Filed To Story: Queen of the Battlefield Her Return to Glory Novel Online Free
The remark left her with more questions than answers.
What puzzled her even more was Salvador’s recent behavior. He had taken to keeping her behind after council meetings, often to discuss things that didn’t seem urgent. Sometimes, when his concubines sent soups or refreshments, he would insist on sharing them with Sophie, leaving her feeling awkward and uncertain.
“Why are you looking at me like that? Still not satisfied?” Salvador asked with a smile.
Sophie quickly replied, “Not at all, Your Majesty. I didn’t mean that. The past between me and Sentry Jaffe is long gone. As for rewarding military officers for their merits or assigning their posts, it’s not something I can interfere with, nor should any rules be broken because of me.”
Salvador chuckled, pointing at her in mock reprimand.
“You’ve grown quite sensible, haven’t you?” he said, a fondness in his voice, almost like an elder sibling.
The words tugged at a long-buried memory. Before Sophie had gone to Meadow Ridge, Salvador would often come to discuss strategies and battle tactics with her second brother, Nathan. Whenever they crossed paths, he had always spoken to her in this same tone.
Because Nathan spoke to her that way, Salvador had picked it up, treating her like a little sister as well. Back then, she had grown accustomed to such familiarity. But now, hearing it again after all these years left her feeling uneasy.
It was as if nothing had changed over the years, as if he was still the crown prince and she was still that carefree young girl.
But the truth was, everything had changed. Too much lay between them now-doubts, suspicions, caution, and wariness toward her and her husband.
Sophie couldn’t shake the feeling that Salvador’s recent behavior had been oddly inconsistent. Of course, as his subject, she couldn’t accuse him of being capricious. All she could do was respond with a polite smile and endure it.
“Tell me more about Meadow Ridge,” Salvador said suddenly, as though struck by interest. He motioned for Derek to bring refreshments.
Sophie’s shoulders stiffened slightly. Again? Hadn’t she already recounted details about Meadow Ridge just the day before? Was he trying to probe for something? Did he suspect Adrian?
“What would you like to know, Your Majesty?” she asked.
Salvador thought for a moment before replying, “Two days ago, you told me about Kyle. Yesterday, it was the tale of how you and Violet became friends after a scul
Today, why don’t you tell me a your other senior guild member, Winona Preston?”
“Winona?”
Sophie’s heart tensed immediately.
Winona had founded Skywing Spire, which specialized in gathering intelligence. During wartime, its members often served as scouts. Much of the intelligence Sophie received on the battlefield came through Skywing Spire.
Could it be that the king truly suspected Meadow Ridge?
“Yes, Winona. I hear she’s the founder of Skywing Spire,” Salvador said, smiling warmly.
His expression was seemingly free of ulterior motives. Instead, he seemed like he genuinely admired Winona and wanted to hear more about her.
Sophie forced herself to remain calm as she explained, “Actually, Skywing Spire was originally my martial uncle’s idea. He entrusted
Winona to manage it. Sage Everet has a knack for business and thought information could be profitable. But he soon realized that gathering intelligence wasn’t as easy as he’d imagined. Instead of earning money, he found himself spending it. He’s considering disbanding the faction now.”
Salvador had been genuinely intrigued, but when he heard her quickly explain that Skywing Spire was about to disband, he paused, slightly stunned.
Realizing something, he gave her a long, thoughtful look before saying, “Alright, that’s enough for today. You may leave.”
Sophie immediately bowed. “Yes, Your Majesty. I’ll take my leave.”
This pattern continued for nearly ten days.
Back at the estate, Sophie discussed it with Jacob and Kyle, but no one could make sense of Salvador’s intentions.
At first, they assumed the king was trying to gather information about the Pathfinders Guild. After all, Adrian had not only modified the six-barreled matchlock and red cannon for this battle, but had also rallied numerous martial arts guilds to defend the capital.
Given Salvador’s naturally suspicious nature, it wouldn’t have been surprising if he harbored doubts. But the more time passed, the more it seemed like that wasn’t the case. The king didn’t show much interest in the specifics of Meadow Ridge or Adrian’s actions. Instead, he seemed more entertained by Sophie’s childhood escapades.
In recent days, Salvador’s favorite stories were those of her mischief at Meadow Ridge-brawling, causing trouble, and forcing her mentor to go door-to-door apologizing and paying reparations. Whenever she recounted those tales, Salvador laughed uncontrollably. He would lean forward with tears in his eyes from how hard he laughed.
Sophie couldn’t understand what was so amusing. Those incidents had all ended with her being punished: scolded by Everett, grounded, forced to balance a heavy jar on her head, smacked on the palms, or made to kneel on nails.
In one particularly harrowing instance, she was forced to squat in a horse stance for two hours while a candle burned beneath her. It was a common occurrence for her pants to catch fire during those punishments.
She thought those humiliating stories would bore the king, given that he disliked unruly behavior. After all, when Connor had acted out in his youth, Salvador had been furious.
Yet, he seemed oddly addicted to these anecdotes. Just this morning, he had even asked if they had ever blown up cow dung in the mountains. He claimed it was the most entertaining thing a child could do. Sophie’s lips twitched for a long moment before she responded, “We did, but why do you find that amusing, Your Majesty? Surely, you aren’t telling me you’ve done it yourself.”
Salvador laughed. “It was your second brother who taught me about it. He was always too slow to run and ended up covered in dung every time.”
Sophie knew that Nathan never ran slow. It was likely that Salvador had been slow, and Nathan was protecting him.
As the king laughed, the light in his eyes dimmed and his expression softened. He sighed and murmured, “I miss Nathan dearly. I’ve dreamed of him several times lately.”
Her eyes reddening, Sophie’s heart ached as though an old wound had been torn open. The pain was sharp and piercing.
In a quiet voice, she asked, “What did you dream of him saying, Your Majesty?”
“It was all old memories. Nothing worth mentioning.” Salvador’s tone was distant now, his earlier mirth gone. He waved a hand dismissively, signaling that he was done talking. “You may leave.”
Sophie bowed and excused herself.
As she turned to go, she glanced at the king one last time. She was unsure if his mention of her brother was genuine or if it carried some hidden meaning. She didn’t want to guess, nor did she want Salvador to use Nathan as a pretense for anything. If this was a matter of manipulation, what was his goal?
After leaving the royal study, Sophie didn’t immediately depart the palace. Instead, she lingered, waiting until Derek emerged. Quietly, she followed him.
It seemed he had expected her. At the bend of a corridor, he paused and turned back. His expression was calm as he looked at her.
“Your Grace, why are you still here?”
“There’s something I wish to ask you, Mr. Walker,” Sophie said, stepping forward with a respectful nod. Her expression betrayed her unease. “There are matters I hope you can clarify for me.”
“His Majesty’s recent behavior has left you perplexed, hasn’t it?” Derek asked, his tone gentle.
Sophie glanced around. In the distance, a few palace attendants moved about, but no one was near enough to overhear.
Lowering her voice, she asked, “Will speaking to you in private cause you any trouble?”
“It won’t,” Derek assured her, unconcerned as he began speaking freely. “His Majesty’s unusual behavior stems from his headaches, which have worsened lately. He’s been sleeping poorly, often needing medicine just to manage an hour or two of rest. Perhaps it’s his health that stirs up memories of the past. In private, he’s spoken to me about many trivial things these days.”