Provoking a Graceful Bloom Novel

---- Chapter 258 For a fleeting moment, Selena felt completely disoriented. She quickly looked away and took a deep breath, trying to calm the sudden rush of emotion. "Why force yourself to suppress what you feel, if your heart is not at peace?" Nathaniel suddenly leaned closer, his eyes fixed on her face. "Lena, you do have feelings for me." Selena gasped, startled. "No!" She pulled her hand away and instinctively looked up, but he was far too close. Her forehead brushed against his lips, which were soft and warm, carrying a subtle, almost intoxicating scent that made her heart pound.

Selena drew in a sharp breath and stepped back several paces." Nathaniel-" "You only call me by my name when your heart is flustered," he said, a faint, teasing smile on his lips. "And now that you've seen my face, have you been captivated?" "Your Highness, aren't you being a bit presumptuous?" she replied. He said those words with such a straight face, as if he felt no shame at all! ---- He leaned back against the headboard, his gaze steady on her, a flicker of mischief dancing in his eyes. "Too many women have been enchanted by my appearance. You're not the first, Lena. No need to be shy.

Even if you admitted it, | wouldn't laugh at you." Selena frowned and shot him a glare. "So, do you mean that many women have confessed to you?" "Yes," he admitted with a nod. For a moment, she couldn't tell whether he was serious or teasing. Then, another question came to mind. "If your face is unharmed, why wear the mask all this time? Everyone says you were disfigured during the Northern Frontier battle, and | even carried guilt over it for years-" "Isn't that perfect?" Nathaniel's lips curved into a deeper smile. " Since you feel guilty, why not make amends...

with your own heart?" "But your face is perfectly fine, Your Highness. You've been deceiving everyone all along. Then, why do people think your face is ruined?" Selena asked, curiosity outweighing any anger. "| never spread the story that | was disfigured. All these rumors are just people's imagination running wild," he replied. "Then, why wear a mask all this time?" she asked again, ---- frowning If his face weren't ruined, why wear such an unsightly mask for so many years? Nathaniel's expression grew serious. "In my army, there are many women warriors.

The Northern Frontier is different from here. Most of the young women there are formidable, able to fight on the battlefield alongside men." He paused, then continued with a hum of amusement, "But even those warriors would sometimes lose themselves just staring at my face. Do you think I'm joking, Selena?" Selena had wanted to laugh at first. After all, anyone who could say such things aloud was either joking or excessively vain. But Nathaniel's expression remained calm. He even frowned slightly at the memory and gave a soft snort, as if annoyed by the subject itself. He was serious!

He was telling the truth! The sheer honesty of it sent a tremor through Selena's chest. Such a thing was truly unheard of. "So, you wore the mask just to let them focus on their duties?" she asked. "Not entirely. It wasn't only for their sake. | realized that wearing it spared me countless headaches. Gradually, fewer young ---- women sent letters or tried to approach me." It was likely because everyone believed the story of his ruined face. "Thus, life became simpler. The mask stayed, and the rumor spread across all of Aurensia," he added.