Love's Unexpected Awakening Elowen's Choice novel Chapter 386

Chapter 386 Seeds of Discontent

Dorothea nodded calmly.

“If it’s nothing, then stop sighing. It sounds rather unlucky during the holidays.”

Beatrice stared at her in disbelief.

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Before she could respond, Lyanna, who had once served near Theodric, spoke with a warm laugh.

“Dorothea, don’t tease her like that,” Lyanna said. Then she turned toward Beatrice with a friendly smile. “We worked together in the palace for years, and now we’ve all come to Duskmoor Manor together. If something is bothering you, why not tell us? Surely you’re not treating us like strangers.”

Beatrice shot Dorothea a sharp glare.

She had never liked that woman. Back in the palace they were constantly at odds, and even here she continued to oppose her.

“Go on,” Lyanna encouraged. “What happened?”

Beatrice sighed again, as if reluctantly giving in.

“I’ll only say this among ourselves,” she said quietly. “You must promise not to repeat it.”

When Lyanna nodded repeatedly, Beatrice leaned slightly closer and lowered her voice.

“A moment ago I passed by the duchess’s study and overheard her giving instructions about rewards for the household.”

Someone nearby leaned closer with curiosity.

“Rewards? What kind of rewards? Are they for everyone?”

“If that were the case, I wouldn’t feel troubled,” Beatrice replied with another sigh. “The duchess said the rewards are only for the servants of Duskmoor Manor. The guards will receive five dollars, and the maids and footmen three extra dollars.”

“And those of us who came from the palace?” someone asked quickly.

Beatrice shook her head. “The duchess made it clear that we won’t receive a single coin.”

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10:21 Thu, Apr 23

Chapter 386 Seeds of Discontent

The group exchanged uneasy glances.

Inside, Beatrice felt secretly pleased, though her face remained worried.

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“It’s not that I care about three or five dollars,” she said. “I’m only worried for the duchess. She is still young and inexperienced in managing a household. If she keeps rewarding servants so generously and so frequently, won’t they all start growing arrogant?”

She sighed again. “As for the money itself, it means nothing to me. I simply worry that she might suffer because of it someday.”

Several attendants nodded along. Only Dorothea and Lyanna showed little reaction.

Dorothea let out a short laugh.

“If you truly didn’t care, you wouldn’t have repeated ‘three or five dollars’ twice. Clearly you care very much.”

Beatrice glared at her.

Lyanna quickly stepped in to ease the tension.

“The duchess may be young,” Lyanna said gently, “but perhaps she simply has a kind heart.”

Beatrice sighed heavily.

“You call it kindness, but perhaps it isn’t so simple. This time the duchess rewarded the entire estate but ignored those of us sent from the palace.”

Someone asked in surprise, “You mean everyone received the reward except us?”

Beatrice nodded. “That’s exactly what she meant.”

The woman frowned. “How can she show such favoritism?”

Dorothea laughed again. “You’ve only worked here a few days, and the duties you were given are the easiest ones in the estate. Yet you’re already thinking about rewards? Besides, our wages come from the palace. Why should this estate give us anything?”

The woman looked embarrassed and fell silent.

Beatrice let out a faint scoff.

“That argument hardly makes sense,” she said coolly. “His Majesty and His Grace are brothers. Surely there’s no need to draw such strict lines between them.”

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10:21 Thu, Apr 23

Chapter 386 Seeds of Discontent

The atmosphere began to grow tense.

:

Lyanna quickly spoke again before the argument could escalate.

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“Well, the duchess has already made her decision. There’s nothing we can do except accept it. It’s only three or five dollars after all. If we continue to do our duties well, opportunities will surely come later.”

Beatrice sighed once more and muttered quietly, “Who knows if that day ever comes.”

That evening Elowen sat alone in her study reading.

As the sky darkened outside, the lines of text on the page gradually blurred in the fading light. She lifted her head and called for Mira.

But Mira was not nearby. The only person standing outside the door was Seren.

Elowen called toward the doorway, “Seren, come in and light the candles.”

Her voice carried clearly enough that anyone standing there could hear it. Yet Seren remained perfectly still, pretending not to notice.

“Seren?” Elowen called again.

Still there was no response. Elowen immediately understood.

Beatrice must have succeeded.

She had deliberately arranged for the servants of Duskmoor Manor to receive rewards while excluding the attendants sent from the palace. Three or five dollars might not be a fortune, but it was still money.

Once someone quietly stirred resentment behind the scenes, it was only natural that some palace attendants would feel dissatisfied.

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