Saved By The Mad Duke
Chapter 100: The Witch Who Fell In Love With The King

Chapter 100: The Witch Who Fell In Love With The King

Although Ahspid received the message and canceled their lesson, he still joined Aideen in her exciting inspection of Queen Elindine’s room. As always, he justified his actions with the fear of succumbing to boredom once again.

Unfortunately, denying him something he had already set his mind to was utterly useless, and the princess was well aware of that. Therefore, albeit reluctantly, she agreed to take him with her, mostly because she was convinced that this way, the mage would still do less harm than when left to his own devices.

"You must promise me you will be careful, Ahspid. This room is very important to His Grace, and I do not wish to break his trust in me because of you," Aideen said, inserting the key into the lock but not opening it until she received Ahspid’s reply.

Releasing a long and somewhat irritated sigh, the mage nodded in agreement.

"Yes, yes, I promise. What am I, a child? Open the room already, this hallway is very cold!"

Joining the man in shared irritation, the princess turned the key and finally opened the door, carefully stepping inside. She was still afraid to disrupt the serene atmosphere of that magical place.

As Ahspid followed, he clicked his tongue and remarked, briefly gliding his purple gaze over the mess surrounding him.

"I might be messy while I’m working, but I always make sure to clean things up... I simply hate it when things are out of order. My hands are itching to put things where they belong."

"And this is coming from someone who throws things into the fireplace once he is done with them..."

The princess, too, took another look around the room, silently agreeing that it was practically begging for someone to clean it. However, despite Tillian giving her permission to do with the room as she pleased, Aideen could not help but feel conflicted. Every object in Elindine’s room was filled with irreplaceable memories, and she was afraid of disrupting the tranquil harmony with her intruding touch.

"No, I urge you not to move anything, no matter how irresistible the urge. You can read the books or look through the Queen’s things, but you must place them back where you found them afterward. Promise me, Ahspid."

With yet another sigh, the mage surrendered.

"Fine, fine, I promise, Your Highness."

Reluctantly, the princess shifted her eyes away from the man who was already busy going through Elindine’s library, and directed them to the wide wooden desk covered with scattered journals, papers, and books.

Carefully, she took a seat in the comfortable leather-covered chair and placed both hands on the desk’s surface. A large journal covered with thick flowery fabric in the middle immediately caught her attention.

Pulling it closer, Aideen could not help but notice the beautiful handwriting that outlined the late Queen’s name: "Elindine".

’Her handwriting is so beautiful and easy to read... Every letter is a masterpiece of calligraphy, it seems. I wonder if I will ever be able to write as beautifully as her. Maybe if I study the way she used to write, I will learn to copy it.’

Guided by this conclusion, the princess opened the first page of Elindine’s journal and began reading.

Immediately, she was struck by the overwhelming power of personal feelings and internal musings transferred to the pages through ink, which made her feel somewhat uncomfortable and uneasy.

’This is her thoughts and feelings, it is all so personal... Can I even go on? I feel like I shouldn’t...’

Although she seemed determined not to continue reading, she could not help but succumb to a strong feeling of admiration for the late Queen’s penmanship. Thus, she decided to simply skim through the pages without paying attention to their intimate contents.

As she began to flip the soft pages of the journal, one thing still caught her attention and made her pause, focusing her magical vision on the opened page. It was the word "witch".

Unable to resist, Aideen began to read,

’Today, the witch left the castle. I feel sad because it was nice to have new company for a change. She said I will give birth to a boy, and he will be as handsome as the old Davoorian gods. It made me feel relieved. A girl would not be able to survive here.

As a payment for my hospitality, the witch told me an interesting tale about another witch who fell in love with a king. I love legends and fairytales, so I simply had to rush here and write it down. Perhaps my son will love to hear these stories too.

"The Witch Who Fell In Love With The King"

There once lived a witch called Ylva. She was a strong woman who knew how to control fire. Her powers were so potent that she herself was scared of them. Thus, she decided to live in hiding and solitude, concealing her powers from the outside world.

Her loneliness, however, did not last long. The young King Finnur, the ruler of her land, became lost in the deep forest where she resided and met Ylva – a beautiful young woman with pale skin and fiery locks cascading all the way down to her feet.

He fell in love instantly, or so he told the witch.

And thus began their complicated relationship. Finnur kept visiting Ylva in the forest, tempting her with expensive presents, luxurious fabrics, warm furs, and gold. He was dedicated to seducing her, and sometimes she could not help but wonder, "Was it her who could use witchcraft, or him?"

Unfortunately, the King’s ultimate goal was not the witch’s sincere heart after all.

Somehow, the man learned about her powers and simply wanted to possess them. By possessing the witch.

He did all he could to make Ylva fall for him. No sweet word, no tempting touch was left unknown to her. Finally, rebelling against her own rational mind, the witch gave in to the power of her lonely heart.

She fell in love.

Finnur was a greedy king. He enjoyed waging war and conquering new lands, and Ylva had no strength to reject him when he repeatedly asked for her magic. Over and over again. Paying her back with saccharine yet fake affection. Cunning and smart, he knew what the woman’s heart longed for.

Until one day, her powers were no longer needed.

As Finnur finally conquered the last piece of land he desired, it was time for him to take a queen. And Ylva was not the one he wanted for that role.

Devastated and heartbroken, the witch had no outlet for the storm of emotions inside her deserted soul.

What was she supposed to do without the king? She loved him with all her heart; she had given that heart to him, and now there was a gaping hole within her sore chest.

And thus, she did what a witch with a deep grudge would do – she put a curse on Finnur; a curse so strong that it frightened even her.

But even that did not relieve her of the agony his betrayal put her through.

With the last remnants of her burning powers, she put an end to it. She put an end to it all.’