Provoking a Graceful Bloom Novel

---- Chapter 169 It had been three days since Selena and Sebastian successfully brought Frederick back. Early that morning, Sebastian had been summoned to the palace. For his valor in rescuing the prince and subduing the bandits, he was handsomely rewarded by Wilfred. Later that evening, the king requested Selena's presence. "| hear from General Campbell that the complete defeat of the bandits is credited entirely to you," said Wilfred. Selena lowered her eyes and softly replied, "Your Majesty, it was my brother and General Warren who deserve all the praise.

| merely lent what little aid | could and dare not claim merit." "I see." Wilfred smiled faintly, gazing at the young lady standing in the royal study. At seventeen, she had blossomed into a graceful young lady. Yet as he looked at her, there seemed to be a trace of haze in his eyes, as though he were looking through her at someone else. "Andrew, do you see it?" the king asked softly. Selena said nothing, allowing the two men to study her in silence.

---- Andrew knew exactly to whom Wilfred referred-Selena's mother, Lara Smith, the woman once celebrated as the most exquisite beauty of the Southern Frontier. He nodded and said, "She truly does resemble her, Your Majesty. The more | look, the more alike they appear. Not merely in her facial features, but even in her manner and bearing. Only, she lacks a certain masculine strength that General Smith carried." Back then, Lara had been a peerless master in her own right. In contrast, Selena had no martial arts training whatsoever. It was such a pity.

Selena seemed to understand what they were lamenting about, yet she kept her lips pressed together and remained perfectly calm and composed. Wilfred looked at her again and found himself liking the lively, bright young lady before him even more. He chuckled lightly before continuing, "General Warren has informed me that it was you who went ahead to scout the terrain, analyzing all enemy positions with impeccable accuracy. "As for what happened with Frederick after, I've also made inquiries into it. Your comrades were trapped in that stone labyrinth.

It was by your keen eye that the formation was seen through, that they were brought out alive, and that the men ---- caught elsewhere in the forest were recovered." In other words, nothing would have gone smoothly without Selena. Not only would Frederick have perished, but over six thousand soldiers would have starved to death within the stone labyrinth. "You would deny yourself all credit for so great a service. Do you think me a fool, that | might be so easily deceived?" the king asked. Selena hurriedly explained, "Your Majesty, | dare not claim such praise. I'm but a weak girl.

If any merit belongs to me, it was cleverness more than courage. The true credit belongs to my brother and General Warren." "General Warren is usually insolent and proud, yet he cannot stop praising you. It speaks to just how remarkable you are," Wilfred replied. When Selena opened her mouth to protest further, he waved a hand. She fell silent, not daring to say another word "Youre truly talented, yet you conceal your strength. You don't flaunt your skills, and then suddenly astonish us all," he added.

Selena did not know precisely what the king meant, so she kept her composure and replied, "| am most grateful for your kind words, Your Majesty." ---- "Lena, | must speak frankly with you." Night was falling, and to keep a young lady in the royal study at this hour would surely invite gossip. After a brief pause, he finally addressed the matter at hand. "| have seen your devotion to Frederick." Petty disputes seldom lasted long. After the battle at Mount Iron, Selena's devotion to Frederick seemed able to move heaven and earth. Wilfred regarded her with a steady, piercing gaze.

"Rest assured that the woman by Frederick's side shall be made to vanish. She will never be permitted to threaten your position as his princess consort."