Chapter 89

Barrett chased after her. “You’ve never been willing to tell me. Back in Fawnrun City, when I was in charge of burning the supply depot, how did you manage to get Westhaven’s marshal, Liam, to sign the peace treaty?”

Aurora’s expression was a mix of irritation and wariness. “Didn’t I already tell you? I went around Fawnrun City loudly proclaiming that the Hell Monarch had already achieved victory in the Southern Frontier and was about to head to Victory Pass. Coupled with the supply depot being burned, they panicked and chose to surrender.”

Indeed, Aurora had given the same explanation many times before. Barrett hadn’t thought anything was wrong with it at first—until recently, when Aurora summoned over a hundred soldiers to their wedding.

Owen had reprimanded her for it, pointing out that she hadn’t asked for permission beforehand but had instead arbitrarily gotten over a hundred soldiers to leave their posts. But Aurora had boldly lied to Barrett’s face without so much as blinking, claiming she had asked for permission and that Owen had granted it.

So, reflecting on the Victory Pass triumph, Barrett felt something was off. Especially now, with three hundred thousand Westhaven soldiers disguising themselves as Sandorian troops to fight Starhaven at the Southern Frontier. It made Barrett increasingly suspicious about the supposed victory at Victory Pass.

How could Westhaven amicably set a boundary, then immediately send three hundred thousand troops to the Southern Frontier to oppose Starhaven? It didn’t make any sense.

Unless, from the moment the treaty was signed at Victory Pass, the people of Westhaven harbored great resentment.

Seeing his uncertain expression, Aurora turned back to look at him with eyes full of grievance and said, “Barrett, I’m your wife. Don’t you trust me? The battle at Victory Pass can withstand any scrutiny. Westhaven voluntarily surrendered, and it was Liam who personally signed the peace treaty in their own city. There’s no way it could be fake. If they hadn’t surrendered voluntarily, how could I, leading just three hundred men, have forced them to sign? You know how violent Liam is.”

Barrett thought about it and realized she had a point. Liam had signed the treaty himself. Considering the forces stationed in Fawnrun City at the time, the few hundred men under Aurora’s command were hardly significant. If it came to a fight, Liam could have withdrawn from the main battlefield and easily wiped out Aurora and her soldiers.

When he thought about this, Barrett felt a wave of guilt for doubting his wife. He gently said, “It’s my fault. I shouldn’t have suspected you. Don’t be angry.”

“I’m not angry. I’m not so petty,” Aurora replied with a broad smile, though her tone was laced with sarcasm.

Bonus:

Barrett continued in a soft voice, “Of course you’re not.”

After a pause, seeing his wife smile, he added, “We came here as reinforcements. We don’t know what happened in the previous battles, so it’s best if we don’t concern ourselves with Carissa’s achievements or the marshal putting her in charge of the Mystic Army.”

Aurora laughed dryly. “Can I control anything here? Most of the generals here were her father’s former subordinates. Even my father once served under Hector. She’s the daughter of a duke and a noble lady. How many people here are eager to help her gain military merits? I wouldn’t dare offend her.”

Barrett had seen Carissa’s martial arts skills, but he knew that on the battlefield, martial prowess alone was not enough. In the chaos of battle, martial arts skills could only help kill a few more enemies and slowly accumulate military achievements. But Carissa hadn’t been at the Southern Frontier for very long. Even if she had fought in battles, she wouldn’t immediately be promoted to fifth-rank Valor General in such a major war.

So, there were indeed elements of favoritism. But if Rafael was willing to support her, there was nothing Barrett and Aurora could do. After all, the world was inherently unfair.

“We can’t provoke her, but we can avoid her, right?” Barrett said, feeling a mix of helplessness and melancholy.

Aurora sneered. “Why should I avoid her? I earned my military merits through hard work. What does she amount to?”

“Aurora, what are you planning to do?”

“Nothing!” she called out as she walked away.

The passage has been cleaned up for grammar, punctuation, and sentence structure. Paragraph breaks have been adjusted for better readability. The "Bonus" section has been clearly delineated. Contractions have been retained for a more natural flow.