Filed To Story: Queen of the Battlefield Her Return to Glory Novel Online Free
‘That’s good.” Sophie nodded and turned back to Livius. Then, there shouldn’t be any other injuries. Did Sebastian specifically send you over because he was worried Raf might have hurt something?”
“In a fall like this, it’s quite possible to injure the lower back or a major pressure point in that area, which could affect fertility. That’s why my mentor thinks we should be extra careful, Livius replied.
Helen’s face tumed pale at the mention of fertility. “We need to take a good look, Rafael! If you feel any discomfort, you must tell the physician. Does your backside hurt? I’ve heard that falling on your rear can impact having children.”
Rafael’s face flushed with embarrassment, and he quickly interjected, “Thanks, Livius, but I need to bathe now. You should head back.”
“Remember not to wet the wound,” Livius advised. “I’ll come by tomorrow to change the dressings.”
“Okay, thank you for your hard work,” Sophie said.
She escorted Livius to the door and called for someone to see him out.
Meanwhile, Helen continued to press Rafael, ‘Don’t be shy! If you’ve injured that area, you must let the physician know. We can’t afford to delay anything.
Rafael gritted his teeth and growled, “I haven’t! Just stop asking!”
Helen flinched at his tone. “Why are you being so fierce? I’m only worried about you! it’s been so long, but you haven’t gotten Sophie pregnant. She’s healthy enough to bear children, but with you off fighting all the time in the past, who knows if it’s affected anything?”
Sophie hurried back inside, soothing Helen and sending her on her way.
Even after stepping outside, Helen continued, ‘It’s true! You’re married now, so what’s there to be shy about? When you were younger, you used to tell me everything! I still remember the time a mosquito bit you down there, and you stripped off your pants so I could apply medicine…”
“Mom!” Rafael’s roar echoed through the room.
Sophie quickly called for Violet to take over leading Helen away, and instructed Qiana and Sydney to prepare hot water. Sophie would wash Rafael’s hair herself.
Since he couldn’t soak in the hot springs, he sat in the bath chamber, leaning forward as Sophie washed his hair while trying to avoid getting his feet wet. Though he felt a bit useless, the sensation of her fingers massaging his scalp and working through his hair brought a warm, sweet happiness amid the embarrassment.
He comforted himself with the thought that if it weren’t for this injury, he wouldn’t be receiving such special treatment. The last time he was hurt, Dylan had been the one helping him.
Once his hair was clean, Sophie dried it off.
After a moment, Rafael muttered, “Mom’s talking nonsense. You shouldn’t listen to her.” “Okay.” Sophie rubbed a thick towel through his hair. “I barely remember what she said.”
He continued to sound sullen as he added, “You must be disappointed. You were so excited when I told you last night, but you ended up not seeing anything.”
Sophie chuckled softly. “Disappointed? Not at all! I grew up in Meadow Ridge and have always loved climbing mountains. Plus, don’t you think the snowy peaks were breathtaking? And being with you, even if we just sat quietly and chatted, I’d be happy.”
With no expectations, how could there be disappointment? From the moment he mentioned climbing the mountain, she knew that the only thing to look forward to today was the meal at Glimmering Tower.
“Really? You’d be happy just being with me?”
Rafael lifted his gaze to meet hers, but Sophie quickly averted her eyes, trying to avoid his gaze. She was afraid that seeing the swollen bump on his forehead would make her laugh, especially when paired with his pitiful expression.
In truth, Dylan was a bit innocent in all this-it was hard not to laugh.
“Of course.” Sophie moved behind him to dry his hair, biting back a smile.
“You didn’t look me in the eye when you said that.”
Rafael’s gloom retumed. She had clearly averted her eyes.
Sophie paused, her gaze steady on Rafael.
Seriously? Did he need a mirror to see what he looked like right now?
But Sophie was a capable wife who could fight, manage a household, and soothe her husband. She took a deep breath, set the towel aside, and moved in front of him.
Crouching down to meet his eyes, she focused only on his gaze and said softly, “I may not express it often, but I truly enjoy our time together. Ha… ha-choo!
She quickly turned away, sneezing and rubbing her hands over her face to control her expression. “Sorry, I think I might have caught a chill.”
Hearing that she felt cold, Rafael forgot his pride and immediately said, “Tell Qiana to make some chicken soup. The wind on the mountain was strong today. A bowl of chicken soup will help warm you up.”
“Okay, I’ll go tell someone to make it right now.” Sophie turned and hurried out, nearly slipping as she did.
Once the chicken soup was ready, both of them had a bowl. Sophie said she wanted to check on Helen and couldn’t look after Rafael any longer, but instructed the two elderly maids to take good care of him.
Helen was no longer upset and was chatting with Violet inside the room.
When Gillian saw Sophie arrive, she hurriedly called out, “Your Grace, you’ve come at the perfect time! I just made some pound cakes and was thinking of bringing them to you.”
“Thank you, Gillian,” Sophie expressed her gratitude, then greeted Helen warmly before sitting down.
“Sophie, how did he fall? Violet asked curiously.
She hadn’t been in the room and hadn’t seen the state Rafael was in, but Helen had mentioned it was quite amusing.
‘The ground was too slippery, so he lost his footing for just a moment and fell,” said Sophie, who naturally wanted to protect Rafael’s dignity.
Why go climbing on such a cold day? Couldn’t he have just stayed at home? It’s rare to have a free day,” Helen exclaimed.
Sophie replied, “He’s been wanting to go for a while, but some things came up. Since he finally had a day off, he thought he’d take the chance. Besides, the place is actually quite beautiful.”
“Only you would defend him!” Helen huffed. “If King Sigmund tried to drag me up a mountain
Helen often spoke of Sigmund. Sometimes she praised him, and other times, she complained. But whenever his name came up, she adopted the demeanor of a spoiled little girl, as if she had never really grown up.
She had been the most carefree concubine in the palace, occupying her position without having to navigate any intricate schemes. Even if there were plots against her, they never targeted her directly as Victoria always stood guard on her behalf.
Helen had been pampered growing up, then pampered again while having children. And now, she was pampered by her daughter-in-law. It seemed she never needed to worry about anything.
Yet, she still found trivial matters to fret over, like squabbles with Dakota or Josephine and wanting to compete with them. When she won, she kicked her legs in joy. When she lost, she puffed her cheeks in annoyance for a while. Eventually, those feelings would pass.
Even when Eleanor and Jessica schemed against her, she would only feel anger for a moment before brushing it aside. She wouldn’t let negative emotions linger for long.
That was how most of her life had gone.
Now, she was eager to hold her grandchildren. Not that she truly wanted to-but because Dakota’s son had a child, Helen felt the urge to have a grandchild too. If she was honest, though, did she really like children? They either cried incessantly or made loud, raucous noises. She hadn’t yet discovered any redeeming qualities in them.
But whatever Dakota had, Helen wanted to have as well.