Filed To Story: Queen of the Battlefield Her Return to Glory Novel Online Free
Indeed, two venomous snakes were slithering about, their distinctive green bodies unmistakable-the deadly adders.
The leader’s voice rang out, calm and commanding, “Don’t panic. Kill them!”
Rafael and Dylan sprang into action, chasing after the snakes. Watching the snakes head toward the pile of grain, they couldn’t step on them or strike them, and it scared Tiberius’ people, who began to retreat step by step.
“Over here!” Dylan shouted, bending low to grab one of the snakes. He managed to seize the adder by the head, but the next moment, he screamed in alarm. “I’ve been bitten! I’ve been bitten!”
He flung the snake forward, and it landed right on the leader. The man yelped in panic, swatting at the snake with frantic gestures. The others rushed forward to help.
In the confusion, Rafael and Dylan quickly stripped off their black clothes and veils, revealing their worn, grimy clothing underneath. They swiftly and silently maneuvered to Tiberius’ side of the cave and retreated slowly.
Hearing Dylan’s shout, Sophie knew that they had successfully infiltrated the grain transport group. Though she hadn’t yet seen him, the knot in her stomach began to ease.
Once the snake incident had passed, the men resumed their task of transporting the grain.
Throughout the process, no words were exchanged. The sacks were dropped and quickly replaced, and the men returned to their task, seemingly ready to repeat the process several times throughout the night -or perhaps for the next few days.
Rafael and Dylan followed behind the grain transport group from Tiberius’ side as they made their way out. The men here didn’t wear veils, so when two unfamiliar faces appeared, they were suspicious, but they didn’t question it. Perhaps they were just new arrivals who had been at the rear of the group moments ago.
Compared to the well-trained people back at Stone Village, Tiberius’ crew was utterly disorganized. Everett and Sophie retraced their steps, distancing themselves from the others.
Rafael was aware of their presence up ahead, but he never dreamed it would be Sophie and Everett. He had assumed it was the supervising team, sent to ensure none of the workers were secretly stealing the grain. After all, these people appeared to be nothing more than hired laborers.
Sophie glanced back several times, but never saw Rafael. The crowd was thick, and the distance between them was far enough to make it hard to spot anyone. She kept turning her head because, though she had heard Dylan’s voice earlier, she hadn’t heard Rafael’s.
Violet leaned in close and whispered, “Don’t worry. During the chaos, two people infiltrated our group. Though we couldn’t see them clearly, I suspect it was His Highness and Dylan.”
She paused, glancing at Everett. “Besides, look at your martial uncle. He’s as calm as ever. If he didn’t know His Highness was somewhere in the group, he’d be more anxious than anyone else.”
Sophie thought to herself that Violet had only half the truth. Everett definitely wasn’t as anxious as she was. But since he had sharp ears, Sophie didn’t dare to say it out loud.
Still, she felt much more at ease.
The journey back seemed much shorter. Soon, they reached the hidden room where the secret passage connected to the villa, where the grain was stored.
Everett and Sophie led the way, with Kyle staying behind to guard Tiberius in the hidden room. A dagger was pressed against Tiberius’ back, and although he felt weak, he had no choice but to stand.
Kyle waited until all the workers returned, ready to make the second trip with the grain. Then, he issued the command. “The Realm Defender has ordered no further transport today.”
The workers looked at Tiberius, confused. His eyes darted about, desperately trying to signal them that he was being held hostage, but the pain from the dagger pressing into his back made him speak quickly.
“We won’t be moving anything else today,” he said hastily. “We’ll continue in a couple of days.”
When they heard it was a direct order from the man, the workers finally scattered.
Rafael and Dylan were surprised to see that it was Kyle who had Tiberius under control. How did he know about the secret passage?
But they didn’t rush to ask. Instead, Rafael stepped forward and patted Tiberius on the shoulder.
“In terms of seniority, I should be calling you Uncle Tiberius,” he said with a grin.
Tiberius’ face went pale. Staring at the dirty man before him, he didn’t immediately recognize him. But the title of “Uncle” made it clear that at least Rafael had ties to the royal family.
“Let’s go. We can have a good talk outside.” Rafael gently urged him forward, then smiled at Kyle. “Thanks for your help. How did you and Travis find this place?”
Kyle returned the smile. “It wasn’t me. Your mentor brought the map of the passage. Oh, and Sophie’s here too.”
Rafael was momentarily stunned. Then his eyes lit up with excitement. “She’s here? Where?”
“She’s outside,” Kyle replied. “She was in the passage earlier with us. Come on.”
Kyle glanced at them, noticing their rough appearance. It was clear they had suffered quite a bit in the mountains.
As they exited, Rafael hardly spared a thought for the “uncle-nephew” reunion with Tiberius. His eyes immediately found Sophie, her eyes brimming with tears.
He handed Tiberius off to Dylan and quickly moved toward her. Just as he was about to embrace her, someone swiftly stepped forward and blocked their path.
It was none other than his mentor, Everett.
Rafael quickly greeted him. “Sage Everett.”
Everett sized him up, taking a step back while pinching his nose. “You really are a handful. Don’t you think you should clean up first?”
When Rafael saw his mentor’s reaction, he realized how bad he must smell. He gave a sheepish laugh. “I lost track of time in the mountains. It’s been more than 20 days already.”
His gaze turned back to Sophie, the one he had longed to see for so many days. He wanted nothing more than to hold her close and kiss her. But seeing so many people around and realizing how messy he looked, he could only gaze at her deeply.
Sophie’s tears instantly welled up. One reason was seeing him in such a state, knowing how much hardship he had endured. The other was that it reminded her of the first time they met at the Southern Frontier, when he looked just as bad.
Sophie and the others had already taken over Fernbrook Villa.
There was hot water when they needed it and clothes were provided, though they were a little short. To avoid inconveniencing Rafael, Everett sent someone to find a set of proper clothes that would fit him. Rafael was soaking in the bath, while Sophie was scrubbing the dirt off his body and washing his messy hair. Tiberius was someone who knew how to enjoy himself. The fragrant shampoo he used worked wonders. After scrubbing for a while, one’s hair would become extremely soft.
But Rafael was a different story-he was far too dirty. It took three changes of water before he was properly clean. Then, Sophie gently helped shave off his stubble, revealing the handsome face beneath. Rafael looked at her face, which had become much thinner, and his heart nearly broke. He realized she must have been struggling with worry these past days. If he had known, he would have sent her a letter to ease her mind.
Since the new clothes hadn’t arrived yet, he had to make do with Tiberius’ garments, which were a bit too short. But with some socks to complete the look, it at least appeared tidy enough.
The two of them stood close, wrapped tightly in each other’s arms. Rafael’s voice was hoarse. “I didn’t know you’d come. I didn’t expect Kyle to think something had happened to me and to go to such lengths to gather everyone.”
“I’ve been so worried since I didn’t hear from you. I’m glad I came. At least I could see you sooner,” Sophie murmured, snuggling against him. The warmth of his body pressed against hers erased the anxiety and restlessness that had clung to her for so long.
“I won’t let anything happen to me. I’ll be careful, always,” Rafael whispered, pressing a burning kiss to her forehead. His arms tightened around her, as though trying to merge her into himself. “You won’t ever have to worry about me.’
Earlier, she had cried in front of everyone, and he felt both heartbroken and touched. She was always very reserved with her emotions, so in the past, he would hold back his feelings a little to keep from burdening her.
He had never truly believed that he was of great importance to her he wasn’t unimportant, but he hadn’t believed he was essential to her happiness.
But after seeing her cry in front of so many people, he realized just how much she cared for him. The couple had so much to talk about, but there was an annoying interruption from Everett outside, knocking on the door.
“You two have a lifetime to enjoy your love,” Everett called, “but duty calls. Once you’re done cleaning up, come out so we can discuss matters.”
When Rafael heard the insistent knocking, he sighed and called out, “Coming.”