Filed To Story: Queen of the Battlefield Her Return to Glory Novel Online Free
“Are you really going to keep holding that dagger to your throat? If you truly want to die, go throw yourself against the gates of Hell Monarch Estate. All this drama just makes you look ridiculous.”
Viola wiped her tears with the back of her hand, her face pale and stubborn. “Sophie, destroying someone’s marriage is a sin! You’re truly vicious.”
Sophie sat up straight, her posture as rigid as ever. “When did I destroy your marriage? Whatever happens between you and Blake is your business, not mine. You’ve always had a poor sense of right and wrong. When Valor Estate was attacked, I was the one who saved you all.”
Viola’s voice turned cold. “That’s beside the point! You didn’t save us for my sake. I don’t owe you any gratitude.”
Sophie laughed incredulously. “I don’t need your gratitude. Just tell me what have I done to ruin your marriage?”
Viola gritted her teeth, and spat, “Don’t pretend to be innocent! You know exactly what you told Thomas. You just can’t stand to see me happy! You found out Thomas and I were going to reconcile, so you dug up dirt on me and exposed everything to him. Now, he’s looking to marry someone else. Are you satisfied?” “Thomas?” For a moment, Sophie had been thinking this was about some conflict between Viola and Blake. She hadn’t connected the dots. But then, she recalled that odd moment between Viola and Silas back at Arcane Sanctum. Suddenly, it all clicked.
Viola had tried to reach out to Thomas, hoping to rekindle their relationship. However, it seemed that Thomas had discovered her secret affair with Silas. So, he made it known that he intended to marry someone else to kill Viola’s hopes of getting back together with him. And now, Viola thought Sophie had been the one to expose her secret to Thomas.
Sophie pieced it together, and was genuinely shocked. Viola was pregnant with Blake’s child, but she still wanted to rekindle things with Thomas. What was she thinking? Was she really considering getting rid of the baby and pursuing a divorce?
Sophie shook her head. “Viola, I didn’t tell Thomas anything about you. And as for this notion that I can’t stand to see you happy, it’s absurd. Whether you’re happy or not has nothing to do with me. Frankly, I’d prefer to keep my distance from all of you.” Viola sneered. “You did it but won’t admit it? Sophie, you’re such a coward! If you’d just owned up to it, I might have actually respected you. I saw you with Silas that day at Arcane Sanctum. You went to snitch, and now, you’re here pretending to be innocent? Aren’t you disgusting? You’re such a hypocrite.”
Silas?
It was just as Sophie had suspected earlier. Well, there were all kinds of people, weren’t there?
Sophie’s voice turned icy. “Not as disgusting as you, and certainly not as hypocritical. You’re pregnant with Blake’s child, but now that Thomas has gotten a promotion, you want to go crawling back to him? What do you take Thomas for? Before you came here, I had no idea about you and Silas. But now that you’ve made such a scene, I do. You had an affair with Silas, and Thomas found out.”
“Shut up!” Viola’s eyes burned red with anger. She suddenly pointed the dagger at Sophie from across the room, her tears spilling over as she broke down.
“What do you even know? Back then,
I worried for him every day when he was on the battlefield! I couldn’t eat or sleep, and the days were torture. I made one mistake-just once!
Afterward, I did everything right net’
was dutiful to my mother-in-law, got along with my sisters-in-law and worked tirelessly for the Farrell family. But because of one slip, I’m supposed to be damned for all eternity? Soon, everyone will know. I can’t live with this shame! Sophie, you’ve ruined me. Don’t you see? You’ve destroyed my life!”
Sophie flicked her wrist, and Viola’s hand went numb. The dagger clattered to the floor. Viola bent down to grab it, but Sophie was quicker and kicked the blade far out of reach.
“I’ll kill you!” Viola, humiliated and furious, lunged at Sophie.
However, Sophie twisted her arm and immobilized her. Viola cried out in pain, her eyes flooding with tears.
“It hurts! Let me go!” she yelled.
Sophie said coldly, “Stop feeling sorry for yourself. You’re acting like you did everything for the Farrell family. But not even a month after Thomas’ death was reported, you took his death pension and the two shops, and ran back to your parents’ house.
“After betraying him like you did, how could you take his money?
You’re not only shameless, but brainless too. You didn’t even bother to figure out who actually told Thomas before coming here to cause a scene. Think about it for a second-if Thomas really wanted to expose what he knew, he wouldn’t be looking for marriage candidates so soon. He would confront you directly.
“The fact that he hasn’t, means he doesn’t want to dredge up that ugly matter. He was trying to save you some dignity. You’re such a fool. Instead of being grateful, you come here to throw a tantrum. Now, everyone will know.”
After saying that, Sophie released her grip on Viola’s arm. Viola stumbled back and collapsed into a chair, covering her face with her hands.
“If it’s not you, then who? Who’s trying to harm me? If it’s not you, then who else could it be?”
Sophie found herself at a loss for words, grappling with frustration. She wasn’t angry-Viola was simply too sheltered by her family and the Farrell family to think for herself.
To put it plainly, Viola was both selfish and foolish.
Sitting down, Sophie took a deep breath. Getting angry at someone like Viola was pointless. Logic might not work either, but it was worth a shot.
“Let me ask you something. What grudge do I have against you?”
Viola pulled out a handkerchief to dab at her tears, her eyes swollen and red. “Are you saying there’s no grudge? You’re Blake’s first wife, and we were married on the same day. You overshadowed me in terms of dowry, which made me looked down upon when I entered the Jaffe family.” Sophie gripped the armrest of her chair, inhaling deeply before slowly exhaling. It was truly maddening.
“When have I ever compared dowries with you? If you wanted to measure yourself against me and lost, why is that my fault? Why would I be angry at you? What grudge is there between us? Why would I supposedly harm you on purpose? Can you please use your brain for a moment?”
“But you and Silas…”
Sophie raised a hand to interrupt. “I went to Arcane Sanctum to get medicine for Lady Leona. She’s about to give birth. Silas is in charge of the sanctum’s procurement, and he manages the medicine store. Since Sebastian wasn’t around, I had to get the medicine from him. On that day, I did see you two acting suspiciously, but I didn’t think much of it. I just assumed you were awkward because he’s Thomas’ cousin.”
Viola sniffled, tears falling again. Her eyes and nose were red, and she looked utterly pathetic. Yet, she stubbornly retorted, “I don’t believe you! Who else would go to such lengths to harm me?”
Sophie’s temper flared, and she slammed her hand on the table. “Give me one good reason why I’d want to harm you.”
The sudden outburst startled Viola, and her tears stopped flowing. She stared blankly at Sophie, then instinctively blurted out, “Because I married Blake…”
Sophie snapped, “He’s someone I don’t want. I couldn’t care less about who he marries.”
Viola shook her head, disbelief etched across her features. “If you don’t care, then why did you go to save him? You can’t forget him.”
“Because I’m the deputy commander of the Mystic Army. I received word that there were assassins lurking in the capital, and I went to track them down. I’m not so heartless that I could stand by and watch the people in Valor Estate get slaughtered. It’s as simple as that.”
“I don’t believe you! With the way he and Freya treated you, how can you still return kindness for cruelty?”
Sophie watched as Viola’s crazed
?
expression began to fade, yet her stubbornness remained. Suddenly, Sophie decided to give up on the conversation. It was futile-there was no point in wasting her breath. She just needed to stall until someone from Valor Estate or Silverstone Estate came to take Viola away.
“Here’s your chance: if you have any grievances against me, spit it all out now. That way, you won’t come banging on my door to berate me later. I let you off the hook this time, but next time, I’ll handle this properly and have you dealt with by the authorities.” Viola gazed at Sophie’s face, which was cold and almost dismissive, and felt humiliated. But as she replayed their past grievances in her mind, she realized there wasn’t much to justify her anger.
After a long pause, Viola started to whimper, then broke into sobs. Eventually, she buried her face in her hands and cried openly.
Sophie pressed her fingers against her temples. She was initially indifferent, then grew increasingly impatient. Finally, she couldn’t hold back anymore.
“Shut up! If you want to cry, go back to Valor Estate and cry there! Don’t make a scene here. It’s just not appropriate.”
“You look down on me,” Viola cried, her voice breaking. “Isn’t it just because you’re an esteemed princess consort?”
Sophie sneered. “I do look down on you. What have you done that deserves respect? You think your status in the Jaffe family is low, so you’re trying to cling to Thomas, the third-rank major general. But you’re carrying Blake’s child. What kind of person would respect you?”
Viola glared at her with hatred, and Sophie met her gaze with icy resolve. Since Viola had come here to stir trouble, Sophie felt no obligation to play nice.