Filed To Story: Queen of the Battlefield Her Return to Glory Novel Online Free
The others, seeing no reason for suspicion, followed suit, sipping the fragrant soup.
Oliver glanced at them, blowing lightly on his bowl before drinking his own. The mushrooms, of course, were safe to consume. However, the illusion powder, ground into fine dust, was sprinkled in just before serving and mixed well so no one would notice.
The dose wasn’t heavy, so its effects wouldn’t kick in for another hour or two-by which time they’d have already returned to their quarters. Even if someone noticed something was off, they’d likely just assume it was from overdrinking.
By the next day, if anyone didn’t wake up or experienced severe vomiting, the military physicians would naturally step in to treat them.
Oliver waited until they had finished the soup, then had his servants escort them out.
They left in high spirits, as this was the most pleasant discussion they’d had since receiving the scout’s report. Oliver hadn’t been entirely dismissive this time and even showed signs of approval now and then. Louis leaned toward Timothy, saying quietly, “Maybe we’ve misjudged him. He wasn’t difficult at all tonight, right?”
“Misjudged? Not at all,” Timothy replied. “It’s just that with the enemy army pressing in, he needs us to fight. Of course he’s being more cooperative.”
Before dawn, the carriages from Redstone Manor set off.
The manor’s guards saw Oliver off, as he had previously insisted on personally escorting Celeste and their young son.
The procession slowly began to move forward.
Originally, there were only five carriages. But after leaving the manor, several more joined them. These were arranged by Carl ahead of time. Now, Carl and his men rode ahead on their warhorses, clearing the path.
It didn’t matter if they were spotted-Oliver and his men were just seeing them off and would return afterward.
But when night fell and Oliver had still not returned, the manor’s guards began to grow anxious. They hurried to find Louis and Timothy.
However, the manor’s guards couldn’t find them. Louis and Timothy had left the manor not long after the dinner last night, only to begin feeling dizzy and vomiting soon after. As they didn’t share the same room, the guards attending them assumed it was simply the result of drinking too much, so they had the kitchen prepare some hangover soup.
After drinking the soup, they continued to vomit. Once they were done, they felt a little better and fell asleep.
By afternoon, they had still not woken, and the guards began to realize something was wrong. When they inquired further, they discovered that all those who had dined at the manor the previous evening had similar symptoms. They immediately called for the physician.
The military physician, Brandon, examined them and was stunned. “They’ve been poisoned by toxic mushrooms.’
At once, Stuart, Louis’ subordinate, was sent to Redstone Manor for an investigation. If they had been poisoned, there was a good chance that Oliver had been poisoned as well.
This was serious-how could they go to war with both the marshal and the generals incapacitated?
At the manor, they were told that Oliver had left to escort his wife back to the capital, and that he had not returned since.
Stuart felt uneasy, but he never imagined that Oliver had fled. He simply assumed that the commander had fallen ill along the way, causing a delay in his return.
The priority was to investigate the poisoning-whether it had been an accident or a deliberate act.
The manor’s cooks explained that the mushroom soup had been made with ingredients sent by Zoey, the Earl of Silverstone’s wife, and they assured Stuart that it couldn’t possibly be poisonous.
They still had some of the mushrooms left, so the cook took them out for Stuart to inspect. Not being familiar with identifying mushrooms, Stuart had them sent back to Brandon for further examination. After a thorough inspection, Brandon confirmed that the mushrooms were safe to eat, and he decided to personally visit the manor for a more detailed investigation.
The cook explained that everyone had finished the leftover soup from the previous night, and none of them had shown any signs of poisoning. This meant the issue lay with the specific bowls of soup that Louis and the others had consumed.
Brandon’s expression grew serious. “If that’s the case, then they were deliberately poisoned. The person responsible knew exactly what they were doing ensuring they wouldn’t die, but only suffer vomiting and fainting.”
Stuart’s face shifted, and then a sudden realization hit him. His eyes widened in horror.
No, it couldn’t be-it was impossible!
That would be a crime punishable by the beheading of an entire family.
For Oliver to do such a thing… He must have lost his mind!
Without wasting a moment, Stuart sent word to track down Oliver, unsure if the marshal had fallen ill from poisoning and stopped to rest, or if he had truly fled.
Seven full hours had already passed since Oliver left. If they followed the direction he took, they might catch up. After all, with his family and so many carriages, it wasn’t hard to follow their trail. At first, they were able to find the right direction, but as they continued, no one had seen the convoy.
It seemed likely that Oliver and his men had scattered in different directions.
They couldn’t catch up, but in just one day, rumors spread like wildfire-whispers claiming that Oliver, fearing the advance of Sandoria’s forces, had fled with his family.
There were even tales claiming the Southern Frontier to be a place where generals went to die. After all, the legendary Hector and his sons had all perished there despite their prowess.
Some claimed that Sandoria didn’t bring an army of 250,000 men, but a staggering 800,000.
With rumors swirling, the morale of the troops began to falter.
After all, if the marshal had fled under the cover of night, what did that say about the chances of victory? It was a signal that the coming battle might be one they couldn’t win.
Oliver’s sudden flight not only shattered the morale of the troops but also left Louis, Timothy, and the others feeling deeply disheartened and demoralized.
Had Oliver stayed and died here, the effect wouldn’t have been nearly as disastrous.
Meanwhile, rumors spread quickly throughout the Southern Frontier. It seemed someone was deliberately stirring the pot, creating panic and undermining the soldiers’ spirits. If Sandoria claimed victory in the first battle, it would be a crushing blow, and the Southern Frontier Army would likely be on the defensive from then on.
An urgent dispatch was sent to the capital, racing to deliver news of the crisis.
Before the dispatch could even reach the capital, Salvador was the first to realize that Rafael had gone missing.
On the fifth day of Rafael’s sudden illness, Salvador sent Robert and Derek to visit Hell Monarch Estate once more.
Jacob originally planned to stick to the story that Rafael had gone to Sebastian’s villa to recuperate. On second thought, Salvador had sent the royal physician again just a few days later, even though he knew Rafael’s condition was improving under Sebastian’s care.
Clearly, Salvador’s doubts hadn’t been put to rest.
Since Salvador still had doubts, simply claiming that Rafael was at Sebastian’s villa wouldn’t suffice. Robert could go there, and if Rafael wasn’t found, it would only raise more suspicion. So, Jacob told Robert and Derek that Rafael had left for Meadow Ridge the previous day to rest and recuperate.
Of course, Salvador wouldn’t believe this, but Jacob knew he wouldn’t send anyone to investigate either. He would only grow increasingly suspicious, likely wondering if Rafael was plotting something in secret- or even worse, if he was taking advantage of the chaos during Yuvan’s rebellion to make a move of his own.
The more sinister Salvador’s thoughts, the less anger he would direct at Rafael when he eventually learned that the latter had gone to the Southern Frontier to fight in the war.
Because of this reasoning, Salvador wouldn’t take action against the people at Hell Monarch Estate. At most, he would send someone to keep watch.
Sure enough, after Derek returned to the palace to report, Salvador’s face turned ashen. He immediately summoned lan.
“Keep an eye on Hell Monarch Estate,” Salvador instructed. “Watch Sophie closely-every move she makes and who she speaks to. Also, keep an eye on Jacob in the estate. I want to know everything!” lan was Salvador’s trusted confidant. He knew Salvador’s mind well enough not to question too much, though he understood the gravity of the situation. He nodded, acknowledging the order.