Awakening Love Reborn to Be His Duchess (Elowen Hale) novel Chapter 601

Awakening Love: Reborn to Be His Duchess

Chapter 601 The Wrong Man

There was no way Elowen could let Alaric walk free like this.

If this chance slipped away, nobody knew how long it would take before another one appeared. especially now that Valessa had openly tied the peace negotiations to Alaric’s fate while Theodric, the King, was clearly wavering in front of the assembled nobles.

As unease quietly spread through the hall, Elowen instinctively looked toward Cassian, and in that same instant, a memory abruptly surfaced in her mind.

It was something Cassian had mentioned long ago while speaking casually about the war in Nordia.

At the time, she had only half listened.

Now, however, that forgotten detail suddenly became the most important thing in the room.

Her eyes fixed sharply on him as she lowered her voice.

“When you fought in Nordia before… did you ever use Alaric’s identity?”

Cassian paused for the briefest moment before one brow lifted slightly.

Smart little thing.

She always figures things out before anyone else in the room.

Without drawing attention, he gave a small nod.

The tightness in Elowen’s chest finally eased.

Colton knew Valessa had become strangely obsessed with Alaric, but he had never figured out where that obsession came from.

This time, I’m the one holding the winning hand.

Across the chamber, Valessa’s posture grew even more forceful as she lifted her chin proudly toward the throne.

“The Crown Prince remains outside the hall,” she said clearly. “I ask Your Majesty to consider the peace between our kingdoms and spare him for now. As long as the prince remains in place, negotiations can continue.”

Cassian finally spoke then, his voice calm and smooth enough to cut cleanly through the tension hanging over the chamber.

Chapter 601 The Wrong Man

“The princess truly has a generous heart.”

Valessa immediately turned toward him, and the displeasure in her expression sharpened the moment she realized who had spoken.

Cassian, however, looked entirely unbothered.

“When I met the princess on the Nordian front years ago,” he continued evenly, “she was exactly the same then. Even in the middle of war, she cared more about keeping ordinary people from suffering than about herself.”

Valessa stared at him in confusion.

What is he talking about?

He’s seen me on the battlefield before?

Right beside Cassian, Elowen chose the perfect moment to speak, letting just enough surprise enter her voice.

“Your Grace met the princess during the war?”

Cassian inclined his head once. “Several years ago, during the campaign against Nordia, I captured Princess Valessa myself.”

Valessa’s eyes widened instantly as disbelief spread across her face.

Meanwhile, Cassian remained perfectly composed beneath the watchful eyes of the entire

court.

“At the time, I managed to learn quite a bit about Nordia’s military routes and supply movements from the princess,” he said calmly. “She was too compassionate to watch civilians continue suffering through war, so she chose honesty. For strategic reasons, I introduced myself as Avenlor’s Crown Prince. I never expected that after all these years, the princess would remain just as kindhearted.”

“You…” Valessa’s gaze immediately sharpened with suspicion as she stared at him closely. “You’re saying you captured me? Then where did it happen?”

“Wolfscar Ridge,” Cassian answered without hesitation.

Valessa’s breathing tightened slightly.

“And who exactly did you capture that day?”

Cassian appeared to think back casually before answering. “A Nordian light cavalry patrol. You

Chapter 601 The Wrong Man

were leading the unit yourself. If I remember correctly, you carried a dagger with a red gemstone set into the hilt.”

The color drained from Valessa’s face almost instantly before rushing back all at once in a wave of heat.

Back then, she had only been thirteen or fourteen years old, terrified after being captured on enemy ground while surrounded by foreign soldiers and unfamiliar banners.

Yet the man questioning her had spoken with such patience and calm authority that before she realized what was happening, she had already revealed every military secret she knew.

For years afterward, Valessa had hated him for it.

She had sworn countless times that if she ever saw him again, she would kill him herself.

And yet, buried beneath that resentment, another emotion had always lingered quietly in her heart, tangled deeply enough that even she could never fully untangle it.

No matter how many years passed, she could never forget him.

Whenever she looked at other men afterward, she found herself unconsciously searching for traces of that same voice, that same composure, that same effortless confidence.

All this time, she had believed the man from the battlefield was Avenlor’s Crown Prince.

That was why she had become so obsessed with Alaric.

The moment she heard he was in danger, she rushed here without hesitation and did everything she could to protect him.

But now she suddenly realized the truth.

The man she remembered had never been Alaric at all.

Valessa stood frozen beneath the towering arches of the royal chamber, unable to speak for several long moments.

Her eyes remained fixed on Cassian before drifting almost involuntarily toward Elowen beside him, where they lingered briefly on the unmistakable curve of her pregnancy beneath layers of embroidered velvet.

Something complicated flickered through Valessa’s gaze.

Of course.

He already belonged to someone else now.

onapter 601 The Wrong Man

130

Soon, he would become a father.

And she?

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