Awakening Love: Reborn to Be His Duchess Chapter 450: Walking Into the Snare

Theodric's tone hardened, leaving no space for refusal. "That's enough. You're coming with her. Whether you had any involvement or not, Elowen fell ill under troubling circumstances. As the queen, you should be there in person. That is the proper thing to do."

Isla closed her eyes for a brief moment.

I let Maerwyn get in my head... that was sloppy.

When she spoke again, her voice had returned to its usual calm, touched with just the right amount of concern. "Your Majesty is right. I'm worried about Elowen as well. I'll leave at once."

The carriage ride to Duskmoor Manor was quiet, the steady rhythm of wheels against stone the only sound filling the space.

Maerwyn sat rigidly to one side, her back straight, her hands clenched tightly in her lap. She kept her eyes fixed on the passing streets outside, her expression cold and distant, offering Isla nothing but silence.

Isla watched her for a moment before speaking carefully. "I had nothing to do with this today."

Maerwyn didn't react. Not a glance, not a word, as if she hadn't heard a thing.

Isla felt something in her chest sink.

This is going worse than I thought.

At Stillwater Court, the atmosphere was thick with tension.

Servants moved quickly through the courtyard, their expressions tight, voices lowered, the kind of controlled urgency that only made the unease more obvious.

As Maerwyn stepped inside, she felt it immediately, the weight of it pressing in from all sides, tightening something in her chest with every step she took deeper into the residence.

Isla, on the other hand, let her gaze move quietly across the scene, searching.

Beatrice was nowhere to be seen.

Neither was Alyssa.

Every person she had sent here had vanished from sight.

So there's no one I can question. No way to get ahead of this.

Before they could go further, Gerda stepped forward, blocking their path with a respectful bow. "Your Majesty. Your Highness."

Maerwyn didn't wait. "I'm here to see Aunt Elowen. How is she? Is she alright?"

Gerda answered plainly. "She hasn't regained full strength yet. Doctor Dray is still attending to her."

At that moment, a stir broke out inside the room, voices rising just enough to carry.

Someone called out, unable to hide the relief. "She's awake!"

Maerwyn's eyes lit up, and she moved immediately, not bothering to slow down.

Gerda stepped in quickly. "Your Highness, please—"

"I'm going in," Maerwyn said, already moving. "His Majesty sent me."

That was enough.

Gerda hesitated, then stepped aside.

Maerwyn didn't stop, pushing straight inside.

Isla followed, her expression composed, though her steps were just a fraction quicker than before.

The moment they entered, the scent of medicine filled the air, thick and unmistakable.

Several attendants stood inside, but no one spoke. Heads were lowered, the room held in a tense, unnatural quiet.

Maerwyn's heartbeat picked up as she moved past the partition.

Then she heard it.

Elowen's voice, faint but clear, carrying from the bed.

"Cassian... please don't be upset. Her Majesty wouldn't have done this on purpose. If anything, it must be something I did wrong, something that displeased her. That's why things turned out like this."

The words were soft, almost fragile, but each one landed cleanly.

Maerwyn stopped cold.

Her eyes widened as she turned sharply to look at Isla, disbelief written all over her face.

Isla had been a step behind. She only caught the latter part, "...that's why things turned out like this," and a flicker of unease rose instantly in her chest.

Then Cassian's voice followed, low and cutting.

"Hugh checked everything. You lost consciousness because of saffron in your system. Today, aside from breakfast, the only thing you had was the water Alyssa brought you. I prepared your breakfast myself. I would never harm my own child. That leaves the water. That leaves Alyssa. And Alyssa answers to Isla. Without her approval, she wouldn't dare."

Elowen's voice came again, softer, almost pleading. "Her Majesty has been looking out for me. Knowing I'm newly pregnant and short on staff, she suggested sending people to help and specifically chose Beatrice and Alyssa. You and His Majesty are brothers. By all rights, she and I are family. If this child is born safely, it will call her aunt. Why would she do something like that? You're overthinking this."

Cassian didn't hesitate.

"Why wouldn't she?"

His voice turned colder.

"Ella, you always see the best in people. But have you forgotten? She lost control over the court because of you. And the ivory statue Theodric sent over a few days ago, you wouldn't know this, but she had always planned to give that to her daughter as part of her marriage. Now it's here, with you. You think she doesn't resent that?"

Elowen seemed to search for a response, but nothing came. In the end, it dissolved into a quiet, helpless sigh.

Behind the screen, Maerwyn felt like the ground had shifted beneath her.

Slowly, she turned her head. Not far away, resting on a carved table, stood the ivory statue.

Soft white, flawless, catching the light in a way that made it almost glow.

Her breath caught.

"Maerwyn, listen to me—"

Isla reacted quickly, reaching for her wrist.

Maerwyn flinched as if burned and wrenched herself free with all her strength. The force of it caught Isla completely off guard.

She stumbled sideways, reaching out instinctively for balance, her hand catching the edge of a tall decorative screen.

It didn't hold.

The entire thing tipped with a heavy crash, dragging Isla down with it.

The noise shattered the silence of the room.

Everyone turned.

From behind the curtain, Elowen's voice came again, soft and confused. "What was that? Did something happen?"

Mira reacted immediately, hurrying to the partition to look outside before turning back.

"Your Grace," she said, "Her Majesty and Princess Maerwyn have arrived. Her Majesty... seems to have taken a fall."