Saved By The Mad Duke
Chapter 119: With Your Blood

Chapter 119: With Your Blood

Tillian’s footsteps echoed through the ascending, narrow hall of the mage’s tower like the stomping of a titan. His fists were clenched with anger, his white knuckles almost bursting out of his skin.

Once again, his abrupt return to the castle was greeted with distressing news –– his wife was involved in something possibly dangerous, and once again, two castle troublemakers were accompanying her.

’It is always these two that pull her into their dangerous games. I warned them not to test my patience. A king and an old magus... sharing the brain of a newborn child! This time, they will pay through their noses.’

Ready to throw hands again, the Duke pressed his hand on the door leading to Ahspid’s bedroom but stopped at once as his wife’s voice seeped into the hall. Taking a break from his raging fit, he leaned closer and tried to listen.

Aideen’s touching speech made its way through the thick layers of Tillian’s armor and straight into his chest, making his heart tremble with admiration.

He was happy to hear her talk with such passion and resolve. Just a few months ago, the princess that arrived at his castle was nothing but a shell of a discarded person but now, she was finally turning into the glorious young woman she was supposed to be.

Free of the suffocating chains of her abusers, she was finally learning to experience all the things a normal person could.

And most importantly, she was experiencing love. And that love belonged to him. Now, he was sure of it.

Nevertheless, taking control of his soaring emotions, the man pushed the door open, entering the mage’s bedroom.

The sight that he beheld was distressing, to say the least.

Blood smeared all over the floor in mysterious, ominous writings, a pale woman kneeling on the floor, her face devoid of life itself; Ahspid kneeling beside her, his arms wrapped around her trembling shoulders; King Yuraon, his palm gaping with a deep wound, his shirt soaked with blood. Aideen was standing next to him, her face distorted with a pained look of sadness and despair. And, finally, another stranger –– a woman whose mere appearance suggested that she was made of fire itself.

Marching up to his wife, the Duke placed his hands on top of her shoulders, his look filled with concern as he asked,

"What is going on here? Are you alright? Were you hurt again?"

But before the princess could respond, the fire witch scoffed with dissatisfaction, addressing Aideen,

"Is this the man you are so dangerously devoted to, young lady?"

Without uttering a single word, Aideen carefully removed her husband’s hands from her shoulders and nodded at Ylva, confirming her assumption.

The witch took a few moments to assess Duke Valentine with a long stare, then asked him in a serious voice,

"Why do you want to save this man so badly?"

She pointed her finger at the young King and Tillian followed that gesture with his red eyes, eventually fixing them on Yuraon’s youthful face.

"Why would I not want him saved if there is a real chance to do so? He should not die so easily; it would be a great and unfortunate loss. He is already a good ruler to his people, and... he is my friend."

Ylva could not help but laugh, the sinister melody of her trembling voice shattering the heavy silence within the room.

’A man who wants to be the king befriends another king... A man who wants to be the king marries a lonely woman with hidden powers... How ridiculously typical. Even hundreds of years later, the history repeats itself.’

Returning her burning orange glare to the princess, Ylva sighed and continued in a cold tone,

"Your determination is admirable, Snow Queen, but still useless. My curse is irreversible, I cannot lift it even if I wanted to."

Aideen averted her red, teary eyes, her lips trembling from utmost despair. She wanted to cry, the tension and sadness that had already managed to build up inside her chest were now unbearable and she had no idea what to do with all that pain within her.

Releasing another long sigh, the witch stood before her and patted her lightly on the shoulder, her voice now kinder as she spoke again,

"Well there, do not waste your tears, young lady. I cannot lift the curse but... you still might."

The young woman arched her eyebrows and nearly shouted,

"Pardon?! I can?!"

Ylva nodded.

"The curse that runs in the young man’s blood is that of fire––my fire—the fire that burns his life away and shortens its span; the fire that feeds on his love and consumes those who are brave enough to receive it. My powers are strong, even the experienced mages with strong water or ice mana would not be able to put that fire out, however..."

She paused and shifted her eyes to Tillian who was glaring back at her, alerted by her closeness to his wife. The witch only offered him a rather disrespectful grin, and turned back to the princess,

"You are not a mage, Snow Queen, aren’t you? Your mana is filled with snow, water, and ice. And this is why you might still have a chance to overpower me. If you are confident and brave enough."

The witch’s words made Bjarna finally raise her head and fix her hazy silver eyes on Aideen. When Ahspid asked her to sign the magic contract that would restrain her from remembering anything about the princess, he told her that the young woman was a mage under his tutelage but Ylva’s statement contradicted that information, sparking the necromancer witch’s curiosity even more.

"What do I have to do?"

Aideen locked her eyes on Ylva’s face, her expression serious and filled with confidence. The witch grinned, then walked up to King Yuraon, and in one strong motion tore his shirt apart, revealing his naked upper body to the rest of those present.

Turning back to the princess, she declared,

"You will have to write over his curse... With your blood."