Filed To Story: Queen of the Battlefield Her Return to Glory Novel Online Free
Because Zoey was rambling in her fever, Luna didn’t let anyone else care for her She urged them to leave, saying the boys needed to attend their lessons at the faminet school while the girls had embroidery, sewing, and reading to focus on. Staying there would only make their biological mothers worry.
As for the concubines, they were tasked with overseeing things in the back courtyard, helping to ease the burden on the lady of the household.
In her feverish haze, Zoey repeated one thing over and over, wondering when she might finally leave this cursed place.
Those who didn’t understand might have thought she was trapped in a nightmare, desperately trying to escape. But only Luna and Jane understood Zoey truly wanted to leave the Earl of Silverstone’s family and the estate.
Apart from her children, it was a place that demanded too much of her, where there was nothing but endless worries, unceasing household matters, accounting that never seemed to end, and the ongoing issues in her marriage.
She felt like a pearl, slowly being covered by layers of dust until her luster was completely gone. Had it, been just dust, it might have been washed away one day. But now, the dust had worked its way into her heart, dulling her spirit bit by bit. By the time it could be cleaned off, she would have already faded into nothing.
Luna’s heart ached for her sister-in-law. Since marrying into the family, she had rarely faced any difficulties. At first, Evelyn looked down on her because of her merchant background and trol net her coldly. It was Zoey who shielded her, calmed Evelyn, and taught Luna how to avoid making mistakes.
This was especially true when it came to socializing. Zoey had always guided her, taught Luna proper etiquette, introduced her to people, and helped her build connections. Though Oliver led troops on the battlefield, in Luna’s eyes, it was Zoey who truly wore the armor of a warrior, protecting the entire household.
But who had ever protected Zoey? Who had noticed that the armor she wore was a false one?
She wasn’t invincible.
Viola hadn’t wanted to move to the countryside villa, but she panicked when Riley showed up with her family to cause a scene.
There was a reason why Riley had come to cause a scene.
First, the rumors outside had become unbearable. With everyone knowing Silas was in charge of the herbs at Arcane Sanctum, the place was packed, not with patients, but with people eager to hurl insults at him.
The constant commotion had severely disrupted the sanctum, to the point where sick patients couldn’t even get in. Left with no choice, Sebastian, who had just returned from collecting herbs, had to make a public statement. He announced that Silas was fired and would no longer be associated with the sanctum.
The second reason had to do with the match the Farrell family had carefully arranged for Thomas. His mother, Alice, was quite pleased with the prospective bride, and the young woman’s family had agreed as well. The only thing left was for Thomas to consent and the formal engagement would be sealed.
But when the news got out, the young woman’s family sent a matchmaker to call things off, saying the marriage proposal was to be considered as if it had never been discussed. The two families had only ever met for coffee and light conversation, nothing more. This enraged Alice so much that she returned to her parents’ house to seek their support.
The Lewis family elders called Silas back and harshly scolded him for his careless behavior, noting that he had no regard for family ties. Not only had he failed to clean up his mess after all these years, but he had made his troubles public, dragging down the Lewis family’s reputation. And as if that wasn’t enough, he had ruined Thomas’ reputation and the Farrell family as well.
Having lost his position at Arcane Sanctum and with his name now utterly tarnished, Silas was furious. And when he received further scolding from the Lewis family, he angrily declared that he would return home and divorce his wife.
Perhaps he had said it in the heat of the moment, or perhaps he truly intended to divorce her. But once those words left his mouth, they lit a fire within Riley.
Her family wasn’t particularly powerful and her father was only a sixth-rank official. Regardless, how could a father allow his daughter to be so humiliated? Several of Riley’s brothers-in-law immediately went to confront Silas. After giving him a beating, they sent their women to find Viola.
The reason for going to see Viola was simple-Riley believed that Viola had intentionally sought out Silas. She was convinced it wasn’t a coincidence, but a deliberate action with some ill purpose behind it.
Riley’s family the Claude family-was large, with numerous relatives. A group of over twenty, including aunts, uncles, and servants, gathered together and marched to Silverstone Estate.
At first, they hadn’t caused a scene, only demanded that Viola come out and explain herself to Riley.
But Viola was too afraid to face them. She hid inside, wishing desperately that she were already at the countryside villa to avoid such humiliation.
Viola refused to come out, while
Zoey was running a high fever and couldn’t handle the situation. Evelyn was in poor health and couldn’t endure such a scene. With no other choice, Luna had to step in and deal with it.
However, she was not prepared for such a confrontation. As the voices grew louder and the mood more heated, she found herself struggling to keep control.
Fearing a public disturbance, one of the servants rushed out to alert the authorities Fortunately, they encountered the Garrison Unit, who had been patrolling diligently of late, and led them toward the scene.
The situation in the capital had already started to settle down after days of gossip, but this commotion stirred everything back up. It drew crowds eager to watch the drama unfold. When the Claude family saw the Garrison Unit approaching, they began shouting that they wanted a fair judgment, or else they would escalate things to an even greater disturbance.
The crowd grew, and the tension in the air thickened. Max was away on duty, and with Sophie stationed at the Capital Guard headquarters, she was the one who had to step in.
The Garrison Unit could handle disputes like this, as long as no one reported it to the authorities. In most cases, it was up to the Garrison Unit to manage things.
Sophie’s presence was, therefore, entirely reasonable.
When she arrived, she found out that Zoey had been running a high fever for two days with no signs of improvement. With the noise and chaos going on, she was worried it would disturb Zoey’s rest.
With a swift motion, Sophie cracked her whip twice, the sharp sound silencing the crowd instantly. Alt eyes turned toward her, the authority in her stance undeniable as she stood in her official attire.
Seizing the moment, Sophie sternly said, “Enough! No more shouting. If you have something to say, take it inside. What is this madness, making such a scene here?”
The notion of keeping family matters private was something Riley had always held dear, but at this moment, she couldn’t care less. Still, she found herself cowed by Sophie’s commanding presence. Holding back her tears of frustration, she followed Sophie’s instructions and led her mom, sister-in-law, and aunt into the main hall of Silverstone Estate.
Caspian hadn’t finished his shift yet, so only Luna was there with a group of servants and maids, facing so many people. She wasn’t used to such a situation, so she sent someone to call for Viola. However, when Viola heard that Sophie had arrived, she became even more unwilling to come out. In the end, it was Zoey, despite her high fever, who insisted on coming out to handle the situation. Seeing Zoey’s condition, Sophie couldn’t help but feel a pang of sympathy. In just a few days, she had visibly lost weight. Her complexion was pale and sickly, her lips flushed with fever, and she was so weak she could barely walk without support. Sophie had always been close to Zoey. Now knowing that she was Isaac’s sister-in-law, she felt even closer to her.
Seeing how unwell Zoey was but still coming out to handle things for Viola, Sophie said, “If Ms. Prince won’t come out, then please ask Madam Prince to come out. Why should a sick person have to work?”
“My mother-in-law is also ill, Your Grace,” Luna replied.
Riley wasn’t the type to make unreasonable demands. She had just been holding her frustration in and only wanted to ask Viola one question. Once that was answered, Riley would stop being upset.
With red-rimmed eyes, she said, “I don’t want to make things difficult for anyone. I just want to ask Ms. Prince one thing-when she went to Arcane Sanctum that day, was it on purpose to see my husband, or did she go to buy medicine? I just want her to answer me honestly.
“If it was really just to buy medicine and it was a coincidence that she ran into him, then I’ll admit I’ve been unreasonable. I know I’ve embarrassed my husband and ruined General Farrell’s reputation. I’ll apologize for all of it. Even if I get cast out, I’ll accept it.”
She spoke clearly, and it was obvious that she hadn’t been able to stop thinking about this matter for the past few days. She kept going over all the details in her mind.
Her eyes were red and swollen, clearly from crying a lot. Her broken heart was evident, making anyone who saw her feel uncomfortable.
Zoey looked at Riley’s mother,
Bianca Langley, and said, “Madam
Claude, I’ve known you for many years. Although we don’t interact much, you know the kind of person I am. Let me be honest with you if you and Mrs. Lewis ask Viola about this, you won’t get any answers. She’ll deny going there to see Mr. Lewis and say she only went to buy medicine. So, all the blame will fall on Mrs. Lewis.”
Riley covered her face with her hands and began to cry. Yes, how could Viola admit it?
Now, her in-laws were saying Riley was too jealous, easily upset, and quick to make a scene that everyone knew about. She had regretted it, yes. But the moment Silas had spoken of divorce, she had been left with no choice. All she could do now was seek out Viola. She didn’t understand how things had turned so quickly. Somehow, she had become the unreasonable one.
The people outside could curse Viola all they wanted, but as long as she stayed hidden, she wouldn’t face any real consequences. But Riley? She was being cast out and sent out to face the consequences alone.
She was unwilling to accept that.
At first, Riley had trusted her instincts completely. She believed that Viola had intentionally sought out Silas. If it had only been to buy Snowdrop Pills, why would a married woman like her show herself like that? She didn’t live in Silverstone Estate anymore after her marriage. Besides, there were so many people at Silverstone Estate who could have gone instead!