Filed To Story: Queen of the Battlefield Her Return to Glory Novel Online Free
Sophie couldn’t understand. People said that a mother should be strong, but Heather was not. Instead, she was even weaker than ordinary people. Her parents’ weakness directly contributed to Leona’s soft nature, leaving her unable to stand firm even as a duchess.
As Sophie was fuming, she heard footsteps outside. Looking up, she saw Violet entering with Helen’s arm linked through hers. Violet carried a red box in her other hand. Sophie stood up and asked, “Mother, what brings you here?”
Violet placed the box on the table and smiled. “Lady Helen was worried you’d make yourself ill with anger. She asked me to get an assortment of pastries from the best bakery in the capital. A little sweetness will surely lift your spirits.”
With that, Violet opened the box and began to take out the treats one at a time. While the kitchen chef made great pastries, the old, renowned bakery in the capital made even better ones.
Sophie couldn’t help but chuckle as she looked at the delicious and beautiful pastries. Still, she was somewhat touched.
“Thank you, Mother. I’ll have some now.”
Sophie picked up a pastry and put it in her mouth. Despite her frustration, which made everything taste like wax, she still nodded and smiled when Helen asked if it was good.
“It’s delicious.”
The pastries themselves weren’t rare-what was valuable was her mother-in-law’s thoughtfulness. Knowing Sophie was upset, Helen had bought pastries to cheer her up.
Seeing her daughter-in-law smile,
Helen also grinned and said, “There’s no point in getting worked up over someone like that. She doesn’t have a spine to speak of. So what if they get sent to their fief? Life there would be much more carefree.
Living like this, barely scraping by, is worse than going to their fief!”
“Their life in the capital isn’t great either. They live in a subdued manner, always deferring to others, and they don’t dare challenge even an earl’s household. What’s the point of living such a pitiful existence?” said Violet, who also struggled to understand.
“Besides,” Helen continued, “the cold and desolate land isn’t so terrible. Didn’t her father, General Dominic, spend half his life stationed in such a place? What’s there to complain about? And when a prince goes to a fief, it’s far from the king’s reach. Life there is bound to be much freer and more enjoyable. With money and rank, that’s living in indulgence.”
Sophie explained, “It’s not that simple. Once at their fief, they can’t return to the capital without a summons. Though the king is relatively lenient now and allow net occasional returns, going to such a remote fief means a complete departure from the circles of power in the capital.
“Prince Harvey has other children, and he naturally wants them to find suitors in the capital. But with their actions, what kind of good matches can their other children hope for?”
Seeing her daughter-in-law’s expression darken again, Helen quickly said, “Forget about those people. Dwelling on them just leaves you feeling drained.”
Sophie handed Helen a pastry with a smile. “Mother, I’m not angry anymore. Please have some.”
Seeing that Sophie had taken the pastry directly with her hands, Helen frowned slightly. Her daughter-in-law was still rather rough around the edges, wasn’t she?
After hesitating for a moment, Helen accepted the pastry. Well, it wasn’t like she would get sick from eating something a bit dirty.
–
The Oversight Department was busy once again as they launched a formal investigation against Samuel. They accused him of immoral conduct, public insults towards the court, and showing blatant disrespect for royal authority.
They argued that Samuel was unworthy of being recognized as one of the top scholars, and petitioned the king to remove his name from the National Examination Register. They also called for his removal as the heir to the title and estate of the Earl of Gracehold.
During the morning court session, Salvador stripped Samuel of his title as heir, but didn’t revoke his status as a top scholar. It would be too embarrassing to cancel the appointment of someone he personally selected.
Despite this, Salvador was infuriated. He issued a severe reprimand to the Earl of Gracehold and summoned him to the royal study after court.
As Noah cried and lamented about his failure to properly discipline his son, Salvador said coldly, “This is the last opportunity I’m giving you. If the duchess suffers even a bit more distress in your household, the Earl of Gracehold title will end here.”
Noah was utterly dumbfounded. He stood dazed for a moment, suddenly recalling that Leona was the king’s cousin. Even if Harvey and Heather were inept, Salvador still valued family connections.
Feeling disheartened, Noah left the royal study. As he walked out, he caught sight of Rafael waiting at the door. Recalling the prince’s bloodthirsty and cold expression when Gracehold Estate was vandalized that night, Noah shivered and hurriedly saluted before quickly departing.
Once he left, Rafael entered the royal study, where Salvador was drinking coffee and trying to calm his anger towards the Earl of Gracehold’s family.
He addressed Rafael, “There’s no need for formalities. Have a seat.”
“Understood, Your Majesty.” Rafael sat down in an armchair. “You asked me to wait outside. Is there something important you wish to discuss?”
Salvador dismissed everyone except Derek, who remained in the hall to attend to him. Derek prepared coffee on the side and served a cup to Rafael.
“Take a look at this,” Salvador said, tossing a document at his brother.
Rafael caught and opened it, his expression immediately becoming solemn. It was about the exchange of prisoners with Sandoria.
Salvador continued, “The two kingdoms have had a ceasefire for some time now. After Louis and Timothy held several rounds of negotiations with Sandorian representatives, an agreement was reached to return the captured soldiers.
“However, one of the prisoners previously escaped from the enemy camp and had been providing intelligence about Sandoria to Hector. After Hector’s death, Louis took over receiving the reports before passing them on to you. Unfortunately, his identity has been discovered and he was captured.”
Rafael was stunned. “Are you referring to Septimus Tetra?”
Previously, when investigating the Westhaven army’s movements from Sandoria, it was Septimus who had followed their trail. The intelligence from him had verified the information brought by Sophie. He had been captured?
Rafael’s heart tightened immediately. Though he had never met the man personally, he knew Septimus had been initially captured in Calmstead City before Hector’s death, along with several hundred others. Rafael had not participated in that battle, as he hadn’t been dispatched to the Southern Frontier battlefield at the time. He had heard about it from Timothy.
In that battle, the Sandorian forces launched a night raid, burning tents and killing many soldiers. The two sides engaged in fierce combat amidst the flames, and it was then that Thomas had lost his life.
Rafael had taken over from Hector to lead the Hell Monarch Army onto the battlefield. Several times, he had captured Sandorian soldiers, hoping to exchange them for the previously captured Devin Army soldiers. However, his requests had always been rejected.
Instead, the soldiers captured later were accepted for exchange, but the Sandorians still refused to release that initial batch of prisoners.
Now, negotiations had finally succeeded, but Septimus had been captured and fallen into the hands of angry Sandorian troops. Would he survive?
“Your Majesty, what is Septimus’ true identity?” Rafael asked.
When Rafael received Septimus’ intelligence from Louis, he had investigated all the military commanders and captured soldiers, only to find that none of them were named Septimus Tetra.
Salvador shook his head. “I don’t know. It’s likely that no one knows. Your late father-in-law received the initial intelligence. Perhaps he knew his identity, or perhaps even he didn’t know. Since Septimus was able to escape from the enemy camp, it indicates that his martial arts skills are quite impressive, and that he is no ordinary soldier.”
Rafael frowned.
When he received the intelligence from Septimus, he hadn’t inquired about his identity. Moreover, even if he had asked, Septimus’ identity would likely not have been disclosed to avoid compromising the intelligence. It was too risky.
“Your Majesty, he has provided a lot of valuable intelligence and has done our kingdom a great service. We must rescue him,” Rafael said.
Salvador nodded, his gaze solemn. “So, I need you to go in person. One thing we know for certain is that he’s still alive. Sandoria intends to use him to negotiate for a city in exchange. According to Timothy’s report, Septimus is imprisoned in a dungeon at Sandoria’s border city. However, the exact location is still unknown. Your task is to locate where he is being held, then find an opportunity to rescue him.” Rafael knelt on one knee, his gaze resolute. “I understand and accept your command, Your Majesty.”
Salvador sighed. “For now, Oliver is dragging out the negotiations. Sandoria’s resentment towards Septimus is deep, so he is likely to suffer. In any case, whether he is dead or alive, bring him back. We need to know who he really is.”
“Understood. I will depart for Sandoria’s border city tomorrow. I will leave the Supreme Court matters to Matthew for now,” Rafael replied.