Filed To Story: Queen of the Battlefield Her Return to Glory Novel Online Free
“When Lady Chloe was still alive, King Augustus would give Grand Princess Eleanor anything she wanted. And what was General Devin compared to that? There are so many men in the world who are skilled in martial arts, not just him.
“Even if she insisted it had to be him, why couldn’t he remain a general after becoming a prince consort? If tradition states a prince consort can’t hold power, then change the tradition! For Grand Princess Eleanor, why not make an exception?”
Florence looked up at Sophie, her eyes filled with deep resentment, though her expression was conflicted and torn.
“The person I hate most in this life is General Devin, she admitted. “I’ve never seen someone so ungrateful. Grand Princess Eleanor couldn’t get her dad’s approval, so she went to General Devin directly. And what did he do? He avoided her like the plague whenever he saw her coming.
“She sent him gifts, so he ordered his servants to bar the gates and refused to let her people in. Worse yet, he quickly got engaged to someone else, and before long, he was married. He did it to crush her hopes entirely. In doing so, he broke her heart.”
Florence sneered, her voice hoarse and aged yet filled with a frenzied hatred as she continued ranting, Everyone says he’s a man of great stature, but he shattered the grand princess’ heart and ruined her life. You fight for the rights of those women and concubines, saying they deserve their own lives??hat about
Grand Princess Eleanor? Why should she be destroyed? I cherish her above all else! What gave General Devin the right to hurt her like that?”
Wiping her tears with the back of her hand, she revealed a desolate smile. “Yes, I hate General Devin so much, yet deep down, I can’t help but admire him. Isn’t that contradictory? The grand princess feels the same way. Hate, love, and respect??t can all be wrapped up in a single person. It’s both ridiculous and tragic. Every move General Devin made, every report of victory or defeat from the battlefield… it all pulled at Grand Princess Eleanor’s heart.”
Suddenly, Florence placed her hands on the table. She leaned forward as tears streamed down her face.” When the news of his death reached us, I thought that whether it was love or hate, Grand Princess Eleanor would finally let go now that he was gone.
“But she didn’t. She cried for him until she nearly fainted. Afterward, she held me and said, ‘Florence, my heart feels so empty. It’s as if there’s nothing left. But why does it still hurt so much? It hurts to the point where I can barely breathe”.”
Florence sighed deeply, gradually retreating into herself. “I know Grand Princess Eleanor will never let go of General Devin in this lifetime. Even if he’s dead or turned to ashes, he still lives on in her heart. Life… it’s all fate, isn’t it?”
With that, she fainted, collapsing to the ground.
Rafael and the scribe walked in from behind the partition screen. The prince first embraced Sophie. before instructing someone to take Florence away.
Sophie remained composed and calmly instructed, “Go to the apple tree and find that box. She noted down the origins of those women”
“Understood!”
The scribe left to carry out the task.
As Sophie leaned against Rafael, it felt as if her heart and throat had clogged up, leaving her with an indescribable discomfort.
“Let’s not dig any deeper,” Rafael said, concern etched on his face. “Don’t hold onto what she said. Your dad is blameless. It was Aunt Eleanor’s own obsession that harmed both herself and others.”
Sophie’s face had turned pale, and it took a while for her to finally find her voice again.
“I’m fine. I can continue the interrogation. Once Florence is better, I’ll question her again. At least we now know the origins of those women. We can send someone to inform their families. There’s no need for them to keep searching or live in fear every day like Jacob’s family, wondering if their loved ones are still out there. They will know those women are dead now.
Sophie’s legs felt weak at the thought.
Once a person was gone, everything was lost. The pain of losing a loved one was no better than the agony of waiting in uncertainty.
Taking a deep breath, she steadied herself and added. Moreover, from what Florence said, we know that Grand Princess Eleanor hates King Augustus. King Sigmund was King Augustus’ most favored son, which suggests she might be seeking revenge. It’s likely that she and Prince Yuvan were plotting treason even while King Sigmund was still alive… At least now we understand her motive for rebellion.”
Rafael nodded, still holding her close. “Yes, uncovering this information is invaluable to us. We won’t need to question her further.”
He had observed everything from behind the partition screen??ophie’s discomfort and her tightly clenched fists at her sides. In her heart, Hector was a towering hero. Yet, he had been drawn into the tangled web of Eleanor’s passions and vendettas. After sacrificing so much for years, Hector continued to be blamed, and Sophie’s anger and pain were palpable.
After taking a moment to compose herself, Sophie pressed her hands against Rafael’s chest, fighting back the turmoil in her stomach.
“She’s so cruel. How can someone be so vicious? Her so??alled deep feelings don’t move anyone, yet she’s harmed so many people. Most of those women resembled my mom in some way. She even used my mom as an excuse to hurt others. I can’t rest until see her ground into dust.”
“Don’t worry. Evil will be repaid in kind,” Rafael said softly, patting her back. “Let’s step outside for some fresh air.”
“Okay, we’ll interrogate Florence slowly once she wakes up.”
The two stepped outside. Sunlight broke through the clouds, dispelling some of the shadows from the interrogation room.
Caked in thick makeup, Violet made her way to Lester Estate to see Carmen. Given her past dealings with Carmen, the Lester family members recognized Violet, but she was stopped at the entrance by the gatekeeper.
After Eleanor’s downfall, the Lester family had lost both their powerful connection and their source of support. So, they had turned away Melanie Lester, who appeared ill and bedraggled. Instead of accepting her and Carmen into the family, they placed the mother and daughter in a shabby house not far from Lester Estate.
“I’ve told you there’s no such person here. If you’re looking for her, go find her in that little shack,” said the gatekeeper, who was especially irritable with Violet.
Having taken a punch from Travis earlier that morning, Violet was already fuming. Now, being confronted with the gatekeeper’s insolence at Lester Estate pushed her over the edge.
She seized his ear and shouted, “Lead the way!”
The gatekeeper yelped in pain, drawing the attention of the Lester family members inside. Melanie’s elder relative, Andrew Lester, rushed out with some people. Upon seeing Violet twisting the gatekeeper’s ear, he was enraged and opened his mouth to protest.
But before he could utter a word, Violet kicked the front door with a powerful thrust, sending it crashing down with a loud bang. The noise drained the color from Andrew’s face, and he hesitated to approach her.
Violet continued to drag the gatekeeper by the ear, walking a short distance until they reached the small cabin. Once she knocked on the door and saw Carmen, she finally let go of him.
#
Carmen was taken aback when she saw Violet. Then she recalled that Sophie and Violet had deceived her, and it left her feeling somewhat disgruntled. Even if their actions were for the sake of the plan, deception was still deception. So, Carmen could only muster the bare minimum of politeness.
“Is there something you need, Ms: Spencer?”
Violet wasn’t one to ignore subtle cues. Seeing that Carmen was probably upset, she asked softly, “Can I come in and talk?”
Carmen stepped aside. “Please go ahead.”
Carmen had just acted on impulse. After all, she knew that if Sophie and Violet hadn’t kept the plan from her, she would definitely have told Henry. Never in her wildest dreams had she imagined that her own dad would betray her.
The little cabin was modest. It had a tiled roof, and one could see the entire place in one glance. A small kitchen was outside, while the interior consisted of a small hall and a single room. Sunlight fire to through the gaps in the crumbling roof, clearly indicating that it was in disrepair. If a heavy rain fall, the place would surely become a pond.
Violet tried her best to ignore the discomfort, but sitting on the rickety old bench in the cramped hall with sunlight streaming down felt awkward. While Carmen went to help her mom, Violet seized the chance to climb onto the roof. If any tiles had simply shifted, she could adjust them. However, as she reached the top, she found many tiles had already broken. Repairs would require buying new ones.
As Carmen was helping Melanie outside, Violet just jumped down, startling both mother and daughter.
“What were you doing on the roof?” Carmen asked.
“Didn’t you see that the roof is damaged? If it rains, you’ll be in trouble. And even if it doesn’t rain, the wind will whistle through at night. Winter will be unbearable,” Violet replied.
Carmen said softly, “I know. I’ll find someone to fix it.”
“Yeah, it definitely needs repairs,” Violet said. She glanced at Melanie, who looked unwell. “Why did you help your mom out? She should just go lie down.”
Melanie bowed to Violet and said, “I wanted to thank you and Lady Sophie, Ms. Spencer. If it weren’t for you both, I would still be in the dungeon??erhaps even dead by now.”