Sold to My Killer Husband: His Concubine's Dilemma
Chapter 149: Beatrice alert the concubines

Chapter 149: Beatrice alert the concubines

Liora instinctively stepped away from Caldrin’s side.

"Master Lucien," she said with a light bow.

Caldrin turned and nodded respectfully. "My lord. Your assistant was just showing me the chambers. You’ve kept the old storage system intact, I see."

Lucien’s expression did not shift. His eyes scanned the space between the two of them, not so much curious as calculating.

"Efficient, isn’t she?" he said, walking in, his gaze fixed on Liora now. "Always eager to explain things... especially to strangers."

Liora tensed but kept her posture neutral.

Caldrin, unfazed, only replied, "It helps to learn from those who’ve worked within these walls longer than I have."

Lucien’s lips quirked. "Perhaps. But not everything of value is visible on the surface. Remember that."

Caldrin inclined his head. "Of course."

Lucien turned to Liora then and spoke a little more pointedly. "If you’re finished here, I’ll need a word."

She nodded, quietly excusing herself from Caldrin before following Lucien out into the corridor.

Once the door closed behind them, Lucien stopped walking.

"That man," he said sharply, "you just met him."

"Yes."

"And you’re already handing him the estate’s entire herbal system?"

Liora blinked, trying to steady her voice. "He’s a physician. You brought him here."

"I brought him for observation. Not for companionship."

Liora stiffened. "I didn’t know talking counted as betrayal now."

Lucien narrowed his eyes, then turned abruptly, walking ahead. "Tread lightly, Liora. Not everyone in this estate is who they say they are."

She stared at his back.

"Are you?"

Lucien paused at that.

Then, without turning around, he answered quietly, "That’s for you to decide."

Lucien’s footsteps faded down the corridor, leaving Liora standing alone, her hands curled into fists by her sides. His words replayed in her mind cold, sharp, and unsettling. But it wasn’t anger that welled up in her. It was confusion.

What was she supposed to do? She hadn’t flirted, hadn’t stepped out of line. And yet, one look from him made her feel as if she’d crossed an invisible boundary.

She returned to the apothecary, her expression more guarded now.

Caldrin had resumed sorting a small pile of scrolls.

When he saw her return, he asked, "Was I being too familiar?"

Liora shook her head. "No. He’s just... particular."

Caldrin smiled faintly but didn’t press. "I’ve worked with men like him before."

Liora glanced at him curiously.

He paused, then said, "I was part of a medical corps on the western borders. Served for two years before I was summoned to Petra’s capital."

"Then why here?"

"I volunteered. Too much noise in Petra. Too many people pretending to be someone else." He looked at her with unsettling clarity. "At least here, you know who has power."

Liora didn’t answer, but she made a mental note that he spoke like a man with secrets. And somehow, Lucien’s warning started making a little more sense.

That evening, the estate turned quieter. The winds had picked up, clouds crawling low, like the sky itself was brooding.

In the western wing, Lucien sat by a carved oak table in his private quarters, the envoy’s map laid out before him once again.

Rowan entered, carrying two sealed documents.

"The Petra council is sending a delegate," Rowan said.

Lucien didn’t look up. "When?"

"Seven days. They’re calling it a routine inspection."

Lucien scoffed. "There’s nothing routine about a surprise visit from Petra’s upper court."

Rowan nodded. "And there’s something else."

He placed a parchment on the table, stamped with a sigil that neither Lucien nor Rowan liked to see. House Andral.

Lucien finally looked up.

"Why are they involved?"

"Because the Petra council is pulling strings. I believe someone’s been feeding them selective information."

Lucien’s jaw tightened. "Let me guess. Our estate being too quiet, too efficient... No complaints from the concubine, no scandal, no rebellion. They don’t like when things go unnoticed."

"And perhaps," Rowan said carefully, "they’re wondering why the discarded prince still holds loyalty from some ministers."

Lucien pushed his chair back.

"Fine," he muttered. "We’ll give them a performance then."

Meanwhile, back in the servant quarters, Liora lit a single lamp near her bed. The wind rattled the shutters.

She pulled her grandmother’s locket from beneath her collar and opened it, staring at the faded sketch inside ...a woman’s face half-burnt away from years of wear. Her mother’s.

Her thoughts tangled... Lucien’s behavior, Caldrin’s calm interest, the growing stir within the estate. But above all, a worry had begun to curl in her chest like smoke.

Was she simply part of a larger game? And if so... who had written the rules?

By dawn, the estate had changed.

Messengers had been dispatched before sunrise, cleaning crews doubled, and guards repositioned along the outer grounds. Even the usually quiet stables saw the flicker of lanterns before daybreak. The scent of urgency was thick in the air.

Lucien stood near the balcony of the war chamber, his sharp eyes observing the guards lining the outer wall.

Rowan entered swiftly, carrying a list.

"They’re bringing twelve delegates," he announced. "Including a representative from House Andral and Petra’s Third Magistrate...Lord Kaelis."

Lucien raised an eyebrow. "Kaelis? The golden lapdog of the High Circle?"

"Unfortunately. And he’s not alone. They’re bringing... a new physician."

Lucien’s jaw ticked. "Another?"

Rowan hesitated. "A royal-certified herbalist. A woman this time. Apparently, she’s here to assist Lord Caldrin in evaluating the concubine’s condition."

Lucien narrowed his eyes. "There’s no reason for them to be interested in Liora unless someone’s trying to..."

"...verify her worth, or invalidate it," Rowan finished grimly.

There was a pause.

Then Lucien said coldly, "Let them come."

Elsewhere, Liora was tying her hair into a loose braid when a knock came.

Tessa entered with wide eyes and a scroll clutched in her hand.

"Milady..."

"I’ve told you not to call me that," Liora said gently.

"But Lady Layla said the Petra delegates are coming. And they’ll be inspecting all the concubines. Even those marked ’unfit.’"

Liora’s hands froze.

"Why would they want to inspect me?"

Tessa whispered, "Word has it, one of the women in the court believes you’re a threat."

Liora blinked. "A threat?"

Tessa nodded, then hesitated. "And someone... someone said the king might take you under royal review."

Liora stood slowly, her lips parting in disbelief.

That didn’t make sense. She wasn’t of noble birth. She wasn’t even truly a concubine, not in the traditional sense. So why now?

She thought of Lucien’s words.

"Not everyone in this estate is who they say they are."

Perhaps that included her.

By mid-morning, a light rain fell over the cobbled path leading to the estate gates.

The Petra delegation arrived in full ceremonial splendor, banners of deep crimson and gold fluttering behind them, their carriages gleaming through the mist. The lead envoy, Lord Kaelis, stepped down first. His golden cloak shimmered, but his eyes were cold.

Behind him, a tall woman emerged dressed not in finery, but in functional dark robes. Her posture was elegant but quiet, her eyes scanning the estate with unreadable focus.

"This must be the infamous discarded palace," she said softly.

Kaelis smirked. "And we are here to weigh whether it still deserves a roof."

Inside the manor, Lucien turned to Samuel.

"Ready the court chamber. Have Beatrice alert the concubines."

Samuel bowed. "And the girl?"

Lucien’s eyes flickered.

"Let her prepare. If they’re coming to dismantle what I’ve built... they’ll at least know it won’t break quietly."

The main court chamber was opened for the first time in weeks. Red banners were swapped with neutral ivory drapes. Guards stood tall at every pillar, their armor glinting faintly in the filtered daylight. The atmosphere was tense, heavy like a storm held at bay only by protocol.

Lucien sat at the far end of the court hall, elevated by three short steps, flanked by Rowan and Samuel.

On the opposite end, the Petra delegation entered with slow, deliberate strides. Lord Kaelis was the first to speak.

"Prince Lucien," he began, voice smooth but laced with ice, "your invitation to allow Petra access into the estate is... appreciated."

"It wasn’t an invitation," Lucien replied coolly. "It was compliance. You insisted."

Kaelis smiled tightly. "Nonetheless."

Behind him, the female herbalist stepped forward. Her eyes scanned Lucien for a heartbeat, then passed over Rowan and Samuel, before settling somewhere in the distance as if reading the walls.

"I am Elira Saenne," she introduced herself. "Third Daughter of House Saenne. Royal Physician in Petra’s medical order."

Lucien gave her a short nod.

"And why is a royal physician traveling with political envoys?"

Elira met his eyes calmly. "Because I’ve been asked to assess claims made by Lady Beatrice in private reports to the High Circle."

Beatrice, standing among the attending matrons, immediately lowered her gaze. She had indeed written to Queen Dowager Lilian about Liora’s medicinal interference with Cecilia, and her lack of credentials. But she hadn’t expected it to travel so high up the court chain.

Lucien’s voice dropped lower. "Assess what exactly?"