Filed To Story: Queen of the Battlefield Her Return to Glory Novel Online Free
Now, seeing him willing to harm himself so drastically for Freya, she understood one thing with chilling clarity-this man was beyond saving. He was no longer someone she could even consider keeping in her life. But what could she do?
Her marriage to Blake was her second one, she divorced, there was little chance she would marry again. Even if she did, she wouldn’t be able to find a good match. As she had once said about Serena what was left for her? To become someone’s concubine?
Impossible! She was the third daughter of the Earl of Silverston’s family. How could she stoop so low?
But staying married to a man who’d lost his position, a man who was nothing more than a pile of useless mud? The thought was unbearable.
Viola sat for a long time, torn between her pride and her future, Finally, she rose and walked into Blake’s room. She needed to tell him the news. Part of her hoped that he would finally show some regret after hearing it.
Yet, when Blake heard he’d been dismissed from his post, he didn’t look angry or upset. Instead, he sighed as though a weight had been lifted.
“If you want to leave,” he said calmly, “then leave. Take whatever valuables are left here. They’re yours.”
Viola’s composure broke, and she let out a choked sob. “You’re that eager for me to go?”
Blake met her tearful gaze, his voice steady and detached. “You’ve suffered enough staying with me. I know you don’t really want to stay here anymore.”
Tears streamed down her face as she cried, “You’re right-I don’t want to stay here, but not because of the hardship! It’s because your heart isn’t with me. You’d rather die for Freya. What’s the point of me staying?” Blake’s eyes flickered with an emotion she couldn’t quite place.
“You’re right. I’ve let you down you. I really wanted to make things work between us, but… Somehow, the more we tried, the further apart we grew. I’ve never been able to make you happy.”
“I would’ve been happy if you’d just focused on your duties and done your job!” Viola shot back through her tears.
“But I did, at first,” Blake countered, a bitter smile tugging at his lips. “Even then, wasn’t I never good enough for you? Weren’t you always resentful that I ranked below Sophie?”
The moment the words left his mouth, he regretted them. It sounded as though he was blaming Viola for everything. He shook his head and sighed. “No, it’s not your fault It’s mine. I didn’t amount to anything. I failed you. I embarrassed you.”
Viola sank into a nearby chair, her tears falling freely. Her emotions churned-hatred, frustration, helplessness. She didn’t want to stay, not now that Blake had lost everything.
But where could she go? Returning to her family home was an option-her mother would undoubtedly take her in. Yet what would come after that? Would she resign herself to living out her days alone, without a companion? She didn’t want that, either.
Viola sat in the chair for a long time before finally deciding to compromise.
“Can you promise me two things?” she asked. “If you can, I won’t ask for a divorce.”
Blake let out a weary sigh. “What are they?”
“First,” Viola said, her tone firm, “you’re never to mention Sophie or Freya again. At least, not in my presence.”
Blake fell into a long silence. Then, finally, he nodded. “All right.”
“Second,” Viola continued, “you must pull yourself together and return to the Nightsteel Guard. Get your old position back as deputy commander.”
Blake blinked, clearly taken aback. “But I’ve been dismissed. How am I supposed to return to the Nightsteel Guard?”
Viola leaned forward, her words quick and insistent. “I’ll ask my sister-in-law to pull some strings for you. All you have to do is agree. Once you’re reinstated, you must commit yourself fully to your duties-work hard, earn a promotion, and listen to me from now on.” Blake shook his head. “I can’t ask her to do that. I’ve already lost the king’s favor. For her to help me, she’d have to spend a fortune and exhaust her connections. Those resources are better saved for her children-for their futures and their marriages. It’s not right to waste them on me.”
Viola’s frustration flared. “What do you mean, waste? I’m the third daughter of the Earl of Silverstone’s family! Her money and her influence belong to the family, don’t they? If her children can use them, why can’t I?” “You’re married and out of the family now.”
“And? Even as a married woman, I’m still the third daughter of the Earl of Silverstone’s family!”
Blake sighed deeply. For a long time, he said nothing.
“Well?” Viola’s voice rose, sharp with irritation. “Will you agree or not?”
Blake met her eyes and said, “Let me ask you this instead. If I return to the army as a common soldier and start over from the bottom, would you still stay?”
Viola shot to her feet, her disbelief and anger evident. “Are you out of your mind? Go back as a common soldier? How would you provide for this household? How would you keep this estate standing? Do you have no sense of responsibility? No backbone?!
“You’ve spent years climbing to where you were, and now you’ve thrown it all away for that despicable woman—and you expect me to suffer through rebuilding from scratch with you? What kind of woman do you think I am?” She was frantic, thinking he must have lost his mind or gone crazy. To become a lowly soldier-how could he even say such a thing?
Did he want to join Thomas’ army and become a common soldier? Or go to the Southern Frontier or Victory Pass? What difference would there be between that and her living like a widow?
Her voice trembled with fury and frustration. “I don’t understand do you even want this marriage to work? Or are you deliberately trying to drive me away?”
Blake was calm both on the outside and inside because he had made a decision. His whole life had been full of uncertainty. He would regret things today, regret them tomorrow, and then reminisce about them later. He was tired of living like this.
Blake’s mind flashed to Sophie, remembering the day he returned from the Southern Frontier and saw her again. Even when he had betrayed her trust and when he had formally divorced her, she had remained composed and unshaken. At the time, he had dismissed it as her being too cold and lacking even the most basic human emotions.
Now, he understood. She wasn’t emotionless-she had simply made her peace with her choices. After enduring far worse, she had learned to face everything with calm determination. Calmness was truly important.
Now, looking at Viola, he saw his past self. He didn’t find it laughable, just pitiful.
He looked at Viola with pleading eyes. “If you’re willing, wait for me for three years. After three years, even if I can’t rise high, I won’t just be a nameless nobody.”
Viola let out a sharp, disbelieving laugh. “Three years? You want me to wait for three years, and for what?
To see you climb a little higher than nothing? That’s your great ambition?” She jabbed a finger toward him, her voice scathing. “My husband can’t be a useless failure!”
Blake might have been a bit sad, but he didn’t show much of it.
“Fine. If you’re unwilling, then I won’t hold you back. I wish you happiness and peace in the future.”
Viola’s heart was as cold as ice. She couldn’t understand why she kept ending up in this situation.
Divorce was always a last resort-something she had never wanted to resort to unless absolutely necessary. She turned to her father-in-law Jonathan and her brother-in-law Benjamin, hoping they could help persuade Blake. She even went so far as to seek Charlotte’s support, who had long been indifferent to their affairs. The death of Amelia had utterly hardened Charlotte’s heart. So, it was surprising that she agreed after hearing what Viola said. “Return to the military and starting from the bottom again? That’s a good idea. I support it.”
Viola knew better than to rely on Charlotte. But she thought since the woman was still an elder in the family, Blake might listen if she stepped in to persuade him.
After hearing the words, Viola angrily swept the cup off the table. “If you won’t help, at least spare us the cold remarks.”
With that, she stood up and left.
Jonathan and Benjamin didn’t try to persuade Blake. It wasn’t that they agreed with Blake becoming a common soldier. The truth was, asking Zoey for help was unrealistic. Although the two families were supposed to support each other after the marriage, the Jaffe family’s influence was all but gone.
What was the point of continuing to help someone who could offer nothing in return? Even a dog would grow tired of it.
After trying-and failing-Viola returned to Silverstone Estate.
She made her intentions clear: she wanted a divorce. She couldn’t stay in the Jaffe family, not when the man who once held such power was now nothing more than a common soldier. The ridicule would be unbearable. Besides, no one knew when the king might take the estate back. Would she have to rent a home then?
Naturally, Evelyn didn’t allow it. She immediately sent for Zoey, but was told Zoey had gone to Skye Embroidery.