Filed To Story: Queen of the Battlefield Her Return to Glory Novel Online Free
Mentioning Sophie might have elicited curiosity, but speaking of Hector’s household evoked deep sympathy and sorrow among the citizens. Some, moved by a strong sense of patriotism, even shed tears.
All the men of Hector’s family had perished on the Southern Frontier battlefield, leaving behind widows and orphans. Such a tragedy inevitably tugged at the heartstrings.
As a result, people began to delve into the life of Sophie, the sole survivor of the Duke of Northwatch’s family. They discovered that she had been sent to the Pathfinders Guild to learn martial arts at the age of seven,
Then, Freya had snatched Sophie’s husband from her. Given Sophie’s martial arts skill and her family’s military background, combined with the sacrifice of her father and brothers on the Southern Frontier battlefield, it made sense that she would seek military merit there. It was both a quest for revenge and a way to prove herself superior to Freya.
The rumors about Sophie’s military accomplishments reached the Jaffe family, causing quite a stir.
Upon hearing them, Rebecca laughed bitterly and mocked, “Sophie, capable of earning military merit on the battlefield? If she had such skills, she would have gone to the front lines long ago. Why would she instead marry into our family and even serve an old woman like me?”
Since Amelia couldn’t control the household staff, Rebecca’s scornful words naturally spread outside. Some people believed whatever they heard, so they thought Rebecca’s words made sense.
If Sophie had those abilities, why would she have lowered herself to serve a sickly mother-in-law? They recalled hearing that Sophie had attended to the older woman so diligently that she even slept in her room to provide constant care.
Others, however, thought more deeply.
They saw this as a testament to the duke’s excellent upbringing of his daughter. After marrying, it was only right for Sophie to fulfill her duties and serve her in-laws. Sleeping in the same room as her ailing mother-in-law demonstrated her strong sense of respect and obedience, which was quite admirable.
Previously, the great triumph at Victory Pass, where Freya and Blake earned their merits and sought a marriage edict from Salvador, was considered a romantic tale. However, the joy of reclaiming the Southern Frontier overshadowed the triumph at Victory Pass.
In comparison, the recovery of the Southern Frontier was a far more significant achievement.
Upon reflection, Blake’s act of seeking marriage as a reward for his military achievements began to feel distasteful. Without the heroic aura, Blake became a man who abandoned his wife, and Freya was seen as a husband-stealer.
How could anyone celebrate them?
As rumors and various speculations spread, the Jaffe family decided to shut their doors, ignoring the gossip. They remained confident that Freya and Blake would earn their merits.
On the third day of April, the court finally announced that the Hell Monarch would lead the reinforcements back to the capital. The Ministry of Defense also released the list of meritorious soldiers from this campaign.
Three female generals were recognized for their contributions, with Sophie, who had captured two cities, receiving the highest honors. The other two were Violet and Cynthia.
Blake’s name appeared on the list but was ranked much lower. He was preceded by veteran generals who had been stationed at the Southern Frontier for years, most of whom were Hector’s former subordinates.
Freya’s name was notably absent from the list.
When the Ministry of Defense’s announcement reached the Jaffe family, everyone was dumbfounded. They could hardly believe that Freya had not been recognized. Despite leading reinforcements to the battlefield during the harsh winter, she wasn’t even mentioned for her efforts.
Rebecca was so infuriated that she fainted on the spot.
In coffeehouses across the capital, storytellers spared no effort in embellishing Sophie’s military achievements, portraying her conquest of the cities as a grand tale of heroism. As a result, the common people grew to admire Sophie immensely, completely forgetting the harsh words they had once spoken about her after her divorce.
Heather finally understood why she had been confined to her quarters. When her daughter got married, Sophie had sent people to offer congratulatory gifts, which Heather had declined. At the time, she had complained to those around her, saying that Sophie, being a divorced woman, had no business sending gifts-it was bad luck.
Upon hearing of this, Harvey was furious and slapped her. “She’s your niece! If your sister in heaven knew what you did, would she not be upset with you for being so heartless? It’s one thing for strangers to show Sophie disdain, but you’re her aunt! You’re truly…”
Harvey was a leisurely prince with no real power or responsibilities, which was why he remained in the capital. He had never concerned himself with Sophie and Blake’s divorce, nor did he dare to interfere, as any royal edict regarding marriage or divorce was beyond his jurisdiction.
He was unaware of Sophie’s attempt to honor his daughter with congratulatory wedding gifts. Had he known, he would have accepted the gifts to avoid offending Sophie, though he might not have given them to his daughter.
“It wasn’t that I disliked her, I was afraid you and your family would hold it against her. I acted out of a moment of poor judgment,” Heather cried, feeling both anxious and regretful after being slapped. “You didn’t even know she went to war, which shows you never bothered to check on her. You claim to have acted out a moment of poor judgment, but it’s clearly a lack of compassion,” Harvey countered. Heather defended herself, “But we were confined to our quarters!”
“You could have sent someone to check on her. Not everyone in the household was confiner Harvey’s face turned a deep shade of red. “Your sister treated you so well. You and your sister had a close bond that everyone admired. After such a heartless act, will Sophie still acknowledge you as her aunt when she returns?”
Harvey’s concern was not genuinely about familial bonds, but rather about maintaining good relations with those in power. Having made significant contributions, Sophie now held a military post with real authority.
Harvey had no interest in making enemies with any officials who wielded power-especially since Sophie’s divorce had been granted by the king himself. Plus, Hector had been posthumously elevated to the title of duke, which could be inherited. The Duke of Northwatch’s family would surely thrive in the future under the new head of the family.
Heather was shocked to learn that Sophie had made such achievements on the battlefield.
Previously, she had thought that the king’s elevation of Hector to a duke was merely a formality to balance out Blake and Freya’s marriage-that it was more about appearances than real significance.
Now, Heather deeply regretted her actions and wanted to quickly try to make amends.
“Fortunately, Leona doesn’t know about this. When Sophie returns in triumph, I’ll make sure Leona visits her. They were very close when they were young. Otherwise, Sophie wouldn’t have sent Leona wedding gifts when she got married,” said Heather.
“Even if you try to make amends, it will never be the same. Moreover, because of this incident, we’ve been confined to our quarters and couldn’t even attend the New Year celebrations in the palace. Clearly, the king holds a grudge now. Just wait and see,” Harvey snapped before storming off. T
Shaken, Heather had tears streaming down her face. In all their years of marriage, Harvey had never struck her. Her actions had indeed been a moment of poor judgment. She didn’t despise Sophie- they were relatives, so it was obvious there were chenshed familial bonds between them.
Heather had simply wanted to avoid further complications.
“Lara, do you think I was wrong?” Heather asked, wiping her tears as she spoke to the old maid who was applying ointment to her face.
Lara sighed. “My lady, you and your late sister were once very close. When General Jaffe sought permission to marry General Ernst, you, as Lady Devin’s aunt, should have gone to the Jaffe family to support her. I advised you, but you didn’t listen.”
Heather sobbed. “But it was a royal edict. How could I possibly oppose the king? That would be outright defiance.”
Lara gently rubbed Heather’s face. “You may not have been able to stop the marriage, but if you had shown some support, the Jaffe family wouldn’t have gone so far, as they would have had to show some consideration for your status as a princess consort.”
Heather sniffled and ordered a servant to bring some warm water to wash her face.
“I’ll go to Northwatch Estate. Even if it’s just a formality, at least when Sophie returns, her servants will tell her that I made an effort to visit,” said Heather.
Lara knew it was a bit too late to visit now, and it seemed more like an attempt to curry favor. But as the princess consort had always acted this way, there was no stopping her. If she wanted to go, it would be best to let her go.
The events in the capital were unknown to Sophie, who was far away at the Southern Frontier.
The war was long over, but the troops could not fully withdraw yet. The first reason was the severe cold, which made marching difficult. The second reason was that many areas of the Southern Frontier were in ruins after years of conflict, and the soldiers were helping with the reconstruction.
Since the end of the war, rumors about Freya’s capture and disgrace had spread throughout the army. No matter how much she denied it, there were many soldiers who had rushed into the wooden h?t and seen her state that day.
It was not a secret that could be hidden.
Freya had sought out Zeke and the others to testify on her behalf, but what could they say? Having endured brutal beatings and mutilation, they could barely say whether Freya had been violated or not.
Besides, Zeke was furious with his cousin and refused to even speak with her. Meanwhile, the other soldiers who had once been grateful to Freya for their rewards now harbored hatred towards her after their capture and suffering.
Freya remained remarkably resilient, undeterred by anyone’s judgment. Once her injuries had healed, she returned to her duties with a mental fortitude that was indeed admirable.
Liam had expected that after such an ordeal, she might take her own life. It seemed he had underestimated Freya’s strength. He would have been furious to learn that she hadn’t committed suicide-after all, their crown prince had killed himself from disgrace, while Freya had the audacity to shamelessly live on. 2