Saved By The Mad Duke
Chapter 146: When A Davoorian Man Falls In Love

Chapter 146: When A Davoorian Man Falls In Love

Melania’s tanned cheeks ignited with an intense blush, and her lips curled into a shy smile as she replied.

"I think it depends on the person standing before the princess. If they are not to her liking, no matter how perfect they are, they will never be good enough for her."

Yuraon accepted her words with a wide smile of his own.

"So the princess has high standards and knows what she wants... I quite like that."

Gliding past the King as the dance progressed, the princess could not help but chuckle, promptly concealing her amused expression by hiding her face behind the man’s shoulder.

"It does not take much to impress you, Your Majesty. I was firmly convinced that all the Davoorian ladies were pretty much like that; the legends portray them as strong and independent women adored by their men."

Taking Melania back into his arms, Yuraon pulled her closer to his body and looked into her eyes, their faces incredibly close and almost touching. He took a few moments to observe the lady’s reaction, then whispered.

"You are right, Davoorian men worship their women like goddesses because once a Davoorian man falls in love, he never falls out of it; he can only fall deeper."

The feeling of the man’s hot breath on her face made the princess’s heartbeat quicken as if her heart were desperately trying to break through the cage within her chest. She felt her palms covered in sweat and silently thanked all the deities known to her for making a wise choice of wearing gloves.

Still hesitant about what her answer should be, Melania averted her face, the strong blush unwilling to leave her cheeks. Yuraon found her coyness endearing but still decided to change the subject to something less embarrassing to give the woman a little break.

"How come you asked another man for a dance? I thought the happy married couple would not be able to take their hands off one another, at least for today."

Melania’s voice was filled with nothing but disheartening sadness.

"A happy couple, perhaps... Do not pretend like you do not see it, Your Majesty. I do not think anyone in this family is or can ever be happy."

Yuraon, too, lost the light in his handsome face. He fixed his deep blue eyes on the princess’s face, and as the words left his lips, the woman could not help but feel that his voice was filled with raw pain and somewhat deep regret.

"The thing I hate the most is missed opportunities... I hate to regret."

Melania arched her eyebrows in confusion.

"Missed opportunities? Would you care to elaborate?"

Silent, the King pulled the princess closer to him once again, his left hand gently sliding over the woman’s back––a subtle gesture that made her entire body covered in goosebumps. Taking advantage of the change in the dance’s tone, the man leaned closer, his left cheek lightly touching Melania’s, and whispered.

"Three days ago... If only I knew who you really were, I would have stolen you and taken you to Davoor without hesitation."

Melania felt like she was melting. Yuraon’s hot breath leaving a damp mark on her earlobe, his intoxicating scent, his sincere words, and his hands playing her body like an instrument whenever he saw an opportunity to do so... Everything about that man was dangerously overwhelming, and she could not help but feel like she was about to lose her mind.

With a trembling voice, she finally managed to answer.

"Stealing a royal princess just a few days before her wedding with the Crown Prince is a dangerous thought... This could even have led to a continental war, Your Majesty."

The King did not find her words even a little bit scary. Fixing his piercing blue eyes on hers, his face turned somewhat colder and serious, while his answer was but a solemn declaration.

"When a Davoorian man falls in love, he never falls out of it, Your Highness."

For a moment, Melania got scared. She frantically searched for anything in Yuraon’s glare that would hint that his words were a mere joke, but there was absolutely nothing. The man before her was not joking.

The silent tension between them was abruptly interrupted as the music stopped, forcing them to release the hold of their bodies and create a safe distance between one another.

Curling his lips into a now cunning grin, the King planted a light kiss on the back of Melania’s hand and concluded.

"If a simple man can love his woman that much, what do you think a king would do? It was a pleasure to share this dance with you, Your Highness."

"Wait!" Desperate, the princess refused to let go of Yuraon’s hand, her elegant fingers clinging to his as if that moment were her last hope. "This cannot end like this. I... I cannot let myself lose the only friend I have."

With a warm smile lighting up his handsome face, the man discreetly rubbed Melania’s fingers with his thumb, then nodded, and asked.

"And who said I will allow that, Your Highness?"

Offering her a subtle bow, Yuraon turned around and disappeared into the moving sea of people, continuing the lively dancing to the instrumental tunes.

As the princess tried to find his silhouette in the moving crowd one last time, a familiar chilling voice pierced her chest like a poisonous arrow.

"I see you finally took my brother’s advice, Your Highness. What an interesting friend you’ve got."

"Your Highness?"

Melania turned around and saw Prince Valon standing right beside her, his chilling smile instantly sending shivers down her spine. Shifting his green eyes to the dancing couples for a moment, Valon then offered the princess his bony hand and added.

"Making new friends is admirable, my dear sister, but I think it is time you returned to your husband. It is rather inappropriate to make him watch another man holding you in his arms. Especially on your wedding day."

"Yes..."

The princess accepted Valon’s hand and followed him back to her seat. Although the pain of separating from King Yuraon was compressing her chest like a vine, the pleasant memory of the dance she shared with him was something she knew she could never lose.