Mated to My Intended's Enemy novel Chapter 100

Chapter 100: Chapter 100 Hidden Legacy

Victoria

Dawn painted the sky in hues of lavender and gold as I made my way through the dewy grass toward my mother’s garden. Despite the early hour, Leo walked silently beside me, his powerful presence both comforting and grounding. This would be my third visit to the garden since discovering my mother was alive, but today felt different—more urgent, more purposeful.

"You’re sure about this?" Leo asked, his voice low and gravelly from our sleepless night planning strategies.

I nodded, my fingers brushing against a fern that seemed to lean toward me as I passed. "The connection grows stronger each time. Yesterday I could almost hear her voice through the roses."

We reached the entrance to my mother’s sanctuary—a wrought iron archway now covered in morning glories that bloomed despite the early hour. The flowers seemed to pulse with a subtle blue light as I approached.

"They’re reacting to you," Leo observed, his voice tinged with awe.

"They remember me," I corrected softly. "And they remember her."

I squeezed Leo’s hand once before letting go, stepping through the archway alone. The garden embraced me immediately—vines reaching out like welcoming arms, flowers turning toward me like eager faces. The connection was so much stronger than yesterday, making my skin tingle with energy.

I made my way to the ancient moon laurel at the center of the garden—a tree said to be sacred to fairy kind. Its silver-backed leaves shimmered in the morning light, appearing almost liquid.

"I’m here," I whispered, placing both palms against its smooth bark. "Show me."

The response was immediate and overwhelming. Images flooded my mind—not fragmented impressions like before, but clear visions:

_My mother, younger and radiantly beautiful, dancing beneath this very tree in the moonlight. Silver energy flowing from her fingertips into the earth, making flowers bloom instantaneously around her bare feet._

_Elisabeth kneeling beside the laurel, her hands buried in the soil, whispering words in a language I didn’t recognize but somehow understood—a blessing for protection, a plea for the garden to remember._

_My mother cradling an infant—me—against her chest while pressing one hand to the laurel trunk. "Remember her," she whispered to the tree. "Remember my daughter’s essence. One day, she may need you."_

I gasped, pulling away from the trunk as tears streamed down my face. "She knew," I whispered, the realization hitting me like a physical blow. "Somehow she knew she might be taken from me."

From the corner of my eye, I saw Leo shift restlessly at the garden’s edge, clearly fighting the urge to come to me. I shook my head slightly, silently asking for more time.

Taking a deep breath, I moved to the rose bushes that had first connected me to my mother’s energy. They had multiplied since yesterday, their blooms larger and more vibrant than any natural roses should be.

"What are you trying to tell me?" I murmured, carefully touching one deep crimson bloom.

Instead of images, I felt an urgent pulling sensation—the roses wanted to guide me somewhere. I followed their direction, moving deeper into the garden toward a section I hadn’t explored before. The roses grew thicker here, forming an almost impenetrable wall around what appeared to be an ancient stone birdbath.

"The roses are protecting something," I called to Leo, who I could feel watching me intently.

"Be careful," he warned, his voice tense.

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