Chapter 510: Chapter-510
"It’s a piece of Sun-Vein Jade from the extreme southern volcanic ridges," Samuel explained quietly, his gaze fixed on her face. "It is incredibly rare. When worn against the skin, it naturally regulates the body’s internal temperature and forces the meridians to remain open and flowing."
Heena’s breath hitched slightly.
He had gone into the merchant district to find something that would specifically prevent her meridians from locking up again. He had played along with her ridiculous "strength tonic" lie, but he had bought her a medical artifact designed to treat the violent, convulsive symptoms he had witnessed earlier.
Heena looked down at the delicate-looking object nestled in the velvet box. It wasn’t a pendant, but a sleek, faintly glowing bangle.
"I don’t wear bracelets, you know," Heena said flatly, pulling her hand back. "Whenever I wear them, I end up in a fight, and they immediately shatter into a dozen pieces. It is a tactical hazard."
Hearing that, Samuel smiled like a particularly proud rooster. He looked entirely too pleased with himself.
"Of course I know that," Samuel said smoothly, his eyes gleaming with triumph. "I knew exactly what you were going to say. That is precisely why I brought this specific one."
He picked the bangle out of the box. It caught the dim candlelight, shimmering with an ethereal, icy blue hue.
"This is forged from an Aura Stone," Samuel explained, his tone shifting into something a bit more serious. "It is an incredibly rare mineral not found anywhere near the capital. It is notoriously hard to acquire, but it is as durable as military-grade steel. You could punch a hole through a stone wall, and this bangle wouldn’t even scratch."
He held it out toward her, the faint blue light reflecting in his dark eyes.
"And not only is it unbreakable, but it naturally purifies the aura and air immediately surrounding the wearer," Samuel continued. "If someone were to slip a gaseous poison into this room, this stone would neutralize it before it even reached your lungs. It is exceptionally good for your health. So, I brought it."
Heena stared at the glowing stone, her tactical mind instantly calculating its worth on the black market. "Isn’t that expensive? Like, even with my limited knowledge of jewelry, I can tell that thing is mega expensive."
Samuel looked at her with a stark, entirely unapologetic expression. "Of course it is. I am going to marry my wife, so I need to give her something worthy of a bride price, right?"
Heena was completely speechless. She opened her mouth to argue, but the sheer, brazen confidence of his logic left her without a single counterattack.
"Yeah... right," she muttered, finally giving up.
She reached out and let him slide the Aura Stone bangle onto her wrist. The moment the cool metal touched her skin, her eyes widened. It was incredible. A distinct, refreshing coolness instantly seeped into her veins, completely washing away the lingering, heavy heat of the medical collapse. It felt as if her entire body was taking a deep breath of crisp winter air.
A small, genuine smile broke through her exhausted expression as she looked at the bangle.
.
.
.
At Dawn...
In the quiet, pre-dawn shadows of the estate courtyard, Heena stood perfectly still, watching the unmarked, reinforced carriage slip out through the heavy iron gates.
Her grandmother was inside, disguised and carrying a small fortune in travel funds, heading straight for the southern province to secure a substitute heir. It was a flawless, highly classified mission. But Heena knew the treacherous political landscape of the capital better than anyone. The Emperor’s spies were everywhere, lurking in the alleyways, posing as street sweepers, and watching the estate from distant rooftops. If they caught even a hint of the elderly matriarch leaving the city, the imperial cavalry would be dispatched to intercept her before she even crossed the first provincial border.
If Heena wanted her grandmother to vanish completely, she needed to blind the spies.
’’If you want to hide a moving shadow,’’ Heena thought, a dangerous, calculating smirk curving her lips, ’’you need to shine a blinding spotlight directly into the enemy’s eyes.’’
She needed to cause a massive, unforgivable ruckus. And in a highly conservative, patriarchal society governed by strict aristocratic etiquette, what could possibly cause a bigger scandal than a high-ranking noblewoman wildly riding a warhorse through the capital streets at dawn?
"Bring me the black warhorse," Heena commanded, turning to the stable master.
Ten minutes later, instead of returning to her bedchambers to rest, Heena vaulted into the leather saddle of the massive, purebred beast. She wore no heavy silks, no restrictive corsets, and no elaborate hairpins. She was dressed in sleek, dark riding leathers, her long hair pulled back into a strict, high ponytail.
She grabbed the reins, gave the beast a sharp kick, and shot out of the estate gates like a bat out of hell.
### ’’The Goddess of War’’
Technically, riding horses at a full gallop through the inner capital streets was strictly forbidden. But Heena didn’t care. She didn’t head for the merchant district; she steered the warhorse directly toward the most elite, high-profile neighborhood in the city.
She aimed straight for the grand sporting grounds located just outside the Prime Minister’s sprawling estate.
It was a vast, meticulously maintained field where the elite noblemen, military commanders, and ambitious young scholars gathered every morning to practice archery, spar, and ride. It was an exclusively male domain, a place for political networking disguised as morning exercise.
As Heena tore down the cobblestone streets, the freezing, crisp morning air whipped violently against her face. The sheer speed jolted her fully awake, flushing her pale cheeks with vibrant color. A bright, genuine smile broke across her face.
She loved this. Despite all the horrific, brutal aspects of this ancient era, the unbridled freedom of riding a magnificent beast at full speed was an absolute thrill that her modern life could never replicate. She felt completely alive, the steady thrum of the Aura Stone bangle on her wrist keeping her body perfectly energized.
With a thunderous clatter of hooves, Heena violently breached the perimeter of the grand sporting grounds.
She didn’t slow down. She pulled the reins, guiding the massive black horse into a breathtaking, high-speed lap around the perimeter of the field. Dust kicked up into the dawn light, catching the golden rays of the rising sun.
The entire field froze.
Young noblemen who had been in the middle of push-ups collapsed onto the grass. Arrogant scholars dropped their practice swords. They stared in absolute, unblinking shock. With her dark leathers contouring to her agile frame, her hair whipping in the wind, and her flawless, lethal control over the terrifying warhorse, Heena looked utterly mesmerizing. To the younger generation, it was like looking at the literal, descended Goddess of War.
Outside the fences, early-morning carriages carrying noblewomen abruptly halted. Silk curtains were hastily pulled back as ladies peeked out, their faces flushing crimson. Some covered their mouths, instantly whispering about the sheer scandal and disrespect of a woman invading the men’s grounds, while others watched with hidden, undeniable envy.
But the older, conservative men—the high-ranking ministers and traditional aristocrats—reacted exactly as Heena had calculated.
Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!
Use arrow keys (or A / D) to PREV/NEXT chapter