Filed To Story: Queen of the Battlefield Her Return to Glory Novel Online Free
“Your Highness, do you love Hector for his face? He’s dead. Even if someone looks just like him, he’s not the man in your heart. Why torment yourself so?” she asked.
In the past, Eleanor couldn’t stand anyone saying she loved Hector. Even Florence saying it would provoke a sharp rebuttal. But now, Eleanor didn’t want to argue. She suddenly felt that aside from loving and hating Hector, she had no connection to him whatsoever. So, love and hate it would be.
Though Eleanor’s eyes were dark and full of unspoken sorrow, her words were laced with venom as she said, “It’s all fate. I don’t want to see a face like his again. Ruin Daniel’s face and kill both his sons. As for his pregnant wife… Didn’t you say that pregnancy is a hellish experience for a woman? Then, just send her through the gates of hell to join her husband.”
Florence’s heart chilled at those words. “Your Highness, we shouldn’t do that. Tomorrow is the Emberfest Festival, and you’ve spent days transcribing scriptures. Why not let them go? After all, we are honoring the souls of the departed…” “Then, let’s honor them all at once tomorrow,” Eleanor replied coldly.
Looking up to see Florence standing motionless, she erupted in anger, shouting, “What? Do you pity them? Fine, I’ll indulge your kind heart. Kurt!”
Kurt stepped in quickly. “I’m here, Your Highness.”
Fury flashed in Eleanor’s eyes. “Bring Daniel’s wife and his two sons here. Lock them all in the dungeon. Right before their eyes, destroy Daniel’s face and kill them all together. I want them to die as a family.”
Kurt instinctively glanced at Florence. The elderly woman looked worried but didn’t say anything. So, Kurt nodded and left to carry out Eleanor’s orders.
Seeing the lingering anger in the grand princess’ demeanor made Florence sigh.
“Let me prepare some herbal soup that can help soothe your emotions,” she said before quickly stepping out and catching up with Kurt.
“Kurt, wait a moment.”
Kurt turned around and respectfully greeted, “Madam Florence.”
Then, he lowered his voice and asked, “Should we really go through with this? Her Highness’ mind changes like the wind. If we destroy that man’s face and she blames us later, what will we do? Finding another face that bears such r?semblance will be nearly impossible.”
“I know you’ve had a difficult time dealing with her whims over the past two years. She often changes her mind, which has led to you facing a lot of blame. For now, let’s just keep him in the dungeon. Bring his wife and two children there too. Her Highness insists on going through with it after a few days, then we’ll act,” Florence replied.
Kurt hesitated. “But if she gets angry because we’re not following her wishes now, you have to protect us.”
“Don’t worry,” Florence reassured. “I know her temper. She really shouldn’t be bothered by these matters right now. Once she takes her medication and calms down, I’ll talk to her.”
“Alright, we’ll do as you say. You really care for us. I consider you like a godmother,” Kurt said gratefully.
Florence chuckled. “You’re quite the charmer. At your age, you could easily be my grandson.”
“I don’t mind being either, as long as you protect us,” Kurt replied with a solemn nod.
Florence smiled and waved him off. “Go on, then. Tend to your duties.”
As she watched him leave, she noted how he looked back with a hint of worry. Florence sighed softly. Perhaps she was getting old and wasn’t as ruthless as she had been in her youth. Killing an entire family felt too harsh.
Eleanor shouldn’t be so fixated on old grievances and start a war. If she wanted to act boldly, she should have followed Yuvan out of the capital or returned to Stonebridge County to live her own life.
Daniel’s home was not far from the Devin family’s main residence, Devin Estate. It was a house with two entrances, two exits, and a patio.
Usually, Daniel’s wife, Thalia, would accompany her mother-in-law, Hilda, after dinner. The two women would do embroidery together, with Thalia usually making clothes for her unborn child or two sons. But tonight, not only did Thalia not show up at all, the sound of the children playing couldn’t be heard either.
Finding it odd, Hilda sent her maid, Doris, to check on them. When she arrived at Thalia’s quarters and inquired, Thalia’s maid, Fern, looked surprised.
“Isn’t Madam Thalia doing embroidery with Madam Hilda? She left an hour ago with the two boys,” said Fern.
“No, Madam Hilda hasn’t seen Madam Thalia. That’s why she sent me to ask,” replied Doris, also surprised.
“How can that be? Madam Thalia had dinner and took her pregnancy medicine, then left.”
“Did she say she was heading to Madam Hilda’s place?”
“Yes, she did. Pansy went with her. Before leaving, Madam Thalia told me to tidy up the porch so I didn’t follow them.”
“We haven’t seen her. She couldn’t have gone visiting elsewhere, right? Hurry and go to Devin Estate and ask them. I’ll check with Madam Emily. She mentioned earlier today that the boys were going over to her place to play.”
Emily was Solomon’s wife, and their home was next to Daniel’s. Currently, Solomon was busy helping Theodore handle matters regarding their family’s younger members, earning the respect of the rest of the family. When Sophie left the Jaffe family, it was Solomon who had arranged for the younger members of the family to help her move her dowry from Valor Estate.
Doris and Fern hurried out to inquire. After checking both places, they returned with the same information-no one had seen Thalia or her two boys.
Upon hearing this, Solomon felt a sense of unease. Thalia had spent most of her time in Serenvale and rarely returned to the capital. And given that she was pregnant, she seldom ventured out. She only visited Devin Estate or Solomon’s home. It was unlikely she would wander around.
It was unusual for her to go out during the day, let alone at night.
Solomon immediately called his wife to stay with his uncle and aunt to comfort them. Meanwhile, he gathered the younger members of the family to search for Thalia and her two children. After searching for more than two hours, everyone r?convened and reported that they had found nothing.
A sense of foreboding crept into Solomon’s mind. He thought about how Thalia and her two children had only recently returned to the capital and rarely ventured out, making it unlikely for them to have offended anyone. Reporting their disappearance to the Royal Citadel at this late hour would be pointless, as there were only a few officers on duty. After a moment of contemplation, Solomon decided to visit Northwatch Estate to seek out Frederick. When Frederick learned the details of the situation, he became anxious.
“Keep searching for now. I’ll head to the Capital Guard’s headquarters. I know some people there. I’ll ask them to be on the lookout while patrolling. After that, I’ll drop by Hell Monarch Estate to see Lady Sophie.”
“Alright, we’ll keep searching. Thank you, Frederick,” Solomon replied.
“Quickly, let’s split up,” Frederick instructed, not wasting any time.
He quickly put on a coat and took a carriage to the Capital Guard’s headquarters and the garrison unit.
Frederick had been the steward for the Duke of Northwatch’s family for a long time, so he had some connections with the Capital Guard and the garrison unit. After making arrangements at those two places, he headed to Hell Monarch Estate. Sophie was still awake when she heard Frederick had arrived, so she hurriedly sent someone to invite him in.
Upon hearing that Daniel’s wife and children were missing, Sophie recalled that uncle of hers. He had always stayed in Serenvale, but had returned when her family was wiped out. When Sophie saw Daniel back then, she had been taken aback by how much he resembled her dad.
However, she had been overwhelmed with grief then. Her family’s funeral was a task shared between them and the Klein family. By the time the mourning period. ended, Daniel had already returned to Serenvale, and Sophie hadn’t even had the chance to thank him.
Rafael immediately issued an order, “Travis, mobilize all the household guards to search.”
Jacob strode in and shook his head. “There’s no need to send so many people out. Just a few will do. Frederick, you should mobilize everyone from Northwatch Estate to search.”
Rafael noticed that Jacob was holding a note. It seemed he knew the whereabouts of Thalia and her children.
A stunned Frederick protested, “Why don’t we send more people out? It’s late, and we need to find them immediately. If anything happens, it’ll be too late!” He glanced at Sophie, but she remained silent.
Rafael spoke up, “Frederick, follow Jacob’s instructions. Take people to look for them. And as for the Devin family, don’t say too much to them. Just let them know we will also be sending people out. If they’re not found by tomorrow, have them report it to the Royal Citadel.”
Since Rafael had given his order, Frederick replied, “Understood. I’ll follow your wishes, Your Highness.”
Just as Frederick left, Violet rushed in. She had just finished bathing and was alarmed when she heard the staff mention that Frederick had come from Northwatch Estate, prompting her to hurry over in case something was wrong. “What happened?” Violet asked as she hastily pinned up her damp hair.
Holding the note tightly, Jacob first instructed Travis to keep watch outside, then explained, “We received a tip from our hidden network in Harmony Palace. They reported that Grand Princess Eleanor’s captain of the guards, Kurt, took a few people out tonight. Shortly after, they returned through a side door. They were carrying two children and a pregnant woman, who were all taken to the dungeon.”