Her Graceful War Song



Chapter 929

"What's the point of presenting a false or incomplete confession to His Majesty?" Rafael shot back. "He'll just tear it up himself."

Patrick sighed. "But we've already interrogated her for so many days. We've used torture, yet she hasn't budged. We can't use any harsher methods for fear of harming her. I believe another round of questioning will yield the same result."

Rafael's gaze turned cold. "Then, continue the interrogation. You know as well as I do, Mr. Lloyd. She must change her testimony. General Sullivan is not the one truly responsible-she is. If she refuses to cooperate, then we'll have to bring in Commander Warren and interrogate him."

Patrick's eyes widened in shock. "Your Highness, His Majesty has not authorized the interrogation of Commander Warren. He has no intention of involving him in this matter."

Rafael scoffed. "If General Sullivan is already implicated, then why not Commander Warren? Has His Majesty issued an order forbidding you from questioning him?"

Patrick hesitated. "While there's no explicit order saying we cannot question him, there was no order to arrest him either."

Rafael fixed Patrick with a piercing stare. "I didn't say anything about arresting him. I said to bring him in. He was in charge of the Fawnrun City operation. Bring him in and ask him some questions. What's the problem? If His Majesty questions you later, just say it was my instruction."

Patrick was puzzled. In the past, Rafael and the people from his household avoided drawing attention to matters involving them, as they were always fearful of arousing the king's suspicions.

Now, Rafael was pushing for an interrogation without Salvador's authorization-even asking for Barrett by name. Wasn't this directly inviting trouble? Why wasn't Rafael concerned about provoking Salvador now?

After thinking it over, Patrick said carefully, "Your Highness, I would advise against getting too involved. If the interrogation brings out any new confessions, I'll let you know immediately."

Rafael's expression hardened, his voice unwavering, "Didn't you hear me clearly, Mr. Lloyd? What I said was, if Aurora does not change her confession, bring Commander Warren in for questioning."

Patrick looked at him, confused. "But what good will questioning him do? His Majesty clearly wants to protect him. Why provoke him now? Why upset His Majesty at this time?"

"Because Commander Warren was the one in charge of the Fawnrun City operation," Rafael replied with firm resolve. "His testimony can prove that General Sullivan didn't authorize Aurora's actions. It'll corroborate the testimonies of General Sullivan, Zeke, and the others, and reveal the truth."

Patrick chuckled, understanding at last. Even then, he thought it was all a bit unnecessary.

"Actually, whether we bring Commander Warren in for questioning or not, the current testimony already proves that Aurora is lying. Her confession can't be trusted. His Majesty should be aware of this, and I believe he will handle it impartially. Westhaven should accept the truth as well," he said.

Rafael shook his head. "Your 'shoulds' and 'believes' are filled with uncertainty. What I want is the truth laid out clearly before His Majesty and the Westhaven envoys."

Patrick paused to think, then understood what Rafael meant. They hadn't questioned Dominic yet, so Aurora's confession was still the key. While Zeke and the others' testimonies contradicted Aurora's, they hadn't had direct contact with Dominic, so their statements couldn't completely disprove hers.

Only Barrett's testimony, if aligned with theirs, could counteract Aurora's. At the very least, it would make the truth more believable.

However, it was clear that Salvador didn't want Barrett involved in the matter. Even though Barrett should be questioned and held accountable, Salvador seemed intent on protecting him. What could Patrick do? As Minister of Justice, opposing the king could only bring trouble.

Rafael saw through his hesitation, and said plainly, "Enough. I'll send someone to fetch him. You just need to handle the questioning."

Having heard that, Patrick could only comply. "Understood. In that case, will you also be speaking to His Majesty, Your Highness?"

Rafael nodded, rising from his seat. "I'll report to His Majesty now to spare you the trouble."

Patrick exhaled in relief. As long as he wasn't left to take the blame, he was more than willing to help. After all, he agreed that Barrett shouldn't be allowed to sit this one out.

Since Aurora had been taken away, Barrett had been a bundle of nerves. He was afraid Carissa or Alistair might go to Salvador and accuse him of trying to help Aurora escape.Text property © Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org.

There was another reason for his unease. He couldn't see a way out of the Fawnrun City mess. He couldn't figure out why Salvador was protecting him, but with Dominic already summoned back to the capital to answer for his actions, what chance did he have to escape blame?

After days of anxiety, Barrett's worst fear was realized when someone from Hell Monarch Estate came to inform him that the Ministry of Justice had called him in for questioning.

His heart sank.

What he feared was finally happening.