Provoking a Graceful Bloom Novel

---- Chapter 145 Frederick's army reached Hartshire by the second day. It was said they had scarcely arrived before marching straight out to. strike at the bandits. "They attacked at once?" Selena asked, her brow furrowing as she read the report that was delivered on the third evening "Yes, my lady. From dawn yesterday until now, they have fought without pause. The army has pressed into the mountain ravines, pursuing the enemy. At this pace, the bandits should be utterly crushed within three days." Selena's frown deepened.

"If | recall correctly, the bandits' numbers were already decimated a year ago, after the last campaign." "Indeed, my lady,' Yuvan replied at once. "When you and Lord Sebastian accompanied Prince Frederick to Hartshire, it was Lord Sebastian who destroyed their stronghold." "Then, they can't have remained in the mountain ravines," Selena said sharply. "Their lair must be elsewhere." What troubled her most was that since entering Hartshire, the bandits had killed and burned, yet taken nothing. No plunder, no spoils. Ordinary marauders would hardly behave in such a ---- manner.

Clearly, this was premeditated Selena unrolled a map of the countryside outside Hartshire and studied the lines intently. "You say they rode out the moment they arrived? That they made no pause to rest? That is not Prince Frederick's way of war." She knew his methods better than anyone. She and Sebastian had fought alongside him for years. Over time, Frederick's style had grown so much like her own that she could predict each of his decisions. But this time, he had driven the men day and night, forcing them into battle upon arrival. Such haste was reckless.

Were the soldiers not already exhausted? "It was not Prince Frederick who commanded them. It was Ms. Talmar," Yuvan answered quickly. "What?" It was utterly preposterous! Freya was a spoiled young lady raised beneath her father's indulgence, and had no more experience of battle than a child with a toy sword. Yet Frederick had entrusted his men to her command. Had he lost his senses? "And another thing. The army marched through the night without rest, yet in such weariness, they still swept the bandits into the ---- mountain ravines as though they were nothing.

If the enemy were so feeble, where did their boldness to storm Hartshire come from?" Selena mused. The more Selena thought it over, the more uneasy she became. Then, her gaze fell on a bend in the mountain ravine on the map, and her expression darkened. "No, It's a trap!" The bandits had not been driven into the mountains. They had lured the army in. Frederick was truly befuddled. Had he lost his wits? "Yuvan, fetch my brother at once," Selena instructed. Yuvan dared not linger. "At once, my lady." Meanwhile, beyond the walls of Hartshire, the camp was filled with a dangerous exhilaration.

Hartshire was not a mere district but a city in its own right. Though not a capital of vast renown, its size was considerable. Beyond the city, the mountain ranges stretched vast and unbroken, and beyond them lay another kingdom. So immense were these mountains that the area had become, in effect, a ---- lawless no-man's land As for why Selena insisted that no bandits would return to the vicinity of Hartshire for the time being, it was because after driving them out last year, they had set fire to the bandits' mountain stronghold, reducing it to ashes.

Now, the area lay desolate and abandoned, utterly inhospitable to human life. The surrounding hills offered no flat ground. A handful of people might find temporary shelter, but for thousands of bandits to set up camp and live there was impossible. But Freya would not be deterred. She was certain the bandits' lair lay hidden somewhere in that mountain ravine, and meant to tear it up by the roots in a single, triumphant sweep!