Filed To Story: Queen of the Battlefield Her Return to Glory Novel Online Free
“Live in a remote village? How can we?” Stephanie’s face twisted with dismay. She added pitifully, “And Asterpeak Mountain is home to wild beasts, wolves, tigers, and snakes! I don’t want to stay there!”
“If you don’t leave, you’ll die. Do you want to keep your life, or do you want comfort?” Samson’s voice was sharp and commanding.
Stephanie opened her mouth to argue, but Sabrina tugged at her sleeve, a silent warning. Seeing the fierce look on Samson’s face, they didn’t dare say anything else.
It was clear that escaping was the most important thing.
Ignoring Wayne’s protests, Samson insisted on dispatching a hundred guards to escort them out. But as soon as he made the decision, it became clear that the other officials in Valken were doing the same. With the city in disarray and leadership lacking, Wayne’s authority no longer held any weight.
Many of the personal guards and private soldiers had never wanted to fight against the Capital Army, to begin with. Escaping was the best outcome for them.
This shift in allegiance reduced their forces by a third. Valken was already struggling to hold its ground against the Capital Army. With the weakened defenses now, it seemed almost certain that the city would fall apart completely.
Wayne’s face turned ashen with despair. The truth was, they could fight-they knew the city like the back of their hands. They could fight in the streets and take civilians hostage. In other words, they could still find a way out.
But the worst thing in a battle was a scattered and disorganized force. Without unity, how could they possibly stand against Thomas’ disciplined army?
By the time the first light of dawn crept over Valken, the city had already fallen under Thomas’
elet control. For those who had fled, ke didn’t pursue them. He merely ordered the road to Asterpeak
Mountain blocked and the city gates sealed.
After that, he set off with a group of his men to help Chester.
Winona was caught up in the chaos of battle as well, but her focus was not on the fighting. She was looking for a way to reach Clifford.
At first, Clifford’s forces were losing and couldn’t defeat Chester. However, Clifford knew how to inspire his troops with words. After a rousing speech, his private soldiers became much fiercer, with a clear determination to fight to the death. As a result, the battle raged on throughout the night and Chester made little progress.
It wasn’t until morning, when Thomas’ reinforcements arrived, that the tide of battle finally began to turn.
In a battle fought in the open, there was always the possibility of retreat. As long as they retreated to a more advantageous position, the situation could easily be turned around.
So, Thomas needed to find a way to cut off the enemy’s escape route and trap them here, until they were either defeated or surrendered.
Inside Valken, Wayne had been captured and was now imprisoned alongside Yuvan and the others. Seeing this, Harvey exclaimed in surprise, “Mr. Wayne, how did you get caught? Did Mr. Murphy lose?” Wayne’s clothes were torn, his body covered in wounds, and blood was dried on the corner of his mouth. He looked utterly disheveled.
At this point, Yuvan still hadn’t realized that he had been betrayed. He had spent the entire night worrying about why no one had come to rescue him. He began to suspect that perhaps they could no longer rely on Clifford’s forces. Yet, in his mind, he still hoped that Saul would come, even if Clifford had failed. Seeing Wayne captured, however, crushed any remaining hope. His heart sank.
Yuvan had already considered the possibility of failure. He even prepared for the worst, knowing that his plan to lure the enemy into the city might not work.
But Harvey hadn’t. Harvey had always believed that once Clifford and Saul’s armies arrived, they would wipe out the Capital Army without leaving a trace.
Now, seeing Wayne’s arrival, Harvey’s panic took over.
He demanded desperately, “Tell me, what happened? Did Mr. Murphy lose, or didn’t they come?” Wayne pursed his lips, his eyes still flashing with defiance.
In the end, he chose to escape through Asterpeak Mountain. He left because he saw that the situation was beyond saving. He planned to head straight to the capital to seek refuge with Nicholas, but he was too late. Asterpeak Mountain had already been sealed off by the Capital Army, and he couldn’t escape. Instead, he was now caught.
Harvey was beside himself with fury, his voice rising in anger.
“Why aren’t you saying anything? Didn’t Mr. Murphy come? If he had, there’s no way his forces would have lost in a single night. They’ve been lying to us. Wayne, it was you! You told us to side with Prince Nicholas and to turn our backs on my brother! You and Prince Nicholas tricked us-you just wanted to use us to get to my brother’s forces!”
Yuvan’s eyes widened in disbelief. “What? You betrayed me? You’ve all betrayed me?”
Harvey collapsed to the ground, his face pale as he said, “Yuvan, we’ve been with Prince Nicholas all along, but I was tricked too! Both of us were sent to Thomas as prisoners, and they planned to sacrifice me from the start.”
Yuvan slapped Harvey across the face, trembling with anger. “How dare you betray me? You’re my brother, and you betrayed me?”
“It’s your fault for being useless!”
Harvey covered his face, his eyes full of resentment. “I’ve worked with Eleanor for years, planning for you But you you’re nothing but a pile of mud that can’t even hold itself up! You’ve accomplished nothing! A wise person will align themselves With the best opportunities or people that will help them succeed. So naturally, I’ll choose someone more capable!”
“You…” Yuvan was enraged. “If I’m useless, then isn’t it because of your incompetence?” Wayne lifted his head, casting a cold, disdainful look at Yuvan.
“Our incompetence?” he snapped. “If it weren’t for you repeatedly ignoring my advice, would we have ended up in this mess? I told you not to provoke Ms. Violet, but you insisted. You sacrificed so many suicide soldiers for nothing. All you’ve ever accomplished was provoking the Hell Monarch’s household and offending the Spencer family. All these years, you’ve failed to gain their support. But Prince Nicholas? He managed it.”
“We’ve been through so much together all these years, and this is how it ends?” Yuvan still couldn’t believe it.
Harvey had betrayed him, which made him angry, but Harvey was just a useless fool.
But Wayne? Wayne’s betrayal was truly a blow to his heart.
“There’s just too much to say,” Wayne said stiffly, a sense of helplessness washing over him.
He should have known he was on the wrong side. If he had joined Nicholas earlier, the world might have already been in Nicholas’ hands now.
“In the end, you only cared about your so-called reputation. Those who truly accomplish great things don’t care for such trivialities. If you had listened to me during the initial battle, we wouldn’t be in this mess now,” Wayne spat.
“Why bring up old grievances now? Didn’t you agree to everything too?” Yuvan shot back, his anger now overshadowed by cold disappointment. He never imagined Wayne would betray him.
“Could I disagree? Did you ever give me the authority to make decisions?” Wayne dragged himself to lean against the bars, looking at Yuvan with deep disgust. “Your weakness is that so many people have betrayed you, and you haven’t even noticed. It’s not just others-Lady Fiona betrayed you too, and you didn’t even know. How can you possibly think you’ll ever accomplish anything?”
“Wretched woman!” Yuvan’s fury reached its peak. “She betrayed me too? I’ll kill her!”
Wayne’s eyes glinted coldly. “She’s already fled. If you want to kill her, you’re too late. You have no power left to do so.”
It wasn’t until that moment that Yuvan fully realized the extent of his defeat.
His lips trembled, and his legs gave way as he collapsed to the ground. Panic and fear surged within him. He thought of the tragic fates of past traitors who tried to rebel, and was struck with a deep, bone-chilling coldness.
He had considered the consequences of failure before, but he always thought that if he failed, he would just face death bravely. At worst, he would end his own life to avoid further suffering.
But now, locked in a cold, iron-barred cell with no weapons in hand, he realized how grim things had become. The walls were strong, but he might not die right away even if he charged headfirst into them. There were guards outside the cell. If he didn’t die, he might suffer even more than this.
However, it wasn’t the fear of torture that pierced Yuvan the most-it was his unwillingness to accept this fate.
How had come to this? Even in defeat, he should’ve had a group of loyal men to stand by him. He had a group of men with him now, but it was clear none of them shared the same purpose. They weren’t united in heart, and that realization dug into him like a knife.
His gaze turned to the two men beside him. His voice trembled, though it carried an edge of bitter laughter.
“You two betrayed me, and what good has it done you? Have you found any favor in your new alliance? Will Nicholas come to your rescue?”