Her Graceful War Song by Summer's Blaze

Chapter 1178

Carissa stepped into the room, her cold, piercing gaze sweeping over them. The three girls immediately lowered

their heads, too intimidated to meet her eyes. Seeing her arrive, Rosalind let out a relieved breath, as though a

savior had finally appeared.

Carissa's voice cut through the tension like a blade.

"What are you waiting for? Do you wantto increase the punishment, or would you prefer to leave Gracewood

Women's Academy? If you're not here to study, then don't take up space. There are plenty of others who would

be eager to learn." Hailey and Cassidy flinched at her words. They quickly pulled on Jocelyn's sleeve, their eyes

urging her to leave before things got worse. What had started as 20 strikes was now 30, and if they lingered any

longer, it could easily climb to 40 or 50. However, Jocelyn wasn't one to back down so easily. As a pampered

daughter of the prestigious Quinton family, she had never endured such humiliation. After a long pause, she

finally stifled her defiant glare.

Before Carissa could say the dreaded 40, Jocelyn turned on her heel and stormed off, dragging the others with

her.

Once outside the door, Jocelyn's face flushed with anger, her hands trembling. If it weren't for Kylie's orders, she

would have never stayed in this wretched place.

Women only needed to know how to read and write, and that was enough. All this studying was pointless! It

would be far better to learn how to manage a household or command servants. At least that would be useful

after marriage.

Rosalind rose and greeted Carissa properly. "Greetings, Your Grace."

Carissa smiled. "I imagine having such students must give you a headache."

"It's only a few of them, so it's not too bad," Rosalind responded with a light smile.

She gestured for Carissa to sit as she began tidying up the lesson plans spread across the table.

"If they were just being rowdy, it wouldn't be so troublesome. What concernsis the possibility that someone

doesn't want the academy to succeed."

Her eyes narrowed with suspicion as she asked, "Who do you think it might be, Your Grace?"

Carissa had a rough idea, though she wasn't certain. She offered a comforting smile. "There are many who don't

want to see the academy thrive. Rather than waste our energy guessing, it's better we focus on doing what we

do best."

"You're right, Your Grace." Rosalind nodded in agreement, offering a faint smile. "Originally, | asked you to come

and handle their behavior, but now that they've apologized, | suppose you didn't need to make the trip after all."

"Sometimes it's good to make a visit," Carissa replied. Truthfully, she could have skipped today. Their actions

were more childish than anything truly wrong. There was no need to expel them, but a small punishment was

still necessary to maintain discipline.

Rosalind reported the situation with a calm expression. "Everything else is going smoothly. In fact, many of the

students are especially eager to learn. They particularly enjoyed the lessons with Mrs. Ashford, as she has

traveled to many places and experienced different cultures in her youth. She tells them stories, sharing tales

from beyond the walls, and they listen with great interest. Even | find myself going to listen whenever | have the

chance."

Carissa was grateful to have Catherine here. "It's truly a blessing to broaden their horizons. These young women

have been confined. to the inner chambers their whole lives. Shave rarely stepped outside the outer

courtyard, only venturing out during festivals. The constraints of being a woman have bound their feet and

obscured their vision. The world they know is

limited to the confines of their

courtyards."

Rosalind nodded in agreement, fully understanding the truth of it. She herself had only gained a broader

perspective because she had the opportunity to read more books than most.

She gazed out at the winter sun, her profile soft and graceful.

"The academy truly is a wonderful thing."

Carissa leaned her chin on her hand, admiring Rosalind. Rosalind was undeniably beautiful, but it was more than

her looks-what truly captivated people was the quiet elegance that cfrom her depth of knowledge.

After what happened with Thomas,

Rosalind never again spoke of

marriage. It was as though once she had let go of the idea, she truly had moved on. When it cto matters of

the heart, Carissa knew better than to pry. People should live in the way that suited them best what mattered

most was their own peace of mind.

Meanwhile, Athena showed no mercy. She had sent someone to inquire with Carissa and confirmed that the

punishment would be 30 strikes across the palm. When the tcame, the maidservant struck hard.

Since the students used their right

hands to write, it was the left hand

that bore the brunt of the

punishment. The heavy ruler ein

with each blow he gdedintensi ying

2B jerk on. The girls held on at

first, but soon their resolve broke, and

they cried pitifully. Athena paid no

attention. She sat calmly sipping

coffee, only speaking once the

punishment was over. She had the

girls treated with medicine, gave

them a few words of rebuke, and

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That evening, Jocelyn returned home,

crying uncontrollably. She demanded

that Vera take her to the palage toy

speak ih iectored her punish

the bthers and get revenge for her.

Vera was already frustrated with the

' q

matter of Jocelyn's marriage, and

| '

she couldn't stand her daughter's

tantrum. The content is on

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chapter there!

Annoyed, she snapped, "Enough! You're doing this for the queen's sake, aren't you? She'll remember your

loyalty. Once you marry General Farrell, you'll be free to leave the academy."

I" f [1

| don't want to marry that old man!

' o o

Jocelyn's rage flared, ignoring the

pain in her hand. She jumped ipyiger

feet, neg gygaswolehn fom crying but

. 9 f n

filed iow with hatred. "How dare he?

Does he actually think he can take a

young girl like me? Who does he

3 3 '

think he is? I'll never marry a lecher

a " q

like that!" The content is on

novelenglish.net! Read the latest

chapter there!