The Westhaven spies in Starhaven had been active for a long time, eventually falling under the direct control of Westhaven’s crown prince, Arthur Tudor. After Arthur’s downfall, these spies massacred an entire household. Their actions tamished Arthur’s reputation, and led to the destruction of the whole Intelligence network.
Hector was a commendable general. He and his sons all perished on the Southern Frontier battlefield. The widows left in his family, including orphans and even household servants, were mercilessly slain by Westhaven forces.
Indeed, Westhaven had committed such barbaric acts.
Because of this, they dared not publicize Aurora’s massacre of the civilians and kept it hidden.
Aurora was the instigator, but she wasn’t solely responsible. The Westhaven spies had committed even more heinous atrocities. The only victims were the Sinclair family. Edmund had heard Carissa was the only one left from Hector’s family, which was who Aurora had mentioned.
Aurora had even replaced Carissa to become Barrett’s wife. At first, these matters weren’t directly related to Westhaven. But with Hector’s entire family wiped out and Carissa abandoned, Westhaven was undeniably implicated in these tragedies.
Edmund’s anger was rooted in this.
Westhaven was not a beastly, barbaric kingdom.
Battles between two kingdoms were the soldiers‘ business, but the massacre of Hector’s entire family, including infants, was a permanent stain on the Westhaven royal family’s honor.
Now, Aurora dared to suggest they capture Carissa?!
The reminder that they had massacred all the innocent elderly, women, and children in Hector’s family was akin to a blade twisting deep in their hearts.
Aurora was stunned by the slap. She was then roughly seized by the hair, and kicked in the stomach. She was propelled a few meters away, only to be yanked by her hair and brutally slapped until she nearly lost consciousness.
“Take her away!” Edmund commanded.
The vanguard’s deputy took the lead, directing the prisoners out of Simonton City.
Beyond Simonton City lay the desert to the south and an endless chain of mountains ahead. A rugged mountain range split the terrain, forming a path leading into a grassy expanse that connected with more mountains. Nomads inhabited this area, and beyond it was the border of Sandoria.
The Westhaven troops didn’t care about the details of their withdrawal beyond that. After crossing the -grassland, they ascended a mountain. A wooden hut had already been constructed earlier, specifically
to hold Aurora.
Aurora was now destined to experience for herself what had happened to Arthur.
+15 BONUS
Including her, there were a total of nineteen captives. The captives were all soldiers under her command, and they had participated in the village massacre she had orchestrated. Among them was her cousin Zeke.
These men had once been fiercely loyal and deeply admiring of Aurora. However, seeing her use her own comrade–in–arms as a human shield left them profoundly shocked. The general they had once revered now suddenly became very unfamiliar and frightening.
Especially disturbing was the fact that, even as she was captured, she had practically told the Westhaven troops to capture Rafael and Carissa.
To them, Aurora’s actions were utterly unacceptable.
The previous misunderstandings the reinforcement troops had about Carissa had been cleared up. After the challenges against her, it was confirmed Carissa was indeed capable. And today, she had led the assault on the city. She was a great contributor to reclaiming the Southern Frontier.
Despite that, Aurora had ordered the capture of Carissa. If Aurora’s initial actions were motivated by suspicions that Carissa had claimed military credit unfairly, then her actions were now a matter of personal grudge–cowardice, even.
If it was about personal grudges, then Carissa should be the one harboring resentment towards. Aurora, especially since she and Barrett had sought the marriage edict through their military achievements, effectively taking Barrett away from Carissa.
Aurora’s actions today were incomprehensible and devastating to them. Their faith in her had been shattered.
The Westhaven forces had imprisoned them in a wooden hut. They were bound tightly, and escape was impossible. Even if they managed to free themselves, the heavily guarded exterior offered no way
out.
Unable to contain his fury, Tristian glared at Aurora.
“You used John to block the blade coming for you! Did you know he just became a father?!” he roared.
