Filed To Story: Queen of the Battlefield Her Return to Glory Novel Online Free
Violet suddenly looked up at Bun, her expression sharp. “If it seems like there’s something, could it be that someone wants us to see on purpose? The flaws are too obvious, but after it was exposed, they’ve patched everything up, not letting us see anything.”
Bun rubbed his temples, his lean face taking on a hint of resolve. “You’re right. But who made this flaw? Was it Prince Hayden? If it’s him, why not just tell us directly?”
“Because,” Violet continued, following his train of thought, “he wants us to find something, just enough to keep us here. If we don’t get the answer, it will gnaw at us, and we won’t leave.”
Cynthia frowned. “In short, he still wants to keep us here. But why? People always have they do. He can’t just want to keep us around for fun like he’s a child, right?”
reason for what
The three of them pondered, deep in thought, but none of them could figure it out. So, they decided to head to the Capital Guard headquarters to seek out Sophie.
When they arrived, Sophie was still sitting with Rafael’s letter, reading it over and over. The seal had been broken and re-waxed, so Rafael must have anticipated that Salvador would see it.
Since there was only this one letter, she needed to carefully consider every word to see if Rafael had left any hidden hints.
But no matter how many times she read it, all she found were the usual words of concern. He asked her to take care of herself, warned her that the weather would soon get hot, and advised her to place ice beside her when sleeping at night. He cautioned against drinking too many cold beverages in the summer, as it could upset her stomach.
The letter also reminded her to avoid rivers and dangerous areas while on patrol.
Did he think she was a child?
Nothing was mentioned about the situation at the Southern Frontier, likely because it was in the formal reports sent to Salvador.
When Violet and the others arrived, Sophie was still focused on the letter. She didn’t even notice when Violet leaned in to peek.
“To my beloved?” Violet read aloud and chuckled softly. “How cheesy.”
Sophie kicked her and quickly put the letter away. “Get lost!”
Bun burst out laughing. “My beloved? Why not ‘my darling wife’? That’s hilarious!”
Cynthia kicked Bun next. “Between those two, I prefer ‘my beloved’. Got a problem with that?”
Bun jumped, clutching his legs in mock defense. “No problem! None at all!”
Violet sprawled across Sophie’s desk. “Haven’t you read this letter a dozen times already? Why are you still looking at it? Do you miss Prince Rafael that much?”
“He mentioned Prince Nicholas before he left, but I think there’s something he hasn’t fully figured out yet. The more tense the situation gets, the sharper his mind becomes. I wonder if he has figured something out recently and has given me some clues,” Sophie replied.
“Why the need for hints? Why not just write it plainly in the letter?” Violet asked.
“This letter was sent directly to the king, who then passed it on to me,” Sophie explained. “If it was something Raf deduced or suspected, he wouldn’t have written it plainly. His Majesty has already opened it and read through it.”
Violet scrunched up her nose in distaste. “Reading someone’s personal letters? That’s pretty low. But still, why didn’t he just send it to you directly?”
“Because that’s the fastest way to get to me,” Sophie said. “And sending a letter directly could risk it being intercepted. If the contents were just his guesses, it could easily be twisted into accusations of slander.”
After she finished speaking, Sophie turned to them and asked, “Have you found anything?”
Violet recounted their findings briefly, including their analysis. She mentioned Hayden’s deliberate choice to let them overhear the noises outside that night, as well as the shipment of food meant for over a hundred people.
Sophie thought for a moment, unsure of Hayden’s true intentions or where his loyalties lay.
But one thing was certain-he and Nicholas were involved in this matter.
The question was: where were these soldiers?
They couldn’t possibly be coming from Nerovia now. The journey would take them through Valken, and that would put them right into the hands of Thomas. If they traveled in groups, it would be too large a force to go unnoticed. Chester would certainly catch wind of it and destroy them on the way.
As the true mastermind had hidden behind Yuvan for so many years, they surely had more tricks up their sleeve.
“Has Prince Hayden been acting strangely lately?” Sophie asked.
“He’s been enjoying himself,” Violet said. “Eating, drinking, and indulging in all sorts of pleasures- watching plays, listening to music.”
Sophie’s eyes narrowed in thought. “I remember he didn’t used to like going out much. Why the sudden change? Where has he been going?”
Violet shrugged. “To the third floor of Parapet Coffeehouse. You can listen to plays and enjoy the river view. I’ve been there for two days, and it’s actually quite relaxing, almost to the point of feeling lazy.” Since joining Sophie on the battlefield, Violet had rarely experienced such leisurely days. She always felt like it was a waste of time. It was far better to be busy and do something meaningful.
Because of this, she found it difficult to settle at Willowbrook Estate. It was like a carrot dangling in front of her, tempting her like she was a mule-leave, and she would regret it. Stay, and the days felt endlessly dull.
Sophie had visited Parapet Coffeehouse once. It was a three-story building. The first floor was dedicated to ballads and storytelling, the second to music, and the third to plays, with a view of the outside scenery. The third floor offered a full view of the city moat. But right now, the moat was being deepened and reinforced on both sides to handle the floodwaters from the summer rains.
In recent years, the rains had been particularly heavy, causing floods in many parts of the city. As a result, the riverbeds had been excavated and reinforced since last year to prevent a repeat of the disasters from a few years ago when the Royal Street had been submerged.
This was a major project under the Ministry of Infrastructure, with multiple sections being worked on simultaneously. So, the view of the river wasn’t anything special now.
Sophie couldn’t help but smile at the memory of Rafael’s advice-telling her not to go near the river or other dangerous areas. But with all the construction, it was unlikely she would fall into the river if she went…
Her smile faltered as a thought struck her.
The river?
She immediately retrieved Rafael’s letter and reread it carefully, focusing on the mention of “river” and “dangerous areas”.
Violet chuckled lightly, “What’s this? You’re reading it again?”
Sophie sprang to her feet. “You all can go back to Willowbrook Estate. I’m going to the Ministry of Infrastructure.”
The current Infrastructure Minister was Edwin, the Marquis of Elderglen and Lawrence’s father.
After Lawrence’s rescue, Edwin had always been grateful to Sophie. However, he was a man of propriety.
As the Infrastructure Minister, he couldn’t be seen associating too closely with the Hell Monarch’s household. So, he only sent gifts during festivals and avoided frequent interactions with them.
When Sophie visited the Ministry of Infrastructure to see him, he was surprised.
However, he quickly understood that her visit must be for official business.
When asked about the ongoing project to build the river channel and the foundation dam, Edwin took out the blueprints and explained everything in detail.
“The project has become quite large. It had been planned for years, but with the war depleting the treasury back then, we couldn’t move forward. All we could do was clear the river silt every year. “However, since the end of last year, we’ve begun constructing a reservoir at Gatekeeper Creek and started diverting the river. The river channels around the capital are also being reinforced, and the silt is being cleared. We expect most of it to be completed by the end of this year.”