Provoking a Graceful Bloom Novel

Chapter 57 Frederick was doing his best to hold back . He was no rash youth anymore , and he knew better than to let his temper rule him . Reckless words would only make matters worse . " Lena , despite the misunderstandings between us , we've known each other for many years . I didn't come here to quarrel . Can't we speak civilly for once ? " The truth was , he still disliked her deeply . Her vicious and cruel schemes had harmed the two people he cared for most. Even so , Frederick prided himself on separating personal grievances from matters of greater importance .

Jealousy and old wounds could wait . " The Obsidian Monarch now commands the Northern Frontier . He has three hundred thousand soldiers on record , and no one knows how many unofficial troops are under his control . What we do know is that the entire region now answers to him . " That place is vast and shrouded in mystery . Neither you nor I truly understand the full extent of it . The Southern Frontier battle was already a nightmare . But the Northern Frontier ? It's ten times more perilous . And yet , he managed to reclaim it all .

" Frederick thought even that alone should tell Selena just how powerful Nathaniel had become . " And yet , when the Obsidian Monarch returned to the capital , he brought not one soldier from the frontier . Not a single regiment . He only brought back part of his personal army - eighteen elite riders from the borderlands and the three thousand elite guards he took from the royal garrison years ago , " he added . Selena wasn't the kind of woman to play coy or feign innocence . The truth was , even she couldn't quite guess what Nathaniel intended .

" To be fair , his current actions don't suggest any obvious scheme . And if it comes down to force , you still hold a sizable command just outside the city . In numbers alone , your forces outnumber his personal army by ten to one , " she replied calmly . Frederick didn't respond at once . Because that was the part he couldn't make sense of either . All the princes had their own forces to command . While their main armies were stationed at border outposts , each prince also maintained a garrison near the capital .

These numbers were modest - never more than twenty or thirty thousand men - but enough to serve as a formidable personal army . The king tacitly allowed this arrangement , as those troops were tasked with defending the capital in times of crisis . But to keep the balance of power , Wilfred forbade all princes from bringing their troops into the capital itself . As such , each garrison was stationed at fortresses just outside the city walls . If called upon , they could return in half a day at best , never longer than a full day .

It wasn't just Frederick who commanded such a force - his brothers each had garrisons of their own as well . Among them , the Obsidian Monarch wielded the greatest power by far . But his strength was concentrated entirely at the Northern Frontier . Of the forces he led there , only three thousand of his personal army had returned to the capital with him . That was what puzzled Frederick . If Nathaniel truly intended something , why come back with so few men ? He suspected the other princes were just as puzzled . No one knew what Nathaniel was truly planning . Frederick met Selena's eyes .

" The more I can't make sense of it , the more terrifying the Obsidian Monarch 1/2 Chapter 57 +25 BONUS becomes . Lena , we've known each other for years . We both understand what we mean to one another . If you won't stand with me now , are you truly planning to join forces with that secretive and unpredictable prince ? R " Mark my words , you're playing with fire . In the end , you'll be burned and be left with nothing but ashes . ' Selena knew that the Campbell Regiment still numbered a hundred thousand strong .

If those troops fell under Nathaniel's control , it would greatly strengthen his forces . " We can only stand against him if we join forces . Otherwise , he'll pick us off one by one , and we'll be left without so much as a grave . I hope you won't be too stubborn , Lena , " Frederick added . Selena pursed her lips and said nothing . Sally , who had been quietly waiting at her mistress ' side , muttered , " Your Highness already has someone else by your side . How do you expect to join forces with my lady ? " Selena shot her a sharp glance . " Sally .

" Sally pouted but held her tongue , though she couldn't quite swallow her resentment . Frederick had clearly been thinking about that exact question . Hearing Sally say that , he finally spoke the words he'd been holding back . " You went to such lengths to stir up a storm across the city . Wasn't it all just to make everyone believe that and I have already been intimate ? " you He lowered his gaze , hesitating for a moment before continuing , " If that's the case , then we'll marry as planned . But I promised Fey that we would wed on the same day .

And for at least three years after , I will not touch you . "