Filed To Story: Queen of the Battlefield Her Return to Glory Novel Online Free
“Madam Alice, actually, my husband is not as people say. He is a righteous gentleman, just like Thomas. They’re both…”
“Be quiet!” Alice’s expression changed abruptly. “Don’t you dare compare Mr. Jaffe to my son! Every letter from the battlefield was about how much Thomas cared for you. After he married you, you didn’t give birth to any children, but he didn’t take any concubines because he promised he wouldn’t How can you compare my son to Mr. Jaffe?”
Viola was anxious.
“What I’m saying is the truth. The rumors were mostly unfounded, likely spread by the Hell Monarch’s princess consort out of resentment. Moreover, the recent incident of dung being thrown at our residence was also orchestrated by her.”
Alice turned abruptly and walked away, her steps unsteady and her face pale. Viola’s words had struck her deeply.
After hearing Zoey’s remarks, Alice had thought that even if she accepted Viola’s marriage to Blake, the affection she spoke of couldn’t be genuine. But now, hearing Viola’s words, Alice felt a coldness wash over her.
She could hardly believe that Viola would compare Thomas to someone like Blake.
She found Opal and gripped her niece-in-law’s hand tightly, fearing she might lose control of her emotions and disrupt Helen’s birthday banquet.
Opal took her back to the theater area, where Sophie noticed them and asked, “Are you feeling unwell? Perhaps you should go back and rest. The days are long, and you can come back whenever you wish.” “Rest assured, Your Grace, it’s nothing,” Alice said, trying to maintain her composure despite her agitation.
“Shall I accompany you to the sitting hall to rest for a while?” Sophie offered.
“No, please don’t trouble yourself, Your Grace,” Opal quickly interjected. “The guests are here, and you still have to oversee the event.”
Sophie nodded. “Very well. Just enjoy the performance and try not to think about anything else.”
Sophie caught sight of Viola standing not far off. When their eyes met, Viola quickly looked away, her expression a complex mix of emotions.
Sophie had seen them talking earlier, but since it was a matter between their families, she felt it wasn’t her place to intervene. She had genuinely invited the Farrell family, though she hadn’t expected Viola to come along.
Soon, the male guests began to arrive in the garden. Given the scale of the banquet and the spacious setting, the separation between men and women was not as strict.
Although everyone was in the garden enjoying the flowers, they were at a considerable distance from each other and did not engage in close contact.
As Sophie w?s about to sit down and enjoy the performance with the others, she noticed Janice heading towards the male guests from Helen’s side. She kept a close
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eye the scene, and observed that Janice approached Rafael and said something to him. Rafael nodded, then moved towards Helen.
Helen was currently enjoying the flowers with Eleanor and other ladies. They were talking, but the content of their conversation was unclear.
Fortunately, Violet was nearby, maintaining a cold and watchful demeanor From her vantage point, she was not too far from them, and despite the noise of the event, she should be able to hear their O conversation clearly.
Sophie glanced at Serena, who stood behind Jessica, barely visible. Nonetheless, Sophie could see that Serena was extremely nervous.
At the same time, Rafael was striding purposefully towards Helen, as though he had something urgent to discuss.
As Rafael approached Helen,
Jessica suddenly stepped aside and grabbed Serena’s arm, giving her a forceful push. Serena stumbled and cried out, falling directly towards Rafael.
Her cry drew everyone’s attention. Seeing her about to fall into Rafael’s arms, the crowd collectively gasped.
What a scandal this would be if she fell into the Hell Monarch’s embrace-how could she ever salvage her reputation after this?
Especially with so many prominent families present today, how could she ever find a suitor? The only way out might be for the Hell Monarch to take her himself.
But which family did that reckless girl belong to?
However, the situation seemed full of hidden schemes. Many noble ladies recognized the ploy and watched with thinly veiled amusement, their lips curling into cold smiles. Then, with a loud thud, Serena fell to the ground.
The onlookers blinked in confusion. How had she gone from seemingly falling into the Hell Monarch’s arms to being a full yard away from him?
Moreover, Rafael had turned on his heel and walked away. His expression was one of clear disgust, as if he feared being tainted by something unclean.
All eyes were on Serena as she lay on the ground, her tears on the verge of spilling. Her knees and forehead throbbed with pain.
But the pain was secondary-she had come so close to falling into the Hell Monarch’s arms.
She thought that although Rafael was a martial general, he would surely have a compassionate heart. Any man would instinctively reach out to help if a woman was about to fall. However, just as she believed she was about to be caught, she felt as if some force had pulled her forward. She landed on the ground while Rafael had swiftly stepped back.
The speed of his retreat was so swift it was barely perceptible, as if he had never moved at all.
Struggling in pain, Serena raised her head, her eyes filled with tears, only to meet Rafael’s cold, icy gaze. The intensity of his stare made her shiver uncontrollably.
A maid helped her up, but Serena could barely stand, leaning heavily on the maid for support. Instinctively, she looked towards Jessica, who was standing nearby, watching with a detached expression and showing no sign of wanting to assist.
Everyone was observing her, their gazes filled with scorn or judgment.
“I recognize her. She’s a lady from the Jaffe family. Her name is Serena.”
“Are you sure? What is someone from the Jaffe family doing here?”
“I don’t know. The princess consort wouldn’t be hosting someone from the Jaffe family, would she?”
“Is she trying to elevate her position? It looked like she was deliberately throwing herself at Prince Rafael. Is the Jaffe family completely shameless?”
“Hmph, does the Jaffe family have any shame left? They’ve long since lost all sense of propriety and limits.”
Hearing these comments, Serena burst into tears. She had never expected Rafael wouldn’t come to her aid.
In a state of desperation, she hurried towards Viola, crying as she tried to explain, “Viola, it wasn’t intentional! Someone pushed me.”
She wanted to clarify, but Viola’s face was a mix of anger and disbelief, clearly unconvinced by her words.
Whoever pushed her was irrelevant-it was clearly premeditated. Even if Viola wasn’t aware of Serena’s plan, she had clearly seen that Serena had aimed to throw herself at Rafael. After all, Serena hadn’t originally been standing in that direction.
Hearing the crowd disparaging the Jaffe family, saying the members were shameless and disgraceful, Viola felt a cold fury wash over her. She almost wished she could slap Serena across the face.
What was this little wretch doing here? If Serena hadn’t made a scene, few would have noticed her presence Now, everyone knew that two people from the Jaffe family had arrived uninvited, confirming the very accusation of the family being shameless.
Viola’s face burned with humiliation as she glanced at the crowd, locking eyes with Alice, who was being supported by Opal. Alice’s gaze was filled with disappointment and coldness, which only added to
Viola’s distress.