Filed to story: Queen of the Battlefield Her Return to Glory Novel Online Free
“But she’s a bad person!” Jocelyn said, dazed.
Kylie didn’t like Rosalind, so she must be someone bad.
“She’s not a bad person. She saved me.” Cassidy wiped away her tears, revealing red, swollen eyes. Her tears clung to her lashes, and more spilled from her eyes. “Why do you think she’s a bad person?” “…”
Jocelyn opened her mouth but couldn’t find the words. How could someone so bad save someone else? She was so confused.
But Kylie wasn’t wrong about the academy. Gracewood Women’s Academy shouldn’t exist, and it was no place for women to be. They shouldn’t be flaunting themselves in an academy like that. If a woman wanted to learn, she should have a tutor come to her home.
Jocelyn couldn’t help but feel that her cousin had a point.
Still, even though she had been forced to leave the academy, there had been moments of joy there. The company of so many others, learning together-it had been somewhat fun. But waking up early for classes had been exhausting.
When she was expelled, she was furious and hated the academy. But was her real anger actually because she had been kicked out?
“Courtney almost faced the same fate,” Cassidy added, her voice still shaky. “It was Ms. Wardell who saved her.”
Jocelyn didn’t say a word, but her face had gone deathly pale.
She still harbored resentment toward Courtney, but who could blame her? Courtney had spoken up for Thomas. The mess with those families was so filthy and disgusting to hear about.
The Farrell family’s household was in disarray, and such vile things happened in an estate that large-wasn’t it right to speak of them?
Jocelyn had acted impulsively when she slapped Courtney, but Courtney had brought it upon herself. She shouldn’t have defended Thomas. A good woman needed to stay away from people like that and situations like those.
The two of them sat in silence, Cassidy occasionally sniffling as Jocelyn remained quiet.
Her mind was a jumbled mess, running through so many thoughts. At last, she sighed softly and said, “Actually, going back to the academy wouldn’t be so bad. But the queen doesn’t like the academy.”
Ultimately, Jocelyn was just a sheltered girl. She was unable to keep secrets and was unaware of the gravity of some matters. And so, she shared them with Cassidy.
Cassidy paused her sobbing, looking at her in confusion. “The queen doesn’t like it? But the academy was established by the queen dowager’s instructions…”
“Maybe it’s because Lady Sophie is the headmistress,” Jocelyn said slowly. “I remember when I went to the palace with my aunt, I overheard the queen talking to her. The king originally wanted to take Lady Sophie as a consort, so the queen never liked her. So naturally, she wouldn’t like the academy or the workshop that Lady Sophie started.”
She then pressed a finger to her lips. “You can’t tell anyone, okay? This is a secret.”
Cassidy nodded quickly, her expression solemn. “I know. I won’t tell anyone.”
Then, she lowered her head and began crying again. “How could this happen? Why would those people barge in and just…grab people like that?”
“Yeah…” Jocelyn murmured in agreement, but her expression suddenly changed as if a thought had struck her. Her eyes widened in fear.
“What’s wrong?” Cassidy asked quickly, noticing the change in her friend’s face.
Jocelyn was frozen, struck as if by lightning. She stared at Cassidy, her lips trembling.
“Nothing… I’m fine. It’s just…terrifying. If something like that happened, if they grabbed me my life would be ruined.”
Cassidy nodded solemnly. “Yeah, it’s really terrifying.”
In the end, Jocelyn left in a daze. But before she departed, it seemed as though she realized something and warned Cassidy not to speak of their conversation to anyone. Cassidy promised, “Don’t worry, I won’t tell.”
But a girl’s “I won’t tell” was nothing more than a spoken assurance. As soon as Jocelyn was gone, Cassidy hurried off to find her mom.
Winifred was quick-witted, and after only a few words, she understood the full implications. She sighed deeply.
“You can’t speak of this to anyone else, do you understand? There will be consequences. If it weren’t for Ms. Young protecting you, you’d be the one ruined. Tomorrow, you will accompany me to Highstone Estate and thank Ms. Young.”
“I understand. Cassidy lowered her head, sinking into her mom’s embrace. I truly regret how I treated Ms. Young. I always went against her. I even said she was chasing after General Farrell, and he didn’t want her.”
Winifred slapped her daughter sharply on the back of the head. “How can you say such things? Don’t you understand the importance of respecting your teachers? Never speak to that girl from the Quinton family again!” “No, I can’t do that. Jocelyn’s my good friend. She didn’t mean it. It was the queen who made her do it,” Cassidy protested.
Winifred froze, her hair standing on end, and she quickly silenced the conversation.
The Quinton family was at the height of their power. Kylie was the current queen, and the eldest prince was likely to become the crown prince soon. Even if the Xavier family had ties with the Quinton family, they dared not say a word beyond what was necessary.
The labor foreman at the docks had been silenced, and that example loomed as a warning. Even if the Xavier family knew something, they had no choice but to keep their lips sealed.
The rumors surrounding Rosalind didn’t cease. Jacob had investigated and confirmed that someone was orchestrating the spread of these malicious tales. Long-buried incidents were being resurrected and falsely linked to her and the academy, whether or not they actually had any connection. Attacking Rosalind was, in essence, attacking Trevor as well. By extension, it also tarnished the reputation of Gracewood Women’s Academy.
Trevor and Gerald had long been respected figures in academic circles. But now, because of this affair, Trevor had fallen from grace, while Gerald was now the one being lauded.
Meanwhile, no one was mentioning Malcolm’s affair with his mistress anymore.
Despite all the attention on the Quinton family, it didn’t help them. The larger they became, the more they attracted attention. The Quinton family needed to act swiftly to suppress the rumors.
Jacob discovered they were trying to control the narrative, but it wasn’t working. So, they had no choice but to refocus the conversation on the women’s academy and Rosalind, spreading all sorts of negative rumors about her marriage prospects.
Jacob could barely contain his anger. A woman as pure as Rosalind was being dragged through the mud by them.
The suitors knocking at the door were becoming more numerous. At first, some had genuinely wanted to marry her, even though they were unworthy men with questionable morals. Soon after, those who came were simply there to humiliate her. A group of misfits, unable to win her hand, started saying strange and rude things. Even though they couldn’t get into the house, they stood outside, claiming they would be kind enough to marry her.
Jacob had his people make note of the names of these suitors, planning to investigate and punish them later. However, he soon realized that another group was also keeping track of them.
When he reported this back, Sophie was curious about who was behind it. So, she sent Claire to inquire and learned that it was people from the Farrell family-Thomas’ men.
Sophie was surprised. Although the year-end was approaching, Thomas wouldn’t be back until the 27th or the 28th of December. How did he know about this?
Had he recorded these names to exact revenge for Rosalind?
She told Jacob to hold off for now and wait to see what Thomas would do next.
Thomas returned on the 25th of December. The moment he stepped back into the estate, he set the entire household into motion, directing everyone to buy everything in sight.
Alice was absolutely thrilled. The entire family jumped into action, running all over town from every direction. For the next two days, they scarcely left the Golden Tower.
The young heir of the Golden Tower, Nathaniel, had given orders that anything purchased by the Farrell family would be at a 20% discount. If something was in stock, it was given immediately. If not, the craftsmen worked through the night to finish it.
As for Thomas, he had a list of names and set out with a dozen men to track each of them down. He didn’t do it to make things difficult for them-he simply instructed that they be at Highstone Estate on the 28th of the month. Anyone who failed to show up would suffer the consequences.
On the 28th, the snow had stopped, and the sky was clear.