Sold to My Killer Husband: His Concubine's Dilemma
Chapter 154: Bring in Elena.

Chapter 154: Bring in Elena.

A thin mist clung to the mountain pass as the trio reached what remained of Petra’s old watchpost, a crumbling stone structure buried in ivy and silence. Years ago, it had stood as the first checkpoint for trade. Now, it was home to little more than shadows.

Lucien halted his horse, dismounting with calculated grace. "Stay behind me," he instructed without turning.

Evelyne sat still, clutching the edge of her saddle. Liora followed quietly, her gaze drawn to the dark archway ahead half-broken and wrapped in vines.

Lucien drew his hood lower as he stepped into the clearing. A figure stirred near the fallen gate.

"You should have sent a hawk," the man said gruffly, stepping from behind the rubble. He was lean, sharp-featured, and wore the Petra badge upside down signaling no allegiance.

"I’d rather risk the road than parchment intercepted," Lucien replied.

The man studied him, then grinned. "Still cryptic as ever, Lord Blackthorne."

Liora stiffened, this was no ordinary border warden. Lucien didn’t offer names, but Liora guessed he had contacts even she wouldn’t recognize.

"We need information," Lucien said. "About the child Petra lost seventeen years ago. The one whose body was never found."

The man’s face changed instantly, his expression hardened.

"You sure you want to unearth that ghost?" he asked.

Lucien’s voice was calm but iron-willed. "I have to. If she’s alive, and if she was taken across the border, it changes everything."

Liora’s heart skipped. Seventeen years ago?

That would make the child... close to her age.

At the Royal palace

Court was in session earlier than usual. King Alden entered, draped in his formal robes of white and crimson, his steps heavier than normal. The great hall echoed with whispers as the nobles took their seats. Queen Dowager Lilian sat to his right, perfectly poised, expression unreadable.

Minister Thalos stepped forward, unrolling the new scroll of matters to be heard.

But before he could speak, Lord Renfield who was one of the elder councilmen, rose.

"Your Majesty," he began, "word has reached me that Prince Lucien has left his estate without formal announcement. He travels south, toward Petra."

A hush fell.

Alden’s brow twitched. "And why should his direction concern this court?"

Renfield continued, "Because he takes with him a woman discarded by a noble house and Evelyne Miral, who once served in the late King’s secret court."

The room stirred, some confused, others alarmed.

Lilian folded her hands. "If Prince Lucien is traveling without the crown’s consent, it may be worth asking why. Petra has remained quiet for years, but rumors whisper of stirrings at its border. Mercenaries, missing traders, vanishing patrols..."

She paused. "Perhaps the prince knows something we don’t."

Alden sat back, face stern. "Then let us not speculate. When Lucien returns, if he returns...we will ask him."

Lilian smiled slightly. "Of course. But until then, we should keep an eye on his estate."

The message was clear. Surveillance. Control.

Whispers resumed, cloaked in concern.

But Alden’s mind wandered not to Lucien’s absence, but to something far more dangerous.

A sealed letter had arrived that morning...from Petra.

And it bore a symbol not seen since the last war.

Lucien and Liora stood in the pale light filtering through the collapsed roof of the old watchpost. Vines curled across broken pillars; moss softened every stone. Behind them, Evelyne kept a quiet vigil, clutching her shawl around her.

The lean warden with the Petra badge inverted crossed his arms. His boots shifted on crumbled flagstones as he waited.

Lucien spoke first. "You said the child disappeared. Tell us everything you know."

The warden’s jaw clenched. "She was born at the southern hamlet outside Petra’s walls Elara of Miral. Daughter of Evelyne’s sister." He spat the words like a curse. "When she was three, the plague hit. The official story: she died. But I saw soldiers take her into the pass under orders from Petra House."

Liora swallowed. "Why would they take her?"

He glanced at Lucien, then back to her. "Because she bore a royal mark the Virelles crest. They claimed she threatened the treaty your ancestors signed."

Lucien’s hand tightened on his pommel. "My ancestors?"

The warden nodded. "They said, if the Miral line ever mingled with Virelles blood, the balance would tilt lead to war. They hid her. Raised her among Petra loyalists. Renamed her Elana Virelles."

Liora’s breath caught. "She was... she’s still alive?"

The warden shook his head. "That I don’t know. Some say she died in the orphanage. Others whisper she escaped. No proof either way. But those who searched... never returned."

Lucien’s face was pale under moonlight. "And the plume of supplies going missing from my estate... you think it was to provision that orphanage?"

The warden’s eyes darted. "Supposedly. But there were other shipments...books, scrolls, ammunition. The orphanage story was cover."

Liora pressed closer. "If she’s alive...how would we find her?"

The warden hesitated, glancing to the thick forest. "There’s a ledger kept in Petra’s southern archives listing children brought through here. If you get it, you’ll know the name she lived under. Then... follow the trail."

Lucien exchanged a look with Liora hope and dread mingling in his eyes. "We need that ledger."

The warden stepped aside. "I’ll guide you to a hidden cavity where I stashed a copy, years ago. But once you pass that border into Petra’s lands proper... you’re on your own."

Liora met Lucien’s gaze. He nodded, silently granting her the lead. "Show us."

Behind a moss-encrusted wall, the warden pried loose a flagstone. His fingers fished out a small, leather-bound volume edges frayed, cover etched with the same Virelles crest.

Liora’s heart thundered as she lifted it. The ledger’s pages were brittle, ink faded, but the names remained legible.

Elena was written there in Petra’s elegant script alongside dozens of other children, many with no origin listed. Each entry a story, a life erased.

As Liora traced the line with a trembling finger, Lucien spoke, voice low: "We take this to a safe place. Then we decide ....what to do with the truth."

Before they could move, the warden stiffened.

"Soldier patrol," he hissed. "They circle these ruins every fortnight. If they find me here ...."

A distant horn sounded through the pass, echoing against the rock.

Lucien drew his sword, its steel humming in the twilight. "They’ve come. We must leave now."

Liora slipped the ledger into her pack, followed Lucien back toward the broken gate. Evelyne fell in beside her, eyes bright with unshed tears.

As they mounted, the warden pressed a small pouch into Lucien’s hand. "For your journey south. Trust no one."

Lucien gave a curt nod and kicked his horse into a slow canter.

Behind them, the guard patrol emerged torches bobbing like restless fireflies. But the three slipped away down the shadowed trail, ledger and lives bound together in their saddlebags.

Night fell fully as they crossed back into the safety of the Blackthorne estate’s outer fields. The ledger, heavy with lost names, rested on Liora’s lap. Each page was a promise of justice or revenge.

Liora met Lucien’s eyes in the moonlight. "Once we have her name... what then?"

Lucien’s jaw set, resolve hardening in his gaze. "Then we bring Elena home. And we decide which legacy we honor the crown’s or the Miral’s."

Behind them, the estate’s towers rose into the sky silent witnesses to a truth that would no longer remain buried.

And as they rode on, the first tremors of a new reckoning quivered through Petra’s forgotten border.

The journey back had been long, and though none of them spoke much on the way, tension clung to their silence like fog. Liora still clutched the ledger close to her chest, her fingers trembling every time she felt its weight. Evelyne had barely said a word since they passed the border, and Lucien had ridden ahead for most of the trail, brooding in thought.

By the time they reached the estate gates, the moon had risen high, casting the manor grounds in pale light. Rowan and Samuel, who had been pacing at the entrance for hours, ran forward as they saw their master approach.

"My lord...what happened? We feared..." Rowan cut himself off, eyes darting to Liora, then the dirt-smudged ledger in her hands.

Lucien dismounted, tossing the reins toward Samuel. "We’ll talk inside. Wake no one. And make sure the guards are doubled tonight."

Rowan nodded, stepping aside quickly. Liora slid off her horse carefully, her knees weak from both fatigue and the weight of what they had uncovered. Evelyne said nothing and went straight into her wing, head low.

Once inside Lucien’s study, he lit a candle and motioned Liora to sit across from him. The room felt colder than usual.

"Open it," Lucien said quietly.

Liora did. Her hands worked quickly now, skimming past unfamiliar names until she reached the line she’d memorized already. Elena Virelles. Born during a storm. Delivered in secrecy. Last recorded sighting...Petra Orphanage, Year 311.

Lucien frowned. "No death record."

"No confirmation of life either," Liora murmured. "But she was taken because she might have been a threat. That means she’s important. They wouldn’t have killed her without ensuring no one could use her bloodline again."

Lucien’s jaw tightened. "Which makes her... what? A lost heir? A political pawn?"

Liora looked up. "Or a key. To something they never wanted revealed."

A knock came at the door. Rowan entered, this time with a folded parchment. "A letter, my lord. It came through the discreet courier. Marked with the royal seal."

Lucien unfolded it quickly. His eyes scanned the elegant, dangerous script.

"They’ve summoned me," he said.

Liora stiffened. "To the capital?"