Provoking a Graceful Bloom Novel

---- Chapter 252 Sebastian's heart gave a violent jolt. "Assassins?" Selena nodded. "Yes. They were after me." "You're just one woman. Other than the Talmar sisters, who else would wish you harm? And those two have no real influence in the capital..." Sebastian frowned, thinking it through. Then, his hand clenched tightly. "Was it Lady Ruth?" "I have no proof, so it's hard to say. There may be others still in hiding, but if it was Lady Ruth, then the matter will be simpler to resolve," Selena replied.

Knowing that Sally should be returning soon, she looked up at her brother and added, "I'll take Aunt Qiana to see Grandpa. As the commander of the Dragon Sentinels, you're now responsible for the safety of the royal princes." "What is it you want me to do, Lena?" he asked. "Reassign your men and have them protect the Obsidian Monarch," she said as she turned and started toward the door. "Why?" Sebastian followed her, bewildered. "Is someone plotting against him?" "There are always those who would. Now that he's returned, ---- they'll come for him soon enough." She hesitated, then turned back.

"The black wolves in the royal hunting grounds were meant for Prince Nathaniel." Obsidian Estate was heavily guarded. As long as Nathaniel remained within its walls, there was little need for the Dragon Sentinels to keep watch. Still, Sebastian was their commander now. To do nothing would look negligent, so he had to act. After he left, Selena made her way to the rear courtyard. As expected, Sally was there with Qiana. At the sight of her, Qiana flushed, looking shy and uneasy. But Selena understood. Her shyness had little to do with unfamiliarity.

It was because of what they were about to do. "Lena, |... I'ma little worried," Qiana admitted softly as they approached Elysian Pavilion. Her steps faltered, her expression weighed down by memories. She had been turned away by Gideon on three separate occasions, each time more devastating than the last. As Qiana stepped into Elysian Pavilion once more, her heart quivered with unease, and each step she took felt unbearably heavy. Suddenly, a hand reached out, gently enclosing hers. "Once you see Grandpa, everything will become clear," Selena ---- said.

Qiana didn't understand what she meant, yet the moment her eyes fell upon the old duke, they immediately filled with tears. "You've come back, after all," Gideon murmured, his voice heavy with the weight of long-held emotion, yet beneath it lingered a note of relief. Qiana stood nearby, uncertain and hesitant. Her eyes were fixed on Selena, utterly bewildered by the meaning behind Gideon's words. "Aunt Qiana, since you've returned, shouldn't you offer Grandpa a cup of tea... and call him 'Father'?" Qiana's heart leapt, and her face drained of color.

"Father?" She had called him that countless times in her mind, yet never dared to speak it aloud That was because no one at the Duke of Blackmoor's household had ever acknowledged her. In Gideon's eyes, she was little more than a common girl who had taken liberties with Tobias outside the bounds of proper courtship. No one was willing to acknowledge her status, and no one held her in any esteem "Grandpa, at the Autumn Hunt, His Majesty himself acknowledged Aunt Qiana as the third lady of our family.

Perhaps you should clarify a few things with her, lest she spend ---- her life in sorrow," said Selena. Qiana glanced back at her, then up at Gideon, her heart fluttering with a mix of hope and trepidation. Could it be that he had sent her away all those times for reasons other than anger? Gideon regarded Qiana with a gaze full of complexity. At last, he sighed, a sound heavy with both weariness and resignation. "Lonly wished to spare you a lifetime of suffering," he said