Filed To Story: Queen of the Battlefield Her Return to Glory Novel Online Free
“He’s much better than you! Even Sophie would rather divorce you and marry the prince! Doesn’t that prove he’s far better than you? Besides, which noblewoman in the capital doesn’t want to become the Hell Monarch’s princess consort?”
Blake’s expression darkened. “You want to become the Hell Monarch’s princess consort, but he already has a legitimate wife. Your dream is bound to fail.”
Serena cried bitterly, “Don’t you think I know that by now? But my plan was that even if I entered the household as a concubine, once I won the prince’s favor, replacing Sophie would only be a matter of time! Aren’t you all also angry with her? She sought an edict for divorce and dragged our family’s reputation through the mud! Yes, I had my own motives, but I also wanted to defend our family’s honor!”
“Enough!” Rebecca had finally regained her composure after listening to the siblings argue. Her sharp voice cut through the room, “Both of you, be quiet!”
Taking a deep breath, she turned her gaze to Serena, her eyes cold and piercing. “You said the Marquis of Ironridge, Lord Winchester, touched you?”
Serena sobbed. “He put his arm around my waist. Though he let go quickly, everyone saw it.”
Rebecca’s face darkened. “Since it happened in full view of everyone, Lord Winchester will have to take responsibility. The Marquis of Ironridge’s family is one of the top five noble families in the capital, and it was Lady Jessica who promised to help you. Now that her plan has failed, she must bear the consequences.
“Tomorrow, I’ll drag my ailing body to Ironridge Estate. Lord Winchester only has Lady Jessica as his official wife and one concubine, who has borne his children. If you marry in as a concubine, you’ll still have an advantage. It’s well known that Lord Winchester and Lady Jessica don’t get along, and that concubine has already had several children. She can’t compare to your youth and beauty-you will surely win his favor.”
Serena shook her head, crying. “No, Mom! I don’t want to marry Lord Winchester! Lady Jessica hates me if I marry into that household, she’ll make my life miserable!”
“What do you know?” Rebecca took a deep breath, her eyes narrowing with a vicious and sinister glint. “She has no children, and the concubine is favored. She hates that concubine far more than she hates you. She’d be desperate for someone to share the concubine’s attention,
“She’s going to use you, so you might as welluse her. Once you’ve secured your position in Lord Winchester’s family and won his favor, he’ll help your father an his et brother in court. That’s the only way you’ll truly have a good life in that household.”
Blake snapped, “I don’t need her help, Mom! Stop talking like that. I’ll figure out my career on my own. She’s the legitimate daughter of our family-how could she ever become a concubine?” Rebecca replied coldly, “Lord Winchester touched her. Her reputation is ruined. What family would want their sons to marry her now?”
Blake retorted, “She’ll just have to marry into a lower household, perhaps the second or third son of a sixth or seventh-rank official, or even a scholar. It’s still better than becoming one of Lord Winchester’s concubines.”
“No, I won’t do it!” Serena screamed, her face pale. “I refuse to marry some second son or into a lowly family!”
Viola, who had been silent, spoke up
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coldly, “And who do you think you’ll marry now? You think the Hell Monarch would ever look at you? Tonight, when you threw yourself at him, he saw right through your intentions. He just held back because it was Lady Helen’s birthday…”
Serena whirled around, glaring at her. “Shut up! No matter what, I’m still better off than you-a once-divorced woman who remarried! You’re no better than that trash, Sophie-” Slap!
Blake struck Serena across her face, his expression livid. “She’s your sister-in-law! How dare you talk about her like that?!”
Serena covered her face, and threw herself into Rebecca’s arms. “Mom, Blake hit me!”
Rebecca patted her back, comforting her, and looked at Blake with disappointment.
“You hit her just because she said a few words? As her brother, how could you not see how that would hurt her? Even if her intentions weren’t purely for your sake, in the end, you still stood to benefit from her actions,” she said.
“Mom, I hit her because she spoke disrespectfully of her sister-in-law,” Blake said angrily.
Viola’s heart swelled with emotion. Seeing how fiercely Blake defended her made all her sacrifices feel worthwhile.
Rebecca glanced at Viola and said, “Enough. All of you leave for now. I’ll talk to her myself.”
Feeling suffocated by the toxic atmosphere, Blake turned and strode out of the room, still fuming.
Viola noticed his frustration, and hurried after him. She took his arm and said, “Honey, after seeing how you defended me tonight, I swear I’ll do everything to protect your future.” Blake stiffened.
A wave of sorrow quietly rose within him.
The truth was, he hadn’t slapped Serena to protect Viola. He had lost control the moment his sister called Sophie trash. That one word had ignited a fire in his mind, driving him to slap Serena without thinking. When he had shouted, “How dare you talk about her like that?”, he had meant Sophie.
People often say a person only realized how much they cherished something once it was lost, but by then, it was too late.
He knew it was too late. He wasn’t even sure what he felt for Sophie anymore-maybe guilt, maybe frustration. He had been wrong, but he also felt Sophie had never truly loved him. If she had, she wouldn’t have so ruthlessly gone to the palace to request a divorce edict.
“I don’t need anyone to secure my future for me. I’ll work for it myself.” He pulled his arm away from Viola. “If you say things like that again, I won’t be happy.”
Viola quickly held onto his arm again. “Okay, I won’t say it anymore. I know you’re ambitious, honey. It was my mistake.”
Blake allowed her to hold his arm, but his heart felt cold and desolate.
He had once been the brightest hope for elevating the Jaffe family to new heights. Now, look at what he had become. His legitimate wife was a woman who had been married before. His other rightful wife, a former captive of Sandorian soldiers, was known for her cold and ruthless nature, which sent shivers down one’s spine.
Before he went to the battlefield at Victory Pass, his wife had been the legitimate daughter of the then-Marquis of Northwatch, the most favored apprentice of the Pathfinders Guild, admired by both the queen dowager and the king.
Blake once had such a promising future. But through all his efforts, he lost so much and ended up in this mess.
Was it all because he had taken Freya as his rightful wife?
All men took concubines, so why had he paid such a steep price? The bitterness gnawed at him. He was utterly unwilling to accept it.
That night’s drama reached Amelia, even though she was “recovering” in her chambers. She didn’t say a word about it, nor did she inquire or comment. She knew Serena was an ungrateful woman. No matter who Serena married, she would never appreciate Amelia’s kindness, only her faults.
So, once the marriage was settled, Amelia decided she would only prepare a dowry for Serena and leave the rest alone.
The next morning, Rebecca made her way to Ironridge Estate.
Two hours later, she emerged. She was trembling and supported by her maid, Jade, as she climbed into the carriage.
The moment Rebecca entered the carriage, silent tears began to fall. Though she had gotten what she wanted, she had been humiliated in the process. The Marquis of Ironridge’s family had truly crossed the line with their arrogance.
As Rebecca’s carriage departed,
Velet
Margaret returned to her chambers to change and ordered gifts to be prepared She planned to visit Hett Monarch Estate to personally apologize. The previous night’s fiasco had nearly ruined Heten’s birthday celebration.
Helen was still recovering from her hangover, so it was Sophie who received Margaret.
Seeing Margaret’s pallid complexion, Sophie ordered for herbal tonic soup to be brought in. The soup was originally intended for her own use, as Rafael had advised her to keep up her health and prevent any lingering ailments from the battlefield.
Noticing Margaret’s breath was more hurried than usual, as though she was seething with anger, Sophie said gently, “There was no need for you to make this trip if you’re unwell. What happened last night has nothing to do with you.”
Margaret drank the herbal tonic soup, clutching her chest for a long time. Then, she started speaking slowly, “I truly wish it had nothing to do with our household. But Jessica is still part of our family, and I saw what happened yesterday with my own eyes.
“She wanted to ruin Prince Rafael’s reputation, only to end up ensnaring her own husband in the scandal. She brought shame upon herself, and left our family no choice but to bring Ms. Jaffe into our household as a concubine.”