Chapter 751

Violet left, her heart heavy with anger and sorrow. Melanie and Carmen merely reflected the harm Eleanor inflicted on countless women—many of whom were already dead. While Melanie and Carmen were alive and had escaped Harmony Palace, their suffering was far from unique. Violet's hatred would not abate until Eleanor was destroyed.

Meanwhile, at the Supreme Court, Carissa remained. After Florence awoke and ate some soup, she was returned to the interrogation room. Rafael believed further questioning unnecessary, but Carissa insisted on speaking.

They were in the same interrogation room as before, but the scribe was absent, and Rafael was hidden behind the partition screen. Carissa faced Florence across the table. Florence's face was pale, her eyes devoid of light; a wry smile played on her lips as she sighed.

“What’s the point? What more can I say? Do you want me to testify against Grand Princess Eleanor for treason? You don't need my testimony; you have the dungeon's evidence. His Majesty won't let her go, regardless of my confession. Why prolong this? Why continue to torment me? If she's guilty, she will receive her just punishment.”

Carissa countered, “What can her punishment erase? What can it restore? Her evil deeds are permanent. The dead will not return. You pity her, Florence, but she was merely rejected by my father. She continued to live in unimaginable luxury. Many yearn for such a life their entire lives, yet she attained it effortlessly. Others sacrifice everything and still cannot afford a place in Harmony Palace.

She was King Augustus's favored daughter, blessed with boundless wealth. Her life has been easy; her only setback was a rejected love. You claim she loved my father more than my mother did—nonsense! It's self-pity for not getting what she wanted.

She never truly loved him. If she had, she would have accepted his rejection. You say she respected him? Absolutely not. If she respected him, she wouldn't have used his rejection to inflict such cruelty on others.”

Florence narrowed her eyes. “You're not her; you can't understand her pain. What do you know?”

“Obviously, I'm not her. I cannot comprehend a twisted mind that demands death over minor grievances. What more could she possibly want? Had my father married her, would she have allowed him to continue fighting, even with King Augustus's consent? Her so-called love is domineering, dictatorial, and disrespectful.”

Chapter 751 (continued)

“That's just your assumption,” Florence shook her head. “You don't understand her self-torment. She's suffered greatly. Had she married your father, she would have respected his decisions and been proud of him.”

“Who are you trying to fool?” Carissa's expression was cold. “Grand Princess Eleanor treats human life as worthless. Do you think she would have allowed my father to fight bandits and protect our kingdom? She takes lives for fleeting satisfaction over minor grievances. Can you imagine her supporting him without complaint when he fought for our people?

King Augustus pampered her, yet she hated him and committed treason for revenge—all because of a rejected marriage proposal. Can you expect such a person to support his loyalty to the throne and love for the people?”

Tears glistened in Florence's eyes, her expression bleak. “She knew his ambitions. How could she stand in his way?”

“Knowing is easy; doing is hard. The only person who consistently supported my father was my mother. She bore seven children, managed our household, and never let him worry. After the initial passion faded, she faced raising children, managing a household, and the constant anxiety of his wars. To me, both my father and mother are heroes. Can Grand Princess Eleanor compare?”

Florence began to speak, but Carissa interrupted.

“She can’t. She’d throw tantrums over minor issues, vent her frustrations on servants, even maiming them to feel better. Don't compare her to my mother. She doesn't even compare to a single strand of my mother's hair!”