Awakening Love: Reborn to Be His Duchess Chapter 380: The Visit

"Are you even listening to me?" Elowen leaned forward to look at him, seeing that he had remained focused on helping her with her shoes.

"I'm listening," Cassian said as he looked up.

He admitted easily, "You're right. I should have thought of that. Next year I'll wake you earlier."

Elowen gave a small huff, satisfied enough to let the matter go.

"Then let's hurry and get ready. We need to reach the palace as soon as possible."

Even though they moved quickly, by the time the carriage from Duskmoor Manor reached the palace gates, the morning was already well underway.

Cassian continued maintaining the appearance of his injured leg and remained seated in his wheelchair.

Elowen guided the chair as they entered the grand audience hall.

They offered their greetings toward the dais where Theodric was seated.

Cassian spoke first.

"I have come with my wife, Elowen Hale, to offer greetings. I wish Your Majesty health and prosperity in the year ahead."

Elowen followed respectfully. "Elowen offers her greetings as well. May Your Majesty enjoy enduring health and long life."

"Good. Good."

Theodric acknowledged them, though his expression did not look particularly lively. Compared with the banquet, he seemed noticeably more tired.

Cassian noticed it immediately. "Did Your Majesty sleep poorly last night?"

Theodric rubbed his brow and let out a heavy sigh.

"Poorly would be an understatement. I spent the entire night trapped in a ridiculous nightmare."

Elowen sat quietly in her chair and stole a curious glance at him.

What kind of nightmare has him this shaken?

Cassian asked, "What did Your Majesty dream about?"

Leaning back in his chair, Theodric spoke slowly.

"You know that I arranged your marriage. I also arranged the marriage between the young heir of Falconcrest Manor and Sylvia. And there are several other matches I won't bother listing."

Cassian raised an eyebrow. "Arranging marriages that bring people happiness sounds like a good thing. How does that become a nightmare?"

Theodric's expression turned complicated, almost irritated.

"That's what I thought too. But last night I dreamed that centuries from now, people would give me some ridiculous title."

He paused. "They called me the Emperor of Arranged Marriages."

Cassian looked momentarily stunned. Elowen blinked in confusion. Neither of them reacted immediately.

Theodric continued, clearly frustrated.

"Think about it," Theodric continued. "Other rulers leave their names in history. Their tombs lie in the royal crypt, honored by generations. Some even have statues raised in their memory, or chapels built where people come to pay their respects."

He gave a faint snort.

"But me? In that dream I ended up as some sort of ridiculous patron of marriages. People were lining up in front of my statue, praying for me to find them husbands and wives. Tell me honestly. Does that sound dignified?"

The image was so absurd that Elowen found herself momentarily speechless.

Yet the more she thought about it, the more it made sense.

Since ascending the throne, Theodric really had arranged quite a remarkable number of marriages.

Even among the people she personally knew, several couples owed their unions to him.

The title, strangely enough, suited him rather well.

The thought made the corners of Elowen's mouth twitch upward. She quickly lowered her head, trying to hide the smile before it became too obvious.

At that moment, Cassian chuckled. Elowen almost wanted to whisper that he was being bold.

From the dais, Theodric looked down at him. "What are you laughing at? Is it that funny?"

Cassian answered honestly. "Yes. That title is extremely funny."

Theodric stared at him.

Cassian continued calmly, "Your Majesty, if people pray to you for marriage blessings, how is that a nightmare? A person only lives once. Most people hope to leave some trace behind after they're gone. Being forgotten entirely would be the real nightmare."

Theodric paused.

Then he rubbed his chin thoughtfully. That argument actually made sense.

The gloom on his face slowly faded, replaced by genuine amusement.

"You're right. You're absolutely right. No one understands me better than you do, Cassian."

At that moment, Quin entered the hall carrying a tray with freshly warmed mulled wine.

The scent of cinnamon and cloves drifted softly through the air.

Elowen wrapped both hands around the cup, letting the warmth seep into her fingers. The wine was still too hot to drink.

Theodric's gaze settled on her.

Her complexion looked healthy, and she had filled out a little compared with before.

"It seems you've gained a little weight recently," Theodric said with quiet satisfaction. "That tells me you've been well looked after."

Elowen looked up and answered without thinking.

"That's because Cassian..."

She stopped halfway through the sentence.

Calling him by name had become such a habit that the word slipped out before she realized it.

The moment she noticed, she corrected herself quickly. A faint blush rose to her cheeks.

"It's because His Grace has taken good care of me."

Theodric's smile instantly turned knowing. "So you call him Cassian that naturally now."

His gaze shifted between the two of them, amusement clear in his eyes.

"It seems the two of you are getting along quite well these days. Good. That pleases me greatly."

Cassian answered calmly, "We should thank the Emperor of Arranged Marriages."

Theodric burst into laughter.

All the earlier frustration vanished at once, and the atmosphere inside the hall relaxed into easy warmth.

Elowen secretly glanced at Cassian, her eyes filled with both admiration and quiet amusement. He truly had no hesitation saying things like that.

Cassian met her gaze calmly, giving her a steady look that seemed to promise that everything was perfectly under control.