Filed To Story: Queen of the Battlefield Her Return to Glory Novel Online Free
However, Rafael ignored him and turned to Michael. “You said Sophie was injured. Is it serious?”
“It’s not too bad, just a wound to her arm. She’s already at Arcane Sanctum for treatment. Afterward, she’ll go to the Supreme Court,” Michael replied.
Rafael’s eyes softened with a brief flash of concern. How did she end up injured?
However, he quickly regained his composure and asked, “Are you certain the assassin is Icarus Mendez from Westhaven?”
“Yes, it’s him, along with a dozen or so other men in black. Commander Devin killed several, and the rest were brought to the Supreme Court. They tried to commit suicide with poison, but Commander Devin managed to extract the poison from their mouths.”
‘Impossible! If you keep making baseless claims, there won’t be a need for negotiations tomorrow!” Leroy snapped.
A chill settled over Rafael’s expression, his tone icy as he said, “Why are you so anxious, Mr. Stellwyn? Why not go to the Supreme Court and see for yourself?”
Leroy glared at him, speaking each word with finality, “Impossible! Commander Icarus could have never attacked your princess consort!”
Rafael sneered. “Is it that he could never attempt to assassinate my wife, or that he could never fail and be captured? When confidence crosses into arrogance, Mr. Stellwyn, it leads to downfall. Overconfident people often end up stumbling.”
Leroy remained defiant, though his bravado lacked conviction. “In any case, it’s impossible.”
“Then, come with us,” Michael said.
‘Fine, let’s go!” Leroy’s voice was cold.
He refused to believe Icarus could fail. This was all a trick to deceive him.
The group made their way outside and mounted their horses. The route to the Supreme Court passed by Arcane Sanctum.
As they passed it, Rafael spoke again, ‘Let’s stop by Arcane Sanctum and pick up Sophie.’
Leroy’s eyes flickered with suspicion. Though he didn’t know exactly where Arcane Sanctum was, he did know it wasn’t far from the Supreme Court. If they were trying to deceive him, why not go directly to the Supreme Court? It was farther away, and they would have more time to test him.
But if they went to Arcane Sanctum, it would be impossible to see Sophie there. Wouldn’t that reveal their deception?
Leroy’s gaze shifted to the Hell Monarch, who was riding ahead with a straight back and holding the reins firmly. Leroy tightened his grip on his reins, his fingers trembling slightly. Something about the situation tonight was off, though he couldn’t pinpoint exactly what was wrong.
Their plan to abduct Sophie was a well-kept secret. While it wasn’t perfectly planned, Leroy had trusted Icarus to carry it out carefully. The operation wasn’t hasty by any means.
If they had to decide which part of the plan was easier, it would have been deceiving the Hell Monarch, who was the lead negotiator for tomorrow’s talks. So, it was only natural for him to want to assess the situation before the negotiations.
Icarus and his suicide soldiers couldn’t possibly have lost to Sophie and two mere servants! That was, unless someone had tipped them off and allowed them to prepare an ambush ahead of time.
Yet, this operation had been kept so secret that Icarus had only learned of it during the palace banquet. After receiving the order, he hadn’t left Leroy’s sight. Plus, Icarus would never have exposed himself unless he was completely desperate.
Suddenly, it struck Leroy-if this operation had indeed failed, the only person who could have betrayed them was Harvey. Was he pretending to ally with Westhaven to get close to them?
Leroy’s mind raced with uncertainty, but he refused to believe the mission had failed until he saw Sophie for himself.
Outside Arcane Sanctum, two lanterns hung, casting a faint glow. As Rafael and the others arrived on horseback, Sophie, supported by Violet, emerged from the building.
The moment she stepped outside, Leroy’s body stiffened and his heart pounded wildly.
Had they truly failed?
A wave of red fury flooded his eyes. It had to be Harvey-he was the one behind this! That traitor hadn’t wanted to ally with Westhaven to rebel. He was sent by the king of Starhaven!
Sophie’s hair was slightly disheveled, and her injured arm was bandaged. She had changed into a new outer garment, likely brought to her by someone from home.
Rafael immediately dismounted and quickly approached her under the flickering light, his voice laced with concern, asking, “Are you alright?”
Sophie’s tone was filled with frustration and grievance as she replied, “If I hadn’t reacted quickly, Commander Icarus would have dislocated my entire arm. I don’t know why he has such a deep grudge against me. To go so far as to personally lead an assassination attempt
Despite her words, she still reached out and grasped Rafael’s hand, patting it lightly to assure him she was fine.
Leroy could hear the accusation in her words. Disbelief flickered in his eyes as he studied Sophie, as though he was trying to discern whether she was truly the Hell Monarch’s princess consort.
“This is impossible!” His voice was hoarse, tinged with desperation. “I want to see Commander Icarus. I refuse to believe he could do such a thing!”
Rafael held Sophie’s hand, then turned to face Leroy with an icy expression. “Then, we’ll go to the Supreme Court and settle this once and for all.”
Leroy’s face paled, his disbelief deepening as he watched the Hell Monarch help his wife onto her horse.
Even the maid mounted with agility, her movements swift and graceful. It was clear that she was no ordinary servant. She was skilled, her martial prowess evident. This wasn’t just any maid.
The Supreme Court was brightly lit late into the night.
Icarus and the five suicide soldiers who were freshly captured hadn’t been imprisoned yet. Matthew, along with his team, was conducting a late-night interrogation.
When Leroy entered the interrogation room and saw Icarus, he was stunned beyond belief. The man looked utterly disheveled. A deep lash mark ran from the top of his head to his chin, nearly splitting his face in two. The scar looked terrifying. His body was also covered in multiple lash marks. Given Icarus’ martial prowess, it was clear he hadn’t been overwhelmed by a group of skilled fighters. The injuries on his body were all from a single person.
Leroy instinctively glanced at the red whip hanging at Sophie’s waist.
Could it be her? How could that be possible?!
“Mr. Stellwyn!” Icarus urgently called out in Westic the moment he saw Leroy.
Leroy furrowed his brows, looking around at the people present. They were all part of the interrogation and could presumably understand Westic. Leroy couldn’t possibly ask Icarus about the details or tell him to deny it.
Instead, he could only ask in Westic, They say you ambushed the Hell Monarch’s wife and injured her. Is that true?”
Just as Icarus was about to claim he was innocent, Rafael interrupted coldly, “What else could it be? The stealth attire he’s wearing is the same as the ones the suicide soldiers wore. It’s not as if Commander Icarus went off to enjoy a walk in the middle of the night in those clothes right after attending a palace banquet, right?”
That was when Icarus remembered he was wearing the same kind of stealth attire as the suicide soldiers. There was no way he could plead innocence now.
“A walk? Hah!” Michael snapped. “When I arrived with the Capital Guard, they were already in the middle of the assassination. A dozen of them were attacking three people. Had I arrived any later, Commander Devin would have been dead in their hands!”
Matthew sharply demanded in fluent Westic, “Your spies from Westhaven killed the entire Devin family. Now, you can’t even spare Commander Devin. What kind of deep-seated hatred do you have with the Devin family?”
Leroy and Icarus both gasped in shock. If there was one thing that Westhaven was guilty of in this conflict, it was the slaughter of the Devin family.
With the mention of the Devin family and their ties to Westhaven, the entire incident was sealed. The world would believe that the assassination attempt was real.
What was worse was that this assassination attempt happened right before the negotiations. If word got out, no one would believe Westhaven was coming to negotiate in good faith.