Filed To Story: Queen of the Battlefield Her Return to Glory Novel Online Free
The activities at Hell Monarch Estate were far more entertaining than those at the palace. Travis showcased a series of martial arts moves and swordplay, earning himself twenty silver coins. Luke joined in on the fun, singing a song that had everyone laughing and covering their ears.
‘It’s too awful! I demand compensation for my ears!”
Luke thrived on such teasing. It didn’t bother him if others found his singing terrible-he believed it sounded good enough. Even if he had to pay for it, he would still sing. Originally intending to perform one song, he took the crowd’s reaction as a challenge and belted out three consecutive songs, each more out of tune than the last, leaving Violet and Sophie in stitches, tears streaming down their cheeks from laughing so hard.
The servants each showcased their own talents-pitching arrows, throwing darts, climbing trees, and cutting paper. Even those who usually swept the floors demonstrated their speed in cleaning.
Violet rubbed her cheeks as she laughed. “I can’t take it anymore! For a few coins, they’re really going all out.” With his chest puffed out, Travis declared, “I can do something even more difficult!”
The high-difficulty acts earned ten silver coins, while the standard performances only brought in one.
“What will you do that’s difficult?” Violet asked, her laughter turning her voice hoarse.
His eyes sparkling with excitement, Travis replied, “Eating a basin of noodles for ten silver coins, or drinking a whole jar of wine for the same!”
“Dream on!” Sophie and Violet laughed together, shaking their heads.
“Five silver coins!” He raised his hand and held up five fingers. “Five silver coins for eating noodles and drinking. What do you say?”
Violet threw a piece of candy at him. “Do you want to die from overeating or from drunkenness? Jacob gave you a decent amount of money this year. Are you really that greedy for another five silver coins?”
Travis opened his mouth to catch the candy. “You can never have too much money! Besides, it’s easy money. Why wouldn’t I want it?”
The thought of eating and drinking while pocketing money was too good to pass up.
Realizing he had no hope of convincing them further, he sat down. “In a few days, I need to head back to Meadow Ridge to visit my mentor. At the same time, I’ll be bringing some money back there.”
“Sure, go ahead,” Sophie replied.
“Vivi, don’t you want to go back too? We could go together,” Travis suggested.
Violet thought for a moment before replying, “If I go back to the Inferno Guild, I’ll have to visit my family. It’s that, or I don’t visit either place at all. I have to be fair about these things.”
“Well, you can go to both places. It’s not like you have much else going on right now.”
Violet took a stance and crossed her arms. “What do you mean I don’t have anything going on? I have three apprentices! They’re definitely coming to visit me for New Year’s!”
“You sure are something, Travis grumbled. Then, his eyes lit up. “Your three apprentices come from good families, so they’re bound to bring you lots of gifts! You wouldn’t want them anyway, so just give them all to me. I’ll take them back for my mentor.”
“You’re as greedy as ever,” Violet replied, rolling her eyes.
In the study, Jacob, Rafael, and Kyle had been discussing for over two hours.
If Harvey wasn’t in the capital, there were three possible places he could have gone.
The first was Victory Pass. Yuvan, Harvey, and their people likely had planted some informants there. The second was Stonebridge County, where their private army was stationed. The third option was a military garrison outside the capital. Harvey had probably been covertly establishing connections there over the years.
No matter where he went, it indicated that they were taking action.
However, Rafael and the others had always believed that Harvey was the most patient among them. Why was he the one making a move first now?
‘Perhaps he’s going all in,” Jacob said. “After all, Eleanor is still alive. They might prefer to take a gamble rather than live in fear.”
Rafael shook his head. “I don’t think it’s a gamble. They’ve been plotting for too long. The best opportunity to strike was during the battle at the Southern Frontier, and they didn’t do anything then. Without a justified reason, they’re even less likely to act directly now. My greater concern is whether anything will go wrong on General Sullivan’s side at Victory Pass.”
“Westhaven!” Jacob’s expression darkened.
The biggest variable at Victory Pass was Westhaven. It was likely that Harvey already learned that Westhaven’s king was critically ill. If he had indeed headed for Westhaven, he probably already had planted someone there for a while. In fact, he might very well be close to the new crown prince.
Victory Pass, Fawnrun City, Westhaven-these combined were a ticking time bomb that was bound to go off sooner or later. Rafael and his group had made preparations, but when that bomb exploded, they might not be able to handle the fallout as well as they hoped.
No matter what they did or how they acted, one fact remained unchanged-the overall commander and marshal at Victory Pass was still Dominic.
That was the source of everyone’s greatest concern.
Sophie didn’t have much family left, so they had to protect whoever was left of it.
‘Let’s enjoy the New Year first,” Kyle said. “I’ll write to Winona and ask her to keep an eye on any news from that side. If there’s any movement, she’ll report back quickly.”
“Okay, thank you, Kyle,” Rafael replied.
They had to make the most of the New Year, as there were only a few peaceful days left. They stayed up almost until the early hours of the morning.
Rafael’s leg had healed. When he returned to his room, he decided to take a more active approach. The couple were busy for quite a while before they finally fell asleep. But it didn’t feel like he had slept long before a knock at the door interrupted him-someone had arrived to give their New Year’s greetings.
Rafael blinked his bleary eyes. “So much for a peaceful New Year.”
Sophie was already up and dressed. “Yeah, it’s not just them coming to greet us. We have to visit others too. There will be several banquets we can’t avoid.”
The visitors that morning were from the Lloyd family. Most importantly, it was Hannah who had come. Davis wouldn’t normally be up this early. Since he was a court official and usually woke up early, he had intended to enjoy his holiday, but had been dragged out of bed by his wife.
Hannah was dressed in a blue gown, wrapped in a cloak, and holding a hand warmer. As she entered, she kept glancing back at Davis, urging him to hurry. When she saw Jacob waiting to greet them, her expression brightened with a smile.
She hadn’t brought her children and grandchildren this time. It was just the couple who had come. She was not only there to pay New Year’s greetings, but also to discuss Skye Embroidery with Sophie.
The matter had been weighing heavily on Hannah’s heart, and she had felt a surge of enthusiasm lately- something she hadn’t experienced in years.
They had barely settled in their seats when Rafael and Sophie emerged.
After the customary greetings, Hannah was about to suggest moving to the side hall for a chat when they heard an announcement from outside.
Zoey had arrived.
Before the New Year, Zoey had been officially granted her second-rank noble status. While she had always been the Earl of Silverstone’s wife, her husband’s title meant she should have been recognized as a noble. However, Sigmund had kept the Earl of Silverstone’s family at arm’s length and had kept the titles for the female family members on hold.
“Oh, if it isn’t Madam Zoey.” Hannah smiled and went to greet her.
She didn’t call Zoey “Mrs. Prince” but rather “Madam Zoey’, showing her admiration for Zoey as a person and not the family she was associated with.
Zoey had also come without her family. She was accompanied only by her sister-in-law, Luna, and her maid, Jane, who was carrying gifts.
Zoey and Luna stepped forward. “Greetings, Your Grace, Mrs. Lloyd.”