Her Majestic Battle Cry

Chapter 1159

Isaac and Violet walked side by side along the wide street, leading their horses. The night breeze was gentle, clearing away the last remnants of the alcohol from the evening.

“I was impulsive tonight,” Violet admitted with a hint of regret. “I shouldn’t have dragged you there.”

“It’s fine,” Isaac replied.

“What’s going through your mind? Are you planning to acknowledge them?”

“No.” Isaac smiled, his expression becoming noticeably more relaxed. “She invited me and Madam Zoey inside, and talked for a long time. But not once did she ask me how I’ve been these years. Not once did she ask how I was after being taken away. She was just explaining and trying to clear her name.”

“Is that so?”

Isaac ran a hand through his slightly disheveled hair, his carefree demeanor returning.

“I remember my first time leaving the mountain. I was away for a month, and when I came back, Sage Adrian and Sage Everett surrounded me. They asked me a lot of stuff–what I ate, who I met, what inns I stayed at, whether I got into any fights, if anyone tricked me out of money, what sights I saw, among other things.”

“My mentor’s the same,” Violet nodded in agreement. “That’s normal.”

“Exactly,” Isaac chuckled. “I’ve been surrounded by love since I was a child. I’ve always had a family.”

Violet was unsure of how Isaac truly felt, but he seemed alright. “So, you’ve made peace with it?”

Isaac nodded, a faint smile tugging at his lips. “Made peace? Yeah, I guess. It’s not all good, but it’s not all bad either. No need for reconciliation, but there’s no reason for hatred either.”

Perhaps Isaac should be moved by the fact that Evelyn had avenged his death by killing David, but he couldn’t bring himself to.

He didn’t have children, but if he did and their lives were on the line, he would do anything to protect them. Even if it meant sending them far away to some place where so–called priests could offer their protection, he would go with them. And if he couldn’t, he would make sure someone trustworthy went in his place.

Yet, Evelyn hadn’t done any of that.

Maybe it was because he had seen too much, but Isaac finally saw through it all. When Caspian had held him, he had felt moved. But after hearing Evelyn’s story, everything became clear. Evelyn’s maternal love, he realized, had always been for her comfort. It had never been about

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truly guiding or protecting her child.

In her account, she mentioned how David sought out medical help for him, so she knew about the changing of his medicine.

Did she never question it? Constantly changing his medicine–how could that be reasonable?

She was the one taking care of him. How could she not see?

Isaac didn’t want to assume the worst of her. But if he allowed himself to think that way, he would suspect that, perhaps, she had quietly condoned David’s actions. Unfortunately, everything unraveled when Vincent found out. Once Vincent named his heir, Evelyn’s hope of becoming a countess was dashed, and only then did she start to pity her poor son.

Of course, Isaac could never confirm this theory, but it didn’t matter. Whether it was true or not, it no longer mattered. Fate had already sealed their story when the fire had come.

Before knowing the truth, he had believed the narrative Adrian had spun for him, holding onto doubt and hope in his heart.

Now, without that burden, he felt light and free.

Back in her room, Zoey couldn’t shake the memory of the way Evelyn had so bitterly recounted poisoning David. The cruelty of it had lingered in Evelyn’s voice, as if years of buried hatred had finally found a release.

If what Evelyn said was true–that she poisoned David out of revenge for her son’s death- then surely, she would have simply brushed over the details when recounting it. It would have been a passing remark tinged with bitterness.

Not this repeated, deliberate emphasis.

It almost felt like Evelyn was saying it on purpose for Isaac to hear, or maybe even for herself -as if repeating it aloud would somehow ease her guilt.

Zoey found herself returning to Evelyn’s room. The older woman hadn’t slept. Her eyes were wide open, tears streaming down her face.

Zoey sat beside the bed and asked gently, “Mother, you didn’t poison Father, did you? You only thought about it. Perhaps you even obsessed over it—but you didn’t actually do it, right?”

Evelyn didn’t answer, but her tears flowed even more. Her lips trembled, but she couldn’t say a word.

Zoey knew she had guessed it right.

After a long silence, Evelyn finally spoke. “Give him compensation. Do whatever you can to `make up for it. Whatever he wants, give it to him. novelbin

“I will,” Zoey replied softly.

As she rose to leave, the muffled sobs behind her grew louder, interwoven with Evelyn’s regretful murmurs.

“No matter what, husband and wife share the same rise and fall…the same honor and ruin…”

Zoey paused at the door, clenching her fists. A wave of exhaustion hit her, the weight of everything pressing down on her.

Husband and wife share the same rise and fall? Did it mean that Evelyn had known everything from the very start?

If that were true, then she wasn’t innocent at all.

At that moment, Zoey understood who Viola truly took after–they were the same, both masters of self–deception.