Filed To Story: Queen of the Battlefield Her Return to Glory Novel Online Free
This angered Henry??e could never achieve what Daniel had in his life.
Henry and Melanie Lester were in the far left cell, and Rafael could still hear their voices.
Melanie’s voice was soft, filled with disappointment and sorrow as she said, “They’re your daughters! How could you be so heartless?”
“Betraying the grand princess leads to a dead end. If I hadn’t exposed her, it would have cost us our lives and endangered both of our families. Melanie, I had no choice,” Henry replied.
“No choice?” Melanie sobbed. “You’ve used the exact phrase for many years! Whenever you had to choose, you told me you had none. Why didn’t you tell your family that? They have the power to resist. Even if they didn’t, they could still get by if they remained content with the status quo. But every time, you come to me and say you had no choice. You say that to all your other concubines and daughters Every time you say that, someone ends up dead.
“I’m so tired of you! Carmen is the only one who’s fighting back. She has spirit, but she’s stuck with a spineless father like you. When she came to see me, I saw a light in her eyes that I’d never seen in yours. You’re her father, but you won’t help her. If that wasn’t bad enough, you even exposed her and harmed her
Melanie’s voice gradually faded. It sounded as if she was being forcibly embraced, stifling the words she wanted to say.
Rafael knew Melanie was in feeble health from the sound of her voice and her breathing. If she stayed here much longer, she would likely die within ten days or so.
Henry was truly a despicable man. He betrayed those poor concubines, and was even willing to sell out his daughters
Rafael recalled encountering Henry behind a rockery during a palace banquet, where Henry cried in despair. The man he had seen then was a far cry from the one he heard and saw now.
Back then, perhaps Henry had loved someone. Ultimately, he only loved himself.
After a long silence, Henry sighed. “You’re only thinking of your own life. The grand princess hasn’t sent anyone with medicine in a while. I’m sneaking you some, but I don’t know how long I can keep it up. If Carmen really works with the Hell Monarch’s people on the fifteenth of October, both you and her will be done for.”
“It would be better to die!” A sharp voice cut through the gloom, sounding like a different person entirely. The voice was laced with bitter sarcasm and despair, accompanied by soft sobs. “It would be better to die. I could join my son… My son…!”
As the cries erupted, the entire cell block was filled with weeping
Henry barked, “Why are you all crying? You’ll only attract attention! If the guards come down here, it won’t be death??t’ll be a beating! Do you think dying is so easy? If it were, would you still be suffering down here?”
His words frightened them into silence. The sobs and whimpers vanished as quickly as they started, leaving only a tense calmness.
Daniel held his wife and children tightly. Was this a dungeon? No, this was clearly hell! This was the hell of Harmony Palace?? place he had never imagined could exist in his wildest dreams.
Rafael felt pained listening from the other side. How terrified must Daniel and his family be?
He couldn’t rescue them yet, however. Eleanor would be alerted if they were discovered missing tomorrow, and the plan for the following night would likely fail.
It seemed tonight was a night of torment and endurance for many.
Under Theodore’s guidance, the Devin family maintained their composure. He dispatched people to the Capital Guard and the Garrison Unit barracks, then awaited the Royal Citadel’s opening time to file a report. The Devin family followed all proper protocols.
Theodore trusted that Rafael and Sophie knew the situation and wouldn’t look the other way. They had their way of handling things. Since the Devin family primarily consisted of businesspeople and ordinary citizens, they would tackle this as ordinary folk would.
The Royal Citadel officials quickly initiated an investigation. Thalia and her two children had vanished late at night without passing through the main or side entrances of the residences, which meant they had been abducted. As part of the routine procedure, the Royal Citadel officials needed to inquire if the family had offended anyone upon their return to the capital.
As the officials searched for the missing family members and took statements, the matter caught Salvador’s attention. With no morning court session today, Michael reported that Daniel’s wife and children had mysteriously gone missing the previous evening
Anything concerning the Devin family always drew special concern from Salvador.
Just then, an official from the Royal Management Department reported that the Hell Monarch’s household had returned a palace maid.
The maid had once served Helen but was sent back for stealing a pair of Mystic Pearl earrings. They were found along with a cache of valuable jewelry in her room. Since the items didn’t belong to the people in Hell Monarch Estate, it was suspected that the maid had stolen from the various ladies of the court while in the palace, leading to her return to the Royal Management Department for further action.
When Salvador initially heard the report about the maid’s theft, he frowned and commented, “Such matters are for the Royal Management Department to handle. They’ll deal with it and inform the
But as the words left his mouth, he sensed something was off. He ordered, “Conduct a thorough investigation to ascertain the origins of the maid’s jewelry and valuables.”
queen.”
How could someone serving an honored concubine living outside the palace possibly steal the jewelry of other concubines in the palace?
The maid wouldn’t even have access. Even if she did, it was unlikely she could do so alone. Only palace maids who served in the palace or those guarding the storerooms had the chance to steal.
However, the maids serving Helen had no dealings with Salvador’s concubines.
So, it was the Hell Monarch’s household that had discovered the issues with the jewelry and valuables. Then, they found it inconvenient to investigate, so they returned the maid to the palace for further action. Salvador simultaneously ordered the Capital Guard and Garrison Unit to scour the city, determined to retrieve Daniel’s wife and children. He could never tolerate such an incident under his reign.
To have abducted three people without alerting anyone, especially at night, was likely the work of skilled hands. Whether from rival businesses or powerful figures residing in certain estates, daring to touch the Devin family was like digging a grave for oneself.
Salvador was inherently suspicious. Both incidents seemed aimed at the Devin family, but in reality.
they were targeted at the Hell Monarch’s household. Although he feared Rafael’s military achievements, no one would dare to lay a finger on the prince as long as Salvador reigned.
While the king was wary of Rafael, they were ultimately brothers. As long as Rafael harbored no ambitions for rebellion, there was no reason for Salvador to act against him. After all, Rafael was a hero for reclaiming the Southern Frontier. More importantly, he was Salvador’s brother.
Under intense questioning, Janice was on the brink of death. She divulged everything she knew.
Derek came forward to report, “Your Majesty, Janice has confessed. She claims that Lady Heather bribed her. Initially, Lady Heather instructed her to frequently speak favorably of her to Lady Helen, hoping to gain Lady Helen’s favor.
“But when Lady Helen left the palace for Hell Monarch Estate, Janice never anticipated Lady Sophie would take her under her wing. Lady Heather instructed her to speak to Lady Sophie on her behalf. She asked Janice to claim that Lady Heather faced many difficulties, and it wasn’t that she didn’t want to help when Lady Sophie was going through difficult times.”
“Heather?” Salvador furrowed his brow.
In his mind, his aunt??n??aw had always been timid and hesitant. She was Leona’s mother, but she had silently endured while her daughter had suffered at the hands of the Earl of Gracehold’s family.
“It can’t be Heather, Salvador replied coldly. “Continue the interrogation until we unearth the true puppet master behind this.”
“Your Majesty, I fear further questioning may not yield results. Janice won’t hold out much longer,” Derek responded.
“Then, investigate the jewelry and valuables,” Salvador commanded.
“We’ve already looked into it. Aside from a pair of Mystic Pearl earrings, the other jewelry consists solely of pieces made by The Gilded Tower. As for the gold and silver ingots, they’re not from official mints but were privately minted. While there are silver coins, the sheer volume of privately minted gold and silver Ingots with no traceable origins makes investigation impossible,” Derek reported.
Salvador’s expression was a mixture of anger and confusion.
However, Derek knew him well and understood that Salvador was furious with the Royal Management
Department for their incompetence.
No one believed Heather could be behind this. Even if it were her, there was no way she would have bribed Janice with all that jewelry and money just to speak favorably of herself. There was more to this than met the eye.
If Rafael thought there was nothing suspicious, he wouldn’t have sent the maid back to the pa palace. He must have discovered something but chose not to investigate further, opting to send her back to the Royal Management Department instead. This attitude made it clear he wanted to avoid getting too entangled in the mess.