Filed To Story: Queen of the Battlefield Her Return to Glory Novel Online Free
Why had someone with such pride and capability ever been content to serve a sickly mother-in-law?
She couldn’t understand it, but she also seemed to understand at the same time.
And this understanding made her feel even worse.
Even more shocked than Rebecca was Helen. Her astonished gaze followed Sophie’s elegant retreat until the latter disappeared from sight. Even then, her eyes did not shift.
At that moment, a drum seemed to be beating inside her chest, each thump resonating through her bones, reverberating loudly in her ears.
The thrill of it was unprecedented!
Helen’s lifelong enemy, the mother-daughter pair she had always been powerless with before, had been undone by a few words from Sophie. Helen had never seen Eleanor so unraveled. It felt incredibly satisfying!
Sophie being her daughter-in-law might not have been her first choice, but perhaps she wasn’t so bad after all.
No!
Helen couldn’t think that way. Sophie was still unworthy of her son, Rafael!
As Sophie walked away, Rafael followed suit.
News of their departure quickly spread from the inner courtyard to the main court. The royal relatives and various civil and military officials present all learned that Rafael was about to marry Sophie. Men and women thought differently.
Men valued heritage and purity, but they also placed great importance on benefits.
Who was Sophie? Beyond being the daughter of the Duke of Northwatch and backed by her impressive background, she was also an apprentice of the Pathfinders Guild, with Kyle as her senior.
The Pathfinders Guild wasn’t just a martial arts faction. Apart from Kyle, it was home to many extraordinary individuals. Currently, the leader of the Pathfinders Guild was Adrian Russell. He was the great- grandson of Blayden Russell, who was the former Supreme Cavalry Commander, also known by his other titles of the Exotic Sovereign and the Annara Monarch.
Adrian founded the Pathfinders Guild, and his influence extended over all the guilds in Meadow Ridge. After all, Meadow Ridge itself was his domain, as it used to be Blayden’s fief.
Though the Annara Monarch’s title was not hereditary, the territory was never reclaimed. Over the years, only they knew how much wealth they had amassed.
Of course, wealth was secondary. The crucial factor was the influence within the martial world. Adrian’s martial prowess was said to be second in the world, with one of his juniors being the best. Whether these rumors held true was uncertain, but the guild’s formidable reputation commanded respect throughout Meadow Ridge.
Everyone would want to befriend such a powerful faction, so a marital alliance would clearly also be favorable.
Moreover, Sophie herself was a celebrated hero who recaptured the Southern Frontier and replaced Freya as the top female general of the era.
Given these accomplishments, whether Sophie was a divorced woman was irrelevant.
It was indeed a strange world where, sometimes, women belittled each other even before men had the chance to do so.
They said that like attracted like, and these women really did harm their own kind and caused injury to one another.
Sophie and Rafael exchanged a glance at the entrance of Eleanor’s residence. Seeing her spirited demeanor, it was clear she hadn’t been distressed, which put Rafael at ease.
Since the announcement was already made, he took the opportunity to extend an invitation. “I heard that there’s a chef from Funara at Wisdom Retreat who’s skilled in making spicy cuisine. How about we go and try it?”
“Sounds good!” Sophie was indeed hungry. Arguing with others was quite exhausting.
Rafael and Dylan mounted their horses, while she, Lulu, and Pearl boarded the carriage.
Pearl still looked somewhat reserved. “My lady, is it appropriate for you two to dine together in public like this?”
Sophie smiled, and replied, “Should we invite him to our estate instead?”
“Uh… Perhaps Wisdom Retreat is better,” Pearl reconsidered.
The estate wasn’t prepared for such an impromptu meal, and even if they could prepare a few dishes, it wouldn’t be suitable for hosting distinguished guests. The prince was indeed a distinguished guest!
Upon arriving at Wisdom Retreat, Dylan went in first to reserve a private room, then came out to invite Rafael and Sophie inside.
The private room was set with two tables: one for Lulu, Pearl, and Dylan, and the other for Rafael and Sophie.
Sophie took on the task of ordering the food. Holding the menu, she looked up at Rafael and asked, “Can you handle spicy food?”
“I thrive on spice!” Rafael straightened up, taking the task of ordering very seriously.
After enduring hardships on the battlefield for three years, he was eager to savor everything. More importantly, he knew that Sophie liked spicy food.
“For the two of us, three dishes should be enough. Since I can handle spice too, let’s order all spicy dishes. However, Lulu and Pearl don’t like spicy food. Let’s order one spicy dish and three non-spicy ones for their table. How does that sound?”
“Three dishes won’t be enough. Let’s order eight,” Rafael said.
Sophie chuckled. “Can you eat that much? It would be a waste if we can’t finish it.”
“I can manage. I didn’t have breakfast today, and I was looking forward to a good meal at Grand Princess Eleanor’s birthday banquet. Since that didn’t work out, we can’t let our stomachs down.”
Sophie laughed as she wrote down their order. The menu had spicy dishes, but also featured other cuisines. Ordering all spicy dishes wasn’t feasible, so she also selected two of Wisdom Retreat’s signature dishes.
Once Sophie finished writing down their orders, she showed them to Rafael. He reviewed it and said happily, “These are all to my liking. Let’s go with this.” Then, he turned to Dylan. “Dylan, take this and place the orders.”
Dylan nodded and took the paper, then went out to place the order. He returned shortly afterward.
“What happened in the inner courtyard? Did they doubt the birthday gift you brought and think it was a fake? Did they also try to bully you?”
Rafael had a general idea, but wanted to hear it from her directly.
Sophie took a sip of water to soothe her dry throat, and said, “They couldn’t bully me, but there were indeed some who targeted me and didn’t take me seriously.”
Lulu chimed in, “My lady, the last few things you said really frightened me. How could you dare to speak so boldly? What if Grand Princess Eleanor decides to retaliate?”
Sophie replied, “Whether I say it or not, she was going to make things difficult for me anyway. I might as well get it off my chest.”
She gave Lulu a sideways glance. “You’ve been with me for years, from the estate to Meadow Ridge and back to the capital. Have you ever seen me afraid of anyone?” “You were always fearless, but now…”
Lulu hesitated, remembering their days at Valor Estate. It wasn’t that Sophie was afraid of anyone, but she seemed like a different person now.
However, Lulu knew better than to voice this in front of Rafael.
“In any case, even if we try not to offend anyone, we end up offending them. Being afraid won’t change anything,” Sophie said.