Awakening Love Reborn to Be His Duchess (Elowen Hale) novel Chapter 609

Awakening Love Reborn to Be His Duchess

Chapter 609 Waiting for the Right Hour

A faint crease appeared between Colton’s brows as he listened to Clarisse speak, her voice soft yet astonishingly steady despite the storm pressing down on the entire Baker family.

“Grandfather, if we want to protect ourselves now, then we can’t keep standing against the Duchess of Duskmoor,” she said quietly while folding her hands in her lap. “Whatever Her Grace wants, we give it to her. If she wants Prince Alaric ruined, then we stop shielding him. If she wants the truth behind the court qualification trials exposed, then we hand Albert and Liam over ourselves. Whatever terms she asks for, we accept them. At least that way, the family still has a chance to survive this with some strength left.”

She paused only briefly before continuing, her tone calm enough that it almost sounded chilling.

“But this doesn’t mean we forget what happened today. We remember every humiliation and every debt owed to us. Then, when the Duke and Duchess of Duskmoor finally grow careless someday, we repay everything slowly, piece by piece, exactly the way they’ve done to us.”

The chamber fell completely silent after she finished speaking.

Colton sat there watching her for a long while without saying a word.

He had always known this granddaughter of his was intelligent, but tonight she seemed far sharper, far colder, and far more composed than he had ever imagined.

And worst of all, she was right.

There would be time later.

If the Baker family insisted on crashing headfirst into the Duke of Duskmoor now, they would only destroy themselves against an enemy far stronger than they were.

Retreating for the moment and preserving their strength was the wiser choice.

At last, Colton let out a slow breath and nodded.

“I’ll go to Duskmoor Manor personally.

Elsewhere, Valessa did not begin regretting her decision until she found herself standing beneath the towering gates of Duskmoor Manor.

Only moments ago, she had been fully prepared to confront the Duchess of Duskmoor like a rival stepping onto a battlefield.

So how in the world had this somehow turned into an

invitation to pastries?

And worse, she had already agreed to come, which meant backing out now would make her look ridiculous.

Grinding her teeth inwardly, she forced herself to continue forward and followed behind Cassian and Elowen as attendants pulled open the ironbound doors leading deeper into the estate.

The manor grounds were quiet beneath the evening sky. Warm light spilled from iron lanterns fixed along the stone corridors, gilding the ivy-covered walls in soft amber as they passed through an arched inner gate and followed the winding path toward the main residence.

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Chapter 609 Waiting for the Right Hour

By the time they reached the private courtyard, Valessa’s attention had already shifted upward toward the plaque hanging above the entrance.

Stillwater Court.

Valessa slowed instinctively beneath the carved stone archway, her gaze lingering on the name etched into the plaque above the entrance.

Years ago, when she had still foolishly admired the Crown Prince of Avenlor from afar, she had devoted herself to studying the refined court language spoken among Avenlor’s nobility. She had never mastered it completely, but she understood enough to recognize the sentiment woven into the name before her.

Stillwater, a name that carried the feeling of a quiet refuge, a place untouched by chaos or ambition where life could finally settle into something peaceful and enduring.

And somehow, the moment she looked at it, she understood exactly what the estate meant to Cassian and Elowen.

Not a ducal residence.

Not a symbol of rank or power.

Just a home built for the two of them.

Valessa lifted her gaze just in time to see Cassian guiding Elowen carefully across the stone path with one hand steadying her arm, his movements patient and gentle as though he feared she might so much as trip over a loose pebble.

She could not honestly say she felt jealous.

Still, a strange thought surfaced unexpectedly in her chest.

A solitary life certainly had its freedoms. No obligations and no weaknesses. No one capable of hurting you simply because they mattered too much.

But perhaps finding someone who truly understood you and walking through life beside them was not such a terrible thing either.

“Aunt, watch your step. There’s a stair there.”

Flowira’s voice suddenly interrupted her thoughts.

Valessa instantly shot her niece a glare sharp enough to cut glass.

“Would you stop talking for once?”

Flowira blinked at her in confusion.

She had only been trying to help.

Ahead of them, Elowen suddenly stopped and turned around with obvious excitement brightening her face.

“Princess, come look at this.”

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Chapter 609 Waiting for the Right Hour

Valessa and Flowira both looked over at once.

Cassian had already gone ahead toward the kitchens to prepare the pastries himself, leaving Elowen standing alone in the middle of the courtyard with her arms spread slightly as though proudly presenting a

treasured secret.

“Cassian and I planted all of these together,” she said with a grin.

Only then did Valessa finally notice what filled the courtyard around them.

Instead of the rose hedges and ornamental gardens one would expect to find on a noble estate, the courtyard was filled with neat rows of thriving vegetable beds.

Rows upon rows of thriving greens stretched neatly across the soil beneath the lanternlight, every plot healthy and flourishing.

Valessa raised a brow in surprise.

A duchess growing her own vegetables?

For some reason, that made Elowen far more interesting than she had expected.

Elowen looked genuinely delighted as she gestured toward the garden.

“Once everything’s ready for harvest, you should come back again. I’ll cook for you myself.”

The words drew a laugh from Valessa before she could stop it.

Elowen held one of the highest titles in Avenlor, yet she spoke with the warmth of an ordinary woman proudly talking about her household garden and inviting guests over for supper after harvest season.

Oddly enough, Valessa found she liked that about her.

There was no arrogance in the way she carried herself.

No exhausting noble pretense.

With unusual patience, Valessa shook her head lightly,

“I probably won’t get the chance. Once the negotiations are over, I’ll be heading back to Nordia.”

A flicker of disappointment crossed Elowen’s face immediately.

Seeing that expression, Valessa unexpectedly smiled again

“But aren’t you supposed to come to Nordia eventually?”

Elowen looked startled. “Why would I go to Nordia?”

Now it was Valessa’s turn to stare at her.

“You seriously don’t know?” she asked in disbelief. “Your grandmother was the Oracle of Nordia.”

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Chapter 609 Waiting for the Right Hour

Elowen froze where she stood.

My grandmother?

The Oracle?

“You mean no one ever told you?” Valessa sounded even more confused now. “Flowira brought you the ceremonial seal, didn’t she? Something like that isn’t handed out to just anyone.”

Elowen instinctively turned toward Flowira, who still wore fitted riding clothes tailored in the style of a young nobleman, and suddenly remembered the birthday gift she had received not long ago.

Alongside the gifts from Flowira and Zachary, there had also been a golden ceremonial seal.

At the time, Flowira had hurriedly explained that the metal came from the heavens and was considered sacred by the people of Nordia. Then, perhaps worried Elowen might refuse such a valuable object, she had quickly added that it was simply a gift from Noah.

But now Valessa was saying the seal had belonged to her grandmother.

For several moments, Elowen could not sort through the contradiction at all.

Seeing her confusion, Flowira finally spoke up awkwardly from the side.

“Every time I came to Hale Manor before, I had to sneak in late at night and leave again before dawn, so there was never enough time to explain everything properly. And honestly, these stories aren’t the kind of thing you can summarize in a few sentences. I was worried that if I tried explaining too much at once, I’d only confuse Your Grace even more, but if I said too little, then none of it would make sense either, so I just kept putting it off…”

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