Fated Hearts: Reborn to be His Duchess

Chapter 56: Chapter 56: Stained Red

Cassiel paused in the middle of applying the salve.

"You chose me."

Elysia gave a small nod.

"Yes."

A faint smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.

"Then by your reasoning..."

His gaze lingered on her exposed back.

"Does that mean you have feelings for me?"

Elysia froze.

Instinctively, she turned her head.

Unfortunately, she had forgotten her current state.

Her robes were still lowered, and she had removed her undergarments before returning from the bathing room.

The sudden movement exposed far more than she intended.

For a brief second, neither of them spoke.

Then realization struck.

A startled gasp escaped Elysia.

She immediately grabbed her robes and pulled them up.

Her entire face burned scarlet.

Without daring to look at him, she rushed straight back into the bathing room.

The door shut behind her.

Silence followed.

Cassiel sat motionless.

For several moments, he simply stared at the closed door.

Then he slowly leaned back.

An image flashed through his mind.

Then another.

And another.

A moment later, something warm trickled beneath his nose.

Cassiel frowned.

Raising a hand, he touched it.

His fingers came away stained red.

He stared at the blood in complete disbelief.

"..."

Inside the bathing room, Elysia remained there far longer than necessary.

She splashed cool water on her face repeatedly.

Only after the heat in her cheeks finally subsided did she gather enough courage to emerge.

When she stepped back into the chamber, everything appeared perfectly normal.

Cassiel sat beside the lamp with a book in hand.

Golden light illuminated the sharp lines of his profile.

His expression was calm and composed.

If anything embarrassing had happened moments ago, there was no sign of it.

Elysia quietly released a breath.

Good.

At least he wasn’t affected.

That could only mean one thing.

He wasn’t interested in her.

The realization didn’t hurt as much as it might have once.

Cassiel was handsome, powerful, and admired throughout the kingdom.

Women undoubtedly threw themselves at him wherever he went.

Compared to them, she wasn’t particularly remarkable.

Besides, there was already someone in his heart.

In her previous life, Vaelen had often called her dull.

Uninteresting.

Plain.

At first those words had wounded her deeply.

For a long time, she had avoided looking at her own reflection.

Eventually, however, she had come to understand something.

No one was loved by everyone.

When she wrote Legends of Cassiopeia under the pen name Alhena, countless readers adored the story.

Just as many disliked it.

That was simply how the world worked.

A person’s worth wasn’t determined by whether others found them desirable.

Being content with oneself was enough.

Meanwhile, in the royal palace, another conversation was unfolding.

Night had settled fully over the capital.

Lanterns glowed softly throughout Queen Ilara’s residence.

When Queen Ilara entered, the maids immediately moved to greet her.

She raised a hand.

"No announcements."

The attendants bowed and stepped aside.

"Has Sylrienne retired?" Queen Ilara asked quietly.

"Her Highness is preparing for bed, Your Majesty."

Queen Ilara nodded and entered the inner chamber.

Sylrienne sat cross-legged on her bed with a book resting in her lap.

Her eyes remained swollen from crying earlier, but she was stubbornly reading by candlelight.

At the sound of footsteps, she glanced up.

The moment she saw her mother, she deliberately turned her face away.

Queen Ilara sighed.

"How are your knees?"

No answer.

"Do they still hurt?"

Sylrienne snorted.

"I thought you didn’t care."

A trace of helpless affection appeared on Queen Ilara’s face.

"How could I not care?"

She accepted a small jar of medicine from a waiting attendant.

"Your father was furious today. He forbade the physicians from treating you and ordered everyone to leave you alone."

Her expression softened.

"But it’s late now. His anger won’t last forever."

She sat beside the bed.

"You’re his daughter. He loves you more than you realize."

Some of Sylrienne’s resentment eased.

She reluctantly set her book aside.

Queen Ilara carefully lifted the hem of her nightdress.

Both knees were badly swollen.

The skin was red and angry from kneeling for so long on hard stone.

A flicker of pain crossed Queen Ilara’s face.

She began applying the salve with great care.

Even so, Sylrienne hissed softly.

"It hurts."

"Endure it a little longer."

The medicine was worked gently into the bruised flesh.

Before long, tears began gathering in Sylrienne’s eyes.

"It’s all Elysia’s fault."

Her voice trembled with frustration.

"She humiliated me."

The memory reignited her anger.

"I’ll make her pay."

After finishing the treatment, Queen Ilara sealed the jar and set it aside.

Her expression became serious.

"She is the Duchess of Draevenor now."

Sylrienne scowled.

"I know."

"Your uncle clearly intends to protect her."

Queen Ilara’s voice remained calm.

"What happened today should be warning enough."

She looked directly at her daughter.

"If you continue provoking her, next time your punishment may be much worse."

Sylrienne bit her lip.

The people she feared most in the world were her father and her uncle.

Unfortunately, Elysia now had the protection of both.

The thought made her furious.

Then inspiration suddenly struck.

Her eyes brightened.

"Mother."

"What?"

"Uncle Cassiel has loved someone for years, hasn’t he?"

Queen Ilara paused.

"So I’ve heard."

Sylrienne sat up straighter.

"If we find that woman, what will Elysia matter?"

A smug smile slowly spread across her face.

"If Uncle truly loves someone else, he won’t even glance at Elysia."

Queen Ilara wasn’t nearly as optimistic.

The identity of that mysterious woman remained unknown.

Finding her after so many years would be difficult.

More importantly, another concern occupied her thoughts.

"The priority isn’t your uncle."

Sylrienne frowned.

"Then what?"

"Your brother."

Queen Ilara’s expression grew troubled.

What Vaelen had done today continued to bother her.

The way he reacted around Elysia.

The way he questioned her.

The way he lost control.

None of it felt right.

A mother’s instincts were rarely wrong.

And Queen Ilara feared she knew exactly what those signs meant.

She could not allow Vaelen to develop feelings for Elysia now.

Not after everything.

Not when Elysia was already married.

After a moment’s thought, Queen Ilara made a decision.

"When your father’s anger subsides, I’ll host another gathering."

Sylrienne blinked.

"A gathering?"

"All the eligible noble ladies in the capital will be invited."

Understanding dawned immediately.

"A selection for the Crown Princess?"

"Something like that."

Sylrienne leaned back against her pillows.

Then another thought occurred to her.

She looked sideways at her mother.

"You spend all your energy worrying about my brother."

A pout appeared on her face.

"What about me?"

The question hung in the air.

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