Awakening Love: Reborn to Be His Duchess Chapter 251: Lessons, Then His Teasing

Elowen lowered her head and wrote fast, carefully listing every "don't" in her notebook, one after another.

Sylvia leaned in to peek. Elowen's pages were covered in tight, neat notes, and Sylvia could not help admiring her for it. Then Sylvia glanced at her own empty hands, still unsure what she was supposed to do with them, and a wave of embarrassment hit her.

Elowen seemed to notice Sylvia staring. She looked up and whispered, "You can copy mine later."

Sylvia nodded hard.

Cecilia chose that moment to speak, cutting off their side chat.

"A woman should keep her composure," Cecilia said evenly. "At the start, what matters is guiding, not demanding. Use small, casual touches, and a look that lingers, so you can pass the message between husband and wife without spelling it out. And when you're in bed, it should feel natural, like two people moving together."

She continued, not pausing. "You can respond on purpose to make it more enjoyable, but you need to know where the line is. Don't let it turn crude. You still need dignity."

Elowen listened, then raised her hand, genuinely puzzled. "Cecilia, I get the general idea, but once you're in bed, what are you actually supposed to do? What does 'natural' even mean?"

Cecilia's mouth curved into a knowing smile, but she did not answer directly. "That's hard to explain with words alone. You and Sylvia will need pictures."

She glanced toward the maid standing nearby.

The maid immediately understood. She stepped forward and presented two beautifully bound, thread stitched books with blank covers, placing one in front of Elowen and one in front of Sylvia.

"Now," Cecilia said, "turn to page five."

Elowen did as she was told and opened the book.

On the page was a delicate illustration in soft colors. Two figures were closely entwined, their clothing partly loosened. Nothing was graphic, but the posture and the expressions made the meaning unmistakable.

Elowen's mind went blank. Heat rushed up her neck, and her ears burned.

Cecilia acted as if she did not notice either of them freezing up. She continued, using the illustrations and speaking in a much more specific, blunt way.

Elowen stared, listened, and felt her thoughts float out of reach, like her head was buzzing too loud to hold anything steady.

When Cecilia finally reached the end, she summarized in a calm, matter of fact tone. "Moderation between husband and wife doesn't harm a woman. Done properly, it can even help keep you healthy and balanced."

She paused, glanced at their flushed faces, and let out a light laugh. "That's enough for today. Tomorrow, I'll go over methods related to conception."

A lesson that had lasted nearly an hour was finally over. When Elowen closed the book, her palms were damp.

She and Sylvia stood together, both red faced, and thanked Cecilia formally.

Elowen drew in a steadying breath and forced her voice to stay composed. "Thank you for today, Cecilia. Please rest. If you're missing anything you need, tell Cora."

Cecilia answered respectfully, "Of course. If you ever have questions later, you can ask me anytime."

Elowen managed a tiny, almost inaudible, "Mm."

By early evening, Cassian finally returned to the estate.

He looked like he had been out all day. Mud flecked the hem of his outer coat. Elowen stayed in the room and helped him change into a clean one.

They were close enough that she could catch a faint trace of cool air clinging to him.

Cassian lowered his gaze, watching Elowen as she focused on untying his belt. With clear amusement, he asked, "Cecilia came by today, Ella, how did it go? Did you learn anything?"

Elowen had spent the afternoon forcing herself back to normal. The second he asked, the images and Cecilia's words slammed back into her head.

Her face flared red all at once, the color spreading down her neck.

"A little," she mumbled, barely louder than a whisper.

Cassian lifted one eyebrow, unhurried, and pressed, "Oh yeah? What did she teach you?"

There was no way Elowen could repeat any of it out loud. She fumbled for a moment, then locked onto the muddy coat in her arms and shoved the conversation somewhere else. "Where did you even go today? How did you get this dirty?"

Cassian's gaze rested on her flushed face for a beat, then he let her take the exit. "I went outside the city to see someone, then I handled a few things. The ground was wet, and I got splashed."

"Oh. Then I'll take it out and have it washed." Elowen clutched his outer coat and turned as if she could escape the room with it.

Cassian caught her wrist. "Wait, Ella."

His eyes dropped to her red cheeks, and he smiled. "If you're already this shy, what are you going to do when we get to the hot springs?"

Elowen froze.

Before today, she would have missed it. After what Cecilia had taught, and after hearing Cassian say that, she understood all at once.

"We're going to the hot springs, so we have to...?"

She stopped mid sentence, the rest hanging in the air.

Neither of them needed her to finish.