Awakening Love Reborn to Be His Duchess (Elowen Hale) novel Chapter 826

Chapter 826 Gambling on Time

The confidant bowed, “At once.”

On the other end, Thomas played the part of a newly acknowledged heir desperate to gauge his power boundaries, allowing the steward to tour him around the manor-inspecting the front yard, council hall, armory, and stables while dropping questions at every turn.

“Are all these guards loyal directly to my father?”

“Is a pass token required to enter and exit the manor?”

“Where are the financial books from the brothel sent?”

Dreading any disrespect, the steward answered each prompt while Thomas pretended to take careful

mental notes.

He knew today’s move was a dangerous gamble; pulling Samantha out of the Crimson Lantern preserved her, yet placed him right under Malkor’s watchful eye.

Malkor would inevitably investigate his past, and tracing it to Willow Ridge to discover Samantha was once his fiancée would unravel everything, though it required time-a journey between Kingsport and Willow Ridge took several days even at top speed, whereas the Rite of the Oracle drew near.

He wagered on this small window of time, believing that as long as he worked with Elowen to shatter the brothel and crush House Harrow before Malkor uncovered the truth, all would be settled, making any late revelation utterly useless.

Elowen soon received Thomas’s secret cipher: safely inside House Harrow, Samantha extracted from the brothel, and Malkor dispatching spies into his past-all moving as she had anticipated.

Elowen turned to Anson with an order, “Assign two men to intercept the Archduke’s scouts along the road, slowing their reach to Willow Ridge discreetly without raising suspicion. Still, don’t worry excessively–the Rite of the Oracle is almost upon us, and even their fastest riders might not make it in time, though caution never hurts

Anson gave his word.

Later that evening, Valessa arrived at the embassy under cover of darkness, bringing only two personal guards through the rear gate, where Elowen had Mira serve tea in the side parlor.

Valessa cut straight to the point, “The rumors on the streets are growing vile.”

‘Elowen showed a flicker of amusement, “How vile?”

Valessa recounted every detail, “Some brand you a foreign sorceress from Avenlor, others claim you’re a fake Oracle heir, and many accuse my brother of plotting with Avenlor to hijack Nordia’s divine seat.”

“That’s milder than I expected-Nordians are rather polite.” Tilting her head, Elowen asked, “And inside the

court?”

Talking about court, Valessa betrayed a hint of surprise, “Strangely enough, pushback inside the court is

ninimal; in fact, numerous nobles are voicing approval.”

Elowen gave a light

Nordian tribes lies fragmented. Raising a new Oracle offers a unified faith-a far easier tool for rulers to

govern.

“Moreover, for many nobles, cooperation with Avenlor yields more gain than harm; as Ulana Ogu’s bloodline and Duchess of Duskmoor, my ascension solidifies ties between our realms, so while mobles might not love me personally, they favor the outcome.”

Valessa nodded faintly, “Everyone except Malkor.”

“Indeed, he despises it.”

Elowen’s eyes crinkled in a smile. “Because reinstating the Oracle suppresses his influence first, forcing hin to incite the masses. Unable to crush us in court, he stirs the streets to paint me as an foreign witch and the rite as a sinister conspiracy, hoping public unrest at the ceremony will prove I lack the people’s favor.”

Murderous resolve flared in Valessa’s eyes. “We can’t let him succeed.”

Elowen offered a tranquil smile, “If he craves chaos, let him have it.”

Valessa looked up in query.

Elowen added, “I’d like to bother you to ask the Khan to move the ceremony’s location to Oracle Peak.”

Valessa froze. “Oracle Peak?”

“Yes.”

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