Filed To Story: Queen of the Battlefield Her Return to Glory Novel Online Free
Zoey absentmindedly adjusted her hairpin, feeling the coldness of the metal against her fingers, much like the coldness in her heart. “I hope for peace, of course. But it never hurts to make long-term plans.”
Sophie had many doubts, but seeing Zoey wasn’t willing to elaborate, she decided not to press further. She knew Zoey was always far-sighted, thinking many steps ahead, always hoping for the safety and well-being of her children.
Sophie thought for a moment, then said, “I can’t teach him well myself, but I can ask Mr. Mullen to guide him when he has time. You can give him some money for his trouble. What do you think? Is your son studying at the academy or in your family’s school?” Zoey was overjoyed. “He’s at the family school. He can come in the evenings. He’s not particularly talented, but he’s obedient, eager to learn, and not afraid of hardship. As for money, just tell me how much is needed. I’m not stingy with it.”
“Alright.” Sophie nodded. “I’ll speak to Mr. Mullen first. If he agrees, we can start as soon as tomorrow. But he has strict rules and doesn’t easily accept apprentices, so it will be more of guidance than a formal apprenticeship.” “Alright. Please ask him, Your Grace,” Zoey said quickly.
Sophie didn’t call Travis in right away. Instead, she went out to find him and discussed the matter with him directly.
Travis shook his head vigorously.
“Take on an apprentice? No way!”
“How can I take on an apprentice? If
I do, my mentor must agree first. But you know, I’m the only male apprentice in the guild. She probably wouldn’t want a male apprentice at atp.”
“Not as a formal apprentice. Just guide him a bit.”
“That won’t do, either. Though our guild’s martial arts are diverse and lack a clear style, we don’t take on just anyone as an apprentice,” Travis said.
“I see. In that case, I’ll have to refuse. Forget the money, then,” Sophie said as she turned to leave.
Travis grabbed her shoulder firmly. “What money?”
“If you were going to guide him and also be his sparring partner, you must be compensated. The Earl of Silverstone’s wife is known for being generous. I’d say you could earn three to five silver coins a month.” Travis’ eyes were suddenly filled with a compassionate warmth.
“To be honest, I don’t take on just anyone as an apprentice, nor do I care much for that paltry amount of money. Three or five silver coins isn’t much at all. But it seems there aren’t many capable people in the Earl of Silverstone’s family. I’ve heard that Oliver’s martial arts are just average. If there isn’t a rising talent, how could the title be passed on? Bring him to me. Three or five silver coins-it doesn’t matter. Let’s settle on five silver coins.”
Sophie chuckled. “I shouldn’t have bothered with the first part. I should have just mentioned the money directly.”
Travis grinned “Come now, the money is just a trivial matter. How vulgar would it be to just focus on that? Bring him over tonight and let me take a look. I’ll test his limbs and muscles. Who knows, maybe he’s a martial arts prodigy after all.”
After learning more about the Lunar Guild, Zoey gained a deep respect for its leader. It was impressive that a woman had taken in so many orphans and raised them all so well-each of them upright and virtuous.
The next day, when Zoey arrived with her son, Cedric Prince, in tow, she mentioned the annual salary she intended to offer Travis-three hundred silver coins. Travis was fond of money, but even he knew he wasn’t worth that much. He immediately tried to refuse.
“No, that’s far too much. Sixty silver coins a year is already more than enough. Three hundred is too generous, and I wouldn’t feel right accepting it.”
No matter how Zoey insisted, he refused to take three hundred silver coins and stood firm on his demand for just sixty silver coins a year.
Zoey turned to Sophie, silently pleading for help in convincing him.
Sophie smiled warmly. “Sixty silver coins it is, then. Listen to Mr. Mullen. Whether it’s sixty or three hundred, the teaching will be the same. This way, he won’t have such a heavy burden on his conscience.” Since Sophie had said so, Zoey could only express her deep gratitude. Whether it was for schooling or learning skills, Zoey had no objections to spending money-so long as it was within her means.
On the other hand, Travis thought that five silver coins a month were already quite a lot. Many common folks didn’t even earn that much in an entire year.
Furthermore, he was merely offering guidance, not giving full lessons. After all, Cedric was already in his teenage years. It was a bit late for him to start learning martial arts, so his progress might not be remarkable.
As Zoey had said, Cedric was indeed diligent and well-behaved. Zoey had raised him well-he was polite, knew how to read the room, and called Travis “Sage Mullen”. Cedric used Travis’ surname as it wasn’t an official apprenticeship, and he also showed him the same respect one would expect of a true apprentice. He didn’t show the arrogance one might expect from a noble’s son.
On the first day Cedric trained with Travis, he only practiced basic physical conditioning.
In his youth, Cedric had practiced some martial arts, though his skills were disorganized and lacked any real foundation. He had no illusions about the difficulty of learning martial arts, so he steeled himself for the hard work ahead. No matter how challenging Travis’ training was, he gritted his teeth and never complained.
Sophie sat nearby, sipping on coffee and watching.
The young man had a slender build and the appearance of a frail scholar, with features resembling his mother-gentle yet with an unmistakable air of determination.
Sophie couldn’t understand why
Zoey had decided to send her son to endure such hardship. She had heard rumors about Oliver’s situation at the Southern Frontier and his involvement with Celeste. Afterall, Timothy, along with some others, were at the Southern
Frontier. They had been under
Hector’s command and were now under Rafael’s. They still exchanged letters.
However, no matter what was happening with Celeste, it wouldn’t affect Zoey’s position as the rightful wife, nor would it touch Cedric’s position. Unless, of course, Oliver was planning to discard Zoey and marry Celeste instead. Even in that case, there seemed to be no reason to send a promising scholar to learn martial arts.
“He’s not suited for martial arts,” Rafael remarked, stepping up beside her and watching Cedric leap through the motions in the yard.
“I agree. I don’t really understand why Madam Zoey would do this either,” Sophie admitted.
Rafael offered his thoughts,
“Perhaps there’s nothing to it, but women often have some intuition or a sense of impending danger, especially when they know someone well. Madam Zoey is sharp, especially after the failed plot by Eleanor. She knows the mastermind is still out there. And what does a rebellion require? Soldiers. Marshal Prince commands soldiers. Frankly, I think she’s just preparing for the worst.”
The worst-case scenario was that even children wouldn’t be spared when something happened.
Sophie felt a pang of sympathy for Zoey. She was such a clever and compassionate woman, capable of great schemes and kindness alike, yet she hadn’t found the right partner.
Oliver likely wasn’t plotting to rebel-he didn’t have the power to command the Hell Monarch Army or the Devin Army. But even without raising an army, a few well-placed moves could cause significant damage. “What do you think of Marshal Prince?” Sophie asked.
Rafael thought for a moment and said, “It’s hard to say. He’s not exactly evil, but he’s far from good. He’s not a fool-he has his moments of cleverness. But his flaws are many, and there are two that are particularly dangerous: his greed for power and his love for women. It’s not that he has no loyalty to his country, but when it comes to personal gain or a beautiful woman, his sense of duty means nothing.”
Sophie sighed. “It must be hard for Madam Zoey.”
“It is,” Rafael agreed with a nod, then glanced at her and added, “Especially now that her youngest sister-in-law has returned home, causing a stir about divorce.”
Sophie had heard of it but hadn’t paid much attention. Now that it was mentioned, she wasn’t particularly interested.
“I see. Well, best not to concern ourselves with others’ business,” she said.
Rafael didn’t care much about other people’s marital issues. He had only overheard the matter, and he casually mentioned it now that the topic had come up.
Cedric had been practicing for four full hours, not returning to Silverstone Estate until nearly late evening. For several days now, he hadn’t complained about being tired or found his training dull. Sometimes, he would even recite his lessons while holding the horse stance. Sophie often watched him in disbelief, finding it hard to imagine that he was Oliver’s son. Then again, remembering that he was Zoey’s son, it seemed only natural.
At that moment, Jacob hurried over and announced, “Your Highness, the intelligence report is back. It hasn’t been successful yet.”
Rafael wasn’t surprised and merely asked, “Was there someone secretly escorting them?”
“Yes, there were experts sent along the route. Three battles took place, but we didn’t gain much.”