Filed To Story: Queen of the Battlefield Her Return to Glory Novel Online Free
“Your Majesty, please forgive me!” he cried out.
He still didn’t know exactly what Fabian had said. But seeing the man kneeling outside with his thorn branches, Malcolm could guess that the truth about Gerald’s visits to the gentlemen’s retreat had come out.
“My dad was momentarily confused, Your Majesty. Please forgive him,” he pleaded.
“This is utterly ridiculous! Outrageous!” Salvador seethed, barely able to contain his anger. “The Quinton family isn’t just confused, you’ve gone too far! I’ve been lenient with you time and time again, turning a blind eye to many things, yet you dare to take on Eleanor’s business? The gentlemen’s retreats housed Sandorian spies, whom you’ve been sheltering for years!”
Terrified and shaken, Malcolm didn’t fully grasp Salvador’s words. He could do nothing but continue to kneel in apology.
Derek entered, delivering the news that Sophie was waiting outside for orders.
Salvador’s anger simmered down slightly as he snapped at Malcolm, “Go outside and kneel. Don’t dirty my eyes any further.”
The word “dirty” struck Malcolm like a physical blow. Humiliated and furious, he crawled and stumbled out, joining Fabian on the floor outside.
Sophie entered the hall and knelt on one knee. “Greetings, Your Majesty.”
“Rise,” Salvador said, his voice still cold.
The purpose behind his order to sweep the gentlemen’s retreats had been to find the Sandorian spies and to serve as a warning to the officials and noble families. He hadn’t expected that in the process, he would uncover that a royal tutor was involved.
“Thank you, Your Majesty.”
Sophie stood after her brief acknowledgement and remained silent, hands clasped behind her back. “You knew about Lord Gerald’s visits to the gentlemen’s retreat, didn’t you?” Salvador asked, his sharp gaze bearing into her, as though accusing her of withholding the truth.
Sophie met his gaze calmly and admitted, “Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Then, why didn’t you report it?” Salvador demanded.
“Your Majesty, I believed he wouldn’t go last night, as he had already visited a few days ago. If he hadn’t gone, neither you nor anyone else would have found out about his visits With that, the gentlemen’s retreats would never be connected to him. Also, I believed that you would prefer not to know, Your Majesty,” Sophie answered steadily.
Salvador paused. He certainly hadn’t wanted to know, and it would have been far easier to simply ignore the situation. He would have gladly washed his ears clean, pretending he had never heard of it.
But then, Salvador recalled Fabian’s words and snapped, “How could you not know? Lord Fabian says it was Lord Gerald who told him to keep the gentlemen’s retreats running. Didn’t you investigate that?” Sophie looked up in surprise, meeting Salvador’s cold, angry gaze. She couldn’t help but think that Fabian was either clever or foolish.
“That’s…. I don’t know, and I didn’t investigate,” she said.
“You couldn’t have investigated? It seems your abilities are lacking after all,” Salvador snapped, lashing out at seemingly anyone in his path as his temper flared.
Sophie lowered her head in a vels posture of feigned humility. But inside, she couldn’t help but wonder hadn’t Salvador considered that Fabian might have lied, intentionally dragging Geraldinto this mess?
The next moment, Malcolm and Fabian were summoned back into the hall to receive their scolding. The other two knelt and acknowledged their faults, but Sophie remained silent.
Salvador’s anger flared again. “Don’t think you’re innocent, or that you’ve been unjustly accused. You knew Lord Gerald went to the gentlemen’s retreat, yet you didn’t report it in advance.”
Sophie had endured a long night, and she was now being forced to be scolded alongside Malcolm and Fabian. Naturally, she felt a little disgruntled.
So, she lifted her head slightly and asked, “If I had reported it, would you have refrained from raiding the gentlemen’s retreats, Your Majesty?”
Angry and embarrassed, Salvador shot back, “They would still have been raided, but…”
He trailed off, caught in his own thoughts. He knew he couldn’t go back on what he had ordered, and he certainly couldn’t say that having prior knowledge would have made him send someone to warn Gerald. Moreover, it was uncertain if he would actually visit the gentlemen’s retreat last night. If Sophie had informed the king that she had seen Gerald there earlier, he wouldn’t have believed her.
The truth was, before catching him, who could have believed it?
Gerald was a royal tutor-a revered figure with an unparalleled status, admired by the people and seen as a model by scholars across the kingdom. It seemed inconceivable that he would go to such a place. If Sophie had reported it in advance, Salvador would have denounced it as a baseless accusation. Sophie’s voice rose as she continued, “And the Quinton family is such a large family. With servants all around, how could no one know that Lord Gerald went to the gentlemen’s retreat? I am only in charge of investigating. I cannot predict who goes, when they go, or why. And Lord Gerald wasn’t the only one present, there were many sons of noble families and officials as well.
“And about those loyal ministers you care so much about the ones you specifically asked me about? They’ve all been arrested as well, just as you instructed.”
Salvador was blinded by anger and refused to acknowledge any fault.
He continued to berate her, “In the end, it’s your failure to handle things properly. There’s nothing to argue here.””
“Yes, Your Majesty, I accept my fault,” Sophie replied, lowering her head. “Once I return to the Capital Guard headquarters, I will release Lord Gerald.”
Salvador’s expression darkened.
Release Gerald? Could he do that? If he was going to let anyone go, it should have been everyone. He had said before that whoever was caught would be locked up for two days. As king, how could he change orders so easily without losing any authority?
He glanced at Sophie, who had snapped back at him. For a moment, his rationality returned. He couldn’t really blame her for this situation.
At this point, Malcolm was now aware of Fabian’s false accusations, but he couldn’t be sure if they were truly false. After all, his father hadn’t said anything to him about it the night before.
But releasing Gerald now? That wasn’t possible. There were too many eyes watching from outside.
If anyone was going to be let go, it should’ve been done quietly through the back doo last night. But now that everything was out in the open, there were probably countless people waiting outside the Capital Guard headquarters, eager for the spectacle. Whether it was the front, the back, or the side entrance, there were no doubt a dozen eyes watching. There was no way to release him now.
That was not all.
Not only could Gerald not be released yet, he would have to wait until all the other people were freed. Only then, in the dead of night, would Malcolm be able to sneak in and get him without drawing any attention.
He nervously spoke up, “Your Majesty, he can’t be released for now.”
Did Salvador really need Malcolm to remind him of that?
With a cold glare, the king snapped, “Commander Devin is right. Did none of you in the Quinton family know that Lord Gerald went to the gentlemen’s retreat? You’re all such devoted sons and grandsons. Truly admirable.”
Sophie lowered her eyes demurely at the remark. So now, she was “Commander Devin,” was she? Malcolm inwardly groaned.
Not only had he lost his reputation for being a devoted son, but now he was being blamed for something he never even considered. How could anyone have known Gerald was going there? It wasn’t even something Malcolm had thought about.
Besides, Gerald had always lived in a more remote part of the estate, saying he preferred solitude. And when he left, he hadn’t used the main gate.
But ultimately, it was the Quinton family’s own failure to notice. Gerald always traveled by carriage. Even if Cody was with him, someone would have noticed him sneaking out at night. Vet, no one ever reported it to Malcolm. To be frank, it was possible someone in the household knew about the late-night trips but didn’t dare speak up.
For Fabian’s part, he only sobbed and admitted his fault, begging Salvador to reduce his punishment. He didn’t say a word more.
Salvador was growing weary of the marquis’ tears. His headache deepened, and irritably, he waved his hand.
“Silence! Enough of this.” He then turned back to Sophie. “You’ve worked hard. You may leave now. They will stay locked up for now.”
It was normal for a woman to have a bit of a temper. Sophie had never been one to let others walk all over her.