Awakening Love: Reborn to Be His Duchess Chapter 493: The King's Judgment

Even without the slightest appetite, Elowen still forced herself to pick up her fork, steadying her breathing as she recalled Cassian's words before he left, as though holding onto that memory alone might keep her from unraveling.

Just as she was about to take a bite, a voice broke sharply from outside.

"Your Grace!"

Anson's tone was tight, urgent in a way that immediately felt wrong, so unlike his usual measured composure that it sent a sudden chill through her chest before she even turned her head.

By the time she looked toward the doorway, he had already reached the entrance, breath slightly uneven as he spoke. "The royal decree regarding His Grace has been issued."

For a brief moment, Elowen didn't react, as if the words hadn't fully settled.

Then the fork slipped from her hand, striking the table with a soft but unmistakable sound.

She rose immediately, the movement too quick to be entirely steady. "What does it say? What happened to His Grace?"

"I haven't heard the full decree yet," Anson replied without pause. "Lord Jett is already at the gates, and the procession is prepared. They'll be inside at any moment to announce it."

Her heart tightened.

"And His Grace?" she pressed, her voice lower now, edged with something harder to hide. "Is he still being held at court?"

She feared that more than anything, that judgment had already been passed while he remained beyond her reach.

Anson was about to answer when the sound of approaching footsteps carried in from the courtyard, firm and deliberate, leaving no time for anything further.

Elowen didn't wait.

She gathered her skirts and moved quickly toward the entrance, her pulse rising with every step as the flickering light from iron sconces along the corridor cast long, shifting shadows across the stone.

Through the archway ahead, a procession was already entering.

Quin led at the front, composed and formal, holding the rolled decree in both hands, its golden binding catching the light.

And beside him was Cassian.

The moment her eyes found him, everything else seemed to fall away.

He looked unchanged, dressed simply as he had been when he left, his posture straight, his stride unhurried, his expression carrying that same distant calm that never seemed to break.

Then he looked at her.

Their eyes met.

The reaction came faster than she could stop it, a sharp sting behind her eyes as her vision blurred.

She had held herself together this entire time, keeping her thoughts clear, her decisions steady, never allowing anything to show in front of others.

But now...

He's back. He's safe.

The fragile balance she had maintained gave way all at once, something softer and far more vulnerable breaking through.

Cassian saw it immediately.

Something in his gaze shifted, subtle but unmistakable, as the corner of his mouth lifted just slightly before he gave the faintest shake of his head.

He was telling her not to worry.

Elowen drew in a breath, forcing the emotion back down before it could surface any further, blinking until her vision cleared again.

Then she stepped forward.

Quin stopped at the entrance to the hall and raised the decree, the movement precise and practiced.

Cassian lowered himself first into a formal bow.

Elowen followed at his side, her posture straight, her gaze lowered to the stone beneath them.

Quin unrolled the decree and began to read, his voice steady and carrying. "By command of His Majesty. Cassian has acted with grave misconduct and is hereby stripped of all official duties, relieved of rank, and deprived of his stipend, effective immediately."

Elowen's fingers tightened slightly against the folds of her gown, though her expression did not change.

Quin continued without pause. "The estate formerly known as Duskmoor Manor is reassigned under the name Hale Manor and granted to Lady Elowen, who shall retain all provisions befitting her rank. Cassian is to remain within the estate under confinement and may not leave without express permission from His Majesty."

When the decree ended, the silence that followed felt heavier than the words themselves.

The punishment was severe.

Everything that defined his position had been taken.

And yet, it had stopped short of ruin. The estate remained intact.

He had not been taken away. There was still ground left to stand on.

Cassian inclined forward in acknowledgment. "I accept His Majesty's decree."

Elowen followed him, lowering herself in the same measured motion.

Quin stepped forward, handing over the decree, his tone easing just slightly. "His Majesty asks that you reflect on your conduct."

Cassian accepted it with the same calm as before. "Understood."

With that, Quin turned and departed, the procession withdrawing as smoothly as it had arrived, leaving the courtyard quiet once more.

Only then did Cassian turn fully toward her, extending his hand. "Ella, come here."

Elowen placed her hand in his at once.

Her fingers were cool.

His were warm, steady, closing around hers as he helped her rise, the familiar solidity of his grip grounding her more than anything else had.

Once she was standing, she said nothing, her gaze moving over him carefully, searching for anything out of place.

Cassian let her look, a faint hint of amusement surfacing. "No injuries. Nothing worth worrying about. I was kept in His Majesty's study the whole time. I couldn't leave, but I wasn't exactly suffering either."

He added, almost casually, "I even wrote to you, more than once. Didn't get the chance to send it before I was sent back."

Elowen didn't respond to that.

Instead, she stepped closer, circling him slightly, her attention fixed, even catching his wrist to check more closely.