Filed To Story: Queen of the Battlefield Her Return to Glory Novel Online Free
Oliver’s clothes were stripped away, and two guards held him down on the execution block. They pinned his shoulders firmly in place to prevent any movement.
In terror, Oliver’s eyes rolled back, and he fainted.
At the moment the executioner raised his great sword, many in the crowd averted their gaze.
Only Nicholas, Yuvan, and the others in the prison cart were forced to keep their eyes forward. Their necks were locked in place, and they were unable to turn away.
They could only shut their eyes, trembling with fear.
Yuvan was the weakest of them all. He quickly squeezed his eyes shut, releasing a high-pitched scream as the sword was raised.
Among all the people, only Clifford kept his eyes open and watched. His gaze was as deep and still as the night. When the blade fell, his expression didn’t change at all.
Even when the executioner moved on from Oliver to Celeste, Clifford never looked away. The screams and gasps around him seemed to fade as he focused solely on watching the two crawl on the ground. Only when they stopped moving did he reluctantly pull his gaze away.
Viola had already left with Evelyn, but Zoey remained. She stayed until the execution was finished.
In the end, she didn’t watch the actual execution and kept her eyes shut the whole time. It wasn’t until she heard the people around her saying that Oliver was dead and not moving anymore that she opened her eyes.
The bodies were not displayed to the public. Family members were required to retrieve them. Otherwise, they would be discarded at the mass grave.
Zoey had purchased a simple grass mat, and she asked the executioner to help roll Oliver’s body up. She then hired men to bury him in the mountains, ensuring that his remains wouldn’t be left to rot in the wilderness.
No monument was erected. Only a small mound of earth marked his grave.
Zoey had declared that Oliver did not deserve a tombstone. She had no particular cafe for what would happen to his body, but she had heard that if an ancestor’s remains weren’t buried, it could affect their descendants. It was for the sake of their descendants that she arranged for his burial. And, of course, she feared what Evelyn might do if Oliver’s body was left unburied.
As for Celeste, Zoey had seen Carmen taking care of her remains.
That evening, Sophie sent someone to invite Zoey to Hell Monarch Estate to dine with Courtney and offer some comfort.
Courtney knew about her dad’s execution by torso cleaving. She had been in a low mood ever since returning from the academy, refusing to eat or speak.
Zoey had originally planned to visit Courtney at Hell Monarch Estate. But she knew that while she had received the divorce dismissal letter, she was still seen as a member of the Prince family. With Oliver’s execution just happening, she worried that Jacob might think she brought bad luck, so she hesitated to go.
When Sophie sent someone to invite her, Zoey immediately changed her clothes and went.
Courtney cried in her mom’s arms. After all, Oliver was still her dad. She was filled with resentment, yet unable to be indifferent to his death.
Once her sobs had subsided, Zoey gently brushed Courtney’s hair and said softly, “Before his execution, he realized his mistakes. He faced his death with calmness and offered his apologies.
“I went to see him off. He asked me to tell you all that a person must always act with integrity and never allow wicked thoughts to take root Do not let your conscience be buried for the sake of gain. Be brave, be resolute, face hardships without flinching, and never run from your problems. Stand firm and confront them.”
Courtney’s eyes were red from crying. She sniffled and said, “Mom, these are your words, not his.” Zoey looked at her daughter’s swollen eyes in the mirror and softly said, “Yes, those are my words-keep them in your heart. Let him be a lesson to you. When faced with something, remember that avoiding it won’t solve anything. Be brave, face it, solve it, and then move on.”
Courtney nodded solemnly. “I understand, Mom. I won’t disappoint you.”
Zoey held her daughter close, tears welling up in her own eyes. “Good girl.”
In her study, Sophie wrote a letter. Then, she handed it to Jacob with instructions to have it delivered to Rafael in the Southern Frontier.
She knew the situation in the Southern Frontier. Victor was amassing troops but neither attacking nor retreating, keeping things in a stalemate.
Everyone knew that Victor was just stalling. He had been given a military order to invade the Southern Frontier, but since Nicholas had failed, he could not return with any captured cities or military achievements to report.
If Victor made a hasty retreat now, he would likely lose more than just his position-his life might be forfeited as well. He attempted to forge alliances with the nomads, hoping to find a way out-perhaps a way to secure his future or an escape from certain doom.
The nomads, tired of conflict, had no interest in picking sides. Caught in the middle, they were doing everything they could to remain neutral, refusing to aid either side.
If they really had to choose, they would choose Starhaven. But naturally, it was better to avoid choosing sides altogether.
Victor’s position was weak. According to reports from Rafael, he intended to continue pursuing Victor relentlessly until the latter had no choice but to retreat. If they weren’t beaten hard enough, they would never give up on their ambitions.
Sophie sat in her study for a moment, recalling a line she had written in a letter to him earlier-a simple line that she missed him. Her cheeks flushed at the thought.
“Sophie!” Violet knocked at the door.
“Come in,” Sophie said, hastily rubbing her face with both hands. She quickly straightened up as the door opened.
Violet entered, with Zoey following behind.
“Ms. Stark said she wanted to come and thank you,” Violet explained, calling Zoey by her maiden name now.
Zoey stepped forward and curtsied, her eyes still slightly red. “Your Grace, I truly don’t know how to thank you enough for your kindness during these days…”
Sophie smiled, cutting Zoey off before the moment could grow too heavy. “If you’re offering yourself, that’s more than enough. I’m not one for anything too grand.”
Zoey paused, caught off guard by Sophie’s teasing remark. But then, seeing the playful glint in her eyes, Zoey couldn’t help but smile in return.
Violet didn’t join them at the table.
She mentioned that she had to go to Glimmering. Tower. The members of the Pathfinders Guild and the Spencer family were still there, and she had been going over to the Glimmering Tower every night.
Sophie inquired about Evelyn’s condition, at which Zoey’s gaze darkened.
“Since we returned from the execution grounds, she’s been crying nonstop. No one can console her,” she said.
“And you?” Sophie asked gently. “Do you feel sorrow, or is it anger you feel toward him?”
After everything that had happened, Sophie knew many emotions were building up inside Zoey, and she needed a way to release them.
At the question, Zoey straightened instinctively, as if bracing herself. She put on a mask of indifference, her face betraying no emotion.
But after a brief pause, she recalled the words she had just spoken to Courtney. Deciding to face her emotions head-on, she spoke firmly, her voice steady but resolute.
“I feel nothing but hatred for him!”
The bitterness surged within her, and the hatred flickered in her eyes.
“They say that when a person dies, all past grudges should fade away. But I can still hear the sounds of my children’s frantic cries when we were thrown into Astral Prison. that moment, our family was as good as dead. Our lives hung by a thread, dictated by the whim of the king. And it was all because of him.”
She paused, then continued, “Though we survived Astral Prison, it wasn’t because of him. If he had returned to the capital to turn himself in as soon as he learned we were imprisoned, I wouldn’t hate him this much.