Her Graceful War Song novel Chapter 1157

Zoey helped Evelyn drink the herbal soup, then sat down with Isaac to listen to what she had to say.

"Back then, I was deceived," Evelyn began. "I thought the priest, Reverend Lazarus, told David that Seraphina would bring him good luck. At the time, David seemed to care for Seraphina deeply. When Seraphina fell ill, that man was more anxious than anyone and ran around looking for physicians and treatments. But Seraphina's condition only got worse. By the time he turned five, he could barely get out of bed."

Evelyn's voice faltered, the pain of those memories still raw in her chest.

"Reverend Lazarus said that if we didn't do something, Seraphina wouldn't last a month. He advised sending him to the temple at Gravelstone Peak and praying for the gods' blessing, giving him a chance to live past 18. Once Seraphina made it past that age, his life would be smooth sailing from then on."

"Your grandfather disagreed. He thought it was all nonsense. But then David brought Reverend Lazarus to meet him. I don't know what they said, but your grandfather agreed after some discussion. He even started paying the priest three thousand silver coins every year, saying it was for some kind of blessing or ritual to protect your life."

Evelyn suddenly raised her voice, becoming fierce.

"Those were all lies! He lied to me, your grandfather, and everyone! The truth is that the so-called priest told him that Seraphina was the one keeping your grandfather alive. As long as Seraphina didn't die, David couldn't inherit the title, and he might even die young.

"He plotted against Seraphina and swapped out the medicine the physicians gave him. Some of it had poison, some of it had ingredients that canceled each other out, and some of it weakened Seraphina's heart and drained his strength. That was why Seraphina's health got worse."

Her breath was ragged, her eyes filled with nothing but hatred.

"How did I find out? After the fire, Reverend Lazarus came looking for David. They talked in the study for a long time, but they didn't realize I was right outside the door, listening to every word. David was wrong to do this to my child, wrong—he should never have done this!"

Evelyn clenched her fists tightly, her chin lifted slightly as her entire body tensed, still as rigid with fury as the day she had learned the truth. Even now, with the man long dead, her hatred hadn't faded.

Seeing the intensity of Evelyn's anger, Zoey suddenly thought of something. She stared at Evelyn in disbelief. "Then... Father's death?"

"It was me," Evelyn said coldly, her eyes gleaming with an icy resolve. There was no hesitation in her voice.

"He killed my son, so he had to die. I knew the methods he used to harm my child—after that, every bowl of soup he drank was laced with a slow-acting poison. It wasn't enough to kill him right away. He grew weaker, and his body slowly fell apart. In the end, he was bedridden, and he was never able to inherit the title."