Awakening Love: Reborn to Be His Duchess Chapter 498: Breaking the Balance

Isla froze for a beat.

Then realization struck, and her eyes widened. "Have you lost all sense? She's been married. She's your aunt by marriage. How could you even think this way?"

Alaric's smile widened slightly, slow and deliberate. "You seem to have forgotten something, Mother. I've been married before too. Daphne, the one you personally chose for me."

The mockery in his tone was impossible to miss.

Isla felt her chest tighten. "That's not the same. She's a widow, and she's carrying another man's child."

Alaric gave a small shrug. "The child will carry the Valebourne name. That's what matters."

"You... you..." Isla struggled to steady her breathing, one hand pressed against her chest. "What has gotten into you?"

He stood there, completely composed, his gaze cool and cutting.

"I've simply come to see a few things more clearly of late. Take the Baker family, for instance. From the outside, they still look prosperous, but underneath, they're running thin. The younger generation especially. Cousins like Albert and Liam have neither discipline nor direction. They spend their time drinking, chasing pleasure, and wasting coin, and there's no real substance behind any of it. They've sat for the court qualification trials two years in a row and failed both times."

He let the thought settle before continuing, his gaze steady. "This year, the court qualification trials fall under my supervision. I imagine Your Majesty is wondering whether I might... make certain allowances. Give them a gentler path through, so they don't embarrass the family again."

With every word, Isla's face grew paler.

He didn't stop.

"This year, I oversee the court qualification trials. I imagine you were planning to ask me to make things easier for them."

Her silence confirmed it.

"I used to listen to you," he continued. "You said my studies suffered because of Elowen, so I distanced myself from her. You said her family had fallen and she wasn't suitable, so I married Daphne instead."

His tone remained steady, but there was a sharpness beneath it now.

"And what did that get me? Not progress. Just one mistake after another."

He held her gaze. "It made me realize something. You're not always right. In fact, more often than not, you're wrong."

"Alaric!"

Isla struck the armrest and rose abruptly. "I am your mother. You will not speak to me like that."

He didn't so much as flinch. "Why be angry? I'm stating facts. You've already lost your hold over the inner court. The Queen's Privy Seal is no longer in your possession. Your position isn't as secure as it used to be."

He stepped forward and placed the invitation neatly on a carved table nearby.

"If you want to regain control, you should start listening to me."

Without waiting for her response, he stepped back, gave a proper bow of departure, and turned to leave.

Isla stared after him, her ears ringing, her chest so tight it felt unbearable.

She tried to speak, but before the words could form, her vision went dark and her body gave out beneath her.

"Your Majesty!"

"Call the royal physician, quickly!"

The chamber dissolved into chaos.

Alaric heard the panic behind him, but his stride never faltered, and he didn't look back.

His mother had spent her life controlling everything, including him.

It was time that changed.

If not for her, things would never have ended this way with Elowen.

But now, things were finally shifting. Cassian had been confined. His fall was only a matter of time.

One day soon, every obstacle would be gone.

And when that day came, he would bring Elowen back to him.

Back in the Crown Prince's Wing, Alaric summoned Iris and Tristan.

"In a few days, I'll be attending her celebration at the estate," he began.

He paused, then corrected himself with a faint, satisfied smile. "At Hale Manor. You'll prepare a gift for me."

Iris looked up. "What would you like, Your Highness?"

Alaric narrowed his eyes slightly. "A warhorse. The finest you can find. Strong, fast, and well-trained, with a flawless coat. And I want the tack to match, worked in gold thread and set with gemstones."

He remembered it clearly. She had always loved riding, better than most men.

She had once had a horse she treasured above all others.

And I was the one who had it put down.