Filed To Story: Queen of the Battlefield Her Return to Glory Novel Online Free
Yet, the Royal Management Department hadn’t obtained any useful information after the maid was sent to them.
How could Salvador not be furious?
With a grim expression, Salvador said, “Get the royal physician to keep her alive. Even if she’s hanging on by a thread, continue interrogating her.”
If this matter wasn’t cleared up, Salvador felt like an unseen hand was manipulating events from the shadows??lmost like someone had laid out a trap.
He didn’t like that feeling one bit.
“Yes, Your Majesty!” Derek responded and withdrew.
After another hour of interrogation, Derek returned for another report.
“Your Majesty, she named one person. She claimed it was Grand Princess Eleanor who instructed her to do this. As for why she pointed the finger at Lady Heather, she feared retaliation against her family from Grand Princess Eleanor and was too afraid to speak out.”
“Is she dead?” Salvador asked.
“The royal physician said she wouldn’t last much longer. By the time I left, she was barely breathing. She’s probably gone now.”
“I see. Keep this matter quiet for now. Tell everyone from the Royal Management Department to keep their mouths shut. I will summon Rafael back to the palace tomorrow. It’s been a while since I’ve had a proper conversation with him. As for Daniel, have someone look into his whereabouts and see if there’s any news.”
After Derek carried out the orders, he returned to the inner chambers where Salvador was
Once he refilled the king’s cup, he was about to step back quietly when Salvador asked, “Do you believe Janice’s accusation against Aunt Eleanor, Derek?”
“I’m only an old servant, Your Majesty. I wouldn’t dare to make wild assumptions, but… Janice was indeed tortured, and in the end, she didn’t appear to be lying. Do you believe her, Your Majesty? Derek replied cautiously
“I do.” Salvador tapped his fingers on the desk, lost in thought. “Do you remember the uproar about the miniature chastity belt sculpture? My aunt is a spiteful woman. The Duke of Northwatch refused to marry her all those years ago, and she still holds a grudge over that. I suspect it was only after Aunt Helen left the palace to live in Hell Monarch Estate that she bribed Janice. Did Janice mention what messages she delivered to Aunt Eleanor?”
Derek replied, “Yes, Your Majesty. Each time she sent a message, she received a reward. For instance, she sent news about visitors to Hell Monarch Estate, whom Lady Sophie met, and what important matters were discussed with the ladies of noble families. Also, the most significant reward she received was for providing information regarding the Earl of Gracehold’s family. Grand Princess Eleanor had Janice keep an eye on Lady Sophie to see if she would cause trouble at Gracehold Estate. Janice even relayed what the two female bodyguards from Meadow Ridge said when they visited Hell Monarch Estate.
“The Earl of Gracehold’s family!” Salvador’s gaze grew cold. “I heard Samuel took a liking to a courtesan, who happens to be one of Henry’s concubine’s daughters.”
“That remains unverified,” Derek replied.
“Is that so? But Aunt Eleanor hasn’t stepped forward to clarify either,” Salvador said with a meaningful smile. “Aunt Eleanor has always cared deeply about her reputation. It’s quite unusual for her not to clear her name when it’s been sullied like this.”
Derek assessed the situation and carefully responded, “Yes, it is rather unusual… Perhaps Grand Princess Eleanor believes the rumors are baseless and not worth addressing?”
“The rumors are indeed ridiculous. In fact, they’re absurd, especially since I’ve never seen any other cousins except Jessica from Aunt Eleanor’s household. But if the rumors are true, what do you think would compel my aunt to act this way? Samuel is certainly not a capable man, but everything concerning the Earl of Gracehold’s family has come to light because of that courtesan. What exactly does my aunt intend to achieve? Does she have a grudge against the Earl of Gracehold’s family?”
Salvador chuckled, though his eyes grew much colder.
“Of course, I’m speaking hypothetically, assuming the rumors are true.”
Derek dared not say more and murmured, “I’m too dull to understand, Your Majesty.”
Salvador shot him a glance, and said coolly, “I’ve recently heard the common folk clamoring to build a shrine for the Hell Monarch. Even wise scholars across the kingdom are writing articles praising his achievement in reclaiming the Southern Frontier, Have you heard anything about this?”
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Derek lowered his head, his expression shifting slightly,
However, he respectfully replied, “I’ve heard of it, but I didn’t think much of it. The Hell Monarch received your sacred order to head to the Southern Frontier battlefield. He lived up to your expectations and successfully reclaimed the Southern Frontier.
“He does deserve credit, and you have acknowledged his merits before the kingdom’s people. I believe the Hell Monarch has accomplished this as a loyal subject. But rulers will always come first when it comes to great achievements recorded throughout history.”
Salvador chuckled. “You’re always playing little tricks when talking to me, Derek. I’m not that petty, and I’m not afraid of someone with too much merit. I’m just puzzled about one thing. If the people want to build a shrine to honor the Hell Monarch, why didn’t they propose it when he first returned to the capital after reclaiming the Southern Frontier? That was when their emotions were at their peak.”
He picked up his cup with a thoughtful gaze. “Also, I recall that many scholars from various places were already writing articles praising him then. Why is there another wave of such articles now? Are they the same people who wrote them back then?”
Derek breathed a sigh of relief and forced a smile. “I wasn’t playing any tricks with you, Your Majesty. I merely couldn’t see things clearly, so I didn’t dare voice my opinions. It’s exactly as you said. If they want to build a shrine for the Hell Monarch, they should have proposed it right after the Southern Frontier was reclaimed. Now that the excitement has faded, the common people are more concerned about their livelihood. Why would they suddenly make such a fuss?
Salvador picked up a red quill and reviewed the reports before him. Seeing that he had nothing more to say, Derek dared not speak further.
In truth, when Salvador heard about the commotion about people wanting to build a shrine for the Hell Monarch, he felt some discomfort and sent someone to investigate. He wanted to know who started the uproar and whether it had anything to do with Rafael.
Ultimately, the results of the investigation showed that Rafael and his household had taken it lightly.
When someone showed Rafael the articles praising him, he simply laughed and said, “The recovery of the Southern Frontier started with the late king’s determination, followed by the current king’s meticulous planning. Because of their actions, we managed to reclaim our kingdom’s territory. How can it be considered my achievement? Besides, if we’re talking about military achievements on the Southern Frontier battlefield, who deserves more credit than the Duke of Northwatch?
Jeremiah had relayed Rafael’s remark to Salvador. When the king heard it, a smile remained on his face the entire day.
In addition, Salvador received information that the ordinary people also praised him a lot and weren’t just focused on Rafael.
Now, Rafael’s household had sent Janice back to the Royal Management Department to be interrogated. With Heather and Eleanor’s names being mentioned during the questioning, Salvador couldn’t help but be more cautious.
“By the way, today is the Emberfest Festival,” Salvador said as he looked up and set down his quill. Tve heard that Aunt Eleanor invites high priests every year, to pray for departed souls and accumulate blessings for their peace in the afterlife. Several noble ladies will also be in attendance, right?”
“Yes, Your Majesty,” Derek replied respectfully. “It has been that way in the previous years. However, I haven’t heard anything yet for this year.”
Salvador chuckled. “Aunt Eleanor has such a compassionate heart. She deserves praise. Instruct the kitchen staff to prepare vegetarian meals and fresh fruits to serve as offerings in my mother’s name to honor the lonely souls.”
Derek nodded, then asked, “Should we keep this matter…
Salvador understood Derek’s hesitation. He waved his hand dismissively.
“No need for subtlety. Since it’s a noble act of merit, making a grand occasion out of it is fine. It’ll also encourage others to follow Aunt Eleanor’s compassionate nature. Go now, and make sure everything is prepared.*
“Yes, Your Majesty. I’ll take care of it right away,” Derek responded.
Derek handled the matter quickly and efficiently, spreading the word throughout the palace. Before long. the concubines began to follow suit and sent scriptures and food offerings as well.
In addition, many noble families heard about it too. They started sending letters to Eleanor, asking if they could join her tonight to pray for the departed souls.
However, this irritated Eleanor. She had intended to foster good relations with the noble ladies. If many people were involved, it would be too chaotic. Most people who sent her letters didn’t even know the proper steps to pray for the departed souls.
If the noble ladies saw such people at the event, they might start to suspect Eleanor’s motives for doing this weren’t pure.
What made Eleanor uneasy was that Victoria never interfered with matters happening in Harmony Palace. Why was she sending vegetarian meals and fresh fruits as offerings out of the blue?
Eleanor was busy preparing for tonight’s events and needed to welcome the high priests Henry had Invited. She didn’t even know Janice had been sent back to the palace for questioning, or that the circumstances regarding Daniel’s family had been escalated to the authorities.