Filed To Story: Queen of the Battlefield Her Return to Glory Novel Online Free
Rafael addressed Sophie and the Klein family, saying, “I will stay with Ryan inside. You should remain outside; matters of a man are best handled without you.”
He turned to Ryan with a reassuring smile. “Right, Ryan?”
Ryan nodded vigorously. He actually preferred not to have his aunt and grandparents there; it would mean he would have to pretend to be strong and comfort them not to worry too much.
He liked having Rafael by his side. Rafael was a warrior, a man like his grandfather, and he believed Rafael could give him strength.
He could endure with Rafael’s support.
Sophie understood Rafael’s good intentions, and saw that Ryan agreed.
“Alright, then.”
She walked over to Ryan, gently stroking his head, and whispered, “We’ll be right outside. Ryan, stay strong.”
Ryan nodded and wrote two large words in the air with his finger: Not afraid!
The words Ryan wrote were large and clear enough for everyone to understand. They all gave him tender smiles, their hearts aching for him. “Alright, clear the room!” Sebastian instructed.
With reluctant glances at Ryan, everyone slowly withdrew.
Rowan brought in the painkiller, which Ryan drank down in gulps.
Rafael sat beside the bed, holding Ryan’s hand. His gaze was steady and reassuring. “I’m here, Ryan. There’s nothing to be afraid of.” Despite Rafael’s words, Ryan’s hand still trembled slightly.
He was scared.
Sebastian joked, “Since His Highness is here, how about leaving the bone-breaking to him?”
A seasoned warrior like Rafael knew exactly how to carefully break crooked bones. For him, it was a simple task.
So, Rafael agreed.
He gently felt along Ryan’s leg, locating the misaligned section of the bone. Ryan tensed up, and Rafael gave him-a reassuring smile.
“I have a secret to share with you, Ryan. But you mustn’t tell anyone, especially not your aunt. It’s about her.”
Ryan’s curiosity was piqued. A secret about his aunt?
“Back when your aunt had just started practicing martial arts, there was a tall tree in Meadow Ridge. Every evening, many birds would gather on the tree, and your aunt would climb up trying to catch them.” Ryan’s eyes widened in surprise. Was his aunt really that mischievous?
After Sophie returned from Meadow Ridge, Melanie had insisted she followed proper manners-speaking correctly, walking properly, and behaving with decorum.
Ryan had never seen her as a troublemaker before.
“She could actually climb the tree, but it startled the birds. At that time, she had just started practicing her Lightfoot Skill. She thought she could chase after the birds, but she didn’t realize she would fall as soon as she leaped. She ended up falling and breaking her leg…”
At this point, Rafael concentrated his inner force on the tip of his fingers to carefully break the misaligned bone, his touch firm yet precise.
Ryan couldn’t help but let out a cry of pain, his whole body shaking and his face scrunched up in agony, followed by tears streaming down his cheeks.
Rafael immediately wrapped his arms around the trembling boy, and turned to Sebastian. “It’s your turn.”
Sebastian was reflecting on the anguished cry Ryan had just let out. It seemed that the pain had quite an effect on Ryan’s vocal cords, but for Sebastian, the sound was like music to his ears. Rowan was capable of performing tasks such as setting bones. However, Sebastian valued Ryan too much to leave it to anyone else. He preferred to handle it personally.
To him, this was a skill deeply ingrained in his bones. He carefully felt along Ryan’s leg, inch by inch, until he reached the misaligned section. With great precision, he adjusted the bone. Ryan was drenched in sweat from the pain, his body trembling uncontrollably. He gripped Rafael’s wrist tightly, his nails digging in and drawing blood.
The pain from setting the bone was excruciatingly real.
The pain-relief medicine didn’t seem to help much, and he felt as though the pain was radiating throughout his entire body, even though the injury was in his leg.
Once the bone was set, Sebastian began applying the medicine. Two wooden splints were used to stabilize Ryan’s leg, and he would need to remain bedridden until the bone healed.
Sebastian’s medicated plaster, a formula he had personally developed, was highly effective. It wasn’t available at other pharmacies, and it worked well to speed up bone healing. With the added benefit of the medicinal soup, Ryan should be able to walk again in about ten days.
After securing the splints, Ryan was given another dose of painkiller, which also had calming and sleep-inducing properties to help him rest. This would hopefully ease the pain when he woke up. Outside, those waiting heard Ryan’s agonized scream, which left everyone feeling anxious and troubled. Hearing such a cry made it clear just how intense the pain was.
Sophie paced nervously, awaiting the door to open. Diana clasped her hands together, trembling as she prayed silently.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the door opened.
Rafael stepped out first.
Sophie hurried inside to find Ryan lying on the bed, with Rowan administering acupuncture to alleviate some of the pain and help him fall asleep.
Sebastian gave a soft shushing sound, and said quietly “We should leave and let him sleep. He’s a brave and resilient child.”
Sophie was gently ushered out again. No one else could visit to avoid disturbing Ryan. If he couldn’t fall asleep, he would have to endure the pain as best he could. Sophie noticed that Rafael’s hand was covered in blood, clearly from where Ryan’s nails had dug in.
Are your hands alright? Thank you for your hard work.”
“It’s nothing to worry about. It’s not a big deal,” Rafael said with a reassuring smile. “Ryan is incredibly strong. He endured it all. We didn’t use acupoint sealing for pain relief, so there’s no effect on the blood flow in his leg. Once he’s healed, he’ll be fully recovered.”
Sophie placed a hand over her heart. “Hearing him scream like that really frightened me… Please, come with me. I’ll take care of your hand.”
Seeing the blood on his wrist and the back of his hand made her uneasy. It made her feel both guilty and grateful.
Anthony also added, “She’s right, Your Highness. You should tend to your wounds. We’re truly grateful.”
“There’s no need to-“
Before Rafael could finish his sentence, Sophie had already taken his other hand. “It’s necessary. At the very least, it should be cleaned up.”
Her fingers were slender, with calluses in her palms, and they perfectly fit around his wrist. Feeling the warmth from her fingertips, his heartbeat quickened, and he swallowed his objections.
“Alright, then. Let’s take care of it. It would be alarming if it were left in this bloody state.”
The injury wasn’t severe-it was only scratches. Ryan had scratched him several times, leaving a few bloody streaks that looked worse than they were.
Sophie led him to a side room, asking Pearl to fetch some medicine, Joy to bring clean water, and Lulu to get some gauze from Rowan.
Once everything was ready, Sophie cleaned the blood with a cloth, carefully applied the ointment, and then wrapped the gauze around his hand. She started from his wrist and covered the back of his hand while avoiding the webbing between the thumb and index finger. Finally, she secured it with a knot.