Saved By The Mad Duke
Chapter 130: Secret Outing

Chapter 130: Secret Outing

Yuraon scratched his chin, allowing himself a few seconds to think about his scout’s report before asking again,

"Is that so... Has she gone anywhere or met with anyone?"

The man shook his head.

"No. And to be frank, I do not think she is in the right condition to look for adventures, Your Majesty."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"She looks sick. It took her quite a while to get to the Capital, and once she checked into the inn, she never left her room even once. She stayed alone inside the room; I saw it from outside the window."

The young King nodded, then thanked the man for his job and ordered him to continue watching her while reporting every important detail about her movements and whereabouts.

Once the scout left his lord’s room, Cyrille walked up to the King and said, his expression marred with serious concern,

"So the mage was right... Shall we send a letter to The North and notify His Grace about this?"

Yuraon’s reply was preceded by a negative shake of his head.

"No, no need to alert them beforehand. Her weakened state must be the result of Ahspid’s magic contract, so it might take her some time to adjust to its consequences. Let’s wait and see if she will be summoned by the Paladin... And find out what the witch has to tell him."

"Very well, Your Majesty, we shall do it your way then."

Yuraon turned around and took another look at his new reflection. Then, fixing his noble fashionable attire one more time, he shifted his blue eyes to his attendant and commanded,

"Cyrille... Take the rest of the day off and don’t wait for me. I will go out to the shopping district and spend some time there."

"The shopping district?" The man arched his eyebrows, his face beaming with curiosity. "Are you going to do some shopping?"

The King released a long sigh, already preparing himself for quite an exhausting day ahead as he answered,

"Yes... I still need to buy a wedding gift for the ’happy’ couple."

***

"Your Highness, are you completely certain this is a good idea? At least let us take a royal guard with us!"

Loraline offered Melania a pleading look, her eyes welling up with tears of worry.

The princess dismissed her lady-in-waiting’s concern with a reckless gesture of her slender hand and returned to her dressing table, adjusting the buttons of her new, though somewhat modest, winter coat.

"You are overreacting, Loraline. If I have so many people tailing behind me, others will find out that I am a noblewoman, and I do not want that. It will only attract unnecessary attention to my persona. Every time I want to go out, I am urged to accept all sorts of unwanted company. I am beyond tired! Today, I am finally going to accept my loneliness and enjoy it to the fullest."

"Oh, Your Highness..."

Pouting like an abandoned puppy, Loraline walked up to her lady and helped her adjust her coat’s hood adorned with a wide line of soft white fur to properly cover her beautiful face and provide her with a desirable disguise.

"If this makes it easier for you, then I can only offer you my support. I still don’t think that going out without a guard is a good idea, but I will follow your lead. I will get the coach ready as soon as possible then!"

"No, wait!" Melania grabbed her attendant by the hand and shook her head. "I want to go on foot. The royal carriage will attract attention too, and the shopping district is not that far from here. A little walk will do me good."

The lady-in-waiting sighed again, then pressed her lips for a moment, already regretting her next words before she spoke them out loud.

"Alright. Oh, I can already feel that I will regret this outing, Your Highness!"

"Stop overreacting! Let’s go!"

***

Loraline was wrong; there was absolutely no reason for regret.

The walk itself, though slightly challenging because of the growing discomfort presented by the cold weather, turned out to be quite refreshing for them both. As the two of them finally reached the shopping district, Melania’s demeanor changed drastically.

Like a rare bird that had been locked in a suffocating cage for a long time, once she was finally able to flap her wings so freely, the princess, as her attendant knew her, began to return to her previous self.

Turning her head in every direction, the young lady was fascinated by everything she saw: either the festive decorations in the tradition of the Kingdom’s winter spirit, or the strange but magical shops, each displaying something that inevitably caught the princess’s attention. Being presented with something new, utterly different from the perfect regality of the palace, finally allowed Melania to feel alive and free once more.

"Look, Loraline! Have you ever seen a shop like this? Look, it’s painted all over!"

The young lady pointed at the bakery at the corner of the street, her face shining with child-like joy.

She was right; the shop itself looked like nothing either of them had ever seen before. Although not really big in size, it was painted yellow with dozens of cookies and cakes drawn on its brick walls and arranged in bizarre yet utterly cute patterns. The shop’s windows were small but wide, their frames and corners decorated with beautifully drawn flowery ornaments, adding to its general inviting allure.

Unwilling to wait for her lady-in-waiting’s reaction, Melania, eager to get inside, grabbed the hem of her long winter dress and started running towards the bakery, ignoring Loraline’s warning shouts.

"Goodness, My Lady! Please, do not run, the sidewalk is slippery!"

Unfortunately, Loraline’s voice was drowned out by the lively bustling of the busy street. Rushing forward, the princess’s mind was set on discovering what kind of magic was hidden behind the walls of that intriguing shop.

Suddenly, her foot slipped on a patch of icy cobblestone, and before she could realize what had happened, she began to fall backward. But before she could hit the ground, completely out of nowhere, a couple of strong arms wrapped around her waist, breaking her inevitable fall.

"Are you alright, little lady?"