Love's Unexpected Awakening Elowen's Choice novel Chapter 265

Cassian had always been striking in appearance, the kind of beauty that carried a dangerous edge, with sharp brows and a straight, aristocratic nose that made people look twice. Yet seeing him standing like this had a completely different impact, one that felt immediate and almost unreal.

He held himself upright with quiet composure, his tall frame steady and balanced in a way that made the dark folds of his coat shift lightly when he moved, briefly revealing the firm strength along his forearm. For a fleeting moment, he looked less like a man recovering from injury and more like a figure stepped out of an old portrait hanging in some gallery.

Elowen opened her mouth to speak, only to realize her voice trembled the moment the words left her lips.

"Cassian... how are you..."

Cassian's mouth curved into a faint smile, and his tone remained warm and unhurried.

"I found out last night that I can stand for a short while," he explained. "So this morning I had Hugh come take a look. After the treatment, I can stay on my feet for a bit longer."

Across the room, Hugh wiped down a row of silver needles with the bored patience of someone who had already lost interest in the conversation.

"That's enough," Hugh said flatly. "Sit down."

Cassian behaved as if he had not heard a single word. His gaze remained fixed on Elowen.

Elowen pressed her lips together before speaking softly.

"Cassian... you should listen to him. Please sit."

Only then did Cassian give in. He returned to the wheelchair and settled into it with an ease that made the movement look deliberate, as though sitting had been his own decision all along.

Hugh stared at him.

So that's how it is? Playing favorites now? What, the problem isn't just your legs—your ears don't work either?

Elowen suddenly remembered something and turned toward Hugh.

"Doctor Dray, his legs improving like this... is it because of the hot springs?"

Hugh slid the cleaned needles neatly back into their case before answering.

"The hot springs certainly help," he said. "The warmth improves circulation, which benefits his condition. But that alone would not explain such a sudden change."

He paused, then cast Cassian a long, meaningful look before continuing.

"When I checked his pulse this morning, I noticed something unusual. Recently, he experienced several strong shocks to the system."

Elowen blinked in confusion. "Shocks?"

"Yes. Three times."

Elowen froze.

A heartbeat later, realization struck. Color rushed up her face so quickly it reached the tips of her ears.

Hugh continued in the same calm tone, completely unmoved by her reaction.

"Those three shocks caused his blood to surge and break through several blocked pathways in his body. In a way, they forced circulation where it had been stagnant."

His eyes narrowed thoughtfully.

"And if you think about it, when he woke from that long coma before, it was also triggered by some kind of shock. Unfortunately I was not in Vanelle at the time, and it happened long ago, so I have no idea what caused it."

He snapped his case shut with a quiet click.

Without lingering, Hugh offered a few routine reminders about rest and treatment, then tossed out a casual farewell. "I'll come back tomorrow."

With that, he walked out. The door closed softly behind him.

The room fell silent, leaving only Elowen and Cassian. Without warning, Elowen felt her nerves tighten.

Then something struck her all at once, and she jumped to her feet.

Cassian looked as though he were smiling and not smiling at the same time. "What a good name."

The words were spoken softly, yet each one struck her heart with quiet force.

Elowen went still.

In that moment, she thought of her grandfather.

When her mother had been expecting her, Julian had been at that age when boys seemed determined to turn every day into trouble. Wanting some peace before the birth, her mother had returned to her own family's estate to deliver the child there.

The Wynne family had practiced the healing arts for generations, and people often said her grandfather possessed an extraordinary gift for it. Throughout the entire pregnancy, her mother's health had remained under his careful watch.

So when the time came to name the child, the decision naturally fell to him.

Years later, once she was old enough to understand, her grandfather sometimes spoke about those days. They had been difficult years, filled with endless worries and responsibilities that rarely left him in the mood to smile.

But the moment she was born, when he first saw that tiny pink face wrapped in blankets, something inside him quietly eased.

That was why he chose the name Elowen.

Part of the reason, he once told her, was that the child had eased something in his heart, as though she had mended a small place that had long been worn thin. The other reason was simpler.

To a physician like him, the art of healing was the most precious thing in the world.

His granddaughter, in his eyes, was no different.

And now, hearing Cassian's words, Elowen could not help noticing that the meaning was almost the same.

Yet at that moment the thought lingering in her mind was far less sentimental.

If she was meant to be Cassian's cure... then where, exactly, was hers?