Filed To Story: Queen of the Battlefield Her Return to Glory Novel Online Free
Evelyn’s face darkened as she reproached her daughter. “Vjola, how can you speak like that?”
“Forgive me. I speak bluntly by nature. I hope you won’t take offense, Lady Devin.”
Viola’s smile faded as she continued, “In that case, how do you view Blake’s character? Since you’ve divorced him, he must be quite lacking in your eyes.”
Sophie found the question amusing. “Since you’ve already made such a statement, why ask me?”
Evelyn shot Viola a sharp look, then turned to Sophie with an apologetic tone.” Please don’t mind her, Lady Devin. She’s used to speaking freely after being on her own for years. We came not only to visit Lord Ryan, but also to learn from you about Blake’s character. At the very least, we’d like to know your opinion of him.”
“If you truly want to understand what kind of person he is, asking me isn’t the best approach. As Ms. Prince mentioned, since I’ve divorced him, it’s clear that I couldn’t tolerate him. How could he be considered a good person in my eyes?” Sophie said.
Seeing the change in expressions on both mother and daughter’s faces, Sophie took a sip of her coffee and continued, “However, my grievances with him are personal. From the moment of our divorce, we became strangers, and those grievances faded away. I don’t really know Blake well. He went off to war on our wedding night, and by the time he returned, he was preparing to marry another woman. So, until our divorce, it’s fair to say that I knew him as little as a stranger.”
Evelyn nodded in understanding. “In that case, you both were indeed practically strangers.”
“I truly came to know him on the battlefield of the Southern Frontier,” Sophie added.
Viola’s attitude changed to one of respect. “Oh, I almost forgot. You also made.
contributions on the Southern Frontier battlefield, Lady Devin.
“Speaking from the perspective of a fellow warrior, he is a capable soldier. He follows. orders, doesn’t compete for credit, and is brave and strategic. As for his personal virtues, since I don’t know him well, I can’t provide an answer. You may inquire elsewhere if you wish to know more,” Sophie said..
Viola seemed quite satisfied with Sophie’s responses.
However, Evelyn asked another question, “I’ve heard that before your divorce, he wanted to annul your marriage and that his mother also tried to scheme to keep your dowry. Is that true?”
Sophie felt a sense of relief. Finally, they were asking about this directly.
She nodded. “Yes, that’s true. The Jaffe family wanted Blake to annul our marriage, and tried to keep my dowry.”
The mother and daughter exchanged glances, and fell silent. Some matters were negotiable, but scheming to keep a woman’s dowry was indeed shameless.
Viola wouldn’t give up, and asked, “Was it Blake or his mother who schemed to keep your dowry?”
From this question, Sophie could tell that Viola had a favorable impression of Blake. She likely admired military men, perhaps because her late husband was one. Or perhaps it was because the marriage had already been arranged with no room for negotiation, and she hoped Blake was a good match.
Sophie replied, “I don’t know the specifics of who was behind it. Blake did say he didn’t want my dowry, but whether that was truly his sentiment, I can’t say.”
As Sophie expected, Evelyn and Viola’s expressions brightened slightly after hearing this.
Evelyn seemed to be a sensible person. How could she not know about the embarrassing incidents Rebecca caused in the social circles of the capital?
Sophie sipped her coffee slowly. She had been honest and straightforward. Regardless of how this marriage came to be, as long as they understood it, that was enough.
The mother and daughter had no further questions. After some idle chatter, Evelyn stood to take her leave.
She gave Sophie a deep look, and said, “Many things are indeed beyond our control. However, we are very grateful for your honesty today. Originally…”
She paused, and waved her hand dismissively. “Never mind, life must go on. Take care, Lady Devin.”
Sophie could tell there was more to her words. They couldn’t make decisions about this marriage, so they had initially harbored some resentment toward Sophie. But now that she was willing to meet and explain, they decided to let it go.
After seeing off Evelyn and Viola, Sophie sat in the living room for a while, lost in thought.
What was Blake’s attitude towards this marriage? Wasn’t he only in love with Freya?
Sophie remembered how Freya had once come to her with such haughty disdain.
How would Freya feel now, knowing that a new lady of the house had appeared so soon? Would she think that her earlier arrogance was utterly laughable?
Although Viola wasn’t the easiest person to deal with, she was from the Earl of Silverston’s family, making her the most suitable choice for managing the household. Moreover, Rebecca would likely be very pleased with this daughter-in-law.
Even though it was Viola’s second marriage, the substantial dowry and the capable family background were qualities that Rebecca appreciated. She had always favored a daughter-in-law from a strong family. Freya had said she would not engage in disputes with women, but would she still contest this new arrangement? Would she become the very person she despised most?
Sophie was curious, but had no intention of investigating further.
However, although Sophie did not seek information, someone from the Jaffe family visited-specifically, Blake’s second aunt, Charlotte.
Charlotte had visited once before when Ryan had returned. At that time, she had avoided discussing matters related to the Jaffe family. It seemed she had chosen. to spare Sophie from such unpleasant topics on a joyful occasion.
This time, Charlotte came to add to Sophie’s trousseau. The items were neither numerous nor particularly luxurious, but they were heartfelt.
Charlotte had made a set of clothes for Ryan, including shoes and socks.
For Sophie, Charlotte had prepared a quilt. She had personally embroidered the cover, and it was filled with intricate floral patterns symbolizing a lifetime of happiness. She also prepared a day dress, a nightgown, and a pair of satin embroidered shoes for Sophie.
Among the gifts was a pair of gold bracelets with stag and dove motifs, symbolizing blessing’s for both marriages and the lives of children. While these were ordinary designs bought from outside, they were substantial and clearly cost a considerable amount.
The second branch of the Jaffe family had been suffering from the misfortunes of the main branch, so they didn’t have many valuable items to offer. The weight of these bracelets, along with the sentiment behind them, spoke volumes.
Sophie knew Charlotte’s branch of the family was struggling financially, and could hardly afford to give such an expensive gift. She immediately tried to decline, saying, “I appreciate the clothes and the quilt, but I can’t accept the gold bracelets. They’re too valuable.
Charlotte glared at her. “If you refuse them, it will be seen as disrespect. I know that these gifts might seem insignificant to you, but they represent my heartfelt intentions. You must accept them.” Given her insistence, Sophie couldn’t refuse.
She expressed her gratitude sincerely, saying, “Thank you for your efforts, and for personally making clothes for Ryan and me. The gifts are very precious, and I like them very much.”
Charlotte sighed. “Even if you didn’t like them, I have nothing else to offer. Luckily, I bought these bracelets in advance. Otherwise, that money would have had to be scraped together for Blake’s wedding. Realizing she had spoken out of turn, Charlotte quickly added in annoyance, “Look at me, rambling on about things I shouldn’t be mentioning.”
Charlotte’s offhand comment about Blake’s wedding was particularly irksome to herself, as his wedding date coincided with Sophie’s.
Sophie smiled gently, “It’s alright. I don’t mind. I’ll take it as an interesting anecdote from someone else’s life.”
Seeing that Sophie wasn’t bothered, Charlotte couldn’t help but vent a bit more, “It’s always like this. Whenever a wedding is involved, it feels like the entire family is scraped clean. The most infuriating part is that their wedding date is on the same day as yours.”
Sophie was surprised. “On the same day? Are they in such a hurry?”
She and Rafael had been preparing for their wedding for several months, with the support of the Royal Management and Protocol Departments.
How long had it been since Blake’s wedding plans were finalized? They couldn’t possibly get the bridal gown made in time like this, right?
It had only been a short while ago that Lily told her the Prince family had ordered a bridal gown from Enchanted Boutique.