Saved By The Mad Duke
Chapter 134: Never Trust A Witch... A Live Witch, At Least

Chapter 134: Never Trust A Witch... A Live Witch, At Least

"Then why did you tell the knight about the princess?"

Yuraon offered Bjarna a menacing look, his voice growing colder with each uttered word, whereas the witch’s reply became more timid as she nearly sobbed,

"I cannot control it, young King, I’m sorry... Sarith, the Chief Paladin of the Holy Church, has control over me, over all the witches he has managed to catch... We are in his grasp, I swear! I have to tell him everything or else he will strip me of my powers... I’m sorry, I hate to do this to Ahspid again but I can’t... I’m sorry..."

"Sarith, huh... The Chief Paladin... I’ve heard of him before. What an unfortunate turn of events."

Yuraon removed his hand from the woman’s neck and took a step back, giving Bjarna some space to restore her breathing and calm down. Pressing her own hands against her throat, the witch shot the King a concerned, yet still somewhat frightened glare, and warned him,

"If the knight gets to the Holy Church, there will be nothing left to do. It is the law... He will have to return to the Capital and the princess will have to come with him. Sooner or later, Sarith catches everyone."

"You stupid bitch... Run, go back to the forest, and bury yourself there. I hope the burden of your witchcraft will eat you alive before I come back for you."

The king rushed away from the shadows, hailing a coach to get back to the hotel. Bjarna, still struggling to soothe her racing heart, leaned against the cold wall, and closed her eyes once more, allowing the hot tears to wash over her face as if it were possible for them to wash away her pain as well.

Ironically, her heart calmed down... as a cold, sharp blade went right through it.

As the witch’s dead body fell to the frozen ground with a dull thud, the mysterious figure wiped the blade with a black handkerchief before putting it back into the inner pocket of his black coat.

"Stupid, lying creature... The King was right. Never trust a witch... A live witch, at least."

***

"What a day! I cannot remember the last time I felt so refreshed, so alive! Loraline! Please let the maid know that I want a hearty lunch today. I have walked so much, I am positively famished!"

Melania nearly jumped out of her coat as she walked through the waiting area leading to her bedroom, her face beaming with excitement while her lips kept stretching into an uncontrollable happy smile.

Her lady-in-waiting picked up the princess’s coat and placed it in the maid’s hands, offering her an apologetic smile as she cautioned her lady,

"Your Highness! Please, no running again! I understand that you are in a very good mood, but please, be careful! Your recklessness will soon add more unnecessary years to my already unfortunate age!"

Ignoring the second half of her attendant’s lament, Melania rushed back to her, placed her hand on Loraline’s shoulders, and replied in a cheerful voice,

"Good mood? Oh, Loraline, it is better than simply good! I feel like I was born again! A nice long walk, a stimulating and entertaining conversation, a gift!" The princess hugged the bouquet of pink roses and inhaled their refreshingly sweet aroma, her cheeks burning with almost the same hue of pink, "For the first time since I came here, I feel like a person again! I don’t even care that all those gifts he bought were not for me––his company was the best gift I could receive!"

Loraline could not help but smile as well. It was definitely a happy occasion to see the princess so joyous, so alive, and although she wished for her to stay like this forever, a regretful thought still gnawed at her caring heart.

"I am so happy, Your Highness... I wish that man was someone from here. What a wonderful friend he could be..."

The lady-in-waiting’s words indeed managed to calm Melania’s soaring emotions. Hugging the flowers tighter, she looked at the door to her bedroom, her face darkening as she whispered,

"Indeed... And I did not even ask for his name..."

A strong sense of regret washed over the lady, her heart twisting inside the suffocating clutches of sadness and pain. In truth, she was dying to learn his name the whole time they spent together, yet somehow, she was incredibly scared that doing so would inevitably shatter the magic of that surprising bond they had managed to build without even realizing it.

"Excuse me, Your Highness..."

The maid carefully approached the princess and handed her a white envelope as she continued,

"There was a delivery just half an hour ago before your return. Wedding gifts from a foreign guest."

"Really? I have already received all the gifts, I believe. Who could be audacious enough to be this late? Was it a personal delivery, at least?"

The maid shook her head.

"No, Your Highness, a hired carriage, I’m afraid. But the footman said the note should explain everything."

Curious, Melania opened the envelope and quickly skimmed the note that was inside it, her eyes widening as each word registered in her head.

"I can’t believe this..."

Throwing the envelope aside, she rushed to open the doors and ran inside her bedroom, only to freeze on the spot the instant her eyes saw the gifts that were delivered for her.

"What is it, Your Highness?"

Loraline, too, stepped inside the bedroom and instantly covered her mouth with both hands, the shocking revelation rendering her both motionless and speechless.

Finally, the princess walked to the carefully arranged gifts that she herself helped to select and stretched her lips into a subtle smile once more.

"King Yuraon Davoor... A traveling nobleman, huh? A traveler, without a doubt. And your final destination turned out to be my heart, Your Majesty."

The note, rather modest in size, still clutched in Melania’s hands, contained an equally modest message in length:

"Forgive me for such an impersonal delivery, Your Highness, but I hope you will be pleased to know that I have personally bought all the gifts with the help of a wonderful noble lady who was gracious enough to let me know what a young woman of your status and age might like. If you happen to recognize her touch, please reward her with your kind words.

Congratulations on your wedding,

King Yuraon of Davoor."