Love's Unexpected Awakening Elowen's Choice novel Chapter 27

Chapter 27 What Belongs to the Duchess

* 19%

+5 Free Coins

Alaric stared at him, cold fury flickering in his eyes. “You never used to act like this,” he said. “But today, you’ve set me up on purpose. Why? Because I refused to marry you?”

The shop boy, who had originally wanted to step forward and break up their argument, froze in place. After hearing that bombshell, he instinctively backed away, as if he’d just stumbled into the middle of a royal scandal.

Elowen’s eyes widened in shock. Alaric sneered. Am I wrong?”

Anger surged in her gaze. “You are!”

He gave a bitter, icy laugh. “Then who was the one always trailing after me? Every time you made a tart or sweet cake, you’d find a way to bring it to me. Who kept pestering Maerwyn, asking what I liked, what I wanted, racking her brain just to make me happy? Elowen, have you already forgotten how shameless and clingy you used to be-”

Smack! A loud slap cut him off mid-sentence, silencing the words that had been about to turn nastier.

His head snapped to the side. He froze for several seconds. He was the Crown Prince. Since childhood, he had never once suffered this kind of humiliation.

Stunned, Alaric looked back at her, utterly disbelieving.

Elowen’s voice trembled. “If I’d known this day would come, I wouldn’t have pushed you out of the way when that carriage charged at us!”

“I hit the ground hard,” she went on. “My knee was badly injured, and I’ve never been able to ride a horse since. All I ever wanted was to ride into battle alongside my father and brothers, but that dream ended the day my knee gave out Now, if I stay on my feet too long, it starts to ache. If I push myself past my limit, the pain flares. On rainy nights, it keeps me awake until

dawn.”

Alaric’s expression faltered. For a moment, even the sting on his cheek faded from his mind.

He hadn’t known. In either this life or the last, Elbwen had never said a word about it. She had believed he would see her worth on his own

How could someone look at another’s sacrifices and remain blind? How could he watch her suffer and still say she deserved it?

Her eyes turned red around the edges. She clenched her teeth. “You have no heart. You take no responsibility. I ruined my knee just from not marrying you-can you imagine what would’ve happened if I had? I don’t hate you because you refused to marry me. I thank the

1/3

10:28 Wed, Feb 11 0 GO

Chapter 27 What Belongs to the Duchess

Still, Elowen didn’t move. “Just give them to my maid,” she said casually.

19%

+5 Free Coins

There was a long pause behind her. Elowen’s heart thudded wildly in her chest. Then she heard a soft sigh.

“Don’t tell me… You don’t want to acknowledge me anymore, Elowen?”

This time, the voice trembled with barely suppressed tears. Elowen froze. Her heart squeezed tight.

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify