Filed To Story: Queen of the Battlefield Her Return to Glory Novel Online Free
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After Yuvan had visited several noble families, he was finally ready to visit Eleanor at Harmony Palace. Coincidentally, Harvey arrived on the same day.
Yuvan was ranked third in the age among the siblings, while Harvey was the fifth. Eleanor was only two months younger than Yuvan, and Harvey was two years younger than them.
In the past, these three had rarely interacted. When Yuvan visited the capital, it was usually merely to exchange pleasantries in the palace. They seldom visited each other directly. Harvey had little connection with Eleanor, unless it was attending her banquets.
Eleanor dismissed the servants from the room, then smiled and said, “It’s quite a coincidence that the three of us are gathered here today. I didn’t expect you to drop by as well, Harvey.”
“You’re right,” Harvey replied, his previous humility nowhere to be found. He settled into a chair with his chin slightly raised, and eft dignified demeanor befitting a prince. “It’s a rare chance that we get to sit down together and have a good chat.”
Yuvan sipped the exquisite coffee that Eleanor had provided, and smiled. “This is really high-quality coffee. It’s far superior to what I drank back in Valken.” Eleanor replied, “I’ve only got two jars left. I only brought some out today because both of my brothers are here to visit me, and I felt it worth sharing.”
Yuvan shifted his gaze toward her. “You seem a bit thinner, Eleanor. Is something troubling you? Are your subordinates causing any trouble?”
“Celeste is the only one, but she shaped up after a proper reprimand,” Eleanor replied, her eyes icy. “Some people just can’t seem to understand their place. They really think they’re part of my family.”
“There’s no need to get angry. If they misbehave, just teach them a lesson, and they’ll be obedient,” Yuvan said as he set down his cup, a hint of joy on his face. “The Earl of Gracehold’s family is completely ruined.”
“Yes, and Leona was caught in the crossfire,” Eleanor said as she glanced at Harvey. “Harvey, you can’t blame me for this. Leona wouldn’t listen to you. She’s soft-hearted, and was deeply infatuated with Samuel. Her marriage to Samuel would have only strengthened the Earl of Gracehold’s family, so I had no choice but to ruin them.”
Harvey forced a smile.
Eleanor continued, “Besides, your original plan was flawed from the start. You expected Leona to win over the Earl of Gracehold’s family and Samuel. How could that ever e an old work? The Earl of Gracehold’s family is an old noble family and is fiercely loyal to the crown. Also, Samuel was anarrogant man and thought himself above everyone. He would never have listened to us. It was better to eliminate him outright.”
Harvey lowered his gaze and showed no trace of anger, yet the veins in his hands resting on the armrest bulged slightly. “You’re right.”
“Don’t worry about Leona anymore. Your daughter’s loyalty clearly lies elsewhere. She would rather follow Sophie than return to your estate with you. Honestly, she’s no great loss,” Eleanor went on. Harvey remained silent, but frustration gradually clouded his eyes.
When Yuvan saw this, he quickly changed the topic. “Well, the matter of the Earl of Gracehold’s family is settled. The king won’t employ officials who are disrespectful to their families, so their good days are over. I came here today regarding Freya. I sent assassins after her, but Sophie got in the way. She cost me some of my best men.”
“It won’t be easy to kill Freya now, Yuvan. The king has dispatched the Capital Guard to watch over Valor Estate. They’re in civilian clothing, but I’ve looked into it, and they’re definitely from the Capital Guard,” Harvey replied. “Also, Freya is cunning. She never steps outside Valor Estate.”
“What about bribing someone in Valor Estate to poison her?” Yuvan asked.
“I’ve tried, but it was useless. She only has one servant by her side, and doesn’t need anyone else. Plus, she tests all her food with silver needles. There’s no way for us to infiltrate Blessed Haven.”
Yuvan chuckled, his eyes glinting with amusement. “See, Harvey? It seems your efforts are less effective than Eleanor’s. The assassination didn’t work, and poisoning was also a bust. Looks like you’re at a loss at handling Freya, huh?”
Though Yuvan spoke with a smile and a light tone, Harvey understood the underlying dissatisfaction the older man felt.
“I’ll come up with something else,” Harvey assured.
“You better make it quick. The old king in Westhaven can’t last much longer. Our people are already close to the Westhaven crown prince, and he’s fixated on avenging the former crown prince. Also, there’s discontent among the common folk regarding Liam’s retreat from the borders. Edmund has been spreading those rumors himself to pave the way for his own ascension and to settle things with Starhaven.”
Harvey was slightly confused. “Isn’t Liam Edmund’s uncle? If he stirs things up like this, wouldn’t Liam become a target of public criticism?”
“Edmund was already unhappy with
Liam for signing the border agreement with Freya,” Eleanor explained. “At that time, Liam had Freya and her soldiers surrounded. However, his priority was to rescue the previous crown prince and get him treated instead of eliminating the enemies. Liam let his emotions cloud his judgment, and proved he wasn’t fit for a crucial role,” Eleanor said.
Then, she shot Harvey a sideways glance. “Do you really not understand what Yuvan is after? He wants Freya dead. That way, when Edmund ascends the throne and demands accountability, we won’t be able to use Freya as a scapegoat. It would give them more leverage in their negotiations if she was used.
“Plus, if Freya is gone, all the blame falls squarely on Dominic and his family. It won’t matter if he was injured at the time, or that he had just lost a son. Without Freya, he’ll bear the entire burden of responsibility for the massacre of innocent civilians. By law, that means his entire family will be sentenced to death.”
Harvey replied, “But even if Freya is pushed into the spotlight, Dominic still has an unshakable responsibility as the marshal of Victory Pass.”
“It wouldn’t be the same,” Yuvan said, disappointment creeping into his eyes as he regarded Harvey once more. “Freya was the one who injured and humiliated Arthur. If that becomes public knowledge, both the kingdom’s common folk will leathe her to the bone. They’ll be desperate to see her dead. With someone so hated around, the Sullivan family will have someone to deflect the blame onto, and the fallout wouldn’t be as significant.”
Harvey pondered for a moment, then said, “But it’s a fact that killing Freya won’t be easy now, especially with the king protecting her. He probably anticipates the changes in Westhaven. Apart from the Capital Guard, Rafael has also stationed some guards to safeguard her. Still, I do have an idea. I wonder if you two would like to hear it?”
“Go ahead,” Yuvan said as he picked up his cup and sipped slowly.
A cold glint flickered in Harvey’s eyes.
“Freya likely knows her fate by now,” Harvey said, “and that she’s merely surviving day by day. Why not send someone to relay a message to her? We could tell her that if the situation escalates, she should insist that Dominic was the one who ordered her to do what she did. That way, she might still have a chance to save herself. What do you think?”
After Harvey finished speaking, Yuvan fell into deep thought for a moment.
“But it’s ultimately better for her to die. That way, all the blame will fall on the Sullivan family. Freya is cunning and fears death. With her being so despised, I fear the common folk would find her words hard to believe. Also, the Sullivan family has guarded Victory Pass for so many years without ever harming a single civilian. If someone were to spin that narrative to clear their name, it could very well absolve them of any wrongdoing,” Yuvan said.
Harvey replied, “But our goal isn’t to wipe out the Sullivan family. We only need them out of Victory Pass so we can place our people to guard it. Oliver hasn’t aligned with us yet, so we must take control of Victory Pass. As long as we control the elite troops in both areas, or if the conflict drags on, we can implement our original plan of inciting the civilians uprising across the region. This will highlight the king’s failures and make him the target of public outrage, which is the perfect chance for us to make our move.”
After he finished speaking, he secretly glanced at Eleanor’s expression as he lifted his cup. As expected, he saw a flicker of anger cross her face.
Eleanor’s voice was sharp as she said, “No! All the Sullivan family members must die.”
Yuvan frowned. “Eleanor, don’t act on impulse. Harvey’s right. Our goal is to remove the Sullivan family from Victory Pass. As for you wanting them dead, you can decide how they die and how brutal you want to be with them once they’re back in the capital.” Harvey anticipated a rebuttal from Eleanor when he voiced his opinion, but he knew that she would listen to Yuvan.
Besides, Yuvan was right. There was nothing more satisfying than witnessing the suffering of those one despised before their very eyes.
Seeing that Eleanor had no objections, Yuvan continued, “There’s something that needs to be addressed urgently. We must incite the noble families and common folk scholars. We’ll sing Rafael’s praises for his accomplishment in reclaiming the Southern Frontier. The goal is to make sure the people only know about Rafael, and have no idea about the king’s involvement.”
Eleanor and Harvey nodded in agreement.
Eleanor sneered and said, “Yuvan, something interesting has come up. It seems that our dear nephew has taken a liking to Sophie.”
“Are you referring to when he issued the royal edict stating that Sophie must enter the palace if she didn’t get married in three months?” Yuvan shook his head. “I doubt it. Clearly, he was trying to manipulate Rafael into giving up his military authority. He knew Rafael had feelings for Sophie for a long time, so he used her as leverage to get what he wanted.”
Eleanor shook her head, and said coldly, “No, there’s been a rumor from the people in Sylvia’s palace. When he was intoxicated one time, he held Sylvia’s hand and called her Sophie.”
“Really?” Yuvan was surprised. “He really has feelings for her?”
“It seems to be true.”
Yuvan traced the rim of his cup with his fingers, a smile slowly spreading across his face. “How amusing-brothers vying for the same woman. It’s only natural they would fall into conflict.” Harvey remarked, “But the king doesn’t seem to have any intention of claiming her for himself.”
“Whether he wants to or not depends on how things play out. Perhaps he’s waiting for the right chance to turn the tables…” Eleanor trailed off, and chuckled coldly She left her statement hanging, but Yuvan and Harvey understood the implications.
“That won’t be easy,” Harvey cautioned. “Sophie is quite skilled in martial arts. Dealing with her will be a challenge, and your usual tactics won’t have much effect on her.” Eleanor scoffed. “So what if she’s strong? She’s still just a woman.”
Yuvan contemplated in silence for a moment, then said, “Let’s first deal with what I mentioned earlier. As for whether the king has feelings for Sophie, I’ll need to investigate further. I can easily find out, given that I’m often in and out of the palace.”