Filed to story: Queen of the Battlefield Her Return to Glory Novel Online Free
“I deserve that,” Violet said, before slapping herself lightly on the cheek. “I’ve been speaking out of turn lately.”
Sophie gently cupped Violet’s face, then flicked her nose playfully. “Am I really that fragile? Do you have to worry about my feelings every time you say something? I’m not that sensitive.”
Violet immediately wrapped her arms around Sophie. “No, you’re strong. It’s me who’s sensitive and fragile. I can’t handle things well.”
Just then, Travis walked in from outside and noticed the two of them sticking together as usual. He snorted and was about to turn away, but then his eyes landed on the table, which was covered with a stack of gifts. He stopped and stepped closer. “Who came with all these gifts?”
Sophie smiled, resting her chin on Violet’s head. “Travis, always fishing for presents.”
“You two won’t appreciate them anyway,” Travis said with a shrug. “Rather than letting them gather dust in the storeroom, it’s better ist take them off your hands. And, Sophie, if you don’t want those gifts your aunt brought, you can always give them to me.”
Violet grabbed a cup from the coffee table and threw it at him. “Dream on! Where’s Prince Rafael?”
Travis caught the cup with one hand. “Don’t waste things. His Highness won’t be back until late, probably not until midnight. He’s tied up with a few urgent cases.”
“That busy, huh?” Violet then asked, “Did you get any news about the case I asked you to check with Ryan’s uncle? Is it true the embroiderer who was abandoned committed suicide?”
Violet still couldn’t shake the feeling that there was more to the story. Why choose death when there might still be another way?
“I’ve asked. It was definitely suicide,” Travis replied as he started unwrapping one of the gifts. Inside, there was Evergreen Root, royal jelly, and a few pieces of jewelry. “I wish everyone would just send gold and silver. That would be much better.”
Sophie had long accepted this reality. She turned to Travis and asked, “So, has anyone claimed her body?”
“Lord Klein said he contacted her family. Her parents are both gone, so her brothers-in-law are in charge now. They said a woman who was cast out and then drowned herself in the river was bad luck. They wouldn’t take her back.” “What about her husband and his family?” Violet asked.
However, she regretted asking as soon as the words left her mouth. After all, why would they want to take her back once they had cast her out?
“Her husband is marrying a new wife in a few days. Why would he help with her funeral?” Travis replied.
Violet’s brows furrowed in disgust. “He’s marrying so soon? That scoundrel has no conscience.”
Sophie shook her head. “I’m guessing he had someone else lined up already.”
Violet’s eyes suddenly widened. “But she was cast out because she had no children. Did she have a dowry? Doesn’t that mean her family lost out?”
Sophie sighed. “They were common folk. There wasn’t much of a dowry. Even if there had been, it’s probably all gone by now. I heard she was quite skilled with embroidery and made some money selling her work, but most of it went to supporting her family. When they found her body, she only had three coins on her.”
Violet stood up, eyes wide with shock. “You’ve already looked into this?”
“I went to the Royal Citadel myself,” Sophie replied.
She had been as determined as Violet at first and was unwilling to accept the truth. After her investigation, she had come to terms with it.
“When I was asking around, I didn’t know her family wouldn’t help with her burial,” she added.
“If I’d known you went, I wouldn’t have bothered,” Travis said as he sank into a chair, a dark look on his face. “The body’s been at the community burial house for a while now. I went there, and it has already started to smell.”
“If her family refuses to bury her, what will the Royal Citadel do with her body? They’ll bury her, right?” Violet asked.
“They will. But it’ll probably just be a quick, unceremonious burial. They might roll her up in a mat and dig a hole to dump her in. A proper coffin? Forget it,” Travis said.
Violet had seen much of the world’s suffering, but it didn’t numb her heart. The last time she had felt this much anger was during Amelia’s death.
Sophie fell silent for a moment before saying, “Vivi, arrange a burial for her under the workshop’s name. There’s no need for a ceremony. Just find a good spot, have someone change her clothes, and get her a proper coffin.”
Violet nodded in agreement. “That’s a good idea. The workshop’s been quiet lately, and there’s some money saved up in the account. We’ll make sure she gets a proper burial. let Mrs. Lloyd know. After all, she
Contributed money too.”
Travis poured himself a cup of coffee and took a sip, then suddenly recalled something. “By the way, I heard something today. Duchess Jessica has been cast out by the Marquis of Ironridge’s family.”
“Rod, she’s not royalty anymore,”
Violet said icily. “She’s been demoted to commoner. Even as a commoner, though, she still has more money than most of the nobility I heard she’s net quite a fortune over the years With her personality and the Marquis of Ironridge family’s generosity, her dowry and wealth will likely remain entirely hers to take.”
Travis nodded in agreement. “That’s true. She has more money than we could ever dream of.”
“More than you could dream of, at least,” said Sophie and Violet in unison.
Travis’s smile froze. He stood up, muttering under his breath, and headed out of the room.
When Hannah heard about the embroiderer’s case, she was deeply sympathetic. She immediately cursed the man involved, calling him heartless. After her outburst, she ordered the household staff to handle the embroiderer’s funeral arrangements.
Once the instructions were given, Hannah turned to Violet. “Funerals have many taboos. You’re still young, so you wouldn’t understand. Leave it to my staff to handle. Just go and get her full name, birthdate, and horoscope.”
Violet, relieved, nodded. She wasn’t familiar with the customs and had originally planned to ask Frederick for help. Since Hannah was taking charge, it was for the best.
She took out a piece of paper and handed it to Hannah. “Sophie visited the Royal Citadel previously and got those details. Her name was Hollis Lloyd, and she turned 34 this year.”
When Hannah heard that the woman’s last name was Lloyd, she couldn’t help but sigh even more deeply.
A simple coffin, two sets of clothes-one worn by Hollis, and the other for burial alongside her.
Hannah had a kind heart. She learned that Hollis had been working for a ready-made clothing shop and earned a living by making embroidered pieces. Hannah bought the clothes for Hollis at the same shop. The shopkeeper had mentioned that both sets of embroidered clothing were made by Hollis herself.
Hollis was born in March 34 years ago and passed away this March. Her birthdate and death date were only eight days apart.
The death of a discarded woman barely caused a ripple, like a small stone thrown into a lake just a tiny disturbance, and then nothing more. No one spoke of it again.
However, there was a storyteller who shared the news of how Skye Embroidery had arranged for Hollis’ burial. He also spoke about how indifferent Hollis’ husband and family were regarding her death.
Those who listened cursed a few times and then promptly forgot about it. This was because they accepted and supported the idea that according to the strict rules of propriety, a woman who couldn’t bear children should be cast out. Still, her husband was so cold-hearted that he wouldn’t even take her body despite years of marriage. Compared to his indifference, though, her family’s lack of compassion was even more infuriating.
After a moment of thought, the people reluctantly came to accept the logic: once divorced or cast out, a man was no longer bound by any obligation to his wife. He wasn’t required to take responsibility for her funeral.
As for her family, well, a married daughter was like water that had been poured out-once it left, it couldn’t be retrieved. If that water could benefit her family, it would be one thing, but now it was more of an embarrassment to them. Of course, they were angry.
So, who was at fault in this situation? No one took the time to ponder it deeply. In the end, it had nothing to do with them.
However, even if it was just a tiny ripple, it was still a ripple. Where that ripple touched, some hearts felt it.
This March, with the spring rains drizzling, people went out for walks and visited their ancestors’ graves. The days passed in a damp and soggy manner.