Filed To Story: Queen of the Battlefield Her Return to Glory Novel Online Free
Justice.
Yet, despite her wariness, Freya knew Blake well. He wasn’t one for scheming, and his lies were far from convincing. If there was something unusual, she’d be able to sense it immediately.
Blake sat on the foul-smelling straw bed. With spring in the air, the dampness was unbearable, and the stench in the cell had only grown worse since his last visit. Freya??herself carried the same foul odor, and her disheveled hair seemed to teem with fleas. Her face was swollen from flea bites, and some of them were broken open and bleeding from scratching.
Seeing her in such a condition tugged at Blake’s heart. No matter the circumstances, they had once been husband and wife. The sight of her suffering made him feel a pang of discomfort. The sympathy on his face made Freya drop her guard just a little.
“Did they send you to see me?” she asked.
Blake shook his head. “I begged to come. His Majesty showed mercy, and I’ll be released tomorrow.”
Freya blinked in surprise. “The negotiations are over? Have you been reinstated?”
The mention of his official post struck a sore spot in Blake. His heart sank with a hollow, disappointed gaze, he said, “Not yet, but His Majesty has issued an edict that allows me to return home and reffect on my actions.”
Freya studied his expression closely and felt that his words held no lies.
“If you’re leaving, then you have to remember what I told you,” she said, her voice softening considerably.
Blake’s eyes instinctively flickered toward the door. It wasn’t something he did on purpose. He simply felt uneasy, as if everything he was doing was underhanded. Because of that, he couldn’t help but act cautiously. This nervous, furtive behavior only lowered Freya’s guard even further. In front of her, this man was as transparent as glass-what was there to fear?
“The thing you mentioned that day…” Blake’s voice was barely above a whisper. He avoided looking directly at her. “I’ve thought about it a lot since then. I can’t help but feel the chances are slim. And you never said how you would ensure the Westhaven envoys will take General Sullivan. Without that certainty, I can’t be sure the people of Hell Monarch Estate will intervene, and whether we’ll get the right chance at all.”
His voice was very low, and his gaze towards Freya was somewhat evasive. He still cared for her as his wife, and asking her questions like this felt like he was betraying her. He felt deeply troubled, but in order to keep the Jaffe family safe, he had no choice but to act this way.
Freya frowned. “If I said it will happen, it will. What are you worried about? You can leave, so just prepare yourself.”
“You make it sound easy. How am I supposed to save you by myself? Don’t I need more people and some money to make it happen? But if there’s no guarantee, how can I justify spending that money? Don’t call me stingy. You know the situation at the estate.” The mention of their estate’s troubles made Blake sigh deeply.
“More people?” Freya’s voice turned sharp. “What kind of people can you find? You can’t just pick anyone for this kind of thing.”
Finding people would be too risky.
“You just need to take advantage of the situation while they’re rescuing Dominic. Your martial arts skills are enough,” she added.
“Don’t blame me for being heartless,” Blake said. “I can’t rescue you directly. I can only help from the outside. I’m willing to take risks for you, but I can’t put my own life at stake.”
Freya’s expression suddenly changed. “You… Are you really that cold-hearted and ruthless?”
“Your life matters, but mine doesn’t?” Blake couldn’t help but feel a flash of resentment. “His Majesty has pardoned me. If I reflect on my actions and keep to myself, I can still find a way out. But if I try to save you, sacrifice my future and my position. All I will be able to hope for I is a chance to keep my life. The truth is, this isn’t my fault. Helping you is a kindness, not an obligation. If you can’t accept that, then we’re done here.”
Freya’s laugh was cold, almost mocking. “You’re such a spineless coward! We’re husband and wife, and we’ve been through a lot. How can you just stand by and watch me suffer?” Blake’s temper flared. He hated being called a spineless coward, and his face darkened. “If you keep talking like that, I’ll walk out right now.”
Freya’s anger flared, but she reached out and pulled him back. “Who are you thinking of asking for help? I need to know if they’re reliable.”
Blake explained, “When I was with the Capital Guard, I met a few down-and-out men from the martial world. They’re skilled fighters, but their pride won’t let them accent orders from just about anyone. prefer taking dangerous jobs, even if it means their life is on the line. If the pay’s good enough, they do it.
“I’m thinking of gathering seven or eight of them. The amount of money
I need won’t be small, though. If you’re not sure about this plan, I can’t waste the money. I need you t tell me how confident you are, ve been thinking it over and I just can’t believe you’ll be able to convince Westhaven to take General Sullivan without something more than just your words.”
Freya gave him a cold, calculating look. “Why would you need to know the details? You just have to trust me. If I say I can handle it, I will.”
Blake shook his head, doubt clouding his eyes. “I can’t take that gamble. You want me to spend all that money and risk my future based on nothing but your word? You know the situation at the estate. We’ve lost everything. We don’t have money and my mom’s belongings have been sold off. I’ll have to borrow from Viola.”
A red flush of shame appeared on his face as he spoke, and he continued bitterly, “I don’t have a good relationship with her. Borrowing from her means I’ll have to lower myself, and you can imagine how difficult that is for me.”
Then, it seemed like he suddenly remembered something.
“Don’t you have any savings? How much do you have? If you can contribute, I won’t have to borrow from her and deal with her attitude.”
Freya pursed her lips.
She did have some money saved up. No matter who managed the household, her portion was non-negotiable. As for the bride price, she had kept some of it for herself there was no way she would have given it all to the Jaffes! The small dowry she had been given wouldn’t have been enough to live on, and she would never agree to the marriage without some savings of her own.
However, the money she had saved was meant for the future.
“You can take it if you need it, but you have to borrow what’s necessary. After I escape, I’ll be alone and without any support. I can’t be left without money. You can’t expect me to wander the streets and starve in the cold,” she said.
Blake steered the conversation toward money as he knew it was better to discuss that first. Otherwise, pressing for too much information would make him seem too forceful and arouse Freya’s suspicions.
“How much do you have? I’ll look at it, leave you some, and use the rest to hire people. If it’s not enough, I’ll borrow from Viola,” he suggested.
Freya pondered. She knew that relying on Viola for a large sum might not work. Though Viola was from a noble family, the woman was stingy and frugal.
“I have two to three thousand silver coins, but you can only take one thousand,” she said.
Blake tried to ask for two thousand. After some back-and-forth, they settled on one thousand five hundred.
With the money settled, Blake naturally needed to know what cards Freya had up her sleeve. She had to tell him, or he wasn’t willing to take the risk. This was a matter of his future, maybe even his life. If he didn’t feel secure, he couldn’t agree. Freya watched him for a long moment before suddenly asking, “Blake, you’re not trying to sell me out, right?”
Blake’s thoughts hadn’t fully shifted away from the bargaining. He wasn’t the sharpest and his emotional responses were often slow. After all the bargaining, it almost seemed like he truly believed he was planning for her.
So, when he heard her question, he looked up in surprise, his tone filled with anger and grievance as he replied, “What did you say? If you don’t trust me, why would you entrust me with something so important? I’m putting my life and future on the line, and you still doubt me?”
Freya might have understood Blake, but the truth was, she didn’t understand men. Lying was second nature to them and they had a knack for it.
??.??
Human nature was complex and ever-changing, and that included her own. When it came to Blake, she always saw him through a simplistic lens and thought she had him figured out. Her caution, sensitivity, and suspicion often blinded her to the truth, leaving her unable to see through the man she believed she understood so well.
On top of that, Blake was her last hope. Deep down, she still believed that he had feelings for her.
After a long silence, she said, “Don’t worry. The remnants of Eleanor’s faction are colluding with a female official at Grand Princess Lisandra’s side. She can ensure that nothing goes wrong.”
Blake looked at her in shock. “A female official at Grand Princess Lisandra’s side? Are you saying that Grand Princess Lisandra has joined forces with Eleanor’s faction?!”
“No, not Grand Princess Lisandra, but a female official at her side.” Freya decided to just come clean. “When Mrs. Lester came to see me during your mom’s funeral, she told me this. She insisted I hold onto Dominic because if he gets captured by Westhaven, Victory Pass will fall.”
“That doesn’t add up.” Blake thought carefully. “If they told you Westhaven wants General Sullivan, then even if the Hell Monarch’s people try to rescue him, it’s unlikely to succeed.”
“Naturally,” Freya replied, “most of the troops will be focused on guarding Dominic. If the king agrees to Westhaven’s request but the Hell Monarch’s people try to rescue him, that would be going against military orders and violating the treaty made after the two kingdoms’ negotiations.”Her eyes were filled with a chilling certainty, as though she could already foresee Sophie’s fate.