Provoking a Graceful Bloom Novel

---- Chapter 228 Selena had wanted to say something, but she suddenly noticed a trait in the Demon Lord that no one else seemed to see. When he felt anger rising, he would strive to persuade himself not to give in to it, to tame it, to cherish restraint. Such a temperament was exceedingly rare. Even she couldn't manage it. "Do you show such patience to everyone, Your Highness?" she asked. "Patience?" Nathaniel seemed unfamiliar with the word. What was patience? When people spoke of the Obsidian Monarch, words like ruthless, cruel, and bloodthirsty came to mind.

Yet, Selena thought of him as a patient person. Nathaniel's mood lightened. He lowered his gaze to the military treatise in her hands. "I've read that book. | can tell you whatever you wish to know." Selena glanced at him. "You've read it?" "Of course. I've studied countless military treatises, from ancient times to the present.

On days without battle at the Northern Frontier, | read when | wasn't training." ---- The days were tedious and dull, yet even the dreariest moments became worthwhile if Nathaniel thought of seeing his beloved upon his return to the capital "This one isn't particularly notable. | have the Warbringer Trilogy in my collection. Would you like to see it?" Nathaniel asked. "The Warbringer Trilogy?" Selena's eyes lit up, delight sparkling across her features. "Do you mean the Warbringer of the Fourteen Kingdoms?" "Exactly." "But weren't those three manuscripts once kept in the palace?

And then they vanished?" Selena had sent Frederick searching countless times, but he always returned empty-handed. Later, she had even inquired with Andrew, only to learn they were gone "Only three copies exist in the world, and they're irreplaceable. And of course, once | took them... they were gone," Nathaniel replied "What?" Selena sat up abruptly, glaring at him. "So, it was you!" This man was positively wicked! She had wanted only a glimpse. Just to see them once would ---- have been enough to satisfy her. Yet he was so greedy!

Reading them was not enough, he had to steal them away as well! Outrageous! "That which | love, | must possess," he said with a faint, self- satisfied smile. For example, Selena herself! "You scoundrel!" "So, do you wish to see it? If you truly desire it, you must beg this scoundrel. Otherwise, I'd rather burn it than let you lay eyes on it." "You wouldn't dare! His Majesty would have your head!" Selena snapped. Nathaniel really had some nerve! Wasn't he afraid of death? "Then, | shall flee back to the Northern Frontier. Let us see who dares come after me.

After all, the Northern Frontier is my stronghold," he replied without the slightest hint of fear. If one couldn't win, one should withdraw. The Warbringer Trilogy' military strategies taught the reader as much. A true man knew when to yield and when to press on "Don't worry. Before | flee, | shall knock you out and take you with me." ---- Nathaniel wasn't joking. Suddenly, Selena felt the weight of his seriousness. For the first time ina long while, she found herself truly scrutinizing the man beside her.

She looked up, intending only to study the expression in his gaze at that precise moment, but he had already leaned closer to glance at the military treatise in her hands. Her simple movement brought her forehead into contact with something soft. His lips. For a man so tall and formidable, his lips were unexpectedly soft. What startled her most was how her gaze, quite by accident, landed on his lips. In that instant, she found herself utterly captivated by their color. A delicate flush, pink and luminous, surpassing even the loveliest petals in beauty.

Selena had never imagined that a man's lips could appear so exquisite, more so even than a maiden's. Bright, vivid, and tempting. Suddenly, an irresistible impulse surged through her. She wanted nothing more than to press her lips to his.