Filed To Story: Queen of the Battlefield Her Return to Glory Novel Online Free
“You’re very clever, Sophie said, smiling as she tapped his forehead. “In the future, the responsibilities of the Duke of Northwatch’s household will fatton your shoulders. Inheriting the title is no small matter-you must be capable.”
Ryan nodded seriously and said, “Yes, Aunt Sophie, don’t worry. I’ll work hard. Besides practicing martial arts, I’ll also aim to be a top scholar. I want to be a duke who excels in both literature and martial skills.” Sophie laughed softly. “Well then, you must work hard, future little duke. Otherwise, people will say you’re incapable and that you rely solely on the fortunes of your ancestors.”
Ryan nodded earnestly. “I understand, Aunt Sophie!”
In Valor Estate, only one lamp was lit in the corridor tonight, and two glass-covered lamps illuminated the main courtyard. These glass lamps were actually the ones Sophie had left behind when she moved away.
The side hall was shrouded in darkness, with only the buzzing of mosquitoes to break the silence.
The Golden Tower’s shop assistant hadn’t left. He sat anxiously in the side hall of the main courtyard. No one had served him coffee, and no lamps had been lit. He had waited from dawn until nightfall. He was there to collect payment, but once inside Valor Estate, he had been left waiting in this place. From the direction of the main hall, he could hear the sounds of shouting and heart-wrenching crying. The commotion lasted for at least an hour before finally quieting down. Then, someone had come in to tell him to wait. Since then, no one had returned.
Given his experience, he was accustomed to accompanying guests to collect banknotes when they didn’t have enough on hand. In the past, he would sometimes need to wait, but the longest he had ever waited was about 15 to 30 minutes. This was usually due to the size of the estate and the host’s hospitality, who would provide delicious refreshment and waited until he finished before giving him the banknotes.
More often than not, he didn’t have to wait long. He would only sit for a short while before receiving the payment. But here, it was different he had waited until dark without even being served a cup of coffee or having a lamp lit.
He felt as if he had wandered into a thieves’ den.
He had stepped outside to ask the servants, but they merely told him to wait. He could only return to his spot and continue waiting, especially since the tiara, which cost 36,800 silver coins, had already been taken away.
After finishing her dinner and bathing, Serena went to see her mother. She had used fragrant lotion during her bath, and her entire body was enveloped in a delightful scent.
This fragrant lotion was a gift from Jessica, and was said to cost ten silver coins a bottle. It not only smelled pleasant, but also kept her skin smooth and translucent.
“Is she still not back?” Rebecca asked, glancing outside after taking her medicine.
Jade came over and replied, “Madam Viola has not yet returned.”
Serena pursed her lips. “Didn’t she return to her family’s home to get the banknotes? Does it really take this long? I hope she doesn’t come back empty-handed.” “She said she wanted to buy it,” Rebecca replied flatly.
Her heart ached too. The tiara cost almost 40,000 silver coins-such an amount could do wonders in official circles.
“Well, Blake hasn’t returned either. He’s probably on duty tonight,” Serena said with a sharp, disdainful smile. “When he gets back, she’ll probably make a scene, crying and shouting as if we were the ones pressuring her. I was ready to refuse it but she insisted on buying it for me. I’m sure she’ll complain to him when he gets back.”
“Let her complain,” Rebecca sighed slowly, unable to shake the gloom in her heart.
She recalled the dowry Sophie had arranged for Kiera today, including twenty Mystic Pearls for a tiara. Her heart ached with each thought.
The Devin family was truly too much.
When Sophie married into the
Jaffe family, no one showered her with such an extravagant array of gifts. Even though her dowry was substantial, it mostly consisted of property and shops.
Melanie was incredibly shrewd. She seemed worried that Sophie would suffer, so she converted the money into assets that couldn’t easily be spent.
Sure, there was money in Sophie’s dowry, and that year was one of the best for the Jaffe family. However, it was nothing compared to the grandeur of her marriage to the Hell Monarch. That was true wealth beyond compare.
Every time Rebecca thought of it, her heart ached anew.
After they returned from The Golden Tower today, Viola had acted like a madwoman. She shouted and screamed like a shrew, rivaling even Freya.
Though she had eventually said she was just going home to get the banknotes, her frenzy was truly disheartening.
“She’s only fooling herself and taking her frustration out on others. It was her own fault,” Rebecca said, clearly irritated. She glanced at Serena and added, “You should avoid provoking her these days. She looked ready to lash out at anyone she can.”
Serena sat on the edge of her bed, and snorted.
“I wouldn’t go out of my way to bother her. Before she married in, I thought she was quite capable, especially when comparing dowries with Sophie. Now she can’t even come up with a few tens of thousands. It’s truly pathetic! At least she’s better than Freya. Do you remember how much money Blake gave away when he married Freya? The dowry she brought back was just a pittance. I’ve never seen such a poor show, and it was a marriage granted by the king to boot.”
After criticizing her two sisters-in-law, Serena turned her attention to Amelia.
“Amelia hasn’t cared about anything since she fell ill, not even my dowry. I don’t even know what she’ll prepare for me. I shouldn’t get my hopes up too high. She’s poorer than anyone in our family.” Not one of the three daughters-in-law was worth much, and listening to this made Rebecca increasingly irritated. “Enough, be quiet.”
Serena shut her mouth. The light illuminated her face, revealing a harsh, gaunt look that belied her earlier babyish softness.
At this moment, Amelia was trembling in her room. She had been deeply worried when she heard that Viola hadn’t returned yet. The shop assistant was still waiting, and her anxiety was mounting. She was afraid that Viola might not be able to come up with the required amount of money and would end up asking everyone to contribute. Amelia was running low on funds herself, and had pawned most of the jewelry Sophie had given her previously.
When she heard the maid mention that Viola had gone mad today, Amelia had asked someone to ask around. She learned that Viola had bought a ruby tiara for 36,800 silver coins from the Golden Tower. Upon hearing this, Amelia was stunned beyond measure.
And when she heard it was Viola who had insisted on buying it, Amelia’s mouth fell open in shock.
Was Viola out of her mind? Didn’t she know what their family’s current situation was? How could they just buy jewelry worth almost 40,000 silver coins on a whim? And she still needed to borrow more money from her family-what a disgrace!
The second branch of the Jaffe family was also discussing the matter. As all of them lived together in the same estate, such a commotion couldn’t go unnoticed by anyone in the residence. Charlotte shook her head and muttered, “Sooner or later, this household will be doomed.”
When it was almost nine in the evening, Viola dragged her heavy, weary feet through the gates of Valor Estate. Her eyes were red and swollen, her makeup smudged, her hair a mess, and a handprint was clearly visible on her cheek.
In truth, she hadn’t brought
Thomas’s military pension with her when she married into the Jaffe family. She had left it with her mother at Silverstone Estate for safekeeping. To gather the required amount of silver, she had to return and retrieve the pension. The court had granted her two boxes of money, totaling ten thousand silver coins.
Typically, lower-ranking military officers didn’t receive such a substantial pension. But after Thomas’s many achievements at the Southern Frontier, his death was met with great regret by the king. As a result, a hefty compensation of ten thousand silver coins was awarded.
Alice had not taken a single coin from the pension. The Farrell family had given it all to Viola. Since Viola had cried and sworn she would? never marry again when leaving the Farrell family, Alice had feared she might live a lonely life. The ten thousand silver coins, along with the two shops, were meant to ensure Viola could live comfortably and securely.
Upon learning that Viola was using the ten thousand silver coins to buy a tiara to add to Serena’s dowry, Evelyn had slapped her in anger. Viola had knelt, begging her mother and sister-in-law to exchange the silver coins for banknotes so she could return to Valor Estate and make up the amount required by the Golden Tower’s shop assistant.
Eventually, her mother relented. Zoey, who managed the household affairs, agreed to make the exchange. However, Zoey’s gaze was filled with contempt as she looked at Viola. Today, Viola had truly lost all her dignity.
After counting the banknotes, she handed them to the shop assistant. The shop assistant counted them again under the light of an oil lamp outside. After he was done, he thanked her and left.
Once the shop assistant had gone, Viola collapsed onto the floor. Her maids, Julia and Yvonne, quickly rushed over, exclaiming in shock as they helped her up.
“Madam Viola!”
Viola clung to Julia, sobbing uncontrollably.
She truly hated Rebecca and Serena. She loathed them completely. If they hadn’t insisted on going to the third floor today, she would never have encountered Kayla. If she hadn’t met Kayla, she would never have spent the money on that ruby tiara.
Using Thomas’s military pension to add to Serena’s dowry made Viola tremble with rage.
In the dim light, a figure hurriedly entered and supported Viola.