Fated Hearts: Reborn to be His Duchess

Chapter 55: Chapter 55: A Hand Picked Fate

Meanwhile Elysia was still wrapped in guilt.

Here was a rare task Cassiel could still do for her.

Applying a little salve.

And she had nearly refused.

Of course he would feel discouraged.

The thought made Elysia’s heart soften.

Her voice gentled.

"Miriam and Clara have plenty of work already. They’re probably busy."

She glanced away awkwardly.

"And I really can’t see the injury myself."

After a brief pause, she sighed.

"So I suppose I’ll have to trouble you, my lord."

Cassiel looked up.

"May I?"

Elysia tilted her head and smiled.

"Of course."

Then, after a moment’s hesitation, she added,

"There’s no one else I’d trust with it."

The words were simple.

Yet something about the way she said them settled pleasantly in his chest.

"Very well."

Elysia moved behind his wheelchair and pushed him toward the inner chamber.

She stopped beside a small table near the bed.

"I’ll sit here. It should be easier for you."

Pulling over a stool, she sat down.

Then, suddenly remembering what came next, she felt heat rush into her face.

"I... need a moment."

Without waiting for a response, she hurried into the bathing room.

Cassiel watched her disappear behind the screen.

He wasn’t entirely sure what she was doing.

A short while later, she returned.

Her cheeks were flushed a delicate pink.

Cassiel’s eyes lingered on her for a moment.

Then Elysia turned her back to him and reached for the ties of her robes.

Her fingers trembled slightly.

The movements were slow.

Careful.

It was the height of summer.

The layers were light.

After loosening the ties, she gently lowered both her outer robe and inner garment from her shoulders.

Smooth, pale skin was revealed.

Cassiel’s gaze settled on her back.

For a brief moment, he forgot to breathe.

Then realization struck.

She had gone into the bathing room to remove her undergarments.

The thought sent an unexpected jolt through him.

His throat tightened.

He swallowed once before looking away.

A strange sense of guilt surfaced.

As a child, he had been skilled at getting his way.

Whenever he was caught after a prank, he knew exactly how to look pitiful enough to avoid punishment.

Later, that same talent had become a weapon on the battlefield.

A carefully chosen expression.

A calculated word.

A feigned weakness.

All tools to achieve a goal.

Earlier, he had deliberately played upon Elysia’s sympathy.

And it had worked perfectly.

Now, watching her sit there with such complete trust, exposing a vulnerability she clearly found embarrassing, he felt an unfamiliar pang of remorse.

Perhaps I really am shameless.

"My lord?"

Elysia’s voice pulled him from his thoughts.

"Aren’t you going to start?"

Cassiel blinked.

"Right."

His voice came out rougher than expected.

Clearing his throat, he reached for the porcelain jar.

"One moment."

He scooped a small amount of salve into his palm.

Then he carefully placed his hand against her back.

Elysia was slender.

From this distance, he could clearly see the graceful line of her spine beneath her skin.

The bruises stood out starkly against that fair complexion.

Dark.

Ugly.

Infuriating.

His expression darkened immediately.

Vaelen’s name resurfaced in his mind.

The urge to drag his nephew back and shove him into a wall personally became surprisingly appealing.

Instead, Cassiel focused on applying the medicine.

His touch was extraordinarily careful.

The hands that had wielded swords and commanded armies now moved with remarkable restraint.

Every movement was measured.

Every touch deliberately gentle.

Elysia could feel the warmth of his hands through the cool salve.

He was trying very hard not to hurt her.

Unfortunately, years of military training had left rough calluses on his palms.

Against her sensitive skin, even careful movements carried a faint sting.

Elysia pressed her lips together.

She refused to make a sound.

If she complained, he might withdraw immediately.

And after everything he’d said earlier, she didn’t want that.

To distract herself, she started a conversation.

"My lord."

"Hm?"

"You seemed rather quiet after we left the palace."

She lowered her gaze.

"May I ask why?"

Cassiel certainly couldn’t admit that he had spent half the journey wondering whether she still had feelings for Vaelen.

"I was tired."

The answer came smoothly enough.

Elysia considered it.

Then she spoke again.

"There’s something I think I should explain."

Cassiel’s hand paused briefly.

"Oh?"

"In the past, I was close to the Crown Prince."

She chose her words carefully.

"Many people believed I would eventually marry into the Crown Prince’s Wing."

Cassiel listened silently.

"I won’t."

Her voice was calm.

"And I never intended to."

That caught his attention.

"Why?"

Elysia couldn’t tell him the truth.

She couldn’t explain rebirth.

She couldn’t explain memories of another life.

So she chose the simplest answer.

"Because I do not care for him."

Cassiel’s fingers slowed slightly.

"And he does not care for me."

She gave a small shrug.

"A marriage without affection would only make both people miserable."

Cassiel found that difficult to believe.

The way Vaelen looked at her earlier had not resembled indifference.

Not even remotely.

Still, he asked,

"You don’t care for him?"

"No."

The answer came without hesitation.

Elysia’s voice remained steady.

"When His Majesty spoke to me at the banquet, he asked whom I wished to marry."

Cassiel remembered.

King Zephyrus had told him as much.

"He said I could choose any man in the kingdom."

Elysia smiled faintly.

"If I truly wanted the Crown Prince, I could have said his name."

The King’s affection for General Calen Hartwell and her brothers was well known.

Had she requested Vaelen, King Zephyrus would have seriously considered it.

"But I didn’t."

Her voice softened.

"I chose someone else."

Cassiel’s hand stopped completely.

For a moment, neither of them spoke.

The room seemed unusually quiet.

Then, very carefully, he asked,

"And are you satisfied with that choice?"

Elysia lowered her eyes.

A small smile appeared on her lips.

"Yes."

The answer came so naturally that she didn’t even have to think about it.

Cassiel stared at the graceful curve of her shoulder.

For the first time all day, the irritation that had been lingering in his chest quietly disappeared.

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!