Provoking a Graceful Bloom のすべてのチャプター: チャプター 431 - チャプター 440

Selena took the silver needle from Sally's hand, and in full view of everyone, pierced it into the steaming roast lamb.She moved in an unhurried manner, then raised her head to meet Kiera's gaze. She smiled and said, "I am the deputy commander of the Dragon Sentinels. My duty is overseeing the safety of the royal family in the capital, so I naturally take care in all that I do. It's merely a habit, Madam Moone. I hope you will forgive me."Selena proceeded to test all the dishes with the needle. Finding nothing amiss, she instructed Sally to put it away.Raising an eyebrow, she said, "Madam Moone, might you care to sit and have a cup of tea with me?"Kiera only offered her a smile. "I've simply never seen a guest behave in such a manner, so my curiosity got the better of me. I won't disturb your meal any further, my lady. Please enjoy."With another polite smile directed at Selena, she turned and returned to her other guests.Sally exhaled in relief. Yet, as she thought about it

In the end, Sebastian chose to tell Lilia himself. As he had feared, she was so heartbroken upon hearing the news that she nearly fainted. It wasn't until Selena arrived and administered a calming treatment that her emotions began to settle.Lilia reached out blindly until her fingers caught Sebastian's sleeve. She tried to keep her face composed, but her hands were shaking uncontrollably."I don't want to marry Prince Theodore. Sebastian, please think of something. I can't marry him. I… I've met Theodore before. He isn't a good man, he's cruel!" the princess pleaded.A tight ache bloomed in Sebastian's chest, and he curled his fingers around hers without thinking.Lilia grasped his hand in return. "Sebastian…""I'll find a way," he said.But he couldn't promise her anything. Behind him stood the Duke of Blackmoor's household and the entire Campbell Regiment. If it were only his own life at stake, he would have taken her and disappeared to the ends of the earth. But he couldn't.

Sebastian received Theodore in the hall. However, the prince's expression was far from friendly. He looked at Sebastian with nothing but cold disdain.Cup after cup of tea was poured and drunk, but Lilia still did not appear.Finally, Theodore lost his temper. "General Campbell, I've long heard of your involvement with Princess Lilia. Having admired her myself, I have no desire to judge her character unfairly. Yet you continue to prevent me from seeing her. Do you intend to keep her imprisoned in your estate?"He slammed his cup on the table, fury flashing in his eyes. "Just because Princess Lilia's eyes are ruined, you feel free to mistreat her? General Campbell, your audacity knows no bounds!""Princess Lilia is unwell, and Lena is caring for her. I've had messages delivered, but whether she chooses to see you is not something I can control, Your Highness," Sebastian said evenly.His face remained impassive, but thoughts of the unfortunate girls rumored to have suffered at Theod

Selena pressed her lips together, looking slightly troubled. After a brief hesitation, she spoke in a gentle voice, "Y-yes. As long as you take your medicine faithfully, you'll recover in time, Your Highness."Anyone with eyes could see that her words were meant only to comfort Lilia. But unable to see, the princess believed Selena wholeheartedly.Lilia turned toward Theodore with a pleading smile. "Your Highness, you hear that? Lena says I will get better."Theodore had no desire to hear anything from her. This... creature before him, saying even a single word, felt like a stain on his presence.He waved a hand. "I understand. Take Princess Lilia to rest at once.""But there is still so much I want to say to you, Your Highness," Lilia protested, a flicker of unease in her voice.It was obvious she was reluctant to leave."Princess Lilia, there's an old saying that a young lady shouldn't spend too much time with her future husband before marriage, lest it bring ill fortune," Sel

Selena moved with practiced grace, following closely behind Kiera. Once they left the busy streets, the latter turned onto a narrow path and quickened her pace. Within moments, all that remained behind her was a trail of dust.Her full, rounded figure seemed oddly weightless in the wind. One moment, she looked plump, and the next, strangely lean, as though a second body hid beneath her clothes, shifting shape with every stride.She rode hard from the bustling avenues all the way to the capital's most secluded corner, where the streets had none of the city's usual bustle. Few people wandered this far. It was near the outskirts, where trees and flowers began to dot the streets, though still within the capital.Kiera spurred her horse onward, soon entering a dense thicket of woods. Beyond the trees lay the area near the city wall, a place so still and remote it might as well have been outside the capital. It was the perfect corner for secrets.She didn't stop until she reached a small