Filed To Story: Queen of the Battlefield Her Return to Glory Novel Online Free
“Yuna Rutherford!” Lisandra pushed her hand away and warned coldly, “If you truly think her position is so hard to come by, then you shouldn’t be pleading for her. Do you remember how hard we’ve fought to get here? One misstep could ruin everything. Even the smallest mistake would be enough for others to tear us down, especially for her-she should have been more careful than anyone!
“She should have thought twice before acting. The road for female officials is tough. They cannot afford to be careless, or they’ll be disrespected. But she lost sight of the bigger picture, focusing only on revenge and putting Westhaven in jeopardy. She risked the lives of the people and the soldiers for what? A petty grudge? If Arthur knew of this, he would only be disappointed.”
“She had no strategy, only hatred, and she placed revenge above all else. She was willing to harm me to provoke a war between the two kingdoms, thinking that a war would settle her grievances. Where would Westhaven’s supplies come from in a war? Is she truly suggesting that we recruit peasants to fight, as the king had said in anger? One cannot let their emotions rule their actions and expect to accomplish anything great!”
Yuna thought of the current state of Westhaven. Could they withstand a full-scale war?
She immediately knelt. “It was my failure to think this through.”
Lisandra sighed. “Starhaven won’t be the one to start the war. Westhaven already has internal struggles. We cannot afford to add foreign conflict to the mix. Let the people have a few years of peace. How many of them can barely feed themselves right now? Strategy is important, but the priority is to stabilize our land.”
“Yes, you’re right, Your Highness,” Yuna replied, though she understood deep down. She had only made the request out of a sense of camaraderie as a fellow female official.
Lisandra closed her eyes, too tired to keep them open. Yet, her mind remained exceptionally sharp. Her scalp felt as though a tight iron band had been placed around her head, adding to the discomfort.
“Your Highness, will you go tomorrow?”
“I won’t go. I don’t want to see her again.” Lisandra raised her hand, signaling for Yuna to leave. She needed to rest.
“Understood, Your Highness. I’ll take my leave.” Yuna bowed respectfully and exited.
Freya was locked in the dungeon of Warhawk Keep. The place was damp and dark, with no sunlight reaching in. On days when no one came it was so pitch black she couldn’t see her hand in front of her face-even in the daytime.
Throughout the day, she only saw light twice, when the guards brought her food.
Even though the food was often spoiled, she ate it all. She needed to keep her strength up while waiting for Blake to come.
She never allowed herself to doubt whether he would actually come. In her stubborn heart, she believed he would.
It was the only thing that kept her going. Without that belief, she would have already broken down.
The heavy, rusted iron door creaked open again, and light poured in.
Freya’s heart sank. Why was someone coming now?
They only came twice a day at mealtimes. Was this a sign that they meant to kill her?
She lay flat on the cold stone floor. Since arriving in Fawnrun City, her tendons had been cut. Every day she could do nothing but crawl like a beaten dog in the dark, damp dungeon.
Freya lifted her head just in time to see a woman carrying a lantern approach slowly. There was only one of them. She exhaled slowly, relieved.
Yuna stood in front of the iron bars, looking down at Freya. She held the lamp forward, its light casting a harsh glow on Freya’s bloodstained face, making her look even more wretched and ugly.
“Freya, the grand princess has given orders. Tomorrow, you’ll be taken to Grapevine Village and Melondrop Village. Do you remember these two villages?”
Freya trembled.
Of course, she would never forget these two villages.
She took a sharp breath, her elbows pushing against the ground as she crawled forward, moving slowly. “N-No, I won’t go! You said you were taking me back to Westhaven’s capital, didn’t you?”
“Of course we are.” Yuna’s expression was cold as ice. “We’ll just bring your head back. It’s simpler that way.”
Freya’s eyes widened in terror, and her hands gripped the iron bars weakly. “No! Please, don’t take me to Grapevine Village! Take me to the capital. Kill me in front of the prince’s grave!”
Yuna’s face twisted with hatred. “What makes you think you’re worthy to reach the prince’s grave? Don’t think I don’t know what you’re trying to do. Do you really believe your coward of a husband will come to save you? Stop fooling yourself-he won’t come.”
“No, you’ve got it all wrong!” Freya’s eyes darted nervously. “I truly regret my actions. I shouldn’t have used such cruel methods against the people of Fawnrun City. I was wrong! I’m not asking for your forgiveness. I just want to be taken to the prince’s grave, so I can beg for forgiveness in person!”
Yuna laughed bitterly, her voice dripping with contempt. “How laughable. We’ve been receiving reports. Blake never left Starhaven, so whether you’re heading to Grapevine village or Westhaven’s capital, there will be no one coming to save you.”
She leaned down slightly, locking eyes with Freya’s shocked gaze.
“You’re going to die. And it will be a painful death.”
Freya collapsed to the ground, her hands too weak to hold the bars. She rolled to the side, curling up.
The fear of death shook her body, her heart racing with panic.
It couldn’t be true. Blake wasn’t heartless. He might be weak, he might be useless, but he had promised her. He would keep his word!
“Are you afraid? You should be.” Yuna’s voice was cold, but with a touch of satisfaction. Seeing Freya like this finally gave her a sense of relief.
These past days, she had been busy dealing with the retreat of the troops. So, Yuna had only ordered Freya’s tendons to be severed and nothing else. This was the moment Yuna had been waiting for.
“N-No, it’s not possible…” Freya gasped for air as if drowning, her breath shallow and quick.
She had to stay calm. This person was only trying to intimidate her. She couldn’t fall for it!
Who were those villagers to pass judgment on her? She was supposed to be brought to
Westhaven and to the prince’s grave, where she would be executed. That reshe way, it meant she still had a chance-she could wait for Blake to come and save her.
Yet at this moment, her mind was clear. No matter how much she tried to deceive herself, reason couldn’t be silenced.
Blake hadn’t come all this way. Even if she were taken back to Westhaven, Blake wouldn’t come. Even if he did, he wouldn’t be able to save her.
She grabbed the moldy straw on the floor, using all her strength to lift her head. Panic set in as she stammered; “I-It was Dominic Sullivan! It was Dominic’s orders! was just following instructions Tell the grand princess that. Tell her to find Dominic. I’m just a scapegoat! I’m just a scapegoat. You’ve been tricked, really! You’ve been deceived!”
Yuna sneered, but said nothing. She picked up the lamp and slowly began to walk away.
Freya watched the faint glow of the lamp slowly disappear. Without the light, the darkness seemed to surge forward, devouring everything around her like a wild beast. The darkness was like a whirlpool pulling her in. Her body shook with cold.
“No! Come back! Please, listen to me! I’m just a lowly commander! I couldn’t have made the decisions on my own! Why would they listen to me? I was used! They pushed forward to take the fall for them!”
The light grew fainter and eventually vanished completely. The only sound left was the creaking of the heavy iron door. The darkness closed in, swallowing her frantic cries.
Freya let out a strangled scream. “No, don’t leave! Come back!”
There was no response. The silence around her was deafening, and all she could hear was the pounding of her heartbeat thudding in the darkness like the beat of a drum. Her eardrums felt as though they would burst under the pressure.
Yuna walked toward Yasmine and Penny, the lamp in her hand casting a soft glow.