Saved By The Mad Duke
Chapter 108: Bjarna

Chapter 108: Bjarna

Loraline gazed at the white envelope in her hands for nearly a minute, feeling a profound sense of sadness and regret gnawing at her soul. Then, with a long sigh, she resolved to fetch the royal messenger and promptly send the princess’s letter.

However, her intentions were abruptly halted as she observed the approach of His Highness, the second prince when she left the room as well.

With a courteous bow, she greeted him,

"Good morning, Your Highness."

"Good morning, My Lady. How are you on this fine day? And how is life here treating the two of you?"

Valon’s thin lips stretched into a wide grin, his face radiating an unusual sense of happiness on his pale features. The woman nodded and responded in a polite tone,

"Thanks to the Royal Family’s attention, Her Highness and I are adjusting quite well here."

"Oh?" The prince’s expression shifted to one of genuine surprise. "Well, I am truly glad to hear that."

His green eyes then fixed on the neat white envelope clutched in the attendant’s hand, immediately capturing his interest.

"Is that a letter I see in your hands?" he inquired.

Loraline nodded once more.

"Yes, Her Highness wrote a letter to her family, and I was just on my way to find the royal messenger."

"You are in luck, My Lady, as I was just heading to the palace’s library, and one of the messengers is waiting for me there. I can take care of this letter for you."

He extended his hand, silently requesting the envelope, but Loraline dismissed the gesture with a shake of her head.

"Oh no, Your Highness! How can I bother you with something so trivial?"

"There is no bother at all. I am about to send out some letters anyway. Please, hand me the letter," he insisted.

Despite his urging, Loraline hesitated. Something deep inside her resisted letting go of the letter. However, she recognized that holding onto it when a member of the Royal Family was generously offering his help would not only be rude but also unreasonable.

Thus, still somewhat reluctantly, Loraline handed the letter over to Valon and bowed once again.

"Thank you, Your Highness."

Returning the gesture with a bow of his own, the prince replied,

"My pleasure."

With a polite yet uneasy smile, Loraline turned around and retreated back into the room, leaving Valon alone in the hallway. The prince looked at the letter, examining the envelope with a smirk. Whispering to himself, he resumed his stride forward.

"Let’s see what kind of nonsense you’ve written there, little princess."

***

Ahspid halted his horse at the entrance to the vast, dark forest. Not once had he stopped since departing from The North, and now he harbored genuine fear that his mount might collapse from exhaustion.

It would be a necessary sacrifice, he reasoned, but an unfortunate one nonetheless.

The perilous journey was driven by a promise he had made to Duke Valentine –– to procure the aid of someone who could help lift King Yuraon’s curse, and to do so swiftly, as time was of the essence.

’When was the last time I traveled to the western part of the Kingdom? This place appears unchanged," he mused to himself. ’The villagers still cower in fear of the witch’s wrath.’

The western region of Geraldion was renowned for its vast and dense forests. Only those whose families had resided there for generations possessed the knowledge to navigate these woods, enabling them to traverse the dense foliage without fear of becoming lost forever.

Despite its perilous and desolate nature, several small villages nestled near the forest’s edge managed to thrive by harvesting wood, a resource in high demand in the Capital. These villages supplied over eighty percent of the wood required for the region and although somewhat wealthy, they still had no choice but to stay there and take care of the forests.

For Ahspid, it was a place that offered refuge to an old... very old friend.

After tethering his horse to a tree beside a tranquil puddle of water, Ahspid retrieved several carrots from the saddlebag and fed them to the animal. With a brief sigh, he gazed at the towering wall of dead trees before him and then plunged into the forest.

As his feet touched the black, frozen soil, the mage shivered, feeling chills coursing down his spine as though he were being pricked by hundreds of needles. It seemed the forest itself had reacted to his presence; even while standing at its entrance, Ahspid felt disoriented, as if he were already lost.

’She is still employing my tricks, huh? I suppose I should feel flattered.’

Slightly confused, the man paused to survey his surroundings. The forest appeared to be alive, every tree, blade of grass, and bush in constant motion, though their movements remained imperceptible to the naked eye.

’She has refined the patterns of her illusions... She has done an impressive job, I must admit. Now, how long will it take for me to locate her without alerting her to my presence?’

As Ahspid delved deeper into the forest, he could not shake the sense of coldness and foreboding that hung in the air. Despite being accustomed to the harsh conditions of The North, the forest exuded an even colder and more unsettling atmosphere.

’It suits her. She wouldn’t be who she is if her home was warm and cozy.’

Pressing forward, the mage continued his journey through the woods. Yet, despite his efforts to unravel the intricate web of illusions woven by his acquaintance, he found himself succumbing to the dark powers that permeated the forest.

’It feels like I’ve been wandering in here for hours, though I know it’s only been ten minutes at most. I thought I had deciphered the algorithm of the illusion patterns, but it’s proving to be rather tiresome. Curse that witch; she’s done an excellent job of concealing herself here.’

Pausing to catch his breath and gather his thoughts, Ahspid leaned against a tree, pondering,

’Should I simply reveal my presence to her? It would save me a considerable amount of effort.’

However, before he could enact his plan, a low, feminine voice addressed him from behind that very tree.

"Well, I’ll be damned. Is this really who I think it is?"

With a somewhat disappointed expression and a tired sigh, the mage turned around and forced a smile.

"Long time no see, Bjarna."