Filed To Story: Queen of the Battlefield Her Return to Glory Novel Online Free
Through painstakingly slow writing, the truth of how he had escaped was finally being revealed.
That day, he had slipped out at noon. Afraid of being caught, he had asked his attendant, Sunny, to wear his clothes and hide in the house to fool his mother. Ryan had then crawled through a dog hole to leave the estate and buy candied apples.
Back then, Sunny had only recently been brought into Northwatch Estate. Yvette had planned to make him Ryan’s study companion, a detail Sophie was unaware of.
Ryan had just bought the candied apples with the intention of taking them to Valor Estate for Sophie when he was struck on the head midway. When he woke up, he found himself locked in a dark room with several other children.
They had been captured by human traffickers.
The other children were frightened by threats and dared not resist, but Ryan had fought back and been brutally beaten.
These children had three possible fates: becoming beggars, being trained as thieves, or, for girls, being sold to brothels. That day, Ryan’s leg had been broken, condemning him to a life as a beggar.
The traffickers had given a drug to all except the girls to render them mute. Some of the older children, who were literate, had their fingers smashed to prevent them from writing or reading, as beggars would earn more sympathy and money if they appeared more pitiable.
Since Ryan had been wearing a servant’s outfit and was only five years old, the traffickers hadn’t considered that he might know how to read, so they hadn’t smashed his fingers.
Over the past two years, as Ryan moved from place to place, he eventually learned of his family’s massacre after being held by the traffickers for over half a year. At the time, many people were saying that the Duke of Northwatch’s family had been completely wiped out.
He had believed that this meant Sophie was also dead.
The past two years had been incredibly harsh for Ryan. He had tried to escape countless times, only to be caught and brutally beaten each time. Whenever he begged for food, someone would always be watching him. Most of the time, he couldn’t escape due to his injured leg, and getting caught meant a severe beating.
Over time, he grew fearful of trying to run away. He began to feel despair and numbness inside. Additionally, the traffickers had given them medication that needed to be taken every few days-missing a dose caused severe discomfort, making it impossible to leave.
Cars Framacheer suffering from withdrawal but the symptoms had Serghaut now has comsiffer and Te Tonger fet as much pain.
After he finished writing, Ryan was exhausted, Sophie urged him to rest and watched as he fell asleep, unable to bring herself to leave his side. She was terrified that if she stepped away, the fragile dreamlike peace she felt would shatter, and Ryan would be gone when she returned to reality.
Her heart ached to see the child suffer so much. Watching him limp painfully as he walked felt like a thousand needles piercing her heart.
Rafael had already begun arranging their return to the capital. Ryan needed to see Sebastian for treatment as soon as possible, no time could be wasted. At seven years old, Ryan was still as small as he had been at five, and it was unclear what other poisons he might have been exposed to. It was difficult for any of them to feel at ease until Ryan was examined thoroughly.
Rafael had also instructed the Eldorian governor to submit an urgent report to the king on his behalf, detailing the situation. The preservation of even a small part of the Duke of Northwatch’s family bloodline would surely bring joy to the king and the entire court
There was also the matter of the Klein family, Ryan would be a form of salvation for them as well.
The massacre of the Duke of Northwatch’s family was not just a matter of everyone being killed-it had been a scene of utter brutality, with each person suffering multiple wounds. The fact that the body presumed to be Ryan had its head severed, as well as its face and body mutilated to the point of being unrecognizable, was chilling to recall
Upon hearing the news of the massacre back then, the Klein family’s matriarch, ingrid, had fainted on the spot. The elderly woman had raised Yvette since childhood and had been particularly close to her. Meanwhile, the Klein family’s patriarch was so grief-stricken he had fallen from the stone steps due to dizziness and passed away the next day.
Under such a grim shadow, the Klein family had scarcely participated in any activities over the past two years, avoiding public events and ceremonies in the capital.
Two days later, Rafael and Sophie set off for the capital by carriage.
With Lighting pulling the cartage, Rafael took on the role of coachman, while Sophie stayed in the carriage with Ryan.
Sophie took out the starcake Lily had packed and gave it to Ryan. As he ate, tears streamed down his face and he gestured with his hands, wanting to say how delicious it was. Understanding his intentions, Sophie’s heart ached.
“From now on, if you want something to eat, just let the kitchen know. They will make it for you,” she said,
Ryan’s eyes brightened for a moment but then quickly dimmed,
Returning home was bittersweet-though the house remained, his family was gone, As far as he knew, his aunt was married and now lived in Valor Estate, which meant she couldn’t be with him all the time. So, throughout the journey, Ryan clung to Sophie. Even at night, when they stayed at inns, he insisted on sleeping in the same room as her.
Though Sophie had brought some medicines with her, she only dared to give her nephew the ones meant for restoring strength and vitality. She was afraid to administer anything else, unsure of his current condition or what poisons he might have been exposed to. She feared that using the wrong medicine might worsen his condition.
Back when she just returned from Meadow Ridge, Ryan still spoke in a childlike voice. By the time she married Blake, he had begun to act like a little adult. His grandmother had told him that he was to grow up to be a man of the Duke of Northwatch’s family, and that he would be responsible for protecting his aunt and his siblings. That had led him to adopt a serious tone, trying to appear mature,
His attempts to act like an adult were particularly amusing. Thinking back on how he used to mimic seriousness made Sophie smile through her tears.
During the journey, Rafael spoke very little to Sophie, as Ryan resisted everyone and didn’t allow the prince to approach her. Despite knowing Rafael had saved him, he remained fearful and wary. Sophie tried to explain that Rafael was a good person, but Ryan wouldn’t listen. At night, in an inn, he wrote down his reasons for distrusting the prince.
Since Rafael was a tall, intimidating man, he could use a whip to beat people or kick them. Men like him could also pick others up by their collars and throw them into a water tank, holding their heads down until they almost drowned before pulling them out.
Sophie read each word carefully, learning more about the horrors Ryan had endured over the past two years. Her heart felt like it was being torn apart.
Once the boy had fallen into a deep sleep, Sophie went to find Rafael and showed him the note Ryan had written.
The prince’s expression was complex as he read the note. Did he resemble those thugs who had beaten Ryan? Perhaps so. After years on the battlefield, he had developed a certain harshness.
Rafael sighed deeply. “We’ll take it slow. I’ll try to be more gentle.and smile at him. more often.”
Ryan needed healing, both physically and emotionally.
“You’ve worked hard throughout this journey,” Sophie said.
Her gratitude towards Rafael was beyond mere words. However, there was something she needed to clarify.
She removed a hairpin from her hair and used it to adjust the wick of a lantern. The small flame flickered, casting a warm light over her gaunt face and pale lips.
She spoke softly, “Given Ryan’s condition, he’ll need me for at least two or three more years. If our marriage is to proceed, I’ll need to bring him to your estate with me. I can’t leave him alone at Northwatch Estate.”
Rafael’s handsome face remained calm, his dark eyes reflecting the lantern’s light with a reassuring gleam.
“Our marriage will proceed as planned. I agree that Ryan shouldn’t be left alone at Northwatch Estate. He’ll need to be with us, to be cared for, detoxified of the drug, and have his leg treated. Once he’s better, he can continue his studies or go for martial arts training. Or if he doesn’t want to do either, that’s also fine. We can still take care of him. Regardless of what he chooses, I’ll treat him as my own child.” His words eased Sophie’s worries. Considering everything that had happened, she realized that Rafael was genuinely dedicated to her. Even if their marriage lacked romance, they could at least maintain mutual respect.
However, she needed to find a way for Ryan to lower his defenses and accept Rafael. Otherwise, how would they coexist under the same roof in the future? *
As a prince of royal blood, Rafael might tolerate Ryan’s initial hostility once, twice, or even three times. But if it persisted, he would inevitably feel disheartened, especially with Helen also residing in the estate with them.
Ideally, Sophie wouldn’t marry at this time, but the king’s edict was unavoidable. Now more than ever, she refused to enter the palace as the king’s concubine-not only would she be unable to care for Ryan, but even seeing him would be a challenge.
Seeing her deep in thought, Rafael said, “For now, you don’t need to worry about anything else. Just focus on Ryan. Don’t worry about how the people in my estate will treat him. As long as I’m here, no one will bully him.”
“Thank you, Your Highness,” replied Sophie, feeling touched.
Rafael smiled. “You don’t need to keep thanking me. Aren’t you tired of saying that all the time? I know I am. Just get some rest. We’ll need to set out early tomorrow.” “Alright, I’ll head back now. I wouldn’t want Ryan to wake up in the middle of the night and be anxious if he doesn’t see me.” Sophie stood, gave a slight bow, then left. Rafael didn’t sleep. Sitting cross-legged on the bed, he pondered how to dispel Ryan’s wariness of him.
Over the past few days, Ryan had been genuinely frightened of him. Whenever they got out of the carriage, the boy would first hide behind Sophie, not daring to even peek at Rafael. If the prince took a step closer, Ryan would tense up all over.
Rafael glanced at the paper on the table, his expression hardening. These traffickers, no matter how far they fled, would be hunted down. Rafael would avenge Ryan and the other children they had harmed. The next day, the prince began to be much more amiable towards Ryan, even smiling occasionally. However, for some unknown reason, the child seemed even more fearful when Rafael smiled. After two days of this approach proving ineffective, Rafael changed his strategy. Instead of trying to befriend Ryan directly, he focused on being kind to Sophie.