Awakening Love Reborn to Be His Duchess (Elowen Hale) novel Chapter 663

Chapter 663 Things Left Unsaid

Elowen asked, “So what happened after that?”

Cassian smiled faintly, his tone easy and unhurried.

“Rodney happened to ride past and noticed him crouched there with a book still clutched in his hands, so he took pity on him and helped him out a little. He found the man a place to stay and even gave him enough money to get back on his feet.”

Cassian glanced down at her as he continued. “After Barrett passed the court qualification trials, he brought his widowed mother to the Jones estate personally to thank Rodney. The mari bowed before him three times in gratitude, and after that he made a point of visiting the Jones family every holiday with gifts and formal greetings. People eventually started calling him one of Rodney’s protégés.”

Elowen genuinely could not make sense of it.

“He grew up struggling himself, didn’t he? So how did he end up raising a son like that?” Her brows drew together slightly. “You’d think someone who’s suffered before would know how to show a little compassion.”

Cassian’s expression remained calm.

“That would be the reasonable outcome, yes, but people don’t always work that way.” His voice carried the

seeing far too much of the world already.

kind of detached understanding that came from

“When someone climbs from poverty into comfort, it’s easy for pride to swell along with everything else. And Barrett only had one child. His mother spoiled that boy beyond reason and treated him like something too precious to even touch too hard.” A trace of dry amusement flickered in his eyes. “Barrett also couldn’t bring himself to challenge his mother/directly, so little by little the boy turned into exactly what you saw today.”

After walking quietly for a few more steps, Elowen suddenly looked up at him again.

“Do you think Rodney’s going to be upset about what I did?” she asked. “Barrett’s practically one of his people, and I not only drove his son out of Vanelle but stripped him of office too. That can’t make Rodney look particularly good.”

Γ

Cassian only laughed softly.

“As long as you’re happy, there’s no reason to worry about whether anyone else is.” His gaze settled warmly on her face. “Otherwise what exactly would be the point of me being Duke of Duskmoor?”

Then his smile deepened slightly.

“And besides, you’re the Lady of Grace and Virtue now, Ella. Even in Vanelle, there aren’t many women whose standing outranks yours.” His tone remained gentle, though there was unmistakable confidence beneath it. “Forget Barrett. Even if Rodney himself showed up in front of you, you still wouldn’t need to yield an inch”

That finally made Elowen smile properly.

The irritation lingering from earlier faded from her expression, and her whole mood visibly lightened.

Several steps behind the Scarlet quietly watched the easy affection between husband and wife, and something inside her chest shifted softly at the sight.

Pretending she felt no envy at all would have been a lie.

But she had long since stopped expecting that kind of love for herself.

If nobody else loved her, then she would simply learn to take care of herself instead.

That was how she had survived all these years.

And honestly, life had never seemed unbearable because of it.

Elsewhere, Draven was on his way toward the royal residence.

As commander of the King’s Guard, he rarely had time to rest properly, and most days he barely noticed exhaustion until it caught up with him hours later.

Unfortunately, his mood was terrible.

He could not even explain exactly why.

Maybe it was because of the disgusting things those idiots had said to Scarlet earlier.

Or maybe it was because Scarlet had avoided looking at him entirely from beginning to end.

After walking for some distance, Draven suddenly noticed another set of footsteps following behind him. The moment he turned around and recognized the figure trailing him, his brows immediately pulled together.

Leander.

Draven stopped and turned fully toward him, his tone far from welcoming.

“Leander, where exactly are you headed?”

Leander stopped several paces away and lifted his chin slightly, looking entirely unbothered by the hostility.

“To the palace.” His tone remained perfectly calm. “You’re heading there too, aren’t you, Commander Hall? Since we’re going the same way, I figured I might as well walk with you. Vanelle’s full of trouble these days, and staying near the commander of the King’s Guard seems considerably safer.”

Draven stared at him blankly.

Trouble?

Who in Vanelle would be dumb enough to go after the Deputy Minister of Rites?

Too irritated to keep entertaining the conversation, he turned and continued walking with long, impatient strides that clearly signaled he had tre interest in company.

Then Leander’s voice drifted lazily after him.

“Still, I have to admit, what happened at the shop earlier was pretty entertaining.”

Draven did not bother turning around.

“What exactly was entertaining about it?”

Leander laughed softly.

“You charging in like some legendary knight rescuing a lady from a pack of drunken idiots.” His voice carried unmistakable amusement now. “Shame the lady you rescued barely looked at you afterward.”

Draven’s jaw tightened immediately.

“You seem unusually interested in other people’s business today, Leander.”

Leander remained perfectly relaxed.

Draven finally stopped walking again before turning back toward him, his expression noticeably darker

now.

“Leander.” His voice lowered. “What exactly are you trying to say?”

Leander halted several steps away and regarded him thoughtfully.

“I was just remembering something I heard before Apparently the Duchess of Duskmoor once brought two women back from Stargazer Pavilion.” His gaze lingered meaningfully on Draven. “I never knew who they were until today. One of them was Scarlet.”

Draven froze briefly.

Leander let out a quiet sigh.

r

“She seems like a genuinely good woman,” he said honestly. “Which makes it unfortunate.”

Draven frowned immediately.

“Unfortunate how?”

Leander answered matter–of–factly. “Her background, obviously.”

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