Filed To Story: Queen of the Battlefield Her Return to Glory Novel Online Free
“If she can’t marry General Farrell, there is no need for me to care about her. None of my relatives are of any help. They seem to be making alliances with noble families, but they’re all focused on their own households and are unwilling to support Connor.”
Lydia knew exactly who Kylie was referring to-Adelaide, Kendrick’s princess consort. Adelaide used to visit Kylie frequently, but ever since Kendrick’s concubines gave birth to sons, she rarely came to the palace anymore. Now, she was focused on getting pregnant with a legitimate heir. Kylie had summoned her multiple times, but Adelaide found a way to avoid her summons each time, unwilling to help sway Kendrick to speak on Kylie’s behalf in front of Salvador.
On the 15th of December, Salvador went to Everspring Palace.
With red-rimmed eyes, Kylie began to speak of Jocelyn’s expulsion from Gracewood Women’s Academy. Having already reprimanded the Quinton family over this matter, Salvador was displeased to hear Kylie bring it up again. Yet, he remained silent, not giving voice to his frustration. Sharp in her observations, Kylie noticed his irritation and quickly changed the subject, saying, “It seems the noble ladies and wives of the capital are all praising Sophie, calling her the ideal example for women.”
Salvador gave her a half-smile, his eyes narrowed as he replied, “I find it strange that these noble women are praising someone else and not the kingdom’s queen. After all, you are the mother of the nation, and before our marriage, you were widely regarded as a woman of great talent. You should be the one they hold up as the standard.”
Kylie couldn’t tell whether it was a compliment or a subtle rebuke. She wasn’t sure if he was mocking her or genuinely voicing discontent. It was becoming increasingly difficult for her to understand Salvador’s true feelings.
She gave a forced smile and offered him a cup of coffee, hesitating before speaking again.
“The Hell Monarch’s princess consort truly is popular now. She’s managed to establish both Gracewood Women’s Academy and Skye Embroidery, and all the people who once criticized her are now singing her praises. And with the Hell Monarch gaining Your Majesty’s favor, I wonder if this is truly a good thing,” she said.
Salvador furrowed his brow for a moment, but said nothing in response.
Seeing the slight tension in his expression, Kylie’s heart eased just a little. It was clear that, despite everything, Salvador still feared their influence.
Rafael and Sophie had long received widespread praise, winning the admiration of officials and the acclaim of the common people. How could the king not feel threatened? The couple was recklessly expanding their influence, showing no regard for the king, and in the end, they were bound to reap the consequences of their actions.
For now, it was enough to watch as Sophie took a fall.
–
Sophie had Claire, Mabel, and a few others take turns keeping an eye on Gracewood Women’s Academy.
If the Quinton family acted like they used to, Sophie wouldn’t have to worry. But now, each branch had its own agenda, and with Jocelyn being expelled, it was bound to enrage Kylie. Vera’s behavior that day had been nothing short of shameless and unruly, so it was only wise to stay cautious.
Recently, Violet, Alana, and Leah had been quite busy, so Sophie hadn’t spoken to them in a while. On this rare day when Violet came back early, Sophie took the chance to pull her along to offer their greetings to Helen.
Helen’s chambers were warm and cozy. Upon seeing her daughter-in-law and Violet, she eagerly brought out the new gowns she had made, eager to try them on.
Both Sophie and Violet showered her with endless compliments, repeatedly saying how lovely the gowns looked on her.
“With the new year nearly upon us, the clothes and accessories all need to be properly prepared. I haven’t seen either of you try on your new dresses. Why don’t you bring them over and we can try them together?” Helen suggested.
“I haven’t had a chance to see them myself, but I’ll try them on for you to see in a few days,” Sophie replied with a smile.
Her seasonal clothes were usually delivered to her room, where Lulu would fold them neatly. When it was time to wear them, they’d simply take them out and give them a quick press.
However, during the day, she mostly wore her official uniform, and after bathing at home, she changed into simple nightclothes. The new clothes she had tailored were really only for her days off.
She had already told Lily not to prepare too many new outfits, but the older woman had refused to listen.
“Even if you wear your official attire on the outside, you must wear proper clothes underneath them too!”
Sophie might give her instructions, but Lily had her own ways of doing things.
At this age, a young lady should have plenty of beautiful clothes-whether she wore them or not was another matter. After all, they weren’t short on money.
Violet, who had once been obsessed with beauty, how preferred simple and practical clothing, but still had a few new dresses made. She had bought the fabric herself and had the outfits made at the workshop, paying for the tailoring and embroidery.
They spent over an hour together, helping Helen choose accessories for her gowns before finally taking their leave.
The two close friends entered a room, sat down with their coffee, and continued their conversation.
“Has Lord Klein come looking for you?” Violet asked.
“Yes, he has,” Sophie replied, recalling the visit from two days ago.
Ryan’s uncle, who worked at the Royal Citadel, had specifically come to the Capital Guard headquarters to find her.
When they met, Anthony had sighed deeply and said, “There isn’t enough evidence to convict the people she. brought to us, so we had no choice but to release them in the end. Every time we release someone, Ms Spencer gets angrier. It’s turning the entire Royal Citadel upside down.”
Hearing Sophie recount his words, Violet smiled, though there was a trace of helplessness in her eyes. “There’s no other way. When it comes to investigations, they are better at it than I am.
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“I even forced the culprits I caught to confess, but without evidence-and with the victims refusing to admit they were harmed-those people would undoubtedly be released understand Lord Klein’s difficulties, but at the time, I just couldn’t contain my anger,” said Violet.
Apart from being a mentor, Violet had formed a small team with Alana, Leah, and the others. Together, they had taken it upon themselves to track down rapists who had been causing trouble in the city.
At first, Violet had thought it would be a simple task: catch the culprits, force them to confess, and send them off to the authorities. But when they arrived at the authorities, the culprits claimed they had only confessed because they had been beaten up. Alana had quietly approached the young women who had been victimized, hoping they might speak up. But one by one, they denied that anything had happened. Some even turned them away as soon as they saw Alana or anyone from her group. Without any evidence to back up the claims of their crimes, the authorities had no choice but to release the culprits.
Violet’s frustration grew with every failed attempt. At times, she was filled with a murderous urge, and the thought of dealing with the culprits in the same ruthless manner she would have previously crossed her mind. In the martial arts world, she would have simply taken care of it herself and walked away unscathed.
But now, she was not acting in the capacity of someone from the martial arts world. Rafael was part of the government, while Sophie controlled the Mystic Army. Violet couldn’t afford to become a criminal.
Rounding up the men and sending them to the authorities was the most straightforward method Violet could think of, but it was undeniably clumsy and didn’t seem to be working at all. She had worked tirelessly, only to have it all be in vain. They hadn’t been able to send a single culprit to jail.
So, she couldn’t hide the frustration and anger in her eyes.
As the two women chatted for a while, Sophie offered some words of comfort, “Don’t be discouraged. At least you’ve made them pay for it with a beating. They know you’re watching them now and won’t dare repeat their actions.”
“How is a beating enough? I want them to be brought to justice,” Violet replied, her fist pressed against her temple as she tilted her head, clearly struggling with the situation.
Sophie sighed. “The young women who’ve been hurt are too afraid to speak out. They would rather bury the shame and keep it hidden.”
“So, we just let those animals get away with it?” Violet asked, her voice tinged with frustration. “Is there really no other way?”
“Next time, if you can’t find evidence, don’t bother taking them to the authorities. Beat them harder. Break an arm or a leg, or make sure they won’t be able to walk again,” Sophie replied.
Violet’s expression softened as she considered the idea. “That’s actually not a bad plan.”
“Did all of you investigate those culprits thoroughly?” Sophie asked.
Violet immediately nodded, assuring her, “Don’t worry. We’re being very thorough. We haven’t unjustly accused anyone. It’s just that the victims won’t come forward, and the methods we’re using aren’t exactly legal. The authorities can’t do anything about them.”
She was feeling somewhat disheartened, having originally thought that once the culprits confessed, the authorities would handle it swiftly. She hadn’t realized that they needed evidence and, even more crucially, the victims’ testimonies.
Sophie didn’t have any answers for her. The law had its strict processes which had to be followed.