Provoking a Graceful Bloom のすべてのチャプター: チャプター 451 - チャプター 460

Nathaniel didn't hesitate. He found a cloak and wrapped it around Selena, then actually led her out the door without another word. They slipped away in secret. Not even Liam or Cloud were aware."Tranquil Estate?" Selena frowned as she read the bold letters above the gate. She looked up at the man beside her, astonished. "Why are we here?""Don't you dislike him?" Nathaniel's lips curved into a teasing smile. "What's the matter? Don't you want to give him a proper thrashing?""Give him... a thrashing?"Selena stared at him, certain she'd misheard. Was this really the monarch of the Northern Frontier speaking? This wasn't a game of pretend! And besides, Theodore was Nathaniel's brother. He wanted to beat up his own sibling?Before she could collect herself, Nathaniel told her, "Wait here."He sprang into motion with uncanny grace and instantly disappeared.Selena paused, letting her mind catch up. Was he really going to confront Theodore? But why leave her behind? She wanted to j

Nathaniel had buried quite a few bottles of wine in the backyard of his estate, but it had been so long that even he couldn't remember exactly where. The backyard was expansive. When he first chose the site, he had deliberately picked a spot with a hill at the back."It's only been five years, but the flowers and grass on this hill grow far too quickly. If Cloud hadn't had people tidy it up recently, the place would be overrun with weeds taller than you," he said.He paced it out himself and walked twenty steps from the old tree in the backyard. But after digging for quite a while, he still couldn't find even the outline of a wine bottle."Twenty steps back then?" Selena mused.Five years ago would have been before he went to the Northern Frontier. Back then, he hadn't even turned eighteen yet, though in truth he wasn't all that different from the man he was now. Still, his stride might have been a little shorter back then.What did Nathaniel look like at eighteen? Selena had seen

Selena had no idea how it started, only that things quickly spiraled out of control. Her mind was foggy, and when she finally regained some awareness, she realized she was lying beneath Nathaniel.They must have gotten down from the tree at some point, as she was now resting on the cloak that had once been on his shoulders. His face was buried in the hollow of her neck, his breaths ragged and uneven. Because he had paused, she had just enough clarity to think, or else she wouldn't have the faintest idea what they were doing.A spark misfired, and it had nearly…Selena's hands landed on his shoulders, ready to push him away, but his low, hoarse voice stopped her."Don't move."Those two words carried a restrained pain she couldn't begin to understand.She turned her face, suddenly at a loss for words. "What—"The body that was pressed against her burned like a living flame, the heat making her ache all over. Even more unnerving, with his head buried in her neck, each breath he dr

Selena understood. She had always known. Still, there had always been a stubborn ache in her heart.But hearing Nathaniel speak like that, she suddenly realized how utterly insignificant her resentment was. If Wilfred could treat his own son that way, what chance was there for her, a mere outsider?"Have you ever thought of becoming king?" she asked suddenly.Nathaniel lowered his gaze, studying her flushed face, pink from the wine. "Is that what you want for me?""If you were king, would you ever doubt the loyalty of your ministers?" Selena asked, but then laughed softly at herself.Which ruler in history could truly trust their ministers? A king without suspicion would hardly hold the throne for long."Then, become king, Nathaniel. If you are king, at least loyal and devoted soldiers will have a chance at a good future," she said.She didn't know how long she had been drinking, but a quiet, heavy feeling pressed on her heart. Eventually, her mind went blank and her body grew l

Philip fell to his knees with a loud thud, and the young lady behind him trembled as she sank to the floor beside him.At last, Theodore felt a surge of relief, a small release for the anger that had been building inside him all morning. After being dragged out and beaten up at dawn, his fury had yet to find an outlet. But his anger couldn't be soothed by simply punishing Philip.The ones who had struck him last night were not from the Lewis family. The more he thought about it, the more suspicious he grew. He felt like his assailants were people he knew, but for the moment, he couldn't quite put his finger on it.It seemed impossible. That laughter he heard sounded unmistakably like Nathaniel, but why would his brother attack him without cause? It simply made no sense."Your Majesty, I know I grievously wronged His Highness," Philip said from the floor, his voice full of misery. "My crime deserves death, but His Highness barged into my residence in the middle of the night and s-st