Love's Unexpected Awakening Elowen's Choice novel Chapter 515

Elowen's brows tightened slightly as she stepped back, placing herself behind Cassian.

The movement carried a quiet but unmistakable meaning. She was avoiding Alaric as if he were unstable, or something she didn't even want near her.

Alaric lifted his head, his eyes rimmed red. When he looked toward Elowen, his line of sight inevitably passed over Cassian first.

Cassian stood tall and immovable, his presence steady and imposing, like a stone keep that could not be breached.

Alaric clenched his jaw, his voice turning sharp. "Look at him. He keeps saying he loves you, says he's your husband, even got you carrying his child. But today is your birthday. Everyone here brought you something thoughtful. What did he give you? Does he even put in half the effort I do, half the heart..."

Bran stood behind Cassian, and as the crown prince's words grew harsher, more and more unpleasant to hear, he could no longer stay silent. He stepped forward.

"Your Highness, you should choose your words carefully. His Grace has naturally prepared—"

"Out of line!"

Alaric spun around abruptly, his voice cutting through the air. "Who do you think you are? A servant, and you think you get to speak here?"

He let out a cold laugh. "And stop calling him that. This is Hale Manor, not Duskmoor Manor. What? He's already been stripped of his title and rank. Didn't you receive the royal decree?"

His gaze slid past Cassian entirely, locking onto Elowen with a stubborn, almost obsessive intensity. "A gift? What could he possibly give you? Gold? Jewels? Rare curiosities? Even if he scrapes something together, what does that matter? How could it possibly compare to what I prepared for you, that bloodline—"

A heavy explosion cut him off.

The sound came without warning.

Alaric froze mid-sentence.

Everyone instinctively turned toward the source.

In the southeastern sky beyond Hale Manor, where the last traces of dusk still lingered, a massive firework burst open.

Light spread outward in layered petals, blooming like a radiant golden flower, its edges trailing streams of molten brightness.

Alaric's unfinished words caught in his throat. He stood there, mouth slightly open, stunned.

But it was only the beginning.

Boom. Boom. Boom.

A rapid succession of explosions followed, rhythmic and overwhelming, echoing from every direction.

From other courtyards within Hale Manor, from the ornamental rock gardens and lakeside, even from the surrounding streets, countless streaks of light shot upward, cutting through the darkening sky before exploding into brilliance.

Night deepened, yet the sky grew brighter.

Countless bursts spread across the heavens, nearly covering it entirely.

With Hale Manor at its center, all of Vanelle was illuminated like midday.

Fragments of light drifted downward in shimmering cascades, like a rain of glowing embers spilling from the sky itself.

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