Filed To Story: Queen of the Battlefield Her Return to Glory Novel Online Free
Sophie was curious. “My master actually listens to your master? Who’s your master?”
A mysterious smile appeared on Rafael’s handsome face. “Why don’t you take a guess?”
“How could I possibly guess that…” Sophie began, but suddenly, she remembered that Everett had an apprentice who didn’t live at the Pathfinders Guild.
The apprentice only visited occasionally. Since everyone usually kept their distance from Everett, she had never seen his apprentice before.
She quickly looked up. “Your master wouldn’t happen to be Sage Everett, would he?”
Though Sophie called them masters, the title all masters and instructors in the Pathfinder Guild were given was “Sage”.
Rafael was a bit surprised. He had planned to tease her a little, but she figured it out so quickly. He couldn’t help but laugh.
“People say you’re smart, and they’re right. You guessed it-my master is indeed Sage Everett. You and I are both from the Pathfinders Guild, but we have different masters.”
Sophie was genuinely shocked. She hadn’t expected Rafael to be the apprentice of her master’s fellow apprentice.
“No wonder you go to the Pathfinders Guild every year, and it’s no wonder you know the place so well.” Rafael shook his head. “I wouldn’t say I know it that well. The apprentices from your master’s lineage and I don’t interact much. I rarely have contact with Kyle, Winona, and the rest of the senior apprentices.” Sophie asked curiously, “Why? If you’re the apprentice of my master’s fellow apprentice, why don’t you associate with us?”
Rafael’s handsome face broke into a broad smile. “My master doesn’t allow it. His exact words were…” He stood up and clasped his hands behind his back. Then, he put on a stern expression and furrowed his brows. “Don’t associate with that useless bunch. That includes your martial uncle and his apprentices. None of them are any good. The less contact you have with them, the less you’ll pick up their ridiculous habits.”
Sophie couldn’t help but laugh out loud at Rafael’s spot-on impersonation of her martial uncle, from the expression to the tone.
“That’s exactly how he looks! He always looks down on us!”
She still found it hard to believe.
“I can’t believe you’re an apprentice of the Pathfinders Guild, my fellow guild member. I really didn’t see that coming. Did you join before or after me? If you joined first, you would be my guild senior. But if I joined first, it would be the other way around.”
Rafael held the inkpot in his hand, his gaze fixed on her with a playful smile. “By the way, have you taken Ryan to see Theodore yet? You should introduce him to the family and update the family registry.” After all, Ryan was currently listed as deceased in the family records.
Sophie tilted her head slightly.
Rafael hadn’t answered her question.
Did that mean she was his senior in the guild?
Sophie blinked. “So you’re my junior in the guild?”
Rafael’s handsome face stiffened, and he turned away, still trying to maintain his composure. “I’m not really an apprentice of the Pathfinders Guild. My master made it clear-I’m his private student, but I’m not formally part of the guild.”
Sophie smiled, her eyes sparkling. “My dear junior, you’re just deceiving yourself. Sage Everett is part of the Pathfinders Guild, so as his apprentice, how could you not be? When did you join, dear junior?” Rafael tried to maintain his nonchalance and smile, but he stubbornly changed the subject. “We were just talking about taking Ryan to see Theodore. When do you plan to go?”
Sophie propped her chin on her hand, blinking as she looked at him. “My dear junior, your guild senior and Ryan will go tomorrow.”
For some reason, now that she knew he was from the same guild, Sophie felt completely at ease, letting herself be much more playful around him.
Rafael was silent momentarily and rolled his eyes. “I’m older than you.”
“Yes, my guild junior is indeed older than me, his senior,” Sophie teased, thoroughly enjoying herself.
No wonder Rafael never mentioned it before and only said he went to Meadow Ridge every year. It turns out he was the apprentice of her master’s fellow apprentice, and he even joined later than she did! Of course, back in the Southern Frontier, how could he possibly call her his senior in front of all the soldiers?
But on the battlefield, there were only generals and soldiers-there was no room for junior or senior apprentices from a guild.
Rafael felt a wave of dissatisfaction.
Clearly, he was more skilled in martial arts and older in age, so why did he have to be the guild junior between them?
Besides, Rafael was Everett’s private student. It had been explicitly stated that he wouldn’t be part of the Pathfinders Guild.
However, seeing her bright and mischievous smile, which reminded him of the spirited girl in red on Meadow Ridge, he sighed inwardly.
Fine. He would accept being her junior in the guild.
“But don’t call me that in public.”
His pride wouldn’t allow it-how could a husband be his wife’s junior?
Sophie’s smile deepened, and the beauty mark beneath her eye looked especially vivid and alluring.
Rafael couldn’t tear his gaze away.
Sophie was so caught up in her amusement that she didn’t notice the emotions swirling in his eyes, though he was doing his best to keep them hidden.
Rafael returned to the topic of Meadow Ridge. “When the time comes, most of the Pathfinders Guild members will attend our wedding. My master has also Informed other guilds in Meadow Ridge, saying that he’s marrying off his apprentice. I expect there will be quite a few guests.”
“Then I’ll need to host a banquet for the bride’s side as well in Northwatch Estate.” Sophie nodded in agreement.
It was more of a statement than a question. After all, if her master and the others were coming, they would represent her family, so it was only natural to have a banquet.
But as she said this in front of him, she felt her cheeks suddenly grow warm.
Whenever the topic of marriage had come up before, Sophie always felt c?lm. To her, it was just a marriage of convenience-a union where both parties would get what they needed, with the hope of a peaceful future.
However, after everything that had happened with Ryan, she found herself paying more attention to Rafael. Sometimes, when she looked at him and thought about him becoming her husband, a sense of anticipation would stir within her.
It was a completely different feeling from when she had been engaged to Blake.
Even so, back then, she had genuinely intended to build a life with Blake.
Rafael noticed her cheeks suddenly turning red as she spoke, even the tips of her ears flushing pink. It made him recall the time he had overheard her conversation with Ryan-how she had admitted that she had feelings for him.
Could there be some truth to that statement?
Of course there could!
Why?
Just because!
When it came to feelings, there wasn’t always a reason for them. Trying to rationalize it could make it feel less genuine.