Awakening Love: Reborn to Be His Duchess Chapter 489: No One to Hide Behind

A slow, dangerous smile spread across Alaric's face, something sharp and mean flickering in his eyes as he looked at her. "It's a shame, really. Once my father's decree is issued, my uncle won't be the great Duke of Duskmoor anymore. And you... you won't be someone I need to treat with respect."

As he spoke, he started forward, clearly intending to close the distance.

He barely moved before one of the manor guards stepped in, cutting him off cleanly and placing himself between Alaric and Elowen with solid, unmoving presence.

Alaric was forced to stop. Irritation flashed across his face, but it didn't last. The corners of his mouth lifted again, almost amused.

He leaned slightly, looking past the guard, his gaze lingering on Elowen with a kind of greedy intensity. "Ella, why make this harder than it needs to be? If my uncle falls, you lose your protection. A woman on her own doesn't have many options in this world. Sooner or later, you'll come to me. If you push me away now and leave things this tense between us, what do you think happens to you later?"

He spoke as if he were offering her something reasonable.

Elowen let out a soft, humorless laugh, her eyes cold. "Did you walk out of the Crown Prince's Wing without your wits today, or is this just how you usually sound?"

The smile on Alaric's face faltered.

Elowen's voice turned sharp, every word clean and deliberate. "Even without His Grace, I still hold my title by royal decree, granted openly before the court. And the child I carry is still of the Valebourne line, rightful and undeniable. Rely on you?"

Her gaze moved over him slowly, openly dismissive. "Daphne tried that once. She played every angle she could think of, pushed every boundary she dared. Where did that leave her? Shut away in the Secluded Wing, staring at stone walls. You really think you're worth that kind of gamble?"

The blunt force of her words hit him all at once, leaving him speechless for a brief moment.

The Elowen he remembered had never spoken like this, never this sharp, never this cutting.

And yet, something about it felt familiar.

Where had he seen this before?

Before he could follow the thought, Elowen had already turned away from him.

She spoke to the guards beside her, her tone steady and unquestionable. "Keep watch. No one gets near me. That includes the Crown Prince. If he takes even a single step closer, don't wait for permission. Remove him."

Her gaze didn't waver. "If anything comes of it, I'll answer for it myself before Their Majesties."

She didn't look at Alaric again, as if even acknowledging him would be beneath her.

Instead, she walked straight toward the bookshop. Mira had already stepped ahead and pushed the door open.

Elowen entered.

The heavy wooden door shut firmly behind her, cutting him off completely.

Alaric instinctively moved to follow, but the guard stepped forward again, one hand settling on the hilt of his sword in clear warning.

Alaric stopped.

He knew exactly what kind of men these were. They had followed Cassian through war, not court games. Titles alone meant nothing to them.

If he forced his way in, they would act.

So he stayed where he was, staring at the closed door.

It had been a while since he had seen her. And yet she had only grown more striking.

Perhaps it was the pregnancy. The softness of youth had given way to something fuller, warmer, more luminous.

Her skin seemed to catch the light, her features cool and composed, carrying a beauty that felt distant and dangerous at once.

It didn't matter.

She still hasn't seen things clearly. She's clinging to him like it means something.

Once I take control of the court qualification trials and start holding real power, she'll understand. She'll come to me on her own. She'll ask for protection. She'll ask for my favor.

He had handled the court qualification trials in his previous life. And he had done it perfectly.

His father had praised him without reserve.

As he stepped into the carriage waiting outside the Crown Prince's Wing, Elowen's earlier expression surfaced again in his mind.

He went still as the realization hit him all at once.

There was something in her eyes, in the way she spoke, in that calm, razor-edged tone that didn't need to rise to carry weight.

It was Cassian.

There was no mistaking it.

The thought settled in his chest and left behind a sharp, bitter edge.

He hadn't expected that after only a few months at Duskmoor Manor, she would already carry traces of his uncle so clearly.

Even the way she spoke now echoed him.

And she was carrying his child.

Alaric's fingers tightened slowly.

When I take her back, I'll strip every trace of him away. Every last one.

And when I'm done, she'll be mine again. My Ella.

Inside the bookshop, the light was low, and the faint scent of ink and parchment lingered in the air.

Finn made no move to tend to the bruise on his face.

Elowen spoke in a calm, even tone. "What happened today isn't something you need to carry with you. The shop stays open. Business continues as usual. I'll have two men from the manor posted here so nothing like this happens again."

Her voice softened just slightly. "You and everyone else here can go about your work without worry. Like I said before, His Grace may not be here, but I am. No one is going to push us around."