Filed To Story: Queen of the Battlefield Her Return to Glory Novel Online Free
Sophie hesitated before meeting his gaze directly. “Do you think I’m healed, Mr. Walker?”
He sighed. “Your Grace, you’re quite perceptive. Your injury has improved, but you’re not yet able to walk without assistance.”
Sophie gave a wry smile. “As you said, there’s been improvement, but I’m still not able to walk.”
“Do not rush, Your Grace. Take the time you need to rest,” Derek said.
Sophie sighed. “Of course. I’m impatient, but there’s nothing I can do. Sebastian said bone and muscle injuries take a hundred days to heal, so I’ll have to rest properly for all those days.’
At that moment, Violet entered the room. She glanced at Sophie and Derek, then at the two rigid guards stationed just outside. With a playful smile, she stepped forward. “From a distance, I thought you were Galen. But upon closer inspection, I see I’ve made a mistake.”
The guards, recognizing Violet as Kevin’s teacher, immediately saluted respectfully.
Violet asked for their names. When they introduced themselves, she laughed heartily. “What a coincidence! My apprentice mentioned you both have some impressive martial skills. Since you’ve come at such a perfect time, I’ll have a go at showing you a few moves and give you some pointers.”
The two guards’ eyes lit up at the chance to receive Violet’s guidance. The prospect of learning from her would surely benefit their martial skills. They quickly expressed their gratitude before following her to the training grounds in the outer courtyard.
Once they were out of earshot, Derek turned to Sophie with urgency in his voice. “There’s something you need to know, Your Grace. The Royal Medical Department has diagnosed that His Majesty might have a lung disease.”
Sophie’s eyes widened in shock, her voice tense. “A lung disease? Is it the Black Veil? Have they confirmed it? I thought they said it was just headaches?”
Derek’s eyes reddened slightly, his voice heavy with concern. “The Royal Medical Department believes it’s a possibility, but they didn’t confirm it. The head physician and several others have all come to the same conclusion-it’s likely, though not certain.”
Sophie stared at him. “Does His Majesty know?”
“The diagnosis was only made today,” Derek replied softly. “They’d previously thought it was just an abscess but now they suspect it’s more serious. His Majesty knows, but neither the queen dowager nor the queen are aware. Among those in the court, only the prime minister knows about it.”
Sophie’s face drained of color. The Black Veil disease was notoriously difficult to treat, and it was often fatal. When it progressed, it brought excruciating pain-leading some to call it a vicious disease.
“One year!” Derek’s voice faltered, his eyes glistening with tears. “The head physician said…perhaps a year.
Sophie’s heart dropped, and she could hardly believe her ears. “A year?”
She couldn’t fathom it-Salvador still hadn’t declared the crown prince.
Tears welled up in Derek’s eyes as he tried to speak through the grief. While serving a ruler was often a dangerous and unpredictable affair Salvador had treated him well. Though Derek didn’t always agree with the man’s decisions, he had no right to voice objections. He could only quietly make up for it in his own way.
Today, he had come to Hell Monarch Estate knowing that if Salvador were to pass, only Rafael could stabilize the situation for the new king.
The sooner the people in the Hell Monarch household knew, the sooner they could prepare.
Derek wiped away his tears, his voice hoarse. “Your Grace, you need a hundred days to recover, maybe even more. But whatever the case, you can’t get better right away. His Majesty is anxious, and that worry may lead him to make decisions none of us want to see.”
Sophie’s mind was a whirlwind of thoughts, her emotions tangled. She nodded slowly. “Thank you for telling me, Mr. Walker.”
Derek’s expression turned somber. “This must remain a secret. If word gets out, some people may start thinking thoughts they shouldn’t.”
Sophie nodded absently, her mind still reeling. “I know.”
Derek suddenly remembered something and broke into tears again, covering his face as he sobbed for a moment.
Finally, he said, “His Majesty mentioned something in passing a few times, when he dreamt of General Nathan. He joked that with how often the general appeared in his dreams, maybe the general was trying to take him with him think His Majesty might have had a feeling about this all along.”
The weight of the situation was immense, and for a moment, Sophie’s mind seemed incapable of processing it all.
If Salvador were to pass, Connor’s ascension to the throne would be nearly certain, and it wouldn’t be long before he was declared Crown Prince. A young king would need regents, and not just one, which would lead to factions forming within the court.
In that case, the balance of power would inevitably be thrown into turmoil.
If regents weren’t appointed, it was likely that either Victoria or Kylie would take charge and rule behind the scenes.
Kylie was ambitious, and even in her confinement, she was plotting for Connor’s future. The Quinton family, though suppressed by Salvador, held vast power. If Salvador were to die and Connor took the throne, their influence would soar.
Who wouldn’t want that kind of power?
Jeremiah was aging, and though he had already entertained thoughts of stepping down, he was still willing to support the new king. But once the power struggle began, there would be little he could do to control the situation.
However, that was a worry for later.
What truly sent a chill down Sophie’s spine was the fact that if Salvador only had a year to live, he would undoubtedly take every measure to eliminate all obstacles and threats for Connor before his death.
And in Salvador’s eyes, the Hell Monarch’s faction posed the greatest threat.
Derek, too, suddenly realized the gravity of this possibility. His face suddenly went pale.
When he first learned of Salvador’s illness, he had only thought that the Hell Monarch might be the one to assist the young prince in stabilizing the court. But now, seeing Sophie’s worry, he was pulled out of his sorrow and horrified by this terrifying reality.
In fact, it wasn’t a mere possibility-it was something that would likely happen.
“Your Grace, perhaps you should consider leaving…” Derek started to say.
Sophie raised her hand, silencing him. “Don’t say anymore, Mr. Walker. The physicians haven’t even made a clear diagnosis yet. It could just be a headache, or even an abscess.”
She didn’t want Derek offering advice. If he did, he might always carry guilt with him-guilt that he hadn’t been loyal enough to Salvador.
Derek clenched his fists, understanding her unspoken words. With a heavy sigh, he said, “Then I shall take my leave, Your Grace. Please take care of yourself.”
“Have a safe journey back,” Sophie replied, watching him leave. But even after he was gone, her mind still couldn’t make sense of things.
After Derek and the guards left, Sophie sat in the side hall, lost in thought for a long time.
Violet entered and noticed her distant demeanor, and asked, “What’s going on?”
Sophie looked up at Violet, shaking her head. Her voice was dry as she replied, “It’s nothing. Mr. Walker told me to keep resting. Being cooped up in the estate all day is driving me mad.”
“Do you think the king really has such intentions?” Violet asked.
“From what Mr. Walker said, it seems like that’s the case.” Sophie forced herself to focus, recalling
Derek’s suggestion to continue resting, which only confirmed that Salvador still held onto those twisted ideas.
Violet muttered a curse under her breath, but then stopped herself. She thought back to what her dad had said before he left the capital how the Spencer family needed to be careful of their words and actions. She bit her tongue, unwilling to speak further,