Awakening Love Reborn to Be His Duchess (Elowen Hale) novel Chapter 759

Chapter 759 The Iron Guard

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Finished

Maya was utterly amazed, claiming she had never seen anyone master a language so rapidly.

Thomas didn’t miss a thing. Riding behind the carriage, he caught the occasional drift of Nordian floating out from inside.

The woman was learning Nordian.

Thomas frowned.

That afternoon, the group stopped by a river to rest. Elowen climbed down from the carriage and stretched her legs on the riverbank.

Thomas came over and stood beside her. Staring down at his fragmented reflection in the water, he suddenly asked, “Why are you learning Nordian?”

Elowen turned to face him. “I’m going to have to win over Prince Zachary eventually. Learning his language seems like the obvious place to start.”

Thomas went silent.

He felt like a fool for even imagining he could get a straight answer out of her. The woman was an absolute vault, as calculating as she was tight–lipped. If she didn’t want to talk, you couldn’t pry a word from her, even with a knife to her throat. And as for things she did want to say— Thomas realized she had never voluntarily shared a single detail about herself.

Deciding it wasn’t worth the effort, he dropped the subject.

By dusk on the seventh day, the group finally reached the last wayside station before Kingsport.

This place was much larger than any of their previous stops, built with blue brick and grey tile, and surrounded by an intact perimeter wall. Two stone pillars stood at the entrance, carved with Nordian script that Elowen couldn’t read; she had only picked up some spoken phrases and remained completely illiterate in the language.

George ordered his attendants to drive the carriages into the courtyard, then arranged for Elowen to have one of the best rooms.

Once inside, Elowen shut the door and sank onto the edge of the bed. Traveling for days on end had taken its toll; even with the carriage, her body was thoroughly exhausted. She rubbed her stiff neck and rotated her wrists, trying to ease the tension.

Then, faintly from somewhere outside, she caught the sound of a horse neighing.

Elowen knit her brows in suspicion. Moving to the window, she pushed it open and looked out.

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15:42 Mon, Jul 13

Chapter 759 The Iron Guard

76

Finished

Beyond the station lay a dirt road flanked by an endless expanse of open wilderness. The sun was dipping below the western horizon, bleeding a vibrant, intense orange across the edge of the sky.

Against this fiery backdrop, a contingent was advancing toward the station. It was a relatively small group–around twenty men–clad entirely in black armor that gleamed with a cold, metallic sheen under the fading sunlight.

Leading them on a towering mount was a man in dark iron plate. He rode bareheaded, his sharp, angular features fully exposed. Elowen’s gaze lingered on his face for a split second before shifting to the banner fluttering above the ranks. It was a black flag embroidered with a golden wolf’s head, its jaws snapped wide to reveal razor–sharp fangs.

Elowen didn’t recognize the crest, but she knew the armor. She had seen similar illustrations in Cassian’s study, in texts detailing the military structures and uniform traits of the various Nordian factions.

They were the Iron Guard.

They were an elite force answering directly to the Nordian royal court, responsible for securing and patrolling the perimeter of the capital.

Elowen shut the window, turned, and stepped out of her room, calling for Thomas.

He walked over, his face characteristically stiff. “What is it?”

“A detachment has arrived outside,” Elowen said evenly. “They look like the Iron Guard from Kingsport.”

Thomas blinked in surprise. “What would the Iron Guard be doing out here?”

Elowen grew thoughtful. The recruiters‘ journey north was a legitimate operation, properly approved and documented at every level. Even if the Iron Guard wanted to conduct an inspection, they would typically do so at the city gates, not at an isolated waypoint in the middle of nowhere.

Unless they were searching for something. Or someone.

A thin layer of cold sweat broke out across Elowen’s back. “Get me some bathwater,” she commanded quickly. “I need to bathe.”

Thomas stared at her, thoroughly bewildered. “Right now? A bath?”

With an unknown contingent of the Iron Guard closing in, she wanted to take a bath now of all times?

“Right now,” Elowen said, leaving absolutely no room for argument.

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15:42 Mon, Jul 13

Chapter 759 The Iron Guard

76

Finished

The conditioning of playing her servant must have run deep, because Thomas found himself unable to talk back. Gritting his teeth, he resigned himself to his fate and headed toward the kitchen to find hot water.

Outside, the Iron Guard drew closer to the station. Two cavalrymen spoke in hushed tones from atop their mounts.

“Darius, Cassian publicly announced that his wife isn’t missing. Why is our master insisting we search everywhere for her anyway?”

The cold–faced man leading the line replied, “Master received word yesterday that someone was trying to sell valuable Avenlorian jewelry. Tracking it back, they found out it was recovered from the river near where the Duke and his wife were ambushed. Master suspects Elowen fell into the river.”

“But if she’s missing, wouldn’t Cassian be looking for her? For all we know, he might have already brought her home.”

Darius spoke in a low, heavy voice. “Master noted that as well. Cassian has been exceptionally brutal in combat lately, and his mood is foul. That means either Elowen is injured, or she hasn’t been found yet. To leave nothing to chance, we have to account for both possibilities. Cassian is bound to come to Kingsport, and his duchess will certainly find a way to meet him here. Setting an ambush near the city is our best shot at smoking her out. Master made it perfectly clear: if we run into any remarkably beautiful woman with an unusual background, there’s a high probability it’s Elowen.”

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