and capable, and held Kyle in high regard, so he must have studied Kyle’s calligraphy closely.

She hadn’t come up with a better plan in the rush, because deploying the reinforcements couldn’t be -delayed even for a day.

Salvador turned to her with a severe expression.

“Do you realize that with this forged letter, I could have your head cut off? There’s a limit to this nonsense! You asked for the divorce yourself, and now, you’re unhappy? What do you really want? You’re a disciple of Pathfinders Guild. Aren’t you afraid of bringing shame to your guild by acting this way? Do you want to disgrace your guild with your actions?”

The king’s interrogation left Carissa with no choice but to confess the truth.

“Your Majesty, I admit the letter is fake. You may punish me as you see fit, but the information in the letter is true. I swear on my life!”

“Nonsense!”

Salvador slammed his desk, his expression both stern and disappointed.

“Now that you’re the only one left in the Duke of Northwatch’s family, should I take your life and leave the duke’s lineage extinct?

“Do you not understand my intentions? I broke tradition to allow your future husband to inherit the title, ensuring you a life of honor and wealth! This was earned by your father and brother’s sacrifices. How can you squander it like this? Forging this letter to send more troops–do you want Barrett and Aurora back on the Southern Frontier battlefield? The battlefield is dangerous–do you wish for them to die there?

*Carissa, how did you become like this? Must you make yourself so detestable?”

The scolding, laced with humiliation, made Carissa’s cheeks flush and her ears burn. “Your Majesty, I did forge the letter, and the information wasn’t from my eldest senior. It was sent to me by my second senior through a carrier pigeon. I claimed it was from my eldest senior because I feared you wouldn’t believe my second senior…”

“Enough!” The king’s face grew colder. “This is absurd! Your second senior is just a woman. Even if she knows martial arts, how could she understand military matters or infiltrate Sandoria to learn about Westhaven’s forces?”

Carissa knew he would think this way. Ultimately, no method seemed to work.

“Your Majesty…”

The king cut her off, and shouted, “Guards, escort Lady Sinclair back to her residence! Post guards to watch her around the clock. She is not to leave her home until the end of the year.”

With that, he stood and left, his robe sweeping behind him. Carissa tried to follow, but the royal guards immediately stopped her.

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