Love's Unexpected Awakening Elowen's Choice novel Chapter 264

Mira nodded slowly. "That makes sense."

Elowen continued, "Cassian runs the army as strictly as my father once did. If I went to him and begged for mercy, he would despise me. And even if he somehow listened and concealed the matter for my sake, what would that make of military law? If His Majesty learned the truth later, he would be furious. How could Cassian face him then?"

Mira asked, "Should we go find His Grace and let him handle Anwen?"

Elowen shook her head.

"No. She is Her Majesty's sister in law. If Cassian drives her away personally and word spreads, people will say he showed no respect to Her Majesty."

And besides, Elowen did not want to see Cassian right now. Just thinking about him made her legs feel weak.

Memories of last night alone made her waist and thighs ache.

Elowen steadied her breathing.

"We'll walk here for a while. Elspeth and Yvonne will soon reach the Great Hall, so Anwen will not be alone. Later we will return and tell her that His Grace said he will consider the matter. With witnesses present she cannot keep pressing me."

Mira looked at Elowen with admiration.

Your Grace is becoming sharper.

They wandered slowly through the courtyard.

The Sunspire Hill estate was smaller than Duskmoor Manor, but it was built along the mountainside, with spring water flowing through the grounds and terraces rising one above another.

Elowen kept her pace deliberately slow as she walked through the estate gardens, because Cassian had been far too relentless the night before and her body still carried a lingering fatigue she could not quite ignore.

When they reached a cluster of ornamental rocks arranged into winding paths, she paused for a moment. The rock garden had been designed with careful attention, the stones stacked in layered formations that created narrow passages and hidden corners, and a small stone bench sat nearby beneath the shadow of the tallest rock.

Deciding she needed a moment to rest, Elowen sat down briefly. Her throat felt dry again, so she turned slightly and gestured to Mira.

"Could you bring me some water?" she asked.

Mira bowed her head and left immediately.

Left alone, Elowen wandered a little deeper into the rock garden, moving slowly along one of the winding paths between the stones. She had barely rounded the side of one of the taller formations when a sound reached her ears, faint but unmistakable enough to make her pause.

Tilting her head slightly, she listened more carefully.

A woman's voice drifted through the narrow space between the rocks, sharp with irritation.

"Why are you holding me like that? Weren't you staring at her earlier? Do you think she's prettier than me?"

A man answered her with a rough laugh that carried easily through the stone passages.

"She is prettier," he said bluntly. "But she's not nearly as wicked as you are, miss."

Elowen froze where she stood.

They're on the estate grounds, in broad daylight, and yet they dare to behave like this...

Cassian.

Elowen froze even harder, confusion flooding her mind. Why is he here?

"Let's go," Cassian said quietly.

Before she could react, he lifted her cleanly off the ground. One arm held her securely against him while the other kept his hand firmly over her eyes, blocking her view as he turned and carried her away from the rock garden.

Unable to see anything, Elowen felt her thoughts tangle together in confusion.

Cassian is standing. And he is carrying me.

Another voice soon reached her ears, dry and mildly disapproving.

"Your leg has barely recovered halfway, and you're already showing off," Hugh remarked. "You walked all the way here and carried someone back. Don't you think that's pushing things a little too far?"

A moment later Elowen felt herself being set down gently on a cushioned couch. The hand covering her eyes finally lifted, and she blinked as her vision slowly adjusted to the indoor light.

The room around her was neat and tastefully arranged, with the faint scent of medicinal herbs lingering in the air. Hugh sat off to one side, calmly wiping down a set of needles as if nothing unusual had happened.

But Elowen's attention was fixed entirely on Cassian.

In the past, whenever Elowen saw Cassian, he was usually lying in bed or sitting in that wheelchair, and rarely standing like this.

Now he stood there with an easy composure, his tall frame relaxed yet striking. His shoulders were broad and open, his waist firm and well defined beneath a dark everyday coat that made the clean lines of his build even more distinct.

Sunlight filtered through the lattice window behind him, laying a pale gold glow across his figure and tracing the strong lines of his back. The muscles there were not exaggerated or bulky, yet the quiet strength in the way he carried himself was unmistakable, balanced and controlled in a way that felt both powerful and restrained.