Filed To Story: Queen of the Battlefield Her Return to Glory Novel Online Free
Violet admired Sophie. Sophie was able to stand before Rafael without feeling the pressure of his orders during battle.
The return journey to the capital was relatively swift, at least faster than their initial journey.
Lawrence leaned against the carriage, while Kayla rested against him inside. It seemed they were giving each other strength-one no longer felt nauseous, and the other was no longer in pain. Meanwhile, the others could only think of one thing-they were eager to get home.
Before setting off, Rafael had arranged for the relay station staff to send a message ahead to the capital, informing them of their approximate return date. He anticipated a welcoming cerepel and a grand affair from the Ministry of Protocol, especially with the two sons of the Minister of Protocol returning.
Naturally, every relay station they passed sent a message to the capital.
The group of tanned-faced men had spent some time recuperating at the relay station at Westglade and had become somewhat fairer. As they traveled under the glaring sun, their faces were coated with a
Ov reddish-black tint.
Rafael was no exception.
Despite their sunburned appearance, they no longer lived in fear. They didn’t have to hide or painstakingly send messages. They had gained some weight, and their lean bodies now looked stronger. Their once-skinny faces had filled out a little, and with happiness in their hearts and no more worries, they truly looked different from before.
As Violet put it, their features were well-defined now, and their overall look was much improved.
Though Violet and Sophie weren’t in the carriage, they wore veiled hats to shield their faces from the sun. So, only their hands gripping the reins were tanned, while their faces remained largely unaffected. Standing together now, with Sophie’s fair complexion beside him, Rafael’s face looked like a somewhat handsome blackened egg.
Sophie teased him, “Your name certainly wasn’t chosen in vain. I know it means ‘black as ink’, and your skin tone has really become as black as ink.”
Rafael shrugged off concerns about his appearance. “I’m already spoken for, so a little ugliness doesn’t matter.”
His gaze became more intense because of Sophie’s words that she missed him. Now, he no longer hid his feelings and always looked for ways to spend time alone with her.
However, there were so many people who wanted Rafael’s attention. Whenever something happened, they would seek him out, leaving him with little time alone with Sophie.
Even the nights were no better, because Sophie was sharing a room with Violet while he was stuck with Dylan. Rafael had grown weary of it. Dylan’s snoring was impossible to muffle. In the middle of the night, Rafael would kick his bed. However, Dylan would only turn over and continue snoring loudly.
Rafael was eager to return to the capital as soon as possible.
When the group was approaching Eastridge, they saw a carriage on the main road. It was overturned, and blocking most of the path.
While riders could pass, Lawrence’s carriage couldn’t get through.
Dylan rode forward and saw two people trying to lift the overturned carriage. The horse lay nearby, seemingly having suffered from heatstroke.
The woman wore a hood that covered her face, so it was hard to see what she looked like. She was dressed in a pink dress and had an extremely narrow waist. It looked like she had fallen from the carriage, and her clothes were dirty from mud. Although she seemed a bit messy, she was more pitiful than anything else. Dylan approached and asked, “What’s the matter?”
A tall man replied, “Sorry for obstructing the road. The horse suffered from heatstroke and fainted, causing the carriage to overturn.”
Dylan dismounted to inspect the scene. As someone who had been on the battlefield, he was particularly considerate of horses. He reached out and checked-both horses were dead.
“The horses are dead,” Dylan informed the man.
The man sighed. “We’re in a rush to get back to the capital. What should we do now?”
He was evidently a guard as he was leading the way with one remaining horse, while the other person appeared to be the carriage driver.
“Who are you people, and why are you going to the capital?” Dylan asked.
The man replied, “We’re from the capital, and we were escorting our mistress to Lanshire to visit her family. Due to the extreme heat and the urgency to return, we pushed the horses too hard.” He wiped his sweat and added, “Do you have any water? My mistress is very thirsty.”
No one from the Septimus Tetra reconnaissance team stepped forward to speak. Having worked as scouts for so long, they were quick to analyze situations.
Although the young lady was wearing a veil hat that obscured her face, her clothing, shoes, and jewelry suggested she was either wealthy or noble. Given such a background, i was unlikely she would travel with only a maid, a guard, and a driver for a trip from the capital to Lanshire, and choose such a scorching day to return to the capital at that. And to have both horses die at this exact moment seemed suspicious.
Dylan also sensed something was off, but was curious to see how it would unfold. Hearing the man ask for water, Violet took a leather water bag and dismounted from the carriage. Then, she walked toward the young lady.
The maid reached out to take the water bag, but the young lady quickly intervened, pushing the maid behind her. She took the water bag and thanked Violet. “Thank you so much. I am incredibly ve
Violet nodded and held one hand behind her, waiting for the young lady to finish drinking and return the water bag.
The young woman turned away, took several swallows, and handed the water bag back to Violet, thanking her again, “Thank you for the water.”
Violet glanced at her and then at the maid before asking, “Would you like some too?”
The maid bowed and replied, “Thank you for your kindness, but I must decline. I’ll manage with some water from the nearby stream.”
“Very well,” Violet said, turning back to rejoin Sophie. She handed the water bag to her and said, “There’s still some left. Do you want to drink?”
Sophie looked unsure, but took it. She noticed that a note was hidden inside the water pouch.
She rode her horse to Rafael’s side, with Violet riding alongside to block the view. Only then did Sophie open the note concealed within the water bag.
The note read, [I am Carmen Kingsley, a concubine’s daughter from Grand Princess Eleanor’s family. I request you to join us on our journey, Lady Sophie. I have a request.]
Carmen Kingsley?
Sophie recalled Ruby, who was also Eleanor’s illegitimate daughter, and her real name was Celeste.
Sophie glanced quickly and noticed that the maid seemed to show little respect, instead giving off a practiced martial air. The guard and driver frequently glanced at Carmen, giving the impression that they were keeping a close watch on her. Looking at Carmen again, Sophie saw her looking nervous and clutching a handkerchief tightly. Sweat dripped from beneath her veil, and she used the handkerchief to wipe it away.
Suddenly, Carmen’s body stiffened, and she seemed to be in pain. Sophie then noticed that the maid’s hand appeared to be moving at her lower back.
But since it was concealed from her sight, it was difficult to see clearly.
Both Sophie and Violet wore veiled hats, which obscured their faces from view but allowed them to see outside. Although it seemed like they were looking at the carriage, they were actually observing Carmen and her maid.
From their reactions, it was clear that the maid was pressuring Carmen to speak up.
As expected, Carmen stepped forward slowly. She nodded to Rafael and said in a sweet voice that was tinged with shyness, “Greetings, gentlemen. My horse has died, and we are in a hurry to return to the capital. I was wondering if we might borrow your horses to tow our carriage. I’m willing to offer compensation.”
Just as Rafael was about to respond, Sophie interjected, “What a coincidence! Violet and I would prefer not to ride, but to use a carriage. Our horses could be used to pull your carriage.”
Upon hearing Sophie’s words, everyone grew anxious.
How could they randomly take in strangers on their journey? What if it was a trap?
Thomas was standing a bit closer to Sophie. He noticed something, and raised his hand to signal his companions to remain silent.