Awakening Love Reborn to Be His Duchess (Elowen Hale) novel Chapter 671

Chapter 671 The Question He Finally Asked

Scarlet had never allowed herself to cry in front of other people.

+ Pearh

She understood far too well that tears were useless things. And yet now, she suddenly could not stop.

It felt as though something scaled shut inside her chest for years had finally split open without warning. and all the hurt she had spent so long burying came rushing out at once.

The moment Draven saw tears falling down her face, he panicked completely.

Instinctively, he reached toward her as though he meant to wipe them away, but halfway there he abruptly froze after noticing the blood smeared across his hands. Afraid of staining her skin, he immediately drew back again instead, standing there awkwardly with broad shoulder tense and helpless.

“I know I shouldn’t’ve acted without asking first,” he said hurriedly, his voice low and rough with nerves.. “Scarlet, if you didn’t like this, then I swear I won’t do anything like it again.”

Mira had been standing nearby watching the entire exchange with increasing disbelief, and at last she could not hold back anymore.

“Commander Hall,” she interrupted with a sigh, “Scarlet isn’t upset with you. She’s crying because you moved her.”

Draven stared blankly for a second.

Scarlet’s cheeks instantly flushed red, and she turned her face aside while tears still clung to her lashes. The faint color warming the tips of her ears was impossible to miss.

And finally, at long last, Draven understood.

His heartbeat slammed hard against his ribs.

For one dizzying instant his mind emptied completely, and exerything else around him disappeared. The assassins, the blood on his clothes, the pain from his injuries, none of it seemed to matter anyinore.

All he could see was Scarlet.

He gathered his courage and stepped closer, his voice tightening despite himself.

“Scarlet… a little while ago, I went home to talk with my parents.” He swallowed hard before forcing the rest out. “I told them I want to marry you.”

Scarlet looked up at him in stunned disbelief.

“Marry me?” she asked softly. “But… aren’t you afraid people will laugh at you? What about the men serving beside you? What if they talk behind your back?”

To her complete surprise, Draven only looked confused.

“Why would they?” he asked honestly. “You’re beautiful, you’re strong, and you’re smarter than most

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Chapter 62 The Question He Finally Acker

people I know. If anything, they’ll probably envy me

Scarlet froze.

She had imagined countless answers before this moment.

Maybe he would say he did not care about other people’s opinions.

Maybe he would promise to protect her.

But never, not once, had she imagined he would answer so naturally, as though the idea of anyone looking down on her was completely ridiculous.

“You really are…” Her voice trembled again before catching entirely. “Such an idiot.”

She had pushed him away so many times already, yet somehow he still came back. Still carrying that same unbearably sincere heart toward her without hesitation. From farther down the street came the hurried sound of approaching boots.

The city guard had finally arrived.

For some reason, the interruption made Draven suddenly anxious, as though he might lose this chance forever if he let the moment slip away now. Before he could second-guess himself, he finally blurted out the question that had clearly been trapped inside him for days.

“Then… would you marry me?”

Scarlet quickly wiped at her face with the edge of her cloak.

“Even if I said yes,” she answered gently, “that still wouldn’t be enough.”

Her voice remained soft, but the seriousness in her expression made it clear she meant every word.

“You still need your parents’ blessing first. They raised you, cared for you, and sacrificed for you your entire life. That couldn’t have been easy. If marrying me only leaves them heartbroken, then how could I possibly feel at peace with it?”

Γ

Draven immediately thought of his parents’ reaction, and his expression darkened with worry.

“Well… that’s the problem.”

The truth was, his parents did not like Scarlet at all.

The day Draven first mentioned wanting to marry someone, both of them had been thrilled and immediately demanded to know who she was.

Being completely incapable of lying, Draven told them honestly that Scarlet now served beside the Lady of Grace and Virtue at Duskmoor Manor, and that years ago she had performed music and dance at Stargazer Pavilion. He had also added, with complete sincerity, that she was beautiful, clever, and kinder than anyone realized.

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Chapter 6717he Dicalon He Finally ked

The moment those words left his mouth, his parents’ expressions changed completely.

45 Pearls

His father had exploded #fury, accusing him of disgracing the family, while his mother cried that he had lost all sense of shame. By the end of the argument. Draven had been beaten so badly he could barely stand upright afterward.

Ever since then, he had privately believed convincing his parents would be nearly impossible.

But Scarlet only smiled softly.

“It’s all right,” she told him. “We’ll try together. I’ll do my best to make them like me.”

Inside Isla’s residence, the atmosphere was so cold and tense that even the servants lingering near the walls barely dared breathe.

Caclan stood in the center of the chamber beneath the glow of iron lanterns fixed along the stone walls, his posture straight and still while his gaze remained fixed on Isla.

Ordinarily, warmth and easy composure lingered naturally in his expression.

Tonight there was none.

“Where is Iris?” he asked flatly.

Isla reclined comfortably against the back of her chair with a silver cup resting in her hands, slowly stirring the heated spiced wine inside before lifting it lazily to her lips.

“That’s an interesting question,” she replied without even bothering to look up at him. “Who exactly is Iris? There are dozens of attendants serving here. Am I expected to remember every single one of them?”

A faint crease appeared between Caelan’s brows.

“My Lady,” he said evenly, “there’s no reason to pretend otherwise.”

Isla remained entirely calm.

“I already told you. There’s nobody here by that name.” Only then did she finally lift her eyes toward him with faint mockery curling at the edges of her mouth. “What? You don’t believe me?” [

Caelan said nothing.

He only continued looking at her in silence.

Isla slowly set down her cup, looking almost amused now.

“Although…” she said thoughtfully, “now that I think about it, the name does sound familiar. Wasn’t she one of the attendants serving in the Crown Prince’s Wing? Daphne’s maid, if I remember correctly. Since Alaric’s already been stripped of his title and imprisoned, shouldn’t everyone connected to the Crown Prince’s Wing already be under investigation?”

Caelan’s expression darkened slightly, but instead of answering, he turned toward the chamber doors.

“Bring her in.”

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