Filed to story: Queen of the Battlefield Her Return to Glory Novel Online Free
His tone was filled with great admiration.
“Priests are meant to withdraw from the world. But Father Reuben, who went to the Southern Frontier, is truly an exception. Few priests would do such a thing. He embodies the compassion and devotion that should define our faith.”
Sophie listened politely as Carson spoke at length. When he finished, she gave a polite nod and requested him to invite Reuben to meet her. She instructed Carson to tell the priest that a devotee, deeply moved by Reuben’s work in the Southern Frontier, wished to make a donation to build a new temple in his honor. She left it to him to choose the location, and assured Carson that a yearly contribution would be provided to support his work.
Carson didn’t know Sophie and Violet’s identities. Although they were dressed simply and modestly, their demeanor was extraordinary. He assumed they must be ladies or wives from noble families, here to do good deeds and earn merit.
With a respectful nod, he left to find Reuben.
Meanwhile, Oliver was on edge. He had been living in hiding for so long that the news of someone coming to find him struck fear into his heart. When he heard the offer to help build a temple and provide yearly funds, it felt like they were offering to support him.
Once the Earl of Silverstone, Oliver was well aware of the large families who regularly donated to temples in hopes to improve their fortunes. He had never heard of a temple being built specifically for one person, but the idea intrigued him. After all, it would take tens of thousands of silver coins to fund something of that scale.
The lure of profit-powerful, overwhelming-conquered Oliver’s fear. He believed no one would suspect him of pretending to be a priest, and he was certain that Zoey would never betray him.
Sophie’s strategy had worked.
Oliver was desperate for money, and the promise of such a substantial sum outweighed any lingering doubts. Moreover, it was only a lady who had come to seek him out.
Still, he remained cautious. He told Carson that he needed to bathe and purify himself before meeting his visitors, and asked the devotee to wait a little while longer.
Once Carson had been sent away, Oliver quickly changed into new clothes and stepped outside, making a careful circuit around the temple He scanned the area for any signs of guards or officials. When he saw none, he returned to his quarters. After changing into his priest’s robe, he made his way to the guest hall.
Oliver had encountered Sophie before, and the memory of her left an indelible mark. He had always been keenly aware of beautiful women, and Sophie certainly stood out.
When he first laid eyes on her in the guest hall, his heart skipped a beat. The next instant, panic set in. His first impulse was to flee.
Before he could even take a step,
Sophie was upon him. In a swift motion, she gripped his shoulder and yanked him backward, throwing him to the ground. Violet, who had been close behind, quickly placed a foot on his chest, her voice cy.
“Oliver Prince, still thinking of running away?”
Oliver’s face went deathly pale.
The sudden turn of events left Carson confused. It wasn’t until Violet called out Oliver’s name that he remembered who Oliver was.
“What’s going on?” he instinctively asked.
Sophie’s answer was simple and to the point. “Ask the abbot. He’ll explain everything to you.”
Without wasting time, she drew a length of tough cord from her belt and bound Oliver’s hands behind his back.
Since Oliver was still wearing his priest’s robe, taking him out through the temple would raise suspicions among the temple visitors. Violet tore the robe from his shoulders with a swift motion.
Carson, unable to do anything to stop them, hurriedly left to give orders.
“Clear the way,” he called out, then turned to Sophie and Violet. “Make sure to use the back roads to avoid drawing attention. We don’t want any trouble for the temple.”
Oliver was a notorious criminal, and he should have been sent directly to the Supreme Court. However, Sophie took a different route. She had him detained at the Capital Guard headquarters, where he was to be interrogated first.
Afterward, she planned to report the matter to Salvador. She would credit Zoey for her tip, and then plead for Caspian and Cedric to be allowed to return to the capital as soon as possible.
Celeste was still detained in the Capital Guard headquarters. If she and Oliver met, it might uncover more secrets-such as just how deeply the Spencer family’s collateral branch was involved in this mess. The two prisoners were held in adjacent cells, separated by only a narrow iron bar. When their eyes met for the first time, both faces changed instantly.
On the way here, Oliver kept cursing Zoey for betraying him. But when he saw Celeste, he completely forgot about Zoey. He snarled, his teeth clenched.
“You wretched woman, look at you now! It’s true-bad people get what they deserve. This is a great thing to see!”
Celeste’s eyes narrowed for a moment before she smirked. “I’m a wretched woman? What about you? If anyone deserves their fate, it’s you. Look at where you’ve ended up locked up just like me.”
“Everything’s your fault!” Oliver shouted, lunging forward, trying to reach her through the bars. “You got me into this mess!”
Celeste stepped back two paces, her expression one of cold amusement as she watched his angry attempts.
“Pathetic fool!” she spat, the words dripping with contempt.
“You dare mock me? You’re the fool!” Oliver’s face contorted with rage. “If it weren’t for you conspiring with the rebels and tricking me into leaving Southern Frontier, I’d still be the marshal there! I wouldn’t have ended up like this!”
Celeste replied coldly, “You’re blaming me? Was it really my deceit, or was it your cowardice? You know the truth. You knew from the start that I was only getting close to you for a reason. You thought that if I got pregnant and had your child, I would be bound to you.
“Not every woman is like the ones in your family, who treat children as their whole world. Family ties are the most laughable thing in the world. You thought you could use that foolish idea to trap me? How ridiculous!
“Did I not make it clear enough when I left you? You’re a middle-aged good-for-nothing with no skills, no talent, and mediocre martial arts You only got the position of marshal because of your noble title. Even if I were blind, I wouldn’t have fallen for you!
“You should’ve realized it was just a transaction from the start, but you still pretended it was something real. You can’t even tell the difference between true feelings and fake ones. What use are you? You’re trash. Just wait for your beheading!”
Oliver hammered against the iron bars with a fury that seemed to consume him, his voice a low growl. “You wretched woman, I’ll kill you! I swear I’ll kill you!”
“Do you have what it takes to do it?” Celeste replied coolly. “You wouldn’t dare. You’re nothing but a coward.”
“You dare say that to me?” Oliver’s face twisted with rage, his fists tightening around the bars. “Do you want to know how your son died? I snapped his neck-he couldn’t even cry! He died, just like that!” “I don’t care,” Celeste said nonchalantly.
Her attitude completely broke Oliver, as he had hoped to provoke her with that. He howled like a wounded animal, his words a frantic, guttural snarl.
Outside, Sophie listened, her patience never wavering as the conversation unfolded. She turned to the scribe.
“Make a record of this. Write that Oliver planned to abandon his wife and children when he was with Celeste, and that he even wrote a divorce dismissal letter. Later, find a divorce letter and get him to put his fingerprint on it.”
All of this needed to be reported to Salvador.
A divorce was not the same as being cast out. Normally, a divorce was preferred, but this case was different The divorce dismissal letter, which indicated that a wife was to be cast out, would highlight
Oliver’s cruelty. It would also garner sympathy for Zoey in the eyes of the common people.
There had already been rumors about this before, and now with Oliver captured and a proper confession, it was as good as confirmation from the authorities.
It was truly sad for that baby who had died. How innocent had he been? He was simply born into the wrong family with such cold, selfish, and indifferent parents.
Sophie truly felt for Zoey and her children. If Oliver could treat his son with Celeste this way, he probably hadn’t cared much for Zoey’s children or the ones born to his concubines.
When Sophie went to the palace to deliver her report, she also expressed her sympathy for Zoey besides presenting the confession. She didn’t hide her admiration for Zoey in her words.