Filed to story: Queen of the Battlefield Her Return to Glory Novel Online Free
Riley wasn’t supposed to know about the affair between Silas and Viola, but Riley loved her husband dearly. She knew he had once stayed at the Farrell family’s residence. But ever since Thomas’ return, the cousins had grown distant, no longer exchanging the customary greetings during the holidays.
This raised her suspicions. After several rounds of investigation and subtle probing, Riley discovered what happened between Viola and Silas. She had been furious at first, but she realized that everyone had their own marriages now. She chose to keep the matter quiet, thinking it would do no good to bring up such an embarrassing affair.
Unexpectedly, today, Riley’s fury had reached its peak when she saw Silas and Viola conversing so publicly. Blinded by jealousy, she no longer cared about propriety and spilled everything in her anger.
The chaos at the scene was astonishing. The patients and their families were so shocked that they didn’t even bother to gossip. They simply stood there with their mouths agape, stunned beyond measure.
Hidden behind the curtain, Sophie observed the entire spectacle, her mind swirling. Life was truly unpredictable. Some things that one believed to be well and perfectly hidden would always eventually be exposed unexpectedly at the most unforeseen moment.
As much as this scandal exposed the flaws of Viola and Silas, it also cast a shadow on Thomas’ reputation. After leaving Arcane Sanctum, Sophie immediately dispatched Mabel to the Farrell family to inform Thomas’ mother, Alice, of the incident. It was best to prepare for the gossip that would surely follow.
Since Thomas’ recent appointment, the king had honored Alice with the
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title of a third rank countess. For the past few days, Alice had been working diligently to arrange her son’s marriage. Now, there was some progress, and they only needed to ask Thomas for his opinion before making a decision. However, with this scandal unfolding, it seemed the marriage would likely fall through.
This matter wasn’t Thomas’ fault. In fact, he was the victim. The problem was that it had happened at the
Farrell family’s residence, which revealed the family’s lack of proper conduct and discipline. People would naturally assume that this was just the surface of what lay beneath, and that their inner household could be even more disgraceful.
As it was, Thomas was already on his second marriage. Finding a match that was both suitable and compatible was difficult, and he already had to consider prospects from lesser families. Even so, that didn’t mean he could marry anyone-character and reputation still mattered. But with a scandal like this, which woman with a good name and decent standing would be willing to marry into such a household?
Silverstone Estate was in chaos.
Riley had slapped Viola across the face several times. Aside from the patients in Arcane Sanctum, passersby also witnessed the scene and stopped to stare.
Poppy mentioned that amidst the confusion, someone had shouted that a princess consort was inside Arcane Sanctum, advising everyone to stop before they acted disrespectfully.
Zoey was surprised at first, but then realized the princess consort in question must be Sophie, who frequently visited Arcane Sanctum. But no matter which princess consort it was, the news had already spread. The reputation of the Earl of Silverstone’s family was now completely ruined.
Zoey took a moment to drink a cup of coffee in the outer courtyard. She sat there for quite a while before finally going to see her mother-in-law.
Evelyn grabbed Zoey’s hand, tearfully pleading, “Just tell me what we can do. We have to cover this up somehow, or find Mrs. Lewis and give her whatever she wants. Let her clear things up and say it was all a misunderstanding. Only then can we put an end to this.” Zoey listened, knowing that though Evelyn was distraught, she had already thought through a few options. This was the only one that might work. She glanced at Luna, who sat quietly beside her with a flat look on her face, already numb from the ordeal. Luna and Caspian were a loving couple with children. As a family, their fortunes were tied this scandal would affect them all. Even if the matter was too shameful to mention directly, no one could bear to talk about it openly. Luna felt powerless, so she simply waited to see how her elder sister-in-law would handle it.
Zoey sighed. “Right now, that is the only option. I’ll go look for Mrs. Lewis.”
Zoey was seething with anger. If not for the risk to her children’s futures, she wouldn’t care at all. Let Viola’s reputation sink for all she cared.
Her voice was cold as she added, “There’s only one thing to keep in mind. You need to prepare yourself, Mother. If Blake finds out, he won’t settle for just a divorce. He might even cast Viola out directly instead. Once that happens, it won’t matter if Mrs. Lewis clears things up or not.”
“If she clears things up, then surely Blake won’t cast Viola out?” asked Evelyn, who had stopped crying.
She knew her eldest daughter-in-law wouldn’t ignore this matter. Zoey had the means to handle it and would take care of it.
“Clearing it up doesn’t change the facts. It’s just for appearances. Blake may be slow-witted, but a man cantabide such a scandal. And don’t forget, Viola was the one who kept threatening to divorce him over Serena’s return to her family,” said Zoey.
To put it bluntly, Viola had a dirty conscience herself but was quick to criticize her husband’s shortcomings. She blamed him for being incapable and complained about her sister-in-law being cast out. True, Blake and Serena weren’t exactly worth defending, but Viola should have first taken a hard look at her own faults.
Some things couldn’t be buried as if they never happened. It was nothing but self-deception. Even a bird’s call left a trace, so how could water pass without leaving a ripple?
Now in a panic, Evelyn wrung her hands. “What should we do, then? If Viola gets cast out, how will our family ever keep a foothold in the capital? What will become of the children’s marriages?”
That was a blow to Zoey, hitting her where it hurt most. She clenched her teeth in anger. She was trapped in this situation with no means of escape, yet she couldn’t let Viola keep relying on her for everything.
In a calm but distant tone, she said, “There’s nothing to be done. If it doesn’t work out, the men may marry women of humble origins, even from the lowest ranks. A woman of any background may be taken as a wife.” Evelyn’s eyes widened in panic at her words, and she turned to Luna for help, silently pleading with her to speak up.
But Luna’s thoughts had always aligned with Zoey’s, so she clenched
1.n her jaw and remained silent. There was nothing to say. If things reached a breaking point, Zoey’s words were the reality they would have to face.
Seeing that neither her eldest nor second daughter-in-law would speak up, Evelyn trembled, her frustration building to a boil.
“Perhaps we should just cast Viola out. Let her die on the streets. We will provide a coffin for her and that will be the end of it. It’s the least I can do out of motherly love,” she snapped. Zoey’s voice was cold as she replied, “If you truly decide on that, I’ll have someone take her away.”
Evelyn sighed heavily, but remained silent.
A long moment passed before she spoke again, this time in a quieter voice, “Zoey, please. For my sake, let’s just resolve this matter first. No matter what mistakes children, make ultimately, it’s their parents’ fault for not teaching them properly. The responsibility falls on me and her dad.”
Zoey had wanted Evelyn to adopt this attitude, but when it came down to it, she couldn’t help but feel uneasy.
Evelyn was usually sensible, but became completely biased in matters concerning her children. Her anger and harsh words lasted only a moment before her concern took over.
On the other hand, Zoey felt the weight of the situation more deeply, as it was something she had to face. She had hoped Evelyn might help her. But after seeing how she acted in this situation with Viola, it was clear that Evelyn knew Oliver was planning to take a concubine and was probably expecting Zoey to endure it.
Evelyn understood everything else, but had endless tolerance for her own children.
Though Evelyn had vowed not to interfere when Viola caused a scene, Zoey knew the truth-those words had been repeated too many times. In the end, Evelyn always stepped in.
“With a mom like you, Viola’s truly fortunate,” said Zoey.
Evelyn squeezed her daughter-in-law’s hand, her face softening into a look of tenderness. “I treat all of you the same. If Oliver dares to mistreat you, I will not tolerate it.” Zoey lowered her gaze, softly replying, “Thank you, Mother.”
But how could Evelyn treat them equally? That wasn’t how she had acted when Oliver had so many concubines while he was still in the capital.
Back then, Evelyn had only ever said, “That’s between you and your husband. As your mother-in-law, I can’t interfere.”
Evelyn suddenly seemed to remember something. Her face turning pale, she quickly grabbed the thin quilt she was embroidering, her eyes darting between Zoey and Luna.
“I must say this now. If this matter cannot be resolved and the Jaffe family insists on casting Viola out, then she will return to us. If you both find her intolerable, I will buy her a separate house. Our family will still provide for her.”
This was a decision Evelyn made on her own, not something she was discussing with her daughters-in-law.
Zoey and Luna merely nodded in silence, not saying anything.
Perhaps it was because they could empathize with the struggles of women. So, even after everything Viola had done, as long as Evelyn was willing to let her return, they wouldn’t oppose it.
They both understood that the true damage wasn’t whether Viola returned to the Earl of Silverstone’s family. It was the entire situation itself. Even if she didn’t return, she was still a woman from the Prince family. People always liked to trace others back to their origins. Ultimately, Zoey had to step in and speak with Blake.
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Blake had first heard of the matter from Serena. When she learned the news, she acted like a flustered hen, flapping all over the place before placing her hands on her hips and angrily cursing, completely losing her composure.