Filed To Story: Queen of the Battlefield Her Return to Glory Novel Online Free
“Your Majesty, this has nothing to do with personal grudges. When Commander Jaffe led the troops to Fawnrun City, General Sullivan was severely injured and on his deathbed. As the Grand General of Victory Pass, it’s true that he must bear responsibility for failing to prevent the massacre of civilians.
“But if Commander Jaffe hadn’t been involved, the blame would have fallen solely on General Sullivan for making poor decisions and choosing the wrong people. Westhaven will seize on this and force us to kill General Sullivan to placate their anger.”
Salvador’s gaze darkened with intensity. “Then, he truly chose the wrong person. He wasn’t unjustly accused.”
“He was,” Rafael countered. “General Sullivan didn’t make a mistake in choosing Commander Jaffe, who did burn the supply depot and complete his mission. The real mistake was Freya’s, someone Commander Jaffe brought along. She wasn’t even one of the soldiers stationed at Victory Pass.
“Even if it was General Sullivan’s command to send Commander Jaffe to Fawnrun City, Freya was one of Commander Jaffe’s subordinates. He didn’t have to bring her along. I believe Commander Jaffe and Freya had already formed a bond on the battlefield, and he wanted to give her a chance to prove herself. That’s why he brought her along. That is also why Commander Jaffe is responsible for much of this.”
Salvador sat frozen, his anger rising to the point of speechlessness. It took him a long time to speak, and when he did, his voice was sharp with fury.
“I have my judgment on who’s responsible for what,” he said. “This is not a matter for you to interfere with. You’ve overstepped. As for your assumptions, those are nothing more than your personal thoughts, not the truth.”
Rafael was unfazed. “That’s why I had the Ministry of Justice bring Commander Jaffe in for questioning. If he didn’t have personal feelings for Freya and wasn’t the one who chose to take her to Fawnrun City, then the truth will be clear once the Ministry of Justice questions him, right?”
“You’re making a fuss for no reason,” Salvador snapped. “Once Commander Jaffe enters the Ministry of Justice and gives his statement, he will be implicated.”
Rafael held his ground and replied slowly, “See, you already know he’s involved, Your Majesty. If you already know, how can the outside world not? There are many soldiers at Victory Pass, so how can the common people not know? Westhaven has been plotting this for so long-don’t you think they know? If they do, it won’t just be a matter of simply questioning a few people to appease the situation.”
Salvador narrowed his eyes, his anger flaring dangerously. “Rafael Sanford!”
Derek, still kneeling on the ground, hastily called out, “Your Majesty, please calm down!”
Despite kneeling on one knee, Rafael’s posture remained firm and unwavering. “To demonstrate fairness, I request permission for the Ministry of Justice to interrogate Commander Jaffe, so that his testimony can be corroborated with that of others. This will help reveal the truth of the matter to the people of Westhaven.
“Please believe, Your Majesty, that I do this without any personal agenda. The people of Westhaven know more about the massacre of the villagers than we do. If we try to shield Commander Jaffe, it will only make them angrier and they will think we have no intention of negotiating in good faith.”
He lifted his gaze, locking eyes with Salvador, his voice growing more audacious as he added, “It will also dishearten the soldiers and citizens of Victory Pass, making them believe that you intend to cultivate loyal generals and place all the blame on the old veterans who have spent their lives guarding the border.
Crash!
A cup shattered on the floor.
Salvador’s chest heaved and a dark fury clouded his eyes as he shouted, “How dare you?!” Derek flinched, quickly begging the king to calm his anger.
He then turned to Rafael, pleading, “Your Highness, please stop! Do not provoke His Majesty further!”
Salvador stood, his towering figure casting a long shadow over the kneeling Rafael. His eyes were sharp and cold.
“So, all your previous deference and humility was just a show? You dare defy and challenge me? And now you accuse me of being harsh to the veteran generals? If word of this gets out, won’t the soldiers and the people lose faith in me? What exactly are you trying to do?” asked the king.
Rafael met his gaze without hesitation. “Everything I do for the good of Starhaven, Your Majesty. But I would ask you, what do you think I am trying to do?”
Salvador was both furious and taken aback by the prince’s calm response.
It was true the king had taken away his brother’s command of the army, but he hadn’t yet taken control of the military’s loyalty. After the Southern Frontier campaign, Salvador had kept Rafael away from military affairs to gradually diminish his reputation in the army. But this gradual process would take time. It was not something the king could accomplish so easily, not in a single moment like this.
Especially now-it was the worst time for such a move.
Salvador’s anger slowly subsided, though his fists remained clenched.
“I don’t want to guess at your intentions. Since you claim everything you do is for the good of Starhaven, as your brother, I have no reason not to trust you. If you believe interrogating Commander Jaffe is necessary, I will allow it. But I hope it’s not driven by personal resentment. I don’t want you to face any reproach. You must understand my brotherly concern for you,” he said.
Rafael lowered his eyes, his tone respectful as replied, “Your Majesty, you think of me as I think of you. I am deeply grateful, and hope you will believe in my loyalty.”
Salvador nodded. “We are brothers, of course I trust you. You may rise.”
Thank you, Your Majesty!
As Rafael stood, he gave Derek a helping hand. The aide’s legs wobbled, his face drained of color and beads of sweat dotting his forehead. He never expected the prince to suddenly defy the king like that. It had completely shocked him.
After Rafael took his leave, Salvador issued an order for Blake to be sent to the Ministry of Justice. This would be his official command, not something Rafael had taken upon himself to do by overriding the king’s authority.
Derek thought the king would be furious, but instead, Salvador only spoke in a cool tone, asking. “Is it true that everyone outside, like Rafael, believes I am sparing Commander Jaffe in order to build a faction of loyalists to replace the veteran generals?
Derek fearfully replied, “Your Majesty, you are overthinking. The officials and people of the kingdom all know your wisdom and benevolence.”
Wisdom and benevolence? Yes, when General Sullivan entered the city, the people were shouting and praising my wisdom, weren’t they?” Salvador retorted sarcastically, rubbing his temples.
Derek didn’t dare to reply. He simply lowered his head and stood off to the side, his back drenched in sweat. The heat from the fires in the hall made the sticky, uncomfortable air even harder to endure.
Salvador paused the movements of his quill, his voice cold as ice as he said, “That statement wasn’t wrong. I do intend to cultivate new generals, but I am no fool. Even if I want to raise new blood, I would never abandon the veterans who have served the country loyally for half their lives.
“Doesn’t Rafael understand why I want to cultivate new generals? Though the Hell Monarch Anmy no longer answers to him, his prestige still commands respect. His unparalleled achievement in reclaiming the Southern Frontier stands as an immovable mountain, one I cannot shift by even a single inch. Yet, he dares threaten me.”
With a sharp snap, the red quill in his hand broke, the sound cracking through the tense silence. He threw it onto the desk, his expression darkening.
“I bet Rafael doesn’t want to be accused of being a traitor, but what can I do about it if he truly has ambitious designs?” Salvador added.
Anxious, Derek hurriedly said, “Your Majesty, I am certain the Hell Monarch harbors no treasonous thoughts. He is your brother.”
Salvador’s response was cold, simply saying, “I know he isn’t planning anything treacherous for now. But the longer someone sits in a high position, the more likely they are to develop ulterior motives. I keep an eye on him, not because I want to see us at odds, but because don’t want to face a rift between brothers. He’d better not harbor such ambitions, or I won’t hesitate to act with ruthless resolve.”
While Salvador was furious at his brother’s defiance, his anger subsided somewhat after the confrontation. If the prince were truly plotting something, he would never have been careless enough to expose himself over the matter about Dominic.
Now, Rafael’s dismissive attitude toward Dominic confirmed his current position-at least for the moment, he had no aspirations of rebellion.
Derek understood from these words that the king’s anger was more about his brother’s disrespect than any real suspicion of treason. Salvador still considered Rafael a potential threat, but had concluded that the prince harbored no rebellious intent.
Meanwhile, Blake arrived at the Ministry of Justice, where Patrick personally oversaw his interrogation. He held nothing back, spilling everything about the events at Victory Pass, including his affair with Freya.
He had known for some time that he couldn’t escape this. Even though the king had tried to protect him, the truth was plain for everyone to see. He had been the commanding general responsible for the Fawnrun City operation, and his affair with Freya could not be denied.
There was no way for him to shift the blame now.
Once Blake confessed everything, a weight seemed to lift off his shoulders. Accepting that he couldn’t distance himself from this any longer, he only hoped that Dominic wouldn’t be too deeply entangled in it all.
He owed everything to Wyatt, who had sacrificed his arm for him, and to the Sullivan family. who had shown him such kindness at Victory Pass.
But his time as the commander of the Nightsteel Guard would no doubt come to an end. Even if he wanted to join the Capital Guard as an ordinary soldier, that was no longer possible. Simply surviving this ordeal would be a mercy from the heavens.
The battle at Victory Pass, which Blake once saw as the beginning of a glorious future, had instead become the event that ruined his career and tarnished the honor of his ancestors.