Awakening Love: Reborn to Be His Duchess Chapter 486: The Better Position

Sylvia frowned. "What do you mean?"

Elowen leaned back slightly, her tone calm but precise. "Right now, the pressure is coming from every direction. The court, the public, and Nordia. His Majesty has to respond quickly to keep things from spiraling. But without real proof, this can't turn into anything that truly destroys him. At most, it becomes a formal punishment meant to settle the situation."

She paused briefly, then continued.

"And more importantly, he didn't do this. That matters. The case looks tight if you follow it step by step, but if you step back and look at the whole structure, there are gaps. Enough of them. Staying in the palace keeps him inside the center of the storm, where nothing can be done to him quietly."

And if I know him at all, that is exactly where he wants to be.

Inside the royal residence, in the king's private study, Theodric finally dismissed the last of the arguing officials after another exhausting council.

The silence that followed felt almost unreal.

He stepped inside, already worn thin, only to stop short.

Cassian sat by the window, completely at ease, writing as though nothing in the world required his attention.

Light filtered through the tall panes, settling across his profile in a way that made the whole scene feel strangely calm.

Too calm.

Cassian glanced up. "You're back."

That was enough to set Theodric off.

"I've been dealing with chaos all morning," he snapped, irritation breaking through. "And you're sitting here like this. What are you writing?"

His gaze dropped to the page.

Cassian shifted slightly, letting him see.

Theodric read the opening line, then let out a sharp breath that turned into a disbelieving laugh. "You're writing to your wife? Now? Of all times?"

Cassian set the pen down, his tone even. "If clearing my name were simple, I'd already be gone. The way everything unfolded, even I sound guilty when it's laid out."

He lowered his gaze slightly.

"I'm not as calm as I look. I just don't see the point in adding to your burden. Ella's alone, and she's carrying my child. She's probably worried. If a letter can ease that even a little, then it's worth writing."

Theodric watched him for a moment, taking in the ease in his posture and the way he spoke, and found that the irritation he had been holding onto simply refused to rise again.

He understood the situation perfectly well.

Cassian had neither the reason nor the need to assassinate a Nordian prince.

This had all the markings of a calculated move, one that aimed to disrupt the negotiations while bringing Cassian down at the same time.

And looking at the court, at how fiercely Isla and the faction tied to the Crown Prince's household were pushing the matter, Theodric already knew where to point his suspicion.

To him, at its core, this was still a matter within his own house.

But that was not the most urgent concern.

Not now.

What truly mattered was Nordia.

Theodric had no desire to be dragged into another war. The fighting in the southwestern marches had already stretched his patience thin.

And now a Nordian prince had died in Vanelle. That alone was enough to set things spiraling.

This has to be contained, and fast.

Someone would have to answer for it.

Because if Nordia began to stir, if outrage turned into action, then the stability of Avenlor itself would be at risk.

Theodric crossed the room and sat down across from him, pressing his fingers briefly to his temple. "This has spread too far. The court is watching, and I can't delay much longer. I'll have to make a ruling soon. When I do... if it means you take the fall, even for appearances..."

He didn't finish the thought.

Cassian rose and inclined his head in a formal bow. "Whatever you decide, I'll accept it. If it helps steady things, then I won't argue."

The words were measured, exactly what they needed to be.

Theodric watched him, something unreadable passing through his expression before he finally waved a hand. "I'll handle it."

Back in the study at Falconcrest Manor, Elowen's voice cut cleanly through the tension.

"So here's where we stand. We go through every part of this carefully and find where it breaks."

Her fingers tapped lightly against her knee as she thought it through.

"He would never order something like this. And without his word, no one at Duskmoor Manor would act on their own. That kind of discipline doesn't allow it."

Her gaze sharpened.

"So that arrowhead leads to one of two possibilities. Either it's a carefully made imitation..."

She paused, then finished evenly.

"...or someone found a way to get their hands on the real thing, through the manor itself or through the craftsmen and supply lines connected to it."