Her Graceful War Song



Chapter 890

Barrett called for the shopkeeper of The Grand Vault to come over, asking him to bring the staff along to appraise and price everything. As they cleared out one box after another, Barrett was surprised to find that Rebecca had hidden away gold ingots, as well as a large collection of valuable jewelry.

Tara explained that some of it had been his mother's dowry, while some had been passed down from his grandmother. Since the family hadn't been split yet, it hadn't been given to the second branch of the family. There were also gifts from Carissa, which Rebecca had hidden away when she left the family. Thankfully, Carissa never asked about them.

Barrett instructed Tara to separate the items that had been gifts from Carissa, planning to return them once they were sorted.

Tara sighed. "To be honest, even if you return them to her, she probably won't want them. It might be better to give them to Madam Charlotte. After all, she and Lady Carissa were close."

"Whether she gives them to Aunt Charlotte is her business, but we can't make that decision for her," said Barrett, firm in his stance.

Viola didn't agree. It wasn't about the money or jewelry. She simply didn't want to be involved with the people from Hell Monarch Estate anymore. Since Carissa hadn't taken the items, they could sell or pawn them. Whatever money they got from it would go to Charlotte anyway.

"She won't care about the jewelry. Besides, didn't Amelia pawn some items off before she died? Wouldn't it be better to redeem what she pawned and return only those to Carissa instead?" Viola said.Property of Nô)(velDr(a)ma.Org.

"Amelia intended to return them herself," Barrett replied, feeling that his wife's reasoning didn't quite make sense. "If we're not to be involved with them, then we should return it all. Even if Carissa throws it away, it's her decision."

Viola was clearly upset with his decision but didn't want to cause a scandal with The Grand Vault staff present, so she pulled him aside to speak privately.

Once outside the storeroom, Barrett took off his cloak and draped it over Viola's shoulders without a second thought. After giving birth prematurely, her health hadn't fully recovered, and with the cold weather, she must be feeling it even more.

Viola froze for a moment, staring at her husband's pale face. The anger that had been building inside her dissipated by half. But that small feeling of gratitude didn't change the situation. Her expression softened slightly before hardening again.

"If this is just an attempt to persuade me, it's pointless. I'm not the kind of person who can be swayed with small gestures. You know the situation at Valor Estate. I'm not opposed to giving money to the second branch of the family, but if those pieces of jewelry go back to Carissa, then we'll have to pay even more to the second branch. Don't blame me for being selfish. You know how things are right now. I can't ignore our future."

Barrett studied his wife's nose, which was reddened by the cold wind, as well as her face, set in a challenging expression. If this had been any other time, he might have let it slide to avoid an argument. But some things were too clear to ignore.

If they knew they were in the wrong and didn't change, what difference did it make from being ignorant?

He set his jaw, his tone firm as he declared, "I'll find a way to make money. But what's owed to others will be returned-every last bit of it. That's final.

Without leaving Viola any room to argue, he turned and walked back into the storeroom.

Viola reached out as if to stop him, but her hand grasped at air. She froze for a moment, taken aback by the realization that Barrett was defying her, refusing to listen to her when it came to household matters.

As anger surged in her, she turned sharply, walking off without another word.

The Grand Vault had offered 13,000 silver coins for the goods. That price didn't even include the items Carissa

had gifted. The real value lay in the heirlooms passed down from the Warren family. But even those would lose their worth once sold off, and the depreciation was significant.

13,000 silver coins wasn't a small sum, though.

Even if Barrett gave all of it to Charlotte, he still had a bit of money left-about 2,000 silver coins from the first sale, though it had been stretched thin with funeral expenses. He would have to make do with that.

Barrett helped The Grand Vault staff pack up the items to be taken away, fully aware that selling off his family assets would likely become a topic of ridicule. But at this point, he didn't care.

He had already heard worse.

Just as Barrett was about to leave with the carriage, a voice called out from behind him, "Commander Warren!" He turned around to see a middle-aged man dressed in indigo attire and a black cloak, standing beneath the flag of The Grand Vault. Despite his worldly attire, the man carried an air of quiet elegance, almost ethereal.

Barrett didn't recognize him. "May I ask who you are?"