Chapter 388 Five Dollars
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Elowen turned slightly toward Cora. “Bring five dollars to Beatrice. This will be her personal reward.”
The words stunned everyone present. Beatrice stood rooted where she was.
The attendants in the courtyard looked at one another in confusion.
Cora followed the order without hesitation. She returned moments later carrying the and walked directly to Beatrice.
“Congratulations, Beatrice,” she said.
money
Beatrice instinctively held out both hands to receive it. The weight of the money in her palms felt heavy and unfamiliar. She stared at it in confusion, unease slowly creeping into her thoughts. “Your Grace, I…”
Elowen did not respond. She rose calmly from her chair.
“That will be all. You may return to your duties.”
After speaking, she turned and walked back inside. For a moment the courtyard remained quiet.
Then the whispers began.
“Wasn’t it agreed that none of us from the palace would receive
any
reward?”
“Then why does Beatrice get money while the rest of us receive nothing? Five whole dollars
too.”
“If I had not listened to her yesterday, I would have completed my work properly today.”
“That is exactly right. Gerda just scolded me for neglecting my duties earlier. I even argued back, and Her Grace saw everything.”
“The Duchess must have been displeased because of that.”
“Beatrice,” someone demanded sharply, “you need to explain this.”
Beatrice herself looked completely lost. “I truly do not know,” she insisted anxiously.
Dorothea let out a cold laugh from the side. “Well done, Beatrice. You stirred everyone up
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Chapter 388 Five Dollars
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together, and then somehow managed to win Her Grace’s favor behind the scenes. Five dollars all for yourself. Even the senior housekeepers of this manor only received three. Looks like the rest of us were nothing more than tools to help you gain favor.”
“That is not true. I swear it is not.”
Beatrice felt almost desperate. The money in her hands seemed to burn.
Throwing it away would look suspicious, yet keeping it made her look guilty. She had clearly heard Elowen say that those who came from the palace would receive no reward.
Everything had been going smoothly. So why had everything suddenly turned against her?
At that moment she felt completely trapped.
From the edge of the courtyard, Rosaline quietly watched the scene unfold.
The crowd surrounded Beatrice, questioning her one after another while Beatrice clutched the money helplessly, unable to defend herself.
Rosaline’s gaze shifted toward the closed chamber doors where Elowen had disappeared.
Admiration quietly filled her eyes. The Duchess of Duskmoor had handled the situation brilliantly.
Five dollars had been enough to sow suspicion among the palace attendants and turn them against each other.
Rosaline turned her head, intending to quietly warn Seren to understand the situation clearly and stop following every rumor she heard.
But when she looked beside her, Seren was staring toward the far side of the courtyard.
Rosaline followed her gaze. Near the small kitchen stood Cassian.
He sat in his wheeled chair beside a wooden worktable. Several jars and bowls were arranged in front of him along with baskets of fresh fruit. From the looks of it, he was preparing preserved fruit himself.
Cassian’s features were strikingly handsome, and the sharp lines of his profile gave him a distant and formidable presence.
Yet while he worked, his gaze remained lowered in quiet concentration, his movements patient and careful.
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Chapter 388 Five Dollars
For a moment, the powerful Duke appeared unexpectedly gentle.
Seren watched him without blinking, her eyes filled with quiet fascination.
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Alarm rose instantly in Rosaline’s mind. She seized Seren’s wrist and spoke in a low, urgent voice.
“Seren, listen carefully. Do not allow foolish fantasies to take root in mind.”
your
Startled by the sudden grip, Seren quickly looked away. “What fantasies? I was not thinking anything.”
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The readers' comments on the novel: Love's Unexpected Awakening Elowen's Choice
Excellent literary piece!...