Saved By The Mad Duke
Chapter 103: The Weakness

Chapter 103: The Weakness

"What happened to her? Where is she now? How is she feeling?"

Tillian’s voice echoed down the cold corridor of the second floor, his steps resonating like the strides of a raging titan.

The moment he stepped into the castle, utterly exhausted from his lengthy patrol, Tillian was met by a cluster of worried maids and King Yuraon. They quickly delivered the news about Aideen’s condition, their expressions a mix of concern and apprehension.

Anger, frustration, and fear surged through Tillian, their relentless currents tearing at his soul. Aideen was not meant to get hurt within the confines of his castle. Not under his care.

With one swift motion of his hand, the Duke removed his thick, flowing black cloak and dropped it carelessly on the floor before continuing his march towards the bedroom. Stanis picked up the cloak and hurried to follow his lord, while Tillian coldly addressed Yuraon,

"Has anyone called for the village doctor?"

The young King shook his head, his voice tinged with uncertainty,

"Why do we need a doctor when there’s a mage in the castle?"

"The very same mage who caused her to faint?!"

Though Yuraon understood Duke Valentine’s reasonable concern, he attempted to reassure him that worrying was still unnecessary.

"Please, calm down, Your Grace. She is alright now," he insisted, "the mage said she simply needs to rest, and tomorrow the princess will be absolutely healthy!"

Suddenly, Tillian halted, pivoting to face the King, and seized him by the collar of his loose black shirt. Glaring at him with the intensity of a raging storm, his voice dripped with fury as he retorted,

"She is not just a princess, she is my wife. And why are you still here anyway? The wedding ceremony is over. Go to the Capital now and cease causing trouble here!"

Stanis, though maintaining his careful and cautious demeanor, stood nearby and warned his lord,

"Decorum, Your Grace. His Majesty is still the King; such familiarities are inappropriate."

With a mere expression, Yuraon signaled to Stanis that it was acceptable, dismissing his concern. Then, with visible effort, he moved the Duke’s hands away from his neck and continued,

"It wasn’t my curse that affected her, but what she and the mage did afterwards. If I had known they were planning something this dangerous, I wouldn’t have agreed to participate."

Taking a few moments to contemplate the young man’s genuine expression of regret, Tillian, still seething with anger, pushed him away and swung open the doors of the bedroom.

As he stepped inside, his glowing red eyes instantly fixed on Aideen, who lay motionless on their bed, small and defenseless, as if drained of both color and life.

To her left sat Ahspid, equally still and quiet, holding her hand in his.

The Duke, too, seemed immobilized, the sight of his hurt wife weighing him down with an unparalleled mix of stress, pain, and worry.

Noticing Tillian at the door, Ahspid carefully returned Aideen’s hand to the bed, fixed the warm blanket that covered her and rose to his feet, greeting the Duke with a somewhat sad and guilty look.

Finally, Duke Valentine found the strength to speak once more,

"What happened to her?"

The mage glanced down at the sleeping princess as if to make sure that she was fine one last time, then redirected his purple eyes to the Duke as he began walking towards the door, whispering,

"She is fine now. I put a sleeping spell on her to allow her to rest and recover, but we need to talk about this, Your Grace. Not here, though. Let’s discuss matters in your study. Alone."

***

Once inside the Duke’s study, Tillian closed the door, then advanced towards Ahspid with determined steps. With a furious blow, he punched the mage right in the face, sending him tumbling backward.

"I don’t care who you are," the Duke started, "I don’t care how old you are. I don’t care how powerful you are either¹. But if you are not allowed to harm Aideen, no matter what you do. If I have to remind you about it this way, then I might as well just beat you to a pulp so that it finally etches in your brain."

Not paying any particular attention to the man’s words, Ahspid carefully touched the hot blood on his busted lip and winced from pain, smearing the blood over the already red surface as he attempted to wipe it away.

Then, he rose to his feet and shifted his lower jaw from side to side, ensuring that the bones of his skull remained intact. Fortunately, despite the powerful blow to his face, Tillian had shown his face some mercy.

Unfazed by the physical discomfort caused by that encounter, the mage stood before the Duke, offering him a stern look, still hesitant to speak. Adjusting his black attire, he wiped the blood from his mouth once more before finally saying,

"For someone who desires to be treated like a noble, Your Grace, you resort to violence rather quickly."

Ahspid allowed Duke Valentine some time to respond, but when no reaction followed, he sighed and continued,

"Believe it or not, but my harming the princess actually worked in our favor in the end."

Tillian’s expression darkened instantly as the mage’s words seeped into his mind. Succumbing to another fit of rage, he grabbed the man by the collar of his black jacket, his red eyes burning like two dark flames, and almost hissed,

"What did you just say? Have you finally lost your mind completely?"

Though Ahspid knew the Duke could not cause him any real harm, he felt genuinely frightened. However, what he had to convey was still more important than his own well-being. Thus, the mage fixed his deep purple gaze on Tillian’s and spoke in a quiet yet serious tone,

"Thanks to our little unplanned experiment today, I was able to uncover the princess’s weakness, Your Grace. And I believe this weakness is an important one."