Provoking a Graceful Bloom Novel

---- Chapter 257 Selena felt an instant headache throb behind her temples. Pitiful? The Demon Lord? Hardly. Nathaniel was a man without mercy, one who spared no one in his path. The only reason Sebastian felt sympathy was because his heart was far too big. The Obsidian Monarch, pitiful? Not a soul would believe it. Their carriage soon pulled up to the rear gate of Obsidian Estate, but Selena abruptly said, "Go to the front gate." Sebastian's eyes widened. "The front gate?" Going to see the Obsidian Monarch this late at night, and through the main entrance? Wasn't that asking for trouble?

"Lam now the deputy commander of the Dragon Sentinels. The matter concerns Prince Nathaniel's safety. | have business with His Highness and will speak openly and plainly. Let anyone whisper if they dare," said Selena. So, the carriage rolled smoothly to the grand front gates of Obsidian Estate. Selena stepped out, self-assured and composed, and passed through the gates without hesitation. Everything about her stance and manner was open and unreserved. ---- That sense of composure lasted only until she heard Nathaniel speak.

The moment his words reached her, every ounce of her confidence seemed to vanish. "Were you off visiting that other man instead of me? Lena, you're so unfair! I'll go complain to Lord Gideon at once!" Cloud nearly dropped to his knees in shock. Before his legs could give way, Liam yanked him up with a firm grip and unceremoniously tossed him outside. The door closed behind them, leaving even Liam standing in the courtyard. Selena merely gave Nathaniel a cool, assessing glance, then set down her medicine chest. "You wish me to give you a checkup, Your Highness?" she asked lightly.

Nathaniel blinked, slightly surprised. "You even know medicine?" "Didn't you send people to investigate my past?" Selena retorted, shooting him a sharp look. Nathaniel snorted. "! didn't even know you were a martial arts prodigy, so how could | have learned that you are well versed in medicine? Did you study it at the Southern Frontier?" As a child, Selena spent a portion of every year at the Southern Frontier, always staying for at least three months at a time. ---- Later, after accompanying Sebastian on military campaigns, her visits grew shorter.

But whenever the opportunity arose, she would return to the estate of her maternal grandfather, Adrian Smith, for a brief visit. The Smith residence at the Southern Frontier was a place entirely beyond the reach of Nathaniel's men. This was not a testament to Selena's grandfather's power, but because several reclusive masters lived within the estate, making it impossible for spies to approach. Moreover, the Smith household was not a matter of concern for Nathaniel's investigations. There was no need to probe or interfere, for doing so would only leave a poor impression on Adrian.

So, Nathaniel never looked into Selena's time at the Southern Frontier. He neither inquired, investigated, or interfered. As Selena approached the bed, Nathaniel immediately extended his hand, rolling up his sleeve with surprising willingness. She couldn't help a faint, amused smile, though her expression remained mostly calm. "Your Highness, you look well enough already. |s it really necessary for me to check your vitals?" "You are here, so | naturally feel better," he said matter-of-factly. Selena shot him a sidelong glance, then placed her long fingers lightly on his wrist.

As she began to check his vitals, she remarked, "I've heard that you're a man of few words, distant ---- and cold toward everyone. Yet the man before me is entirely different. Are you truly the Obsidian Monarch?" Nathaniel sighed, a sound filled with reluctant exasperation. He lowered his gaze to her delicate, fair face. "Lena, you treat me with such reserve. If | were silent and withdrawn in return, we would never be able to get along." Selena froze, then looked up. For a moment, she inadvertently met the depth of his eyes. He was serious.

He was a man accustomed to cold detachment and inscrutable composure, but was deliberately trying to be cheerful and open, all for the sake of getting along with her. Was he doing all of it just for her?