Filed To Story: Queen of the Battlefield Her Return to Glory Novel Online Free
At around nine in the evening, Rafael and Winona arrived almost simultaneously.
Winona had chosen to handle the task of intercepting Harvey’s wealth on her own, wanting to avoid Everett’s punishment. If she had successfully completed the task but still faced punishment, it wouldn’t make sense.
As they approached the council hall, she stopped in her tracks upon seeing Kyle, who was holding a pot over his head. What? Was there no logic to these punishments anymore?
Rafael shot a glance at Kyle before striding in.
“Sage Everett, why are you making Kyle hold a pot over his head again? With so much going on, I was hoping he could help me out more. If he’s always busy being punished, he won’t be able to.” After hearing that, Everett said, “Then, he’s excused from punishment.”
Outside, Kyle and Winona realized they had found their support.
Winona stepped in to report, “Sage Everett, we’ve swapped out all of Harvey’s gold and silver for fakes. Now, all the chests are filled with stones.”
“I see. Have they discovered it?”
“When they stopped to rest in a small grove, we knocked them out. When they wake up, they might inspect the chests and will likely figure it out,” she answered.
“Did you send anyone to keep following them?”
Winona wanted to roll her eyes. Was that really a question? Of course she had sent someone. She wasn’t a rookie. After all, she was the one who founded Skywing Spire!
But since Kyle was still out there holding a pot over his head, she didn’t dare be too bold. She replied respectfully, “Rest assured, sir, I’ve already sent someone.”
Sophie and Violet heard that Rafael had returned, and hurried over to ask about the negotiations.
Everett’s face darkened. “He’s been so busy, he probably hasn’t had a bite to eat. Isn’t there hot food in the kitchen? Have it brought out.”
Seeing Everett’s stern face, Sophie immediately turned and left.
Everett turned to Rafael. “You treat her like she’s the world to you, but how does she treat you? She doesn’t even care about your food or drink.” Rafael chuckled. “I ate at the Diplomatic Affairs Department earlier. Sophie’s just focused on the negotiations. Please stop getting upset with them.” Kyle and Winona mentally applauded.
Seeing his apprentice acting so indulgent, Everett sighed softly. How could Rafael plead for mercy if he didn’t punish them? And if Rafael didn’t plead for them, how would they realize how important his apprentice was? Though they were all apprentices of the Pathfinders Guild, the others had the advantage of numbers, while Rafael was alone. If any issues arose between Rafael and Sophie, the guild members would surely side with Sophie. Wouldn’t that put Rafael at a disadvantage?
Unaware that his mentor had already been worrying this much, Rafael removed his cloak and sat down. He listened intently as they explained the investigation Zoey had helped with.
After a moment of silence, Rafael said, “Once Grandfather finds out, it’ll probably ease his mind a bit. At least his genuine efforts won’t have gone to waste.”
What they feared most was getting betrayed by a treacherous one of their own. Blake’s past actions had already hurt them deeply. What was done couldn’t be undone, but this would at least make them feel a little better.
“That’s all secondary,” Everett said.
“Pay close attention to tomorrow’s negotiations. Figure out who’s colluding with Yuvan. We don’t know his plan, so we can’t develop a counter strategy. For now, we’ll have to rely on some underhanded tactics. Winona will handle those.
el.p
She’s good at that.”
Winona glanced at Rafael and said, “Do you think it’s appropriate to use such tricks from the martial arts world for such important state affairs? I doubt my guild junior will agree.”
Before Rafael could respond, Everett cut in, “What’s the problem with that? If they play dirty and we always try to be honorable, we’d be at a huge disadvantage.”
He scoffed, then continued, “We know exactly what they’re up to behind closed doors. Going forward, we’ll use that knowledge to guide our actions. For anyone like el:
that sneaky and impossible to pin down-we’ll use whatever methods are necessary.”
Rafael agreed. There were things that, even when known, were hard to prove. And even if proof was found no one would have the authority to act on it. Besides, this wasn’t about who had the power to decide Anything that disrupted the normal flow of negotiations would be removed.
After Rafael had eaten a little of the hot food, they began discussing the day’s negotiations.
Sophie sat beside him, clearly taking advantage of her position. At least when she spoke out of turn or disagreed with Everett, she wouldn’t receive the cold shoulder since she was sitting right next to Rafael. “Has the king heard their terms? What did he say about it?” Jacob asked.
“Davis reported to him. When he returned to the Diplomatic Affairs Department, he relayed the king’s stance. The borderline can’t be compromised, but everything else is open for negotiation. We’re not bound to the conditions they’ve proposed. We can offer alternative compensation. That’s the king’s directive.”
Everett thought for a moment before speaking, “Not yielding on the borderline means forcing Westhaven to acknowledge the treaty Freya signed. If they deem the treaty invalid, the borderline should revert to the previous one. But the border dispute has been going on for years. Considering they took advantage of Starhaven’s chaos to invade, this situation is complicated.”
Rafael nodded. “The matter discussed tonight at the Diplomatic Affairs Department was exactly that the borderline. We know it’s impossible to get Westhaven to recognize Freya’s treaty, and we’re not thrilled with it either. But if we push back the borderline, the people will likely rebel and turn Freya into a hero. How can a person so stained with guilt be considered a hero?”
“It’s indeed a tricky issue,” Everett said.
He didn’t have a perfect solution for it, either. But then again, how could there ever be a perfect solution for such matters?
“We’ve already compiled the border maps from the time of our ancestors and the original agreements between the two kingdoms. We hope to convince Westhaven to accept those agreements in place of the one Freya signed. We never agreed with their invasion, so there was never a new border agreement,” Rafael said.
“That’s not going to be easy,” Sophie commented.
“Of course it’s not easy,” Everett replied flatly. “If it were, would the king have sent him? He’d have given up the credit for nothing.”
Sophie fell silent, realizing her comment was met with more of a lecture than she had expected. Anyway, she had no new insights to offer.
Jacob furrowed his brow, clearly troubled. “We can’t fight, we can’t retreat, and we’re in the wrong. This situation is already hard enough to manage, but we still have to deal with it. How do we find a breakthrough?”
Everett glanced at Rafael, who looked a little weary. “Go get some rest. Tomorrow’s negotiations are crucial.”
Sophie immediately stood up. “Yes, go take a hot bath. You’ll sleep better.”
“Everyone should disperse and get settled for the night,” Rafael said as he rose, bowing respectfully to Everett before taking Sophie’s hand and leaving.
The next day’s negotiations brought no breakthroughs. Both sides remained firmly focused on their core interests, unwilling to compromise.
Leroy hardly spoke at all today, clearly having been reprimanded by Lisandra when they returned the previous evening. On the other hand, Garrick was more vocal. However, he never mentioned Dominic, so Rafael just paid attention but didn’t jump to conclusions about him.
On the third day of talks, Garrick’s demeanor didn’t change. He didn’t bring up Dominic, and both sides remained deadlocked, unwilling to yield an inch.
But by the afternoon, Lisandra suddenly became ill. She clutched her head as waves of nausea swept over her. Her face turned pale and she was drenched in cold sweat.
Although they had brought along a royal physician and supplies, Rafael still asked, “Would you like us to call for a physician from Starhaven?”
Lisandra declined, explaining, “This headache has been a chronic condition for years. The royal physician I brought with me understands my condition better and knows how to treat it.” However, it seemed likely that the negotiations would need to be postponed by a day.
Rafael nodded. “Then, we’ll delay by a day and resume once Her Highness has recovered.”
Michael, who was responsible for security outside Concord Lodge, had been leading the guards. For now, the Capital Guard was under