Filed To Story: Queen of the Battlefield Her Return to Glory Novel Online Free
All of it weighed on him.
After selling off many of the servants, Valor Estate felt cold and empty. It no longer felt like a home, but more like a desolate tomb.
The moment Blake stepped through the door, the suffocating feeling would hit him, making him feel as though the air was being squeezed out of his lungs. Every step forward felt like he was drowning. There was a tightness in his chest, and a suffocating sense of helplessness would overwhelm him.
He knew he couldn’t go on like this, but what hope did his family have left? What hope did he have?
He drank, and once drunk, he passed out and slept for two full days in his study, completely indifferent to everything around him. Emptying his mind of thoughts felt oddly comforting-peaceful, even.
On the third day, he called for more wine. As he poured a glass, he stared at the rippling liquid. He longed for it. yearning for the numb tranquility of drunkenness that felt like a different world. He realized he was craving alcohol and that numbing escape it brought with it. The longing frightened him. Every time he craved something. things seemed to get worse.
A chill ran through him.
He couldn’t keep going like this. If he did, the Jaffe family would truly be doomed. So, he spent the night in his study, not touching a drop of alcohol, his mind swirling with the events of the past days, as well as the words Sebastian had spoken to him.
The next day, he took inventory of his mom’s treasure vault, leaving behind one or two items and selling off the rest.
After Rebecca passed, Charlotte had arranged the funeral. Now, she was still insistent on splitting the family because she was deeply disappointed in Blake. He agreed to the split, but any debts owed to his second aunt had to be repaid.
The accounts were muddled and impossible to sort, but he would sell whatever he could and pay her accordingly.
Blake called for the shopkeeper of The Grand Vault to come over, asking him to bring the staff along to appraise and price everything. As they cleared out one box after another, Blake was surprised to find that Rebecca had hidden away gold ingots, as well as a large collection of valuable jewelry.
Tara explained that some of it had been his mother’s dowry, while some had been passed down from his grandmother. Since the family hadn’t been split yet, it hadn’t been given to the second branch of the family. There were also gifts from Sophie, which Rebecca had hidden away when she left the family. Thankfully, Sophie never asked about them.
Blake instructed Tara to separate the items that had been gifts from Sophie, planning to return them once they were sorted.
Tara sighed. “To be honest, even if you return them to her, she probably won’t want them. It might be better to give them to Madam Charlotte. After all, she and Lady Sophie were close.”
“Whether she gives them to Aunt Charlotte is her business, but we can’t make that decision for her,” said Blake, firm in his stance.
Viola didn’t agree. It wasn’t about the money or jewelry. She simply didn’t want to be involved with the people from Hell Monarch Estate anymore. Since Sophie hadn’t taken the items, they could sell or pawn them. Whatever money they got from it would go to Charlotte anyway.
“She won’t care about the jewelry. Besides, didn’t Amelia pawn some items off before she died? Wouldn’t it be better to redeem what she pawned and return only those to Sophie instead?” Viola said.
“Amelia intended to return them herself,” Blake replied, feeling that his wife’s reasoning didn’t quite make sense. “If we’re not to be involved with them, then we should return it all. Even if Sophie throws it away, it’s her decision.”
Viola was clearly upset with his decision but didn’t want to cause a scandal with The Grand Vault staff present, so she pulled him aside to speak privately.
Once outside the storeroom, Blake took off his cloak and draped it over Viola’s shoulders without a second thought. After giving birth prematurely, her health hadn’t fully recovered, and with the cold weather, she must be feeling it even more.
Viola froze for a moment, staring at her husband’s pale face. The anger that had been building inside her dissipated by half. But that small feeling of gratitude didn’t change the situation. Her expression softened slightly before hardening again.
“If this is just an attempt to persuade me, it’s pointless. I’m not the kind of person who can be swayed with small gestures. You know the situation at Valor Estate. I’m not opposed to giving money to the second branch of the family, but if those pieces of jewelry go back to Sophie, then we’ll have to pay even more to the second branch. Don’t blame me for being selfish. You know how things are right now. I can’t ignore our future.”
Blake studied his wife’s nose, which was reddened by the cold wind, as well as her face, set in a challenging expression. If this had been any other time, he might have let it slide to avoid an argument. But some things were too clear to ignore.
If they knew they were in the wrong and didn’t change, what difference did it make from being ignorant?
He set his jaw, his tone firm as he declared, “I’ll find a way to make money. But what’s owed to others will be returned-every last bit of it. That’s final.
Without leaving Viola any room to argue, he turned and walked back into the storeroom.
Viola reached out as if to stop him, but her hand grasped at air. She froze for a moment, taken aback by the realization that Blake was defying her, refusing to listen to her when it came to household matters.
As anger surged in her, she turned sharply, walking off without another word.
The Grand Vault had offered 13,000 silver coins for the goods. That price didn’t even include the items Sophie had gifted. The real value lay in the heirlooms passed down from the Jaffe family. But even those would lose their worth once sold off, and the depreciation was significant.
13,000 silver coins wasn’t a small sum, though.
Even if Blake gave all of it to Charlotte, he still had a bit of money left-about 2,000 silver coins from the first sale, though it had been stretched thin with funeral expenses. He would have to make do with that.
Blake helped The Grand Vault staff pack up the items to be taken away, fully aware that selling off his family assets would likely become a topic of ridicule. But at this point, he didn’t care.
He had already heard worse.
Just as Blake was about to leave with the carriage, a voice called out from behind him, “Commander Jaffe!” He turned around to see a middle-aged man dressed in indigo attire and a black cloak, standing beneath the flag of The Grand Vault. Despite his worldly attire, the man carried an air of quiet elegance, almost ethereal.
Blake didn’t recognize him. “May I ask who you are?”
The man was Wayne, but his appearance was quite different from when Blake had seen him at Edgeview Estate. Even his face seemed unfamiliar.
He took a step forward and nodded in greeting. “Commander Jaffe, I am aware of the passing of your mom and sister-in-law. My condolences.”
Though Blake recognized the sentiment, he still maintained a certain distance, as he did with all strangers, simply saying, “Thank you. Since you don’t want to introduce yourself, I’ll take my leave now.”
Wayne nodded and said, “Commander Jaffe, my name is Horace. I serve at Hartstone Estate. It was Lady Heather’s request that I come to offer my condolences. Considering the unpleasantness between you and Lady Sophie in the past, she felt it inappropriate to visit directly.”
Blake hadn’t met many people from Hartstone Estate, but he knew that their steward was named Horace, so this man was likely him.
However, the man before him had a scholarly air about him, far from the typical appearance of someone who handled internal affairs. He seemed more like a scholar-though, of course, as a servant of a royal estate, he must be well-educated.
Blake hadn’t expected Heather to send someone to express her condolences. A wave of mixed emotions swept over him.
“I appreciate Lady Heather’s kindness. It’s my fault. I’ve failed… Madam Devin and Lady Heather’s expectations.”
“Would you mind moving to a coffeehouse to talk?” Wayne asked. “Lady Heather has some words she’d like me to convey to you.”
Blake had gone to Victory Pass on the day of his wedding, then returned and separated from Sophie afterward. When Heather hadn’t intervened, Blake had assumed she didn’t want the divorce to happen, which gave him an instinctive sense of goodwill toward her.
Moreover, Harvey and his family had always kept a low profile in the capital, so exchanging pleasantries once or twice with them would not raise any concerns.
“Very well,” Blake agreed with a polite nod. “Lead the way, sir.”
As the two of them entered the coffeehouse, many eyes hidden in the shadows were watching their every move.
Wayne studied Blake quietly. He had already been observing him from afar for some time-he had even placed people to keep track of him.
A year had passed, and Blake had slimmed down considerably. His face now appeared more angular, while his eyes were far more composed and serious than before. But Wayne felt a bit disappointed, as he saw no trace of the sharp edge or hidden ambition he had expected to find in the other man’s gaze.
After everything he had been through-his sister-in-law’s suicide, the loss of his power, the death of his child, his mom’s passing, and the mourning period-Wayne had assumed Blake would either become more ambitious or completely broken.