Awakening Love Reborn to Be His Duchess (Elowen Hale) novel Chapter 259

Chapter 259 The Wrong Hand

With her eyes still closed, Elowen spoke in the relaxed, habitual tone she always used with her maid. “Mira, I’m thirsty. Could you pour me some water?”

A cup was placed into her hand almost at once.

Without giving it a second thought, Elowen accepted it and took a sip.

A moment later, however, something felt wrong,

The hand that had offered her the cup was not Mira’s. The fingers were long and steady, the knuckles defined, and the skin carried the faint roughness of someone accustomed to sword hilts and riding reins.

That was no maid’s hand.

A shiver crept up Elowen’s spine. She slowly turned her head.

The first thing she noticed was a familiar wooden wheelchair beside the edge of the pool, its wheels still marked with damp streaks of mud.

Her gaze lifted.

A dark robe fell neatly along a tall frame, the subtle stitching catching the light.

Then she saw his face. Cassian.

His features were sharp and striking, the sort of severe handsomeness that drew attention without effort.

He was looking down at her, his expression balanced somewhere between amusement and calm observation.

Elowen startled so violently that she lost control of the water still in her mouth.

She spat it straight across his face.

Cassian paused.

Warm water slid slowly down his cheek and dripped onto the front of his robe, darkening the fabric.

He did not grow angry, nor did he show the slightest irritation.

Instead, he raised one eyebrow with quiet deliberation.

1/4

19:45 Tue, May

Chapter 59 The Wrong Hand

“Ella,” he said mildly, “are you attempting to poison your husband?”

“How could I possibly do that?” Elowen hurriedly protested.

Flustered, she placed the cup aside and began to rise, intending to wipe his face.

She had barely lifted herself halfway out of the water when the surface rippled around her shoulders.

The warm water slipped away from her skin, and the cool evening air brushed against her.

The realization struck instantly. She was not wearing anything.

Color rushed to her face so quickly it felt as though her cheeks were on fire.

In a panic, she dropped straight back into the pool, sinking so quickly that only her wide, startled eyes remained visible above the surface.

“Cas-”

She stopped herself and corrected quickly, her voice turning small and embarrassed.

“Cassian… why are you here? I thought the guard said you had important business tonight and wouldn’t be able to come. They said it might be tomorrow or the day after instead.”

From Cassian’s vantage point, only half of her face was visible above the water.

She looked timid and wary. Cassian studied her quietly, the hint of humor in his eyes growing more pronounced.

“Didn’t you say that if I didn’t come,” he replied calmly, “you would be terribly disappointed and spend the entire trip feeling miserable by yourself?”

Elowen blinked in confusion. She had no memory of saying anything like that.

Cassian’s voice softened slightly.

“So I cleared my schedule, finished everything that required my attention, and rode straight here.”

Elowen felt both indignant and furious at the same time. Someone had clearly been spreading ridiculous rumors behind her back.

That’s just cruel! Absolutely cruel!

Outside the courtyard gate, the guard on duty suddenly sneezed loudly.

2/4

19:43 Tue, May

Chapter 54 The Wrong Hand

topshed:

Bran glanced over and laughed. “What’s that about? Someone speaking ill of you?”

The guard rubbed his nose and answered with complete confidence. “Not a chance. The duchess is probably praising me for delivering that message so quickly. I handled everything perfectly.”

Bran gave him a friendly pat on the shoulder. “If that’s the case, you may have just done yourself a great favor. When the little heir of Duskmoor Manor is born someday, he might even call you uncle,”

The guard immediately waved his hands in alarm. “Oh no, I couldn’t possibly deserve that.”

Even so, the mere thought of a future heir at Duskmoor Manor made his eyes brighten with quiet excitement.

Back at the hot spring, Cassian’s presence had Elowen so nervous that she gradually edged backward until her back nearly touched the stone wall behind her.

The smooth stones beneath her feet were slick with water.

Her footing suddenly slipped.

A small, startled cry escaped her lips.

She disappeared beneath the surface,

Hot water rushed into her nose and mouth, and panic struck instantly. She struggled to push herself upward, but her feet could not find solid footing, leaving her flailing helplessly beneath the surface.

In the midst of the chaos, she heard the splash of water nearby.

A strong arm wrapped around her waist.

In the next moment, she was pulled upward.

Elowen broke the surface coughing violently as she struggled to draw in air, her eyes stinging and reddening from the water.

When she finally looked up, she realized Cassian’s face was only inches away from her own.

He lifted a hand and gently brushed the water from her lashes.

“Does anything hurt?” he asked quietly.

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify