Awakening Love Reborn to Be His Duchess (Elowen Hale) novel Chapter 537

Anson's concern made perfect sense.

There were established procedures in Avenlor. When an official committed a wrongdoing, it was meant to be reviewed and handled by the proper authorities, in accordance with the law.

Elowen held the rank of Lady of the First Rank, and her status placed her among the most respected women in the realm. Even so, bypassing formal channels and personally subjecting officials to punishment that bordered on physical discipline, if word spread, would inevitably give people something to talk about.

Elowen only smiled, calm and unbothered. "Honestly, I'd be disappointed if he didn't go complain."

Anson paused, momentarily caught off guard.

Elowen had already lowered her gaze again, turning another page of her ledger as if the matter had already passed.

There was nothing more to say.

Anson bowed and quietly withdrew.

Through the entire afternoon, Archer and his son Gavin were kept in the rear grounds of Hale Manor, hauling water and tending the vegetable beds.

Nikki stood nearby, hands clasped neatly behind her back, posture straight and deliberate. She held a thin rod like a proper steward, pacing back and forth with exaggerated seriousness, her sharp eyes fixed on the two of them.

Archer, older and shaped by years of disciplined study and earlier hardship, managed to keep his movements steady.

Gavin was another story entirely.

He was used to long days of leisure, riding through the city, drinking, surrounding himself with companions. Work like this was completely foreign to him.

The wooden handles of the buckets quickly rubbed his soft palms raw, the skin turning red after only a few trips.

Before long, his arms began to tremble, muscles burning from the unfamiliar strain.

Frustration and fear churned together inside him, making his movements less steady. The buckets swayed as he walked, water sloshing over the edges. By the time he reached the rows, a good portion had already spilled, leaving the narrow paths slick with mud.

Nikki stopped in her tracks, clearly unimpressed.

She tapped the rod sharply against her palm and snapped, "You can't even carry water without dumping half of it along the way? What are you good for? You're all height and no strength. I've seen kitchen staff with more backbone than you."

Gavin's face darkened, but he didn't dare speak.

Nikki went on, her tone cutting and relentless. "You don't like hearing it? Look at yourself. You can't lift, you can't carry. You're only fit to sit around living off your family name. Put you out on your own without that, you wouldn't last. You'd be starving before the week's out. How are you supposed to be useful to anyone?"

Both father and son looked humiliated.

But the guards stationed nearby made things clear enough. Any sign of resistance would not be tolerated.

So they endured it.

They kept working.

By the time the sun dipped low and the last light stretched across the estate, iron braziers were lit one by one, casting a steady glow through Hale Manor.

Archer and Gavin were exhausted, breathing hard, drenched in sweat. Their inner tunics clung to their backs, and their boots and trousers were thick with mud.

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