Filed To Story: Queen of the Battlefield Her Return to Glory Novel Online Free
“Impressive!” Rafael said with admiration. Then, he called out loudly, “Feed the horses and prepare the meals!”
A booming voice responded from outside. “Yes, sir!”
Sophie quickly asked, “Aren’t you going to devise a strategy? Or send someone to urgently notify the capital and request more reinforcements?”
Rafael leaned against the desk, tapping his long fingers on his leg as he narrowed his eyes.
“We will recruit soldiers. Reinforcements won’t arrive quickly. To handle the first battle, we need to first recruit soldiers and gather provisions.”
He looked at Sophie with clear appreciation in his eyes. “You made the right choice by coming to the Southern Frontier yourself. It gives me enough time to come up with a plan. I’ll have someone show you where you can rest. Stay for two days and regain your strength before you return to the capital.”
Sophie shook her head. “I’m not going back. My father and brothers died on the Southern Frontier battlefield. I’ve already sent word to my friends, asking them to come here and fight.”
Rafael’s eyes darkened, and his demeanor grew stern,
“This is nonsense. Going to the battlefield isn’t as simple as you think. Several high-ranking officers and generals have already died.
“If something happened to you, how would I explain it to your mother? Besides, I heard you married Blake… Wait, that’s right. You’re married to Blake. With the victory at Victory Pass, he should have already returned to the capital. Why hasn’t he reported to the king? He’s a hero, and the king would believe him. Even if the king didn’t, he should have brought the news, not you.” Rafael’s words left Sophie momentarily stunned.
It was no surprise that Rafael was keeping track of the Victory Pass battle. With the ongoing conflict, updates between the two sides were essential.
After the death of her father and brothers, Rafael had taken over Hector’s position as commander. He had been fighting the Sandoria people at the Southern Frontier for the past three years.
While Rafael might be aware of significant national events, it was surprising that he also knew about her marriage to Blake. After all, that was considered insignificant information.
Still, it was strange. Though Rafael knew she was married to Blake, he had no clue that her entire family had been slaughtered.
Sophie didn’t answer immediately. She lowered her gaze, then looked up and asked, “Your Highness, shouldn’t you be asking why Westhaven allied with Sandoria? Westhaven had just signed a non-
aggression peace treaty with Starhaven, but they immediately broke it. They disguised themselves as Sandorian soldiers, and joined forces with Sandorla to attack us at the Southern Frontier.” Sophie felt that Rafael had accepted her words too quickly, without asking any more questions. It seemed a bit hasty and rash.
However, Rafael had reclaimed over twenty cities from the fierce Sandorian people. He wasn’t known for being reckless.
Why did he believe her so easily, then?
Even if he trusted her senior, this information was coming from Sophie, not directly from Winona.
Wasn’t he worried it might be false news? After all, even the king had doubts.
Rafael scratched his tangled beard, trying to smooth it out. But the knots were stubborn, and he could only get his fingers through it, not straighten it.
His brows were furrowed, and his eyes gleamed with a sharp intensity.
“There’s something wrong with the Victory Pass battle I sent someone to investigate as soon as I heard about the victory, but we haven’t received a report yet. Do you know what the issue is?”
Sophie didn’t answer, but countered with another question, “Why do you suspect there’s a problem with the Victory Pass victory, Your Highness?”
Rafael explained methodically. “In the Victory Pass battle, your seventh uncle died, your third uncle lost an arm, and General Sullivan was severely injured.
“The main commander on the battlefield was the reinforcements’ leader, Blake Jaffe, who had little combat experience. Following General Sullivan’s orders, he led troops into Fawnrun City to burn supplies and spread news of an imminent victory at the Southern Frontier.
“This was meant to be a delaying tactic. It was supposed to give General Sullivan time to recover and adjust strategies. But somehow, the tactic forced Westhaven to surrender. I don’t believe it.”
Rafael’s analysis earned Sophie’s deep respect. Only a seasoned battlefield veteran would understand how absurd it was for an enemy to surrender just because their supplies were burned, especially in a long-standing stalemate like this one.
The conflict between the two kingdoms had led to countless battles over the years, both small and large, with decades of strife.
Moreover, Westhaven wasn’t without its own supplies. Even if their provisions were burned, they could simply resupply and wouldn’t need to surrender. At worst, they would retreat and have a truce. By doing so, the Starhaven army wouldn’t invade them.
“So, what’s the real issue?” Rafael asked.
Knowing that Rafael’s investigation would eventually reveal the truth, Sophie decided to be honest. Freya Ernst killed prisoners and massacred civilians
Rafael’s expression changed abruptly. “Does the king know about this?”
“I don’t know if the king is aware, but…the Victory Pass reports, including the final victory report, didn’t mention
1. it. Of course, what I saw was only a copy from the Ministry of Defense, not the original reports submitted to the king.”
“You infiltrated the Ministry of Defense? Rafael looked at her sharply. “Do you know that spying on military documents is a capital offense? You’re reckless! You could have asked your husband, Blake. He was the commander of the reinforcements.”
Rafael stood up, his tall figure casting a shadow like a looming beast over the tent. He seemed genuinely angry as he leaned in and spoke in a low, furious voice.
“Even if you did infiltrate the Ministry of Defense, you shouldn’t have revealed it. You shouldn’t tell anyone, even me. Have you learned nothing from your time at the Pathfinders Guild about the dangers of trust?”
His eyes flashed with severity. “This matter must not be mentioned to anyone, not even your mother.”
Sophie lowered her gaze, and nodded slightly.
“Does Blake know?” Rafael asked again. “He doesn’t.”
Rafael frowned. “What’s going on? You didn’t ask him, but went to infiltrate the ministry instead. Did the -orders to kill prisoners and massacre civilians come from Freya, or was it Blake’s?” Sophie shook her head. “I don’t know.”
“Freya Ernst…” Rafael said thoughtfully. “I remember she’s the daughter of Tristan Ernst, a former subordinate of your father. Tristan lost a leg, and she joined the military, showing great ruthlessness and earning a commendation for suppressing bandits. How could she have the authority to issue such orders?”
As the only female general in the court, Rafael was well aware of Freya.
Sophie remained silent. Under normal circumstances, Freya would be unable to act alone unless she and Blake had a prearranged plan. That was also provided Blake trusted her completely, and allowed her to lead troops independently.
Sophie’s eyes flashed with a mix of complicated emotions. She didn’t want to discuss unrelated matters at such a critical time.
“Regardless, the fact remains that there were executions of prisoners and massacres of civilians at Victory Pass. Three hundred thousand Westhaven soldiers are on their way now, and are expected to reach Simonton in about twenty-five days before heading straight for llyrian,” she said.
Rafael stared at her for a while, before saying slowly, “Have you considered that even if Freya committed these atrocities, Westhaven wouldn’t need to surrender unless she was holding a high-ranking Westhaven figure hostage, which forced Westhaven’s hand?
“If they signed a treaty and this important hostage was released back to them, Westhaven might have suffered a great loss. Even so, they could always seek revenge later. Yet, they chose to ally with Sandoria Sophie followed his line of thought, her expression changing. “Could the important figure be tortured while in Freya’s hands, and died after being released?”
“Good insight. You’re as exceptional as your father.”
Though Rafael’s words were of praise, his tone was tinged with irritation.
“But breaking into the Ministry of Defense was reckless. Have you thought about the consequences? You even confessed your actions before me. Weren’t you afraid of the risk?”