Filed to story: Queen of the Battlefield Her Return to Glory Novel Online Free
There was no doubt in his mind that Sophie spoke the truth.
Two things made it clear. First, lan and his men had been constantly patrolling the river. Second, Sophie’s personal involvement in the interrogation. If Salvador hadn’t authorized it, she wouldn’t need to be here and could have easily sent someone else to extract the truth through torture.
Of course, Miles had no idea that Sophie had already analyzed his situation in detail and anticipated his thoughts.
She leaned forward slightly, her gaze never leaving his. “How far does the corruption go? What’s Mr. Judd’s stance on it?”
Miles hesitated for a moment, then said, “To be honest, he encouraged us to embezzle. He called it a ‘hardship allowance’. Basically, a way to make extra money. At first, we just took a little and he didn’t care. Over time, our confidence grew.
“Then, one day, he warned us that he was keeping a record of every bribe we took, but he didn’t take action. We figured he was just as guilty as us. After that, we got bolder and bolder, and he didn’t seem to care at all.”
Sophie raised an eyebrow. “So, he hasn’t done anything about it, not even until now?”
Seeing the tall young man beside Sophie pick up the iron tongs again, Miles quickly said, “Well… there was one time, just before this riverworks project started. He called us all together and warned us strictly not to take any money this time, not even a single coin. He said we should be careful not to draw any attention. He even arranged for us to take turns going on leave while he personally oversaw the work.” Sophie tilted her head slightly, her tone casual as she asked, “Why such special attention this time?” Miles’ eyes flickered nervously. “It’s probably… probably because this project is especially important…’ Before he could finish, Sophie swiftly grabbed the iron tongs and pressed them to his arm.
“
His last words ended in a painful scream, followed by a deep breath as he whimpered, “I’ll talk. I’ll tell you everything! I swear, I won’t hide anything!”
“Speak!” Travis barked sharply.
Miles was in so much pain that tears and snot were flowing. He was both afraid and resentful of Sophie, but had no choice but to tell her everything.
“Actually, we don’t know what he plans to do. We just noticed that some of the familiar conscripted laborers and workers disappeared. New ones came in, gradually replacing many of the existing people. We thought something was wrong, but with the evidence of our corruption in his hands, we didn’t dare ask.”
Sophie’s eyes narrowed dangerously. “How many people were replaced? How did it happen?”
“I don’t know how they were replaced. We don’t go and oversee the riverworks project often, since there are so many projects going on at the same time. Sometimes, they replace workers at the reservoir or the moat; other times, they take over at Clearflow River or step in for dredging crews… Anyway, since last year, I’d say several thousand people have been replaced,” Miles replied.
Sophie furrowed her brows. “You noticed something was off and didn’t ask Mr. Judd about it? Didn’t you didn’t report it to the Ministry of Infrastructure?”
Replacing thousands of people like that was like one person being quietly swapped for another. No wonder nothing unusual showed up in the labor records.
“Who would dare ask? Who would dare say anything? He’s got our weaknesses in his hands,” said Miles, looking as if the weight of the world was on his shoulders.
“Did you never suspect that these replacements were for some other purpose?”
Miles answered honestly, “We never thought about it. It wasn’t our business. The fewer questions, the better.”
“Have there been more replacements recently?” Travis interjected.
Miles thought for a moment before replying, “I went to the reservoir a couple of days ago. It’s almost finished, and since Mr. Walker and the others have been keeping an eye on it, Mr. Judd had all of us get to work. It seems like some people have been replaced, but not many.”
Sophie asked a few more questions, but none of them concerned Nicholas. Miles answered everything he could, and if he didn’t know something, he simply said so. No amount of heat from the iron tongs could get more out of him.
Sophie knew she couldn’t hold him much longer as it would raise suspicions.
So, before Miles could see what was coming, she spoke to Travis, “You stay here and keep an eye on him. I’ll go to the palace to report to the king and see what he wants to do about this.”
“Yes, Your Grace!” Travis responded.
But Sophie didn’t go to the palace. Instead, she went back to the Capital Guard headquarters, where she arranged for her men to secretly monitor various locations at the construction sites. After waiting for two hours, she returned to the courtyard.
With her hands clasped behind her back, she coldly regarded Miles. “Because of your contribution in providing information, His Majesty has decided to spare your life for now. You may go, but it’s best you stay home, pretending to be ill. And remember, not a word to anyone. If a single whisper escapes your lips, your life will be forfeit.”
Travis released Miles, who collapsed to the floor, crying and repeatedly bowing in gratitude. He had never imagined Salvador would show him mercy. He thanked his stars that he had confessed, for if he hadn’t, he would likely be on his way to Astral Prison now.
Still, hardship was inevitable.
Travis broke Miles’ leg, then secretly sent him to Arcane Sanctum. The story he was to tell the outside world was that he had drunkenly fallen and fractured his leg. This would allow him to rest at home without drawing any attention.
Once the matter was settled, Travis returned to ask Sophie, “Why don’t we send him back to gather intelligence for us? We could intimidate him and tell him the king has ordered him to spy. He wouldn’t dare disobey.”
Sophie shook her head. “He won’t be able to uncover anything and will be more likely to slip up.”
Travis recalled the pathetic state Miles had been in earlier. Indeed, he was of little use. Sending him to investigate would quickly attract suspicion from Cameron. It was safer to let him stay home and nurse his leg. That way, they could be sure of a clean outcome.
Even if colleagues came to visit him, Miles wouldn’t dare say anything reckless. Someone as selfish as him would surely want to take all the credit for providing information. Sharing the recognition with others would only create trouble for himself, wouldn’t it?
That man wouldn’t risk a thing.
Having worked for many years in the Ministry of Infrastructure, Miles had never found a true friend. A man who abandoned the brother who supported his education, discarded his first wife, and mistreated the daughter of his mentor-someone so utterly self-centered-could never have genuine friendships. In his eyes, it was all about personal gain.
Sophie returned and discussed with Jacob and Kyle whether they should report to Salvador. After all, the confession had been obtained under dubious circumstances.
In the end, the three agreed that regardless of whether the king would believe it, the report had to be made. The crime of illegally detaining a government official could not be left unchecked, though they knew Salvador would not mete out punishment at such a delicate moment.
This time, Sophie brought Kyle, whom the king had always held in high regard, with her to the palace. When she had been sent to the Southern Frontier, it was a forged letter from Kyle that Salvador had seen through.
However, when they arrived at the palace, they were told they couldn’t see the king. Derek came out to deliver the message that Salvador was coughing up blood and had nearly collapsed. Robert was still attending to him.
Sophie quickly inquired, “Is it his health that’s failing, or has he been poisoned?”
The question itself was laced with suspicion. Under normal circumstances or in the presence of anyone else, she wouldn’t have dared to ask. But the situation was different now, and it was Derek standing before her, which gave her the courage to voice her concern.
Derek sighed, his face full of worry. “Mr. Lester has ruled out poisoning. A recent bout of stress has affected His Majesty. He’s been restless, unable to sleep or eat properly.
“On top of that, the sudden shifts between hot and cold weather caused him to catch a feverish cold. He’s been coughing for days, and taking medicine hasn’t helped much. Today, his coughing worsened and wouldn’t stop. It escalated to the point where he coughed up blood and nearly choked on it.”
Sophie felt a slight relief upon hearing it wasn’t a poisoning. If it had been poison, it would have meant someone had infiltrated the palace, making matters far more complicated.
Coughing up blood could either be a serious issue or a mere complication. Sophie didn’t leave right away, instead waiting outside for the royal physician to emerge and provide more information. There were also several other officials outside, waiting to report urgent matters.
An hour later, Robert finally came out. He explained that Salvador had fallen asleep after being given needle treatment and medication. He added that any urgent matters would have to be postponed and could be reported to the king another day.
Since men were not allowed into the inner palace freely, Sophie asked Kyle to leave first and made her way to Serenity Palace to visit Ryan and Helen.
The news of Salvador coughing up blood was kept from Victoria, but she had already heard about it. Since the king had instructed that it be kept quiet, the queen dowager refrained from visiting him. However, she sent someone to inquire with Robert about the details.
When Sophie finally came to see her after waiting for an hour, Victoria immediately asked about the situation. She relayed what Derek and Robert had told her, assuring the queen dowager that Salvador was under divine protection and would recover.
But Victoria wasn’t comforted by such talk of divine protection. She sighed heavily and said, “He’s burdened with too much worry, always taking everything upon himself. On top of that, he doesn’t delegate tasks wisely. How could he not fall ill from all this stress and overwork?”