Provoking a Graceful Bloom Novel

---- Chapter 102 That day at the lodge, Selena had clearly seen that Elias and Nathaniel were old friends. Their conversation bore no restraint, and they moved with the ease of men who had known each other for many years. But now, Nathaniel couldn't even summon a smile when talking about the other man. She tended to his wound, using strong spirits as a disinfectant. When the alcohol-soaked cloth pressed against the cut, it felt as though a knife was carving deeper into the wound. "So, even you feel pain, Your Highness," Selena remarked, glancing at him.

Though her words sounded reproachful, her hands moved with deliberate gentleness. "!'m not a corpse," he said, frowning, yet not a sound of complaint escaped him. "Tell me, is that concern | see in your eyes?" Selena couldn't deny that she felt some worry for him. After all, this was far from the only wound he bore. His body was marred with scars of every size and depth. There were cuts from blades, slices from swords, and even wounds from arrows. ---- "Are the battlefields of the Northern Frontier truly so perilous?" Selena asked, confronting the reality of fighting there for the first time.

Until now, she had only heard tales of the Obsidian Monarch, spoken of as the Deathbringer of the Northern Frontier. Yet, even the Deathbringer was a man, flesh and blood like any other. Nathaniel's gaze fell to hers, catching the brief flicker of concern in her eyes. It warmed him. "| nearly died on the battlefield several times," he said. "I'm sorry..." "Why are you apologizing?" Selena looked up and met his eyes for a moment, then returned to tending his wound.

"Had it not been for my plan, you might never have been trapped at the Northern Frontier for five years." "Lena, have you ever been to the Northern Frontier?" he asked suddenly. She shook her head Nathaniel sighed. "If you had, you would understand. Even without your plan, | would have gone there regardless." ---- Selena looked up at him, a hint of surprise in her eyes. His expression was grave, softened by a rare touch of compassion as he explained, "The Northern Frontier is a place where countless factions collide.

Year after year, war tears through the land, and the common people live in constant peril. "Men are conscripted as laborers, the elderly and children are often slaughtered, and young women suffer unspeakable horrors. Before | arrived, people were constantly fleeing and never finding rest. Starvation was rampant, and there were even reports of... cannibalism." Selena's heart tightened, her hand trembling slightly. Nathaniel grasped her wrist gently, a small, reassuring smile on his lips. "But it's over now.

Though the environment at the Northern Frontier remains poor and harsh, peace has been restored. People are striving to rebuild-men in the fields, women at the loom. | believe their days will grow brighter soon." Selena froze for a moment. To hear such tender words from the Demon Lord was almost surreal. It was impossible to imagine without seeing and hearing it firsthand. For the first time, she found that the dreaded Obsidian Monarch seemed remarkably human. She was about to apply the salve when she realized that her ---- hand had remained in his. Startled, she quickly withdrew it.

Nathaniel didn't protest, releasing her the instant she pulled back. Selena finished cleaning his wound and began applying the herbal salve when he suddenly said, "He wishes to marry you. That is why | beat him up." "What?" Selena asked, almost unable to keep up with the Demon Lord's rapid train of thought. Nathaniel continued, "If Elias wasn't who he was, | might have killed him outright. Had | done so, you wouldn't have been troubled." "Your Highness..." "But he is who he is, and he is also Dawnmere's third prince. First, | don't kill friends.

Second, if he were to die in Aurensia's capital, it would provoke war between our kingdoms, and the common people would suffer." So, he had only beaten Elias up instead of slaying him. Selena studied his dark, penetrating eyes. "Your Highness, there is no need to explain-" "You are to be my future wife, so it is only proper that | explain myself," Nathaniel said earnestly. ---- He met her gaze with a seriousness that left no room for doubt. " You yourself agreed to marry me one day. Lena, you're even more merciless than Frederick. The promise you gave me seems forgotten in an instant."