Filed To Story: Queen of the Battlefield Her Return to Glory Novel Online Free
For a fleeting moment, he had hoped Rafael would choose to retain his military power and disregard Sophie.
But now… Perhaps it was fine this way.
After a few moments of contemplation, Salvad looked up and asked, “Do you need me to grant you a marriage edict?”
Rafael leaned back in his chair, looking as if he had shed a heavy burden, appearing carefree and relaxed. “Thank you for your kindness, Your Majesty. A marriage edict is too formal. Sophie has been married once before, and I don’t want her to be in the spotlight.”
Salvador nodded slightly. “You should also consider how to explain this to your mother.”
Rafael’s gaze grew serious. “I will be straightforward with her.”In Evergreen Palace, an angry, sharp voice rang out.
“She wants to become your consort? Unless I’m dead, you tell her not to harbor such delusions! Otherwise, I won’t spare her!”
Rafael remained calm as he watched the distraught Helen. Having grown up amidst such roaring voices, he was accustomed to it. However, it was unlikely Sophie would be.
Helen’s face turned ashen as she extended a finger; the long, claw ring almost poked Rafael’s nose.
“In a few days, I’ll be moving into your residence. If she dares to set foot in the estate, I will have her legs chopped off!” she screamed.
Rafael nodded. “Alright, chopping off her legs sounds good. I’ve seen her cut off the legs of enemies-she was as swift as lightning. With a single slash, she divided their body into three pieces. It’s quite a sight.”
Helen raised her hand, her voice cutting like a knife. “Whether she’s the legitimate daughter of a duke or a highly skilled warrior, she’s nothing but a discarded woman expelled from the Jaffe family to me! You are a prince! There are many pure and noble young women. in the capital hoping to enter your family. Yet, you chose a woman of ill repute. Are you out of your mind?!”
Rafael’s eyes flashed sharply. “I won’t tolerate such words a second time. If you dislike her, you need not live in the estate. It is much. better for you to stay here in the palace, where you can enjoy your status and comfort.”
Helen’s gaze turned cold. “What did you say? You want me to stay away from your estate for that… that once-married woman? Rafael, you’re being disrespectful to me!”
In Starhaven, ruling with kindness and respect was crucial. Just one instance of being called disrespectful could feel no overwhelming as having a mountain pressing on you. Once, Rafael found it hard to breathe.
But just like the story of the boy who cried wolf, hearing how disrespectful he was over and over again didn’t bother Rafael as much anymore.
The first few times, it felt like a huge burden. After hearing it so many times, however, he knew his mother was just venting out her anger-nothing more.
It was already remarkable that they main ined a semblance of harmony in their relationship.
When Helen said he was disrespectful, Rafael replied calmly, “I’m marrying Sophie. Whether you accept it or not is up to you to decide.”
Helen drew in a sharp breath. “Marriage is a matter decided by the parents and the matchmaker! If I oppose it, does that mean your parents’ wishes count for nothing? Are you so willing to defy all conventions just to marry that lowly woman? What kind of spell hast she cast on you to make you so infatuated that you disregard even her unsavory past?”
Rafael stood up. “Thank you for your reminder, Mom. I’ll discuss my marriage with the empress dowager. After all, she’s my late father’s primary wife, so she’s in charge of the household. It is her right to make decisions about my marriage.”
Helen watched as he left without even bidding her a proper farewell, her tears falling freely. Anger and helplessness churned within her. Despite her efforts, she couldn’t control her son. No matter what she said, he always seemed to ignore he. He treated her concerns with indifference and a marked lack of respect.
She was at a loss for what she had done wrong. Her son always seemed to be against her, no matter what,
Excluding Salvador, among the children of more than thirty concubines in the palace, Rafael was considered the most outstanding. Even the late king had spoken hly of him.
Rafael had achieved his current status due to Helen’s meticulous planning and nurturing. Despite her tireless efforts, his attitude remained cold. Although she had maintained her dignity in front of the other concubines and gained their admiration, the pain in her heart was hers alone to bear.
That night at the celebration feast, when the palace attendants had escorted Rafael to the Eternity Palace, she had been overjoyed. She ordered her servants to prepare soup, and arranged a room with hot water and fresh clothes for him to bathe.
Yet, he had collapsed into a chair in the side hall and fallen asleep.
The following day, when she excitedly arranged a feast, he had already disappeared without a word,Helen lay on her chaise longue, her heart burning with resentment towards Sophie.
Her attendant, Gillian, stood beside her, trying to offer comfort.
“There’s no need to be so upset, Your Highness. Prince Rafael is a man with his own thoughts. He’s merely infatuated with Lady Devin’s beauty at the moment. I’ve heard she’s the most stunning woman in the capital.
“When Madam Devin first planned to marry her, many noble families sought her hand. It’s a mystery why Madam Devin ended up marrying her to General Jaffe.”
As she dabbed Helen’s tears away with a handkerchief, she continued soothingly, “After all, she is merely a secondhand item. There’s no need for you to be so enraged. If Prince Rafael insists on marrying her, so be it. A beauty from afar is pleasing to the eye, but living with her every day can become tiresome.
“No matter how beautiful a woman is, if she becomes petty and jealous, which man wouldn’t grow weary of her? Prince Rafael will have many concubines. Once her fierce demeanor is revealed, she. may end up being disliked by the prince himself without you having to say a word.”
Helen seethed with anger. “That may be true, but how can a dignified prince marry a discarded woman-especially one cast out. by a decayed family? How can I hold my head high in the palace?”
She had always been strong-willed. In the late king’s entire harem, apart from her sister, she had looked down upon all the other concubines. Even the noble concubine, Dakota, she regarded as insignificant. Dakota’s son, Kendrick, had married a niece from the queen, Kylie’s family. Kylie’s natal family, the Quinton family, came from a prestigious background and held significant power in the court.
Helen’s own daughter, Klera, was also in the midst of ant engagement discussion. The list of potential suitors included the sixth son from the Quinton family. The sixth son was from the third branch of the Quinton family.
Though a legitimate son headed the third branch, he had suffered a fall in his youth that left him with a damaged mind. Now, at forty. years old, he behaved like a child of about seven. Fortunately, he married a kind-hearted woman. She accepted his ondition and treated him like the child he was, and also gave him a son and a daughter.
The sixth son of the Quinton family wasn’t a scholar. He couldn’t even pass the state exams. His days were spent playing polo, flying kites, skating, and throwing darts. Recently, he had taken up gardening as a hobby.
Helen, of course, looked down upon him. She hoped Kiera would marry someone knowledgeable and respectable, not someone frivolous and inept like the Quinton family’s sixth son.
However, the Quinton family was willing to marry off their sixth son to Kiera because once she was married to him, he could no longer hold a significant position in court. He could either find a minor official post or live out his days in idle leisure, wasting his life away.
Previously, Salvador spoke about this, indicating that he was satisfied with Quinton’s family’s sixth son. Even Kiera had stolen. glances at him, and had fallen for him.
Helen found herself torn. She wanted to ally with the Quinton family, but she didn’t want her daughter to marry a wastrel.
With both her children’s marriages proving unsatisfactory, how could a woman as strong-willed as her bear it?
Consumed with anger, she ordered, “Summon Sophie to the palace tomorrow! I want to see what kind of enchanting vixen she’s become. Even as a discarded woman, she dares to aspire to enter the royal family?!”
Since convincing Rafael was proving futile, Helen hoped Sophie would retreat upon realizing the difficulty of her situation. Sophie shouldn’t assume that a few military achievements made her exceptional.
If it had been in the past, Helen might have supported this marriage. Back then, Hector was still alive, and his family hadn’t been destroyed yet. The Duke of Northwatch’s family was prominent in the military, and Hector had also supported Rafael.
But now, times had changed.
Sophie wasn’t a virtuous woman, nor had a powerful family to back her. What use did she have, apart from her beauty?
Moreover, she had been sent to Meadow Ridge for training, and had developed a rough and unruly nature.
How could such a person possibly become the matriarch of Hell
Monarch’s Estate?
The thought of it only fueled Helen’s disdain.