Awakening Love: Reborn to Be His Duchess Chapter 432: Favor Reversed

He sighed again, as if weighed down by injustice. "I have no standing, no influence. Against someone like Duchess of Duskmoor, I have no way to defend myself. I had no choice but to come to you."

He looked at her, eyes filled with carefully crafted emotion.

This always works. She won't turn me away.

He had done this before, and it had worked every time.

There had been that incident at the gaming tables when he lost everything and ended up deep in debt. His family had beaten him for it, and he had come running to her. He had told the story in just this way, turning himself into the victim, and she had been so moved she gave him more than enough to recover.

She had even told him, gently, that he could always come to her if he needed help.

For a long time after that, he had lived comfortably off that generosity.

Now, under the flickering torchlight, he noticed the faint redness in her eyes again.

It's working.

The attendant, however, saw right through it. She stepped forward, unable to stay silent. "Your Highness..."

Maerwyn raised a hand, stopping her.

The attendant let out a quiet sigh and fell back.

Maerwyn looked at Rowan, her gaze clear and cold. "You're lying."

Rowan blinked, thrown off. "Your Highness does not believe me?"

Her expression did not change. "What you said is not the truth."

He grew agitated. "How could it not be the truth? Would I deceive you? You know me."

Maybe I don't know you at all. But I know Azure would never do something like that.

She turned slightly, no longer interested in arguing. "Guards."

Rowan's heart dropped.

A sense of dread crept up his spine.

Her voice remained calm, almost detached. "Perhaps you need a reminder before you decide to tell the truth."

As the guards approached, the memory of his earlier beating came rushing back. His body seemed to remember the pain all at once. His legs weakened, his voice faltering. "I'll talk. I'll tell you everything."

Under pressure, he finally admitted what had really happened, including the drinking and the women he had kept at his side.

At the end, he rushed to salvage what he could. "Your Highness, my feelings for you are real. It was only because I could not see you that I felt so alone. I had no choice but to find some comfort elsewhere."

Maerwyn did not react to that at all.

Her brows drew together slightly. "You insulted Duchess of Duskmoor."

Rowan stared at her, completely speechless.

So I say one thing about the Duchess and suddenly you're mad at me? Haven't you said worse about her yourself before? And now you're getting upset over this?

He did not dare voice that thought. "Your Highness... I don't understand."

"You will."

Her tone turned colder. She took a step back and gave the order. "Do it."

The guards hesitated, exchanging uncertain looks. "Your Highness... this is Rowan..."

Everyone knew how much she used to favor him.

No one wanted to be the one to cross that line.

Maerwyn did not waver. "That was before. I didn't understand things then. I do now. I will not marry him."

Shock spread through the small group.

The attendant, on the other hand, felt a wave of relief she could not hide.

Maerwyn held the manuscript of Tales of Luminara tightly against her chest, her gaze fixed on Rowan.

He had dared to go after Azure.

Her voice was steady, stripped of hesitation. "Do it. He crossed the line. He answers for it."

Panic took hold of Rowan. He turned and tried to run, but his injuries made it impossible.

The guards moved in quickly, surrounding him and cutting off any escape.

Despair flooded him as he collapsed onto the cold stone floor.

He could not make sense of any of it.

Why had everything changed?

Why were both Alaric and Maerwyn now siding with Elowen?

Before he could find an answer, the guards forced him down and began striking him again.

His cries echoed through the corridor, raw and desperate, until they gradually faded.

It did not take long before his body gave out completely and he lost consciousness.

Maerwyn watched, her expression unmoved.

"Take his entry pass," she said coldly. "From now on, he is not to be allowed inside the palace under any circumstances."

Without another glance, she turned and walked inside.