Awakening Love Reborn to Be His Duchess (Elowen Hale) novel Chapter 621

Chapter 621 The Fall Begins

Finished

As Elowen’s pregnancy advanced, the swelling in her ankles had become impossible to ignore, and Cassian had been paying closer attention to it with each passing day. He sat beside her with one of her legs resting carefully across his lap while his thumb worked slowly along the tender muscles of her calf, easing the soreness little by little with far more patience than any servant could have managed.

The steady pressure felt so soothing that Elowen gradually relaxed against the cushions near the hearth. her eyes drifting half shut while she let him tend to her in silence.

Without pausing his movements, Cassian finally said, “The Ministry of Rites finished reexamining the court qualification trials papers. The revised rankings should be posted within the next couple of days.”

Elowen gave a soft hum, already sensing from his tone that this was only the beginning of what he meant to tell her.

“The investigation’s gotten uglier the deeper they dig,” he continued. “His Majesty intends to have everyone tied to the Crown Prince’s Wing questioned as well.”

Her eyes opened immediately.

Just moments earlier she had been enjoying the quiet comfort of the evening, but now the ease left her

expression almost at once.

Cassian noticed the shift before she even spoke, and his hand smoothed reassuringly over her leg.

“I know you’re worried about Iris,” he said calmly. “The moment I heard this morning, I went straight to speak with Elira. She’ll find some excuse to pull Iris into her own household for a while so she can avoid most of the inquiry altogether. And even if someone insists on bringing her in for questioning, they won’t get much from her. Iris is smarter than most people give her credit for. She knows exactly what should stay buried.”

Only then did Elowen finally relax again.

“What about Tristan?” she asked.

Cassian did not hide the truth from her.

“Iris never planned on taking him with her.”

Elowen fell quiet for a moment, her gaze drifting toward the pale afternoon light stretching across the floorboards beneath the windows.

“Then either she never fully won him over,” she said thoughtfully, “or she still has another use for him.”

Two days later, Elowen learned exactly what that use had been.

When Cassian returned to Duskmoor Manor that evening, Elowen was seated near the tall windows of her study with estate ledgers spread neatly across the desk before her while the last traces of daylight faded beyond the manor grounds. The moment she heard him enter, she shifted slightly to make room beside her without interrupting her work.

9:37 am P P P P

Chapter 621 The Fall Begins

Finished

Cassian settled naturally into the seat at her side, reached for her cup as though it belonged equally to him, and took a sip before speaking.

“Tristan gave them quite a lot,” he said. “Enough to make sure Alaric never recovers from this.”

Elowen turned toward him immediately, every trace of her attention fixed on what came next. Anything involving Alaric finally getting what he deserved was something she had no intention of missing.

“Near the end of last year, Alaric sold a Treasury Office appointment to a merchant named Lucan for a thousand dollars,” Cassian explained. “Once Lucan secured the position, he used the authority that came with it to help his relatives make fortunes off private trade routes and merchant tariffs. In only a few months, they embezzled tens of thousands, and a large portion of that money ended up flowing straight into the Crown Prince’s Wing.”

He paused briefly before continuing.

“And according to the account books investigators uncovered, that wasn’t the only office Alaric sold. Once they followed the ledgers far enough, they found the Baker family tied to similar dealings all over the capital. The former queen’s side wasn’t clean either. Investigators uncovered evidence that several ladies and attendants inside the royal residence suffered because of her over the years, and there were frequent financial exchanges between her household and people outside the palace walls.”

Understanding immediately dawned across Elowen’s face.

“So that’s why Iris left Tristan behind,” she murmured. “He stayed close to Alaric for years, and he’s one of the few people Alaric genuinely trusted. The things outsiders never saw, Tristan saw. And the things nobody else would dare say out loud, people would believe coming from him.”

Cassian nodded once.

“That’s exactly it.”

At this point, Iris had become one of the most critical pieces in the entire plan to bring Alaric down.

Perhaps the most important one of all.

Elowen thought over everything quietly before asking, “With all of this exposed, Alaric isn’t keeping his royal title after this, is he?”

Cassian reached over and loosely closed his hand around hers.

“There’s no chance of that,” he said evenly. “Still, considering he’s His Majesty’s son, my guess is he’ll be stripped of his title and reduced to common status rather than executed.”

Elowen found that outcome perfectly acceptable.

After this scandal, neither the Baker family nor the former queen would ever regain the influence they

once had.

And once all of them were drowning in their own ruin, a disgraced commoner like Alaric would hardly be in any position to protect himself anymore.

Chapter 621 The Fall Begins

At that point, whether she chose to make his life miserable or simply watch him rot would depend entirel on her mood.

The thought pleased her enough that the corners of her lips curved upward before she lowered her attention back to the ledgers,

Then Cassian suddenly remembered something else.

“Oh, right. Today was also the day the examination results were posted.”

Elowen looked up immediately, her eyes lighting with excitement.

“Did Josh go check yet?”

The words had barely left her mouth when a rapid burst of footsteps echoed down the corridor outside, followed almost instantly by Nikki’s breathless voice.

“Your Grace! My brother passed! He really passed!”

Elowen laughed before she even realized she was smiling, and Cassian rose at once to steady her carefully as she stood.

Outside the chamber, Josh’s voice followed behind in obvious panic.

“Slow down! You’re shouting through the entire manor! Her Grace might’ve still been resting!”

Scarlet’s amused laughter drifted after him.

“You really think you can stop her right now?”

And she was right.

Nikki was far too excited to restrain herself.

By the time Elowen had fully steadied herself, the door had already creaked open slightly and Nikki cautiously peeked inside, though there was absolutely nothing cautious about the joy shining across her face.

She had clearly run all the way there. Damp curls clung to her forehead, and her cheeks were flushed bright pink from exertion.

The instant she saw Elowen awake, her eyes lit up even more.

“Your Grace!”

Elowen smiled warmly at her.

“Your brother passed, didn’t he? I heard you celebrating from halfway across Duskinoor Manor.”

Nikki nodded so hard she nearly made herself dizzy, her dimples showing as pride burst across her face,

“He did! Your Grace, he really did! First place!”

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