Filed To Story: Queen of the Battlefield Her Return to Glory Novel Online Free
“Don’t disturb others. I’ll go out and meet them myself,” Anthony said.
He wanted to clarify the situation at the gate without allowing Sophie entry or alerting others, fearing the news might reach his grandmother.
The older woman was in no condition to handle such stress.
He and the steward stepped outside, seeing the carriage stopped at the main gate. Sophie was bending over, speaking through the carriage window.
Anthony cleared his throat and stood silently.
Sophie turned around and saw Anthony standing behind her with a stern expression. She greeted him,” Anthony.”
Anthony gave a slight nod, glanced at the carriage, and saw a small hand quickly pull down the curtain, hiding the occupant’s face.
With an expression of cold detachment, Anthony addressed Sophie, “I understand what you re trying to do, but the Klein family will not cooperate. There is only one Ryan. No one can replace him. You have many other relatives in the Devin family. If you like one of them, you can just adopt them to inherit the duke’s title. There’s no need to find a child that looks like Ryan, especially one that used to be a child beggar.”
Sophie anticipated such a misunderstanding. While she had previously said she understood, in reality, she didn’t fully comprehend.
It was just like when she had rushed to Eldoria upon receiving Rafael’s letter. Despite her efforts to temper her hopes, she couldn’t help but go and see for herself.
So, hearing Anthony’s words now, her temper flared. She turned, threw back the curtain, and lifted Ryan up. The two stood before Anthony.
With a cold voice, Sophie said, “At least take a good look. Throughout the journey, Ryan wrote messages in my hand, worried that you might reject him. I reassured him that you wouldn’t.” Anthony was reluctant, but he instinctively glanced at the child she was holding.
In that one glance, he realized just how wrong he had been.
In that brief moment, his heart almost stopped.
The resemblance was undeniable.
Although Ryan was now gaunt and not as chubby and adorable as before, the similarity was unmistakable.
Anthony’s lips trembled, and his eyes quickly filled with tears.
He tentatively called out, “Ryan?”
Ryan’s tears fell relentlessly, and he struggled to be set down.
Sophie gently set him down, and he extended his hand, making a high-five gesture towards Anthony. Then, with two fingers, Ryan drew an imaginary shape resembling an inkpot in the air. After making the gesture, Ryan lowered his hands, his shoulders shaking as he cried.
Seeing the gesture, Anthony felt as though his heart was being torn apart.
This gesture was something only he and Ryan knew.
A month before the incident, when Anthony and Sophia visited Northwatch Estate to see Yvette and Ryan. Ryan had shown him his schoolwork, and Anthony had praised Ryan’s writing. Anthony also gave Ryan a high-five, promising that if Ryan continued to work hard and received the teacher’s praise, Anthony would gift him an inkpot from Ebonwood.
Ryan had mentioned that it was his teacher who told him that the ink made in Ebonwood was the finest.
Later, Anthony had gotten busy due to the affairs in the Royal Citadel, and he forgot about the promise. Each time he remembered, he felt immense regret. To ease his heart, he had purchased several inkpots but had never been able to give them away.
Anthony crouched down and lifted Ryan into his arms, his voice choked with emotion. “Your uncle didn’t break his promise. I’ve bought the inkpot, and it’s waiting for you.”
Ryan’s small hand wiped away Anthony’s tears, then he struggled to be set down. He wanted to walk in by himself and didn’t want to be carried.
Seeing this, Sophie’s anger melted away. “Anthony, let him down. He likes to walk by himself.”
But Anthony didn’t release him. He held on tightly, unable to let go.
The steward, seeing the situation, also wiped his tears, Realizing that the child was indeed Ryan, he hurried inside to report to Anthony’s parents.
The entire Klein household was thrown into a frenzy.
With trembling hands, Sophia gave Ingrid a Heartshield Pill before crying, “Ryan didn’t die. Ryan has returned!”
Ingrid, who was bedridden and barely coherent, didn’t grasp the news fully..She sighed deeply and mournfully cried out, “Yvette and Ryan… My precious ones, they’re gone!”
Sophia quickly corrected her, “Grandmother, Ryan has returned. He didn’t die! It’s true! He will be here to see you soon!”
Ingrid’s eyes widened, and a sudden surge of strength allowed her to grasp Sophia’s wrist tightly. “What? What did you say?”
Outside, Diana clutched Ryan and cried so intensely that she almost fainted.
Her grandson was alive!
When Diana had first learned of her daughter and grandson’s deaths, she even heard that her grandson’s head and body needed to be sewn together for a complete corpse.
It had been devastating. The news had nearly taken her life-she had cried for a whole month.
Now, Ryan had returned! He was alive!
Diana was overwhelmed with emotion. She embraced him and wept for a long time. When she heard Sophie recount Ryan’s experiences, the pain in her heart was so overwhelming that she actually fainted.
The other Klein family members helped Diana lay down on the ground and elevated her legs, ensuring she was breathing properly. Then they fanned her and waited until she finally came to. Upon waking, Diana continued to cry, “Oh, Lord, how could you allow this child to suffer so much? The Devin family was full of loyal and brave souls-why did they meet such a terrible end? Lord, you’re unjust! You’re too cruel!”
Sophie couldn’t bear to hear such heart-wrenching lamentations. She hurried outside, her tears flowing freely. In the past, she had managed to hold back her emotions. But now, the floodgates had opened, and all the tears she had previously stifled came pouring out.
Every Klein family member present had their turn to look at Ryan, and then he was taken to Ingrid’s room. Fortunately, she had been given medication beforehand. Seeing Ryan as a mute and a cripple broke her heart.
He was her great-grandson, whom she had cherished so dearly.
How could he have been reduced to this state?
Ingrid had lost her beloved granddaughter. Now, seeing this well-behaved child, who resembled his mother so much in her youth, in such a condition was a pain more profound than any wound. Ingrid’s grief was so intense that it felt as if her heart had been cut out with a knife.
For a full hour, everyone struggled to hold back their tears and eventually managed to sit in the main hall with a semblance of calm. Ingrid was helped out of the room and joined the others as Sophie recounted everything that had transpired.
They learned that Ryan had gone to buy candied apples for Sophie to cheer her up, which had led him to escape the massacre. Though he had endured two years of suffering, he was, at least, still a Their gaze toward Sophie softened and was filled with gratitude, and their hatred toward the human traffickers diminished somewhat. However, they remained unaware that Sophie’s feelings were quite different, and she chose not to reveal them.
After Anthony managed to calm his emotions, he asked about Ryan’s poisoning and leg injury. Sophie relayed what Sebastian had told her.
“The poisoning is manageable but requires effort and time. We need to administer detoxification medicine daily and acupuncture every other day. As for the addiction to the Peony Bliss, it seems to be of less concern now. The detoxification formula Sebastian prescribed can also remove the poison from it. If the treatment is effective, he should be able to speak again within a year.”
Sophie continued, “As for his leg injury, since the bone is misaligned, it will need to be broken and realigned. This will be quite painful, but we have faith in Sebastian’s medical skills and his medicine. He will help Ryan endure the least amount of suffering possible.”