Saved By The Mad Duke
Chapter 140: Naive And Lonely Girls Like Us

Chapter 140: Naive And Lonely Girls Like Us

"I am no longer a Ruan," Aideen took offense at Khala’s words; Ruan was never her name, and she was happy to finally have one that was, "I am now Aideen Valentine, and I wish to be addressed as such."

Khala released an annoyed scoff, nodding at the snowflake-shaped diamond on the princess’s ring finger.

"Ah, yes, Duchess Valentine... It is quite a heavy burden to wear this name, you know. I wonder if someone like you can really do that."

The lady grew confused again.

"Burden? What is that supposed to mean?"

The woman found Aideen’s ignorance amusing once again and tried to explain,

"Tillian is a strong man with great ambitions and a dangerous goal in mind. However, to achieve that goal, he needs to have strong and, most importantly, influential people by his side; people with confidence, people with connections. And you, I’m afraid, do not have any of these. You were a princess only in name, and now... Your title of a duchess is nothing but empty, too. It is a pity, but you are simply wasting your life by being with him."

A deep frown etched between the princess’s eyebrows as she retorted in a rather upset tone,

"How can you say that? Yes, perhaps my background is not perfect, but I am still of royal blood! My grandfather is the King of Utar, after all. And besides, it is not a title that makes the person, but the person fills their title with meaning. And I do all I can to be true to that saying."

Khala could not contain her laughter again. Every single word uttered by the woman before her sounded like a bad joke.

"Big words for a big person, huh? Your grandfather is the King... Yes, the King who has never even seen his granddaughter before, never cared to visit or even send a single letter... Do his subjects even know that you exist? Would they call you a princess when they see you? What use are you to Tillian? You are blind, uneducated, and weak, you are utterly useless!"

Now, Aideen finally got angry. "Useless" was the word she hated the most, and she was now convinced that it could no longer be associated with her person. But most importantly, she did not care for the rushed opinion of someone who had no idea what kind of life she had to lead and how hard she had to work to finally erase that adjective from her existence.

Clutching her fists on the sides of her skirt, she felt her mana flowing from every single pore of her body, filling the room with unexpected and rather ominously cold air.

At first, Khala was savoring the result of her harsh words, but then she felt unpleasant shivers crawling underneath her clothes. As she shifted her golden eyes to the walls of the bedroom, she realized that they were covered in a thin layer of light blue ice, as if the room was freezing from the inside.

Caught off guard, she briskly pulled a small knife from the pocket of her black pants, rushed towards the princess, pushed her all the way to the opposite wall, grabbed her by the neck, and pressed the tip of the blade under her chin, her eyes burning with unconcealed rage.

"Don’t waste your magic tricks on me, princess. I don’t think you truly understand how dangerous I can be."

Scared, Aideen swallowed an invisible rock formed inside her throat but tried to remain undeterred as she replied,

"Yes, I am aware that people are afraid of you. However, I can be dangerous too. My magic tricks do not end with just empty threats."

Khala stayed silent for a while, then offered the princess a sly grin, her voice turning unexpectedly softer.

"I see you are not as simple as everyone makes you appear, Princess Ruan. But this feigned confidence is useless. You only feel strong because he wants you to feel this way; he needs this to get what he wants. Once he is done, however, he will toss you out like a used object. Trust me, you won’t feel as confident once he takes back the hand that kept feeding you all this time."

Suddenly, Aideen realized what Khala’s words truly meant. Although she still thought that the woman holding a knife against her skin was not completely sane, the princess understood that whatever everyone had to say about her did not convey the real meaning behind her actions.

’Bella said she was in love with Tillian... But I think she was in love with his kindness instead. And I can understand it. She was completely alone in this world, and when Tillian appeared, he replaced that loneliness with kindness and care. Perhaps she thought that if she was useful to him, he might love her back, but he rejected her... And she thought that he simply no longer saw her as useful. Whatever she did after that, was not stemming only from a broken heart; her spirit was broken as well.’

Although the lady felt sorry for Khala, she had to admit that fixing whatever was still broken in her heart and soul was not her job. It was not her place either.

"I am sorry you had to go through this, and I am sorry you still feel this way, but nothing of that sort will ever happen to me. I know this."

Khala was not convinced, and her answer was filled with cruel mockery.

"You will see... All men are the same. All they have is greed. And all they look for is a way to satisfy it. Naive and lonely girls like us can never learn our lessons."

Aideen could not retort because the room was filled with a loud knocking sound, followed by Sir Stanis’s voice.

"Your Highness? It is lunchtime already. Shall I send Bella to bring you some food?"

Khala nodded at Aideen, then finally removed her hands from her, offered her one last disappointed look, and started walking towards the bathroom, her quiet but cold voice blending with her heavy steps,

"Enjoy your lunch... Lady Valentine."