Saved By The Mad Duke
Chapter 141: Do Yourself A Favor

Chapter 141: Do Yourself A Favor

Tillian walked through the long corridor of the second floor in the direction of his study. Just like he promised Aideen, he managed to return earlier but he still had to make sure all his tasks were in order before delegating them to Stanis.

As he pushed the door to his study open and walked inside, he instantly halted, his eyes widening at the sight before him –– Khala, absolutely naked, lying on the leather couch in the middle of the room.

Shocked and confused at first, the Duke had no idea what to do until finally he managed to get back to his senses, pulled his long black cloak off his shoulders, threw it on top of the naked woman, and asked in an angry voice,

"What is the meaning of this?! What the hell do you think you’re doing?!"

With a cunning grin gracing her lips, Khala removed the cloak from her body, her voice almost singing as she replied,

"What do you think I’m doing, Tillian? Or should I do more to finally make you understand?"

The man furrowed his eyebrows and turned around, letting her understand that he had no interest in whatever she was planning to do. Slowly rising to her feet as if intentionally enjoying Tillian’s flustered state, the woman approached the Duke from behind and wrapped her hands around his muscular waist, sliding her hands down to his pants.

"Don’t be so cold to me, Tillian. So many years have passed, I really missed you."

Tillian grabbed Khala by the wrists, pulled her away from his body, and turned around, glaring back at her with the look of an enraged madman. Seeing no sign of sense in her golden eyes, he almost screamed at her,

"What the hell is your problem?! You keep doing all these crazy things in my presence over and over again. What in the world do you want from me?!"

Angered as well, Khala’s reply was nothing but loud screaming too,

"Why can’t it be me?! I was here first and we had a connection! I know you better than she does and I understand you! I can fight, I am strong and independent! So what if I am not a noble? Once you’re a king, you can make me one, just like Euris did with you! So why? Why not me?! Why does it have to be her?!"

The woman’s intense response made Tillian even angrier, his red eyes now burning with utmost hate and fury as he raised his voice as well,

"Do you even hear yourself?! You are insane! Your obsession with me is beyond ridiculous now, Khala! I hoped that spending so many years apart would finally make you become more reasonable and mature but clearly, I was wrong to do that."

"Ridiculous?" Khala started again, "I’ve changed! Both Stanis and you have always told me that I could not work with others but I am now the leader of the traveling bandits and we work great together! Those men are ready to die for me, that’s how close we have become! And I trained a lot––I have a set of skills even the Black Flame mercenaries can get jealous of. Give me a chance! Let me go to the Capital and join them, I can be your spy! Please, let me prove to you, that I am worth it! I can be useful again, you’ll see!"

Her words were sincere and full of pain but they were not enough to make the Duke’s heart flatter even a little bit. Tillian arched his eyebrows, then pushed the woman away, picked up his cloak, wrapped it around her shoulders, and said, his voice turning quieter but colder,

"Those who were following you left, my knights managed to lead them away from my lands. I could have let you stay another day for old times’ sake but you have crossed the line again. Take your things and leave immediately unless you want me to have you thrown out like the last time. My warning still stands too––if I ever see you again, you are a dead woman, Khala."

Khala became quieter too. She averted her eyes, fixing them on the wooden tiles below her feet, then hugged her shoulders, securing the man’s cloak, and whispered,

"I really don’t get it... I am not ugly, I can be a lot more useful to you... So why? I don’t understand why..."

Although determined to leave the study right away, something in the woman’s voice made Tillian pause and think about what she had just said. With a somewhat heavy sigh, he ran his long fingers through his messy blond hair, then turned around, and concluded,

"I don’t care if you are useful or not. It just... was never you. The heart wants what it wants, Khala. And if you could let your heart go for once, you might have finally found what it wants as well. I am truly sorry. But you have to accept it and move on. Do yourself a favor."

At last, without looking back even once, Tillian was able to leave his study and walk away, from everything.

As he marched towards his bedroom, he could not help but feel his heart desperately beating against the confines of his rib cage, while his entire body felt incredibly hot and his mind turned anxious.

He did not like it and it felt overwhelmingly wrong.

Struggling to control his complicated emotions, the Duke pushed the door to the bedroom open and called out,

"Aideen? Are you here?"

Being met with no reply only made his anxiety levels go higher. As if led by an invisible yet strong instinct, Tillian marched towards the bathroom, praying that his wife would be there, and alas––his prayers were heard.

"Tillian?"

The man’s eyes fixed on Aideen who was standing naked next to the wide bathtub. The water was dripping down her beautiful form, each drop leaving a long sparkling trace on her pale skin.

It was enough to make him feel better but still not enough to remove that lingering feeling of being wrong, being angry, being scared.

And thus, ignoring his wife’s perplexed expression, he rushed towards her and covered her lips with his.