Provoking a Graceful Bloom Novel

---- Chapter 201 Another hour passed in waiting. Yuvan returned at a brisk pace, lowering his voice to say, "The king and queen's party are on their way. They should be here any moment." Wilfred was coming! The news spread instantly, lifting spirits all around Sebastian grew so anxious that his brow was damp with sweat. " Lena, His Majesty is almost here. Who else could we possibly be waiting for?" He had a faint suspicion that Selena truly was waiting for someone.

But if Wilfred arrived before that person appeared, then it would be taken as a slight against the king, and their right to enter the hunting grounds would be in question Just then, the sound of hurried hoofbeats echoed from outside. Selena's eyes lit up at once as she rose swiftly to her feet. "Seb, they're here!" "They?" Just who was Selena waiting for? ---- Through the hunting grounds outer gates, two figures appeared, both mounted on horseback.

To his surprise, both were women One of them appeared to be in her thirties, clad in darker hues, her hair arranged in an elaborate updo that marked her as a married woman. Her figure was strong and sturdy. The other looked scarcely past twenty, attired in lighter shades, her hair falling in a loose braid down her back, a clear sign that she was yet unwed. Both rode with a precision and grace that betrayed considerable skill. Among the assembled men, they seemed almost out of place, yet no less formidable. Were they from the Duke of Blackmoor's household?

The two horses surged forward, heading straight for Sebastian and Selena. Everyone froze, expecting a collision. Even Sebastian stepped forward instinctively, shielding his sister behind him. But just as the crowd drew breath, both mounts reared with a sharp neigh and halted at once. The two women's movements were swift, and their horsemanship was nothing short of formidable "Aunt Yvette?" Sebastian exclaimed, recognition dawning.

The woman leading the pair was none other than Yvette Maynard, the wife of his father's younger brother, Trevor ---- Campbell After Trevor fell in battle six years ago, Yvette had lived alone in the courtyard of the second wing at Blackmoor Estate. She rarely stepped beyond the main gates, leading a life of quiet seclusion and simple pleasures, much like Aurora. Yvette had once ridden alongside her husband in battle, though she had gained little renown. She had always been the woman behind Trevor, the silent presence in his life.

Sebastian never expected that Selena would manage to persuade their aunt to participate in the hunt. "And who is this?" he asked. The young woman following Yvette appeared barely in her twenties. Though dressed like an unwed maiden, her face bore no trace of makeup, and her gaze was calm, almost detached. There was also a hint of unease in her posture. "This is Qiana Harper," Selena said, stepping forward to take the lady's hand. "You remember me, Lena," Qiana replied softly, her voice barely above a whisper, tinged with the slightest hesitation "It really is you," said Sebastian.

He had met Qiana before, though only on a handful of occasions. ---- She had been an acquaintance of his youngest uncle, Tobias Campbell. There had been no matchmaker or parental arrangement for their match. They had pledged themselves to each other in secret. Tobias had planned to petition Gideon for permission to marry Qiana once he returned. However, fate intervened during that fateful battle, and he never came back. Sebastian and Selena first saw Qiana on the day of their parents' and uncles' funerals.

Claiming to be Tobias' betrothed, she had come in plain mourning clothes, insisting on helping with the rites, but Gideon wouldn't allow it. Afterward, Qiana had come twice more, kneeling persistently at the gates of Elysian Pavilion. She declared that she belonged to the Campbell family in life, and would remain theirs still in death. She earnestly begged Gideon to allow her to stay in the household. Sebastian remembered clearly how heartbroken she had been, weeping as she said all she desired was to reside in Tobias' courtyard, to see the rooms he had once occupied, day and night.

That alone would satisfy her. However, Gideon ordered her to be removed from the premises. Twice she had been turned away, and Sebastian had not seen her since. He had assumed she had long since married and built ---- alife of her own. Yet now, here she was, still dressed as an unwed maiden, despite being well past the age considered suitable for marriage.