Filed To Story: Queen of the Battlefield Her Return to Glory Novel Online Free
“Hartstone Estate?” Icarus’ eyes widened as realization hit.
The man Leroy had insisted on bringing along was most likely from Hartstone Estate. That man had arrived at Concord Lodge yesterday and disappeared shortly after.
So, no matter how the Hell Monarch and Sophie acted tonight, Leroy had already made up his mind to kidnap her. The preparations had been made, and Leroy hadn’t told Icarus until now to prevent him from letting Lisandra know.
‘Since it’s His Majesty’s command, I will follow through,” Icarus said.
Hearing his agreement, Leroy whispered a few more words in his ear.
Icarus nodded. “Understood.”
As they left the restroom, they saw Galen standing under a tree in the distance, waiting. He had been waiting for some time and almost called out to them, but had vaguely heard them speaking in Westic, which he couldn’t understand. So, he assumed everything was fine and decided not to approach.
Back at the palace banquet, Rafael and Sophie had already figured out what was going on as soon as Leroy and Icarus left for the restroom.
Among the many suspicions they had the night before, one seemed the most plausible: Leroy, who was eager for war, might abduct Sophie to use as leverage against Wyatt and the others at Victory Pass.
The negotiations were just a cover. Once they captured Sophie, they would move quickly. After taking her, Leroy would cause a disturbance.
So, at today’s banquet, Rafael and Sophie kept their distance, deliberately appearing indifferent to each other. Rafael also took the opportunity to intimidate Leroy, showing that he wasn’t afraid of war-if anything, he was eager for it.
The goal was to ensure that tomorrow’s negotiations would go smoothly without Leroy interfering.
The plan seemed solid. Leroy had shown signs of doubt and caution, but if he pressed on with his actions, it would be clear that he wasn’t the only one who wanted a war-Edmund wanted it too.
So, Lisandra hadn’t actually succeeded in persuading Edmund. Instead, he had been playing her for a fool.
Lisandra felt a slight unease as she watched Leroy and Icarus leave the banquet. When they returned, there was an exchange of glances between them, as if they were confirming something.
Her brow furrowed deeper, a sense of something being off growing stronger. But there was no way she could ask Icarus to explain. Asking him to step out again during the banquet would be far too conspicuous. Anyone with eyes would notice something was wrong.
Westhaven was on the brink of internal chaos, and Lisandra had no desire to stir up further conflict. She had come here to seek justice, but her real purpose was to stabilize Edmund’s claim to the throne and ease the unrest among the people.
When they had gone to the Southern Frontier to seek justice, they had already suffered significant losses-both men and resources. The heavy financial aid given to Sandoria had drained the national treasury, so the kingdom could hardly endure another costly war that would further harm the common people.
If war was to come, it would have to wait at least five years.
The palace banquet carried on with music from musicians and performances from dancers, but everyone was lost in their own thoughts. They hid behind fake smiles as they observed one another from the shadows.
By the time the banquet ended, it was late. Lisandra led the envoys in their formal farewells.
Salvador, who had drunk to the point of near drunkenness, returned to his quarters with the help of the palace servants. Tonight, everything at the banquet had seemed peaceful. As for tomorrow’s negotiations, which would no doubt be filled with tension and danger, he didn’t need to be directly involved.
Salvador found a certain satisfaction in Rafael’s selfishness. It made him feel like a real, living, ordinary person. The constant talk of selflessness and serving the nation and people-those words were nothing but hollow to him.
A person without desires was the one to fear most, as human nature was inherently selfish.
Of course, there were true, loyal servants of the crown, like Dominic, whom Salvador respected. Dominic’s loyalty wasn’t something he just spoke of. He proved it through action for most of his life.
But human hearts were fickle.
Salvador had already sent people to investigate Valken, but so far, there was no evidence to suggest any trouble there. He had also dispatched agents to Stonebridge County, which was part of Eleanor’s territory. If Yuvan dared not act openly in Valken, he would most likely be hiding in Stonebridge County.
In his investigation of the treason case, Salvador felt a deep, unsettling helplessness.
It wasn’t that there weren’t capable people available. The court was filled with talented individuals, and Salvador’s dad had left him an excellent mix of civilian and military advisors-perhaps the best the kingdom had ever seen.
But they were Sigmund’s people. Whenever there was disagreement or differing opinions on court matters, they all ended up bringing up the late king. Salvador would use them, but he wouldn’t trust them as his closest confidants.
For matters regarding Yuvan’s covert investigation, he left it to lan. However, lan’s people were still leagues behind those from Hell Monarch Estate.
Outside the palace gates, carriages and horses moved like water. Once Lisandra’s carriage had departed, others gradually made their way out. Sophie and Rafael had barely climbed into their carriage when Leroy walked over, his demeanor noticeably more polite than before.
“Your Highness, tomorrow marks the official start of negotiations. I’d like to have a word with you before then. Would you be amenable to joining me at a coffeehouse for a drink now?” he asked the prince.
Sophie pushed back the carriage curtain to reveal her cool, composed expression. “Mr. Stellwyn, it’s already late. Might we not save the conversation for tomorrow?”
Leroy chuckled. “Are you worried I might lead His Highness astray to some brothel, Your Grace? There’s no need to worry, I’d just like the chance to sit down and speak with him alone before negotiations begin. I want to clear the air, so to speak.
Leroy didn’t promise complete transparency, but before such a crucial moment, sitting down to feel each other out was common practice.
And given that Starhaven was clearly at a disadvantage here, it was only right for them to take the initiative and make an effort to gauge Westhaven’s position. Rafael would have no grounds to refuse now.
Rafael only hesitated a moment before saying, “You should return first. I’ll join Mr. Stellwyn for a drink.
Sophie nodded. “Very well. Then, I shall head back now.”
“We’ll be leaving now,” she called out to her maid and coachman, who were actually Violet and Travis. The two answered in unison, “Yes, Your Grace.”
Leroy watched the carriage disappear into the night, a sly, victorious grin spreading across his face.
On Royal Street, the only sound was the clatter of horses’ hooves and the occasional rattle of carriage wheels. There was nothing else to break the silence.
Travis was expertly guiding the carriage. He was getting better at it with every passing day-after all, he was now the owner of a carriage.
Violet sat inside the carriage with Sophie, resting her head on her friend’s shoulder. Feigning weakness, she complained, “You all got to go inside, eating and drinking to your heart’s content, while we were stuck out here in the cold wind. Thankfully, Lulu had us bring some meat and pastries from home. She even thoughtfully packed some coffee in a water pouch. If we hadn’t had that, I might have passed out from hunger by now.”
Sophie chuckled. “It’s truly a sin to leave you hungry, Ms. Spencer. After this is all over, we’ll have to throw a feast to make it up to you.”
Violet didn’t seem offended. Instead, she gave a playful smile and quipped, “You know me best. The one thing I can always indulge in is spending money.”
Violet enjoyed spending money on the people around her, especially those she was close to. When it came to strangers, it depended on their situation. If she felt sympathy for them, she would be willing to spend a bit on them.
Sophie leaned her head against Violet’s, their two heads resting together. They didn’t need to listen to the sounds outside-Travis was handling everything.
At Hartstone Estate, a dim light flickered in the study, casting shadows across a face weathered by wind and time. The usual signs of weakness and hesitation were gone, replaced by a dangerous gleam in his eyes as they reflected the flickering light.
They couldn’t afford the slightest mistake during tonight’s mission.
War between the two kingdoms had to happen now, or their opportunity would be lost. The chance at the Southem Frontier had already slipped away. This time, they couldn’t afford to miss it.
Salvador was already suspicious of them, so they couldn’t afford to aim for both power and a righteous reputation now. What did it matter if they were called traitors and rebels? The victors would write history and determine how it would be remembered.