Chapter 139: A Rivalry of One

Chapter 139: Chapter 139: A Rivalry of One

Elysia nodded thoughtfully.

The King had always been a man who remembered kindness and repaid it.

How could a ruler so principled have raised a son as ungrateful as Vaelen?

The thought crossed her mind briefly before she remembered something else.

"Oh, I almost forgot."

She turned towards Cassiel.

"Her Majesty invited me to the palace tomorrow afternoon."

Cassiel did not look up.

"If you don’t want to go, refuse."

Elysia blinked.

"But I’ve already accepted."

"You can still refuse."

His fingers moved over her knee, giving it a gentle squeeze.

"Judging by the weather, the rain will continue tomorrow. Your knees are already troubling you. There is no need to go all that way."

Elysia stared at him.

Draevenor Manor was practically beside the palace.

And she would obviously be travelling by carriage.

He knew perfectly well that she wasn’t about to walk there in the rain.

So why was he saying it?

Elysia studied his expression for a moment before asking carefully,

"Is something happening at the palace tomorrow?"

Cassiel finally glanced at her.

"The Queen has also summoned Deborah. She intends to choose the wedding date."

"What does that have to do with me?"

Elysia shrugged.

"It’s Deborah and the Crown Prince who are getting married, not me. Even if we happen to meet, what’s the problem?"

Cassiel said nothing.

His silence, however, was not the dismissive kind.

It was the silence of a man who had already considered several outcomes and disliked most of them.

Elysia continued, her expression becoming more earnest.

"The Queen is my sister-in-law now. If she personally invites me and I refuse without a proper reason, it might appear disrespectful."

She shifted slightly closer.

"And more importantly, my lord, you and the King are full brothers. I don’t want my refusal to create unnecessary tension between you over something so trivial."

Cassiel’s gaze remained on her.

Elysia smiled, "Besides, ever since you’ve protected me and given me your personal seal, things have changed."

She spoke with quiet certainty.

"Deborah, the Crown Prince, and even the people in Caelvyr who once looked down on me—none of them dare treat me lightly anymore."

Her smile widened.

"When I appear in public, they bow and address me properly as the Duchess of Draevenor."

Only then did the corner of Cassiel’s mouth lift.

"Alright."

Elysia smiled in satisfaction.

Once they had settled beneath the covers, the room gradually grew quiet.

Outside, the drizzle continued against the windows, steady and unhurried.

Just before sleep claimed them, Cassiel spoke again.

"Take Maude with you tomorrow."

Elysia turned her head.

"Maude?"

"Yes."

She waited, in case he intended to explain.

He did not.

She nodded.

"Alright."

But as she lay there, her thoughts returned to everything that had happened recently.

Cassiel had remembered her injuries.

He had summoned Wulfric for her.

He had noticed when she pretended not to be in pain.

He had told her she did not have to become accustomed to suffering.

And tonight, he had patiently massaged her knees until the ache eased.

None of it had been asked for.

The man beside her had given her something she had never truly received in her previous life.

Consideration.

Care.

Without asking for anything in return.

Elysia slowly turned towards him.

She hesitated.

Then, gathering her courage, she moved closer and gently slipped an arm around his waist.

She hugged him.

Cassiel’s body went rigid.

He clearly had not expected it.

Elysia, however, had already closed her eyes.

Within moments, her breathing became slow and even.

She fell asleep peacefully.

Cassiel did not.

He remained perfectly still in the darkness, staring ahead.

He did not move her arm.

He did not move at all.

His heart was beating far faster than ever before.

---

The following morning, Elysia awoke to the sound of rain.

A steady drizzle had settled over Caelvyr once again.

She reached instinctively towards the space beside her.

Empty.

The sheets there had long since gone cold.

Cassiel had already risen.

Elysia lingered beneath the covers for a little while before finally getting up.

As she approached the table, she noticed a bowl of medicine waiting there.

Miriam was already in the room.

"Your Grace, Bran prepared it this morning. He made two bowls. His Grace has already taken his."

Elysia looked at the medicine.

Beside it sat a small dish of candied fruit.

Miriam smiled.

"This was prepared by His Grace himself."

Elysia glanced at her.

"He prepared it?"

"He thought the medicine might taste bitter and wanted you to have something sweet afterwards."

Elysia’s cheeks warmed.

She sat down without answering.

Taking a cautious sip, she immediately regretted it.

Very bitter.

She quickly reached for one of the candied fruits.

The sweetness erased the taste almost at once.

Miriam watched in amusement as Elysia repeated the process.

One sip of medicine.

One piece of candied fruit.

By the time the bowl was empty, so was the dish.

Miriam could not help smiling.

"His Grace truly understands you."

Elysia’s heart gave an embarrassing little flutter.

She immediately changed the subject.

"Where is he?"

Miriam shook her head.

"I am not aware, Your Grace."

Elysia considered it.

He had probably gone to the army camp.

With the assassination attempt still unresolved, Cassiel undoubtedly had matters to attend to.

She said nothing more.

---

By afternoon, Elysia had the carriage prepared for the palace.

She took Maude with her, exactly as Cassiel had instructed.

The rain had thinned to a fine mist by the time they passed through the outer gates, though the courtyard stones remained dark with water.

When she arrived at Everbloom Hall, she could already hear voices from inside.

Laughter.

Conversation.

Then came Ilara’s warm, unmistakably pleased voice.

"I have always favoured you, my dear. I once thought our connection was not meant to be, yet by some fortunate twist of fate, it is you who will become my daughter-in-law."

Elysia’s expression remained calm.

She continued walking.

Upon entering the hall, she found Ilara seated in the place of honour, holding Deborah’s hand with unmistakable affection.

Deborah sat beside her with her usual demure expression.

A chamberlain announced, "The Duchess of Draevenor has arrived."

Deborah raised her eyes.

The moment she saw Elysia, a small, triumphant smile curved her lips.

There was no attempt to conceal the arrogance in her gaze.

Elysia paused for barely a heartbeat.

In her previous life, she had heard almost the same words from Ilara countless times after marrying Vaelen.

I have always favoured you.

How fortunate I am to have you as my daughter-in-law.

Having a daughter-in-law like you is a blessing.

Back then, Elysia had believed every word.

She had been happy to hear them.

She had repeated them to herself on the difficult nights, holding them up like proof that she belonged somewhere.

Only much later had she understood that words meant very little when actions told an entirely different story.

If Ilara had truly favoured her, why had she never urged Vaelen to treat her properly?

When Elysia had suffered inside the Crown Prince’s Wing, how could the Queen have remained unaware?

The palace was not so large that such things went unnoticed.

Nothing happened within those walls that the Queen did not eventually hear of.

No.

Ilara had favoured her because Zephyrus had already decided that Elysia would become Crown Princess.

It had never been affection.

It had been expectation.

Now Ilara was saying the same things to Deborah.

Perhaps Deborah believed them.

And judging from the pride in her expression, she certainly did.

Elysia offered her a faint, composed smile.

"Speaking of which..."

Her gaze settled on Deborah.

"In the past, your father served under mine. We used to play together quite often."

Deborah’s expression shifted slightly.

"After your father’s promotion, we saw less of each other, and I thought perhaps that childhood connection had faded."

Elysia smiled warmly.

"But how fortunate that you are about to marry the Crown Prince."

Her tone was perfectly sincere.

"We shall be family soon."

Deborah’s smile became a little more restrained.

Elysia continued, "In the future, when the Crown Prince comes to pay his respects to his uncle, you must come with him. You are always welcome to visit me by yourself as well."

The words were gracious.

Almost affectionate.

Yet their warmth only made Deborah feel smaller.

Elysia spoke as though Deborah’s marriage were a fortunate arrangement that required no envy, resistance, or concern.

She did not sound threatened or bitter.

She did not even sound as though she considered Deborah a rival.

Instead, she addressed her with the calm generosity of someone offering kindness from a position of unquestionable security.

Every gracious word reminded Deborah that Elysia no longer needed to fight for Vaelen’s affection, his title, or anyone’s approval.

Deborah was the one being welcomed into the family.

Elysia was already its Duchess.

The more warmly Elysia spoke, the more clearly Deborah felt the distance between them—and the more humiliating it became to sit there receiving kindness that felt like charity.

Beside the Queen, Deborah’s fingers tightened slightly in her lap.

She had come to this hall expecting to be envied.

It had not once occurred to her that she might be congratulated by her "future aunt" instead.