Filed to story: Queen of the Battlefield Her Return to Glory Novel Online Free
After all, it wasn’t difficult for both the Devin and Sullivan families to protect the little darling.
From the moment Sophie was born, her future seemed set. With the love and care from both families, she would grow up surrounded by affection, with a joyful and carefree childhood-like a wildflower blooming in the mountains, returning to the pure, untainted essence of life.
Yet, that happiness was so fleeting. She hadn’t even fully blossomed yet, and she had already faced the harshest reality of life-the unbearable separation of life and death. She was forced to grow up too soon.
Dominic stood and helped Sophie straighten up before gently rubbing her head, just like he used to when she was little. As a child, she would come to him to complain whenever she was upset.
She had been a small, delicate thing, and couldn’t stand feeling wronged. Anyone who dared to scold her or speak ill of her would find themselves the subject of her complaints the moment her grandfather returned to the capital. After venting her frustrations, she would always hide in his arms, seemingly submissive and innocent on the surface. Yet, her eyes would gleam with mischievous satisfaction.
Tears streamed down Sophie’s face, each drop falling in a steady cascade. With his rough fingers, Dominic wiped away her tears, swallowing the sorrow in his throat.
His voice still trembled with emotion as he said, “Who’s been bullying our little Sophie this time? But you don’t need me to step in and teach them a lesson now, do you? You can handle it yourself and give them a taste of their own medicine.”
His words, full of both pain and pride, made Sophie’s heart ache even more.
She hurriedly wiped her eyes. She wasn’t here to cry, let alone let her grandfather see her weakness. Through her blurred vision, she caught the familiar, doting look in his eyes. Yet, it only made her more aware of how much he had aged.
She had been through a lot these years, but Dominic had experienced even more. Besides the heartbreak over the Devin family, there was the loss of his third son’s arm, the death of his seventh son, and his own near-fatal injuries from an arrow. Yet Dominic had endured each hardship with resilience. Even now, his back remained straight.
While this caused others to admire him, all Sophie could feel was a deep ache in her heart. Finally, after much coaxing, Rafael managed to calm the grandfather and granddaughter enough for them to sit and talk properly. Sophie didn’t dare ask about her uncles or aunts, afraid that mentioning them would remind her grandfather of the painful loss of his seventh son. She was cautious with her words, careful not to bring up anything that might stir old wounds.
Sensing her hesitation, Dominic spoke first, “Your third aunt will be coming to the capital in a few days. She insisted on returning, saying she wants to see you.”
He didn’t say more, not wanting to reopen the deep wounds he had buried for so long.
Sophie’s face softened with concern. “The journey is long, and the weather is so harsh. Why didn’t you stop her, Grandpa?”
Dominic’s voice was tender and loving as he replied, “She misses you. She wanted to come back sooner, but she didn’t dare. Now, with everything that’s happened, she’s decided to come anyway. Let her come back to see you and Ryan.”
“It’s been hard on her,” Sophie said, holding back her tears. ‘I had planned to bring Ryan tonight, but he’s staying at the academy. I was in such a rush to come here that I didn’t go to pick him up.”
In truth, Sophie had purposely not brought Ryan with her. She hadn’t informed Salvador of her visit tonight. It was a private matter, but she would report it to him later, of course.
In a few days, she would formally request the queen dowager’s special permission in Ryan’s name to allow him to meet his great-grandfather. That would give her a proper reason to come again.
Privately, she could always visit again, but it would be better with a legitimate excuse-perhaps bringing Sebastian to check on Dominic’s health, delivering some tonics and everyday essentials, and sharing a meal together.
It had been so long since they had sat down to eat as a family. Sophie’s father had once said that one of the most important things in life was sharing meals with family.
When Ryan came up in conversation, Dominic’s heart ached too. He knew Rafael had been the one to find the boy, and that still deserved a proper thank-you.
He rose and bowed in gratitude to Rafael. “Thank you, Your Highness, for bringing Ryan back to the Devin family.
Rafael quickly stood and returned the gesture. “Grandfather, there’s no need for thanks-we’re all family.”
The way Rafael said ‘grandfather’ was so natural, as though he had practiced it countless times.
‘This time, I’ve troubled both of you.” Dominic sighed. “I hope the two kingdoms can avoid war.”
“Don’t worry, Grandfather,” Rafael said quietly. “We’re working toward that goal as well. The Devin family was destroyed, and though the spy we captured later confessed that the reason was a grudge stemming from my late father-in-law’s victory at Westhaven, where he and his thousand men defeated an army of a hundred thousand, it’s an old grudge.
“It happened many years ago and can’t be used to justify the massacre. The Devin family’s tragedy is rooted in Fawnrun City, and soon, everyone in the capital will know the truth of it.”
They had discussed this in their letters before.
Dominic added, “It’s a pity. There’s no concrete evidence, and even if there were, it would still be seen as us massacring the village first, with their revenge coming later.”
“Revenge or not, it was still retaliation. After that, the soldiers from Westhaven went to the Southern Frontier-that was their second retaliation. Then, on the Southern Frontier battlefield, they captured Freya and the soldiers who took part in the massacre-that was their third retaliation,” said Rafael.
Dominic understood what Rafael was getting at. Westhaven’s retaliation had been balanced-it was an eye for an eye. If they hadn’t taken action after the massacre but instead sent an envoy like they were doing now, then Starhaven would clearly be in the wrong.
However, Westhaven had already exacted their form of revenge.
“Yes,” Dominic said softly. “If it was just the massacre of villagers, they would have gotten their revenge after what they’ve done. But don’t forget, there was the matter of a prisoner of war being killed as well.”
A prisoner of war being killed was just describing the situation in a nicer way. What had truly occurred was the brutal humiliation of an heir to the throne, leading to his tragic death.
The current Westhaven king, Edmund, wasn’t acting out of a sense of justice for the common people. No, he was seeking vengeance for his brother, Arthur. Even if the massacre of civilians could be swept under the rug, what of the murder of another kingdom’s crown prince?
“The issue of Prince Arthur’s death hasn’t been openly acknowledged yet. Marshal Liam has been making concessions to maintain Prince Arthur’s dignity as well as Westhaven’s reputation. Grand Princess Lisandra is leading the upcoming envoy, so there’s still hope,” Rafael said.
“Also, when we were at the Southern Frontier, Marshal Liam said that all the spies who escaped back to Westhaven were killed. From what I’ve gathered through Winona’s investigation, however, two managed to get away. Winona has been looking for them, and she’s found them. They’re on their way back to the capital now,” Sophie added.
Hearing them speak, Dominic felt both troubled and relieved. Since their return from the Southern Frontier battlefield, they had clearly been working tirelessly on his behalf. By the time he was summoned to the capital for questioning, they had prepared everything-so much so that he didn’t even have to visit the Ministry of Justice. No matter what happened, he was able to return to Sullivan Estate and stay for a few days. He had no regrets left in this life.
He placed his hands on the armrests and looked at the two of them, his voice heavy as he said, ‘Listen to me. Just do your best in this matter. Don’t expect too much else. I’m old now, and I can bear the consequences of whatever happens to me. But if it involves your future, I cannot allow that.
“Sophie, I’m going to say something harsh. If both kingdoms are at odds, even the complete destruction of the Devin family doesn’t compare to the deliberate torture and murder of a crown prince. Once they bring up what happened to Prince Arthur, we will have lost. On top of that, we were the ones who massacred the comman people first.”
“Grandfather, we’ve gone over everything countless times, and we know you’re right. We must take responsibility for what happened in Fawnrun City. The Devin family’s massacre is something they must answer for, and if they expose what happened to Prince Arthur, we will be held accountable for that as well.
“But they also need to take responsibility for their involvement in the Southern Frontier battle, where they aided Sandoria,” Rafael said, his voice laced with quiet determination.
“Exactly.” Dominic nodded slowly, his tone solemn. “Everyone who needs to answer for their actions must do so, just like how it would be impossible for me to escape what I should be responsible for.
“As for their involvement in the Southern Frontier battle, yes, it violates our agreement. But don’t forget, they signed that agreement in Victory Pass with Freya. Once the Victory Pass treaty was overturned, their actions in the Southern Frontier no longer count as a breach.”
Dominic wasn’t trying to sound hopeless. He only wanted to make Rafalel and Sophie realize that they should abandon any illusions of sacrificing everything or compromising too much to save him.
If taking his head would settle this matter and prevent war between the two kingdoms, Dominic would gladly offer it.
Sophie understood her grandfather’s thoughts well, and said firmly, “No matter what, we’ll give it our all before talking about anything else.”
Dominic looked at her, his eyes reddening. ‘Sophie, what you need to focus on now is how to bring justice for the Devin family. They died unjustly and horribly. They were innocent-old, weak, women, and children-and they didn’t deserve this tragedy. You can do everything in your power to bring them justice.
‘As for the rest… Don’t waste your efforts. If you start to worry about me, then the Devin family massacre will become a bargaining chip. That will make it impossible for you to truly seek justice for them.”
Sophie shook her head, her expression resolute. “Justice must be served, and you must be saved as well, Grandpa. The tragedy of the Devin family massacre will inevitably be placed on the negotiation table. Since that’s the case, why should we deliberately avoid discussing it further?”
Dominic looked at his granddaughter’s thin shoulders. His heart ached with a feeling of unbearable sorrow.
After all that she had already gone through, how could he bear to ask her to endure even more? How could he let her use the tragedy of her family’s destruction as a bargaining chip to fight for his survival?