Awakening Love Reborn to Be His Duchess (Elowen Hale) novel Chapter 581

Chapter 581 Just Enough

Elira didn’t slow her steps. At the maid’s words, she only turned her head slightly, casting her a cool, measured look.

“You’re getting ahead of yourself,” she said evenly. “Do you really think His Majesty can be steered that easily? That he has no judgment of his own?”

Her gaze lingered for a moment, then shifted forward again.

“I already gave him what he needed to hear. I let it slip that the Crown Prince left the palace That was intentional. But if I had stayed there any longer, pressing the matter, commenting on his movements, it would have started to look deliberate.

Her tone remained calm, but there was a quiet warning beneath it.

“And once that line is crossed, the suspicion doesn’t fall where you want it to. It circles back.

The maid hesitated, then lowered her head. “I spoke without thinking.

After a brief pause, she added cautiously, “But the Duchess sent word. She wanted us to work together, to push His Majesty into anger and doubt toward the Crown Prince. The situation has only just begun to turn. If we stop now, wouldn’t that weaken the effect?”

Elira’s expression didn’t change.

“The Duchess has her approach. I have mine.”

Her voice stayed even, controlled.

“We’re working together, not taking orders. I’ve already done my part. The moment His Majesty learned that the Crown Prince left the palace and went to the Boyd family, the seed was planted.”

She let the silence stretch for a breath.

“That’s all it takes.”

Because it was the truth.

The Crown Prince had indeed left the f

palace without permission. That fact alone carried

weight. His Majesty would consider it on his own, question it on his own

That kind of doubt was far more powerful than anything imposed from the outside.

Once it took root, it wouldn’t be easily removed

Fit, May 2L

Chapter 581 Just Enough

No matter how Alaric explained himself, that doubt would remain.

The maid’s expression shifted as realization set in. “Your Grace has thought this through completely. I was shortsighted.”

Elira withdrew her gaze, her voice light but distant. “And you really think the Duchess doesn’t have a second move prepared?”

A faint pause.

“You wouldn’t see the full shape of her plans even if there were ten of you thinking on it together.”

The maid fell completely silent after that, not daring to speak again.

On the other side, Alaric had just returned from the Boyd estate.

He had said everything that could be said, offered reassurances, hinted at promises where he could. But whether the Boyd family would accept any of it, he had no real certainty.

By the time he returned to the palace, fatigue had already settled into his bones. He hadn’t even had a moment to catch his breath before Quin arrived in person and requested his presence.

The moment Alaric stepped into the royal study, the tension in the air hit him immediately.

It felt heavy, pressing down from all sides.

When he looked up and saw his father seated behind the desk, expression unreadable, a chill ran through him.

He stepped forward quickly and lowered himself into a formal bow. “Your Majesty.”

Theodric’s gaze rested on him for a long moment before he spoke.

“I had Quin go to your residence earlier. You weren’t there.”

A brief pause.

“Tell me, where did you go?”

The tone was calm, but it tightened something in Alaric’s chest instantly.

A thin layer of sweat broke across his back.

Chapter 581 Just Enough

“I went out of the palace to take care of… some personal matters.”

“Personal matters?”

Theodric’s voice lifted slightly at the end. “What kind of matters?”

“I…” Alaric faltered, his thoughts tangling. The answer didn’t come.

Theodric watched him, taking in every sign of hesitation. Cold displeasure settled into his expression.

“If you don’t wish to answer, I won’t press you.”

Then, without warning, his tone shifted. “There is a case at hand. Dominic, Deputy of the Ministry of Rites, has beaten the Boyd family’s only son to death. A life has been lost, and both families carry weight. The matter is complicated. The High Tribunal, the Ministry of Crown Justice, and the Royal Censorate are all finding it difficult to proceed.”

He paused slightly, then looked directly at Alaric.

“You seem to have strong opinions lately. Since that’s the case, why don’t you take responsibility for this matter?”

Alaric’s head snapped up, his eyes lighting almost instantly.

If the case was handed to him, he would control its direction. He could protect Dominic. He could bring the situation under control.

The thought came too fast.

“If Your Majesty entrusts this to me, I will do everything in my power to uncover the truth and handle it fairly. I will not fail-”

“Enough!”

The shout cut him off sharply.

A heavy report was snatched up and thrown straight at him.

Alaric instinctively shifted aside. It brushed past his shoulder and struck the ground, pages scattering.

Seeing him avoid it only darkened Theodric’s expression further.

“So you even know to step back now?”

His voice dropped, cold and cutting.

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