Chapter 12
Lulu was heartbroken to see her mistress treated so poorly. Carissa had restrained herself out of decorum, but as a lowly servant, Lulu had no such qualms. Her eyes reddened with tears as she said, “I may be just a humble maid, but I know right from wrong. You’re a female general, yet you became involved with another woman’s husband on the battlefield. And now, you’re bullying my mistress under the guise of military achievements…”
Before Lulu could finish, Barrett angrily slapped her across the face. He then turned to Carissa and coldly said, “Is this what you teach your servants? There’s no sense of respect!”
Carissa rushed to Lulu’s side. The instant swelling on Lulu’s cheek showed how hard Barrett had hit her. With a sharp gaze, Carissa swiftly slapped Barrett across the face.
“Do you think you can hit my people as you please?”
Barrett hadn’t expected Carissa to retaliate over a servant girl, especially in front of Aurora. After all, striking a man’s face was considered unthinkable for a woman. But unable to retaliate, he merely glared at Carissa before leaving with Aurora.
Carissa gently touched Lulu’s cheek. “Does it hurt?”
“Not at all,” Lulu smiled through the pain. “Fortunately, we’ll be leaving the general’s residence soon.”
“The royal edict should arrive in a few days,” Carissa sighed. “I just hope it’s sooner rather than later.”
When Barrett initially mentioned the king’s edict for his and Aurora’s marriage, Carissa had wanted to meet Aurora. As the generation’s first female general, Carissa had not only admired her but also believed she wouldn’t willingly share a husband. But after today’s encounter and hearing Aurora’s words, Carissa’s illusions were shattered. She was deeply disappointed in the female general.
Barrett and Aurora’s wedding was set for October, and it was already mid-August. They needed to make preparations quickly. Besides Carissa, the only other person in the household capable of managing wedding arrangements was Charlotte. Therefore, Carissa was determined to prevent the Warren family from involving her in the wedding preparations.
In the end, the wedding arrangements were entrusted to Charlotte. She harbored deep disdain for Barrett’s cold-heartedness, but family ties and Amelia’s illness compelled her to take charge.
On the eve of the engagement ceremony, Charlotte called a family meeting. Everyone was present, including Barrett’s father, uncle, and younger siblings. When Rebecca insisted Carissa join them, Carissa already guessed their intentions. However, she still went, wanting to see just how shameless they would be.
When the marriage between Barrett and Aurora was proposed, the Yates family had presented a list of betrothal gifts they expected from the Warren family. Having already prepared the basic items on the list, Charlotte had called everyone together to brainstorm ideas for the remaining gifts.
Looking at the list, Jonathan immediately declared it impossible to fulfill.
When Barrett married Carissa a year ago, Melanie had noted that Rebecca required medication year-round and that the Warren family was not well-off. So, she hadn’t asked for much, only requesting five hundred silver coins and some ordinary jewelry as betrothal gifts.
In contrast, Carissa’s dowry to the Warren family included houses, estates, and shops, totaling one hundred thousand silver coins. The furniture, silk, and bedding alone filled an entire room.
Over the past year, Carissa had used her dowry to pay for Sebastian’s visits, who prescribed medication to maintain Rebecca’s health. Without this, Rebecca might not have lived past a month of Barrett’s deployment.