Saved By The Mad Duke
Chapter 161: The Alchemist Called Lina

Chapter 161: The Alchemist Called Lina

"What... Do you really want to share something this important with me? Why now?"

Aideen widened her eyes, taken aback by Ahspid’s sudden desire to share the details about such a mysterious part of his life, yet she couldn’t deny her curiosity.

The man moved his chair closer to the princess and nodded, confirming his intention to tell her his life story. But before that could happen, he had something else he needed to do.

"You already know, Your Highness, that my specialty is disguise. I have spent the last twenty-six years in hiding, changing my appearance almost every year. Now, as so many things are about to change, I believe it is time I reverted back to the only constant that my life used to possess."

Ahspid’s words seemed burdened with pain and unfathomable regret. He sounded as if he were giving up, and Aideen hated that. Nevertheless, she had no idea what she could say in response, especially since she, too, was utterly lost in the midst of this complicated situation.

With a resounding snap of his long gloved fingers, the mage leaned back against the chair and fixed his gleaming purple eyes on the woman’s confused face.

At first, she thought time stood still; nothing around them was moving, not even their own bodies seemed to have been frozen in space, until finally, she saw it. Ahspid’s appearance was undergoing a drastic transformation.

His straight purple hair changed into an unruly cascade of long, thick, wavy hair that nearly reached the floor due to his sitting position; the thin lines of his eyebrows became fuller, while his sunken eyes acquired a narrower, almond-like shape with thick lines of dark lashes framing them, giving them a more prominent outline. As the change continued, the overall features of his face turned from sharp and angular to softer ones, granting him a kinder yet more mature look.

At last, the lady’s eyes focused on Ahspid’s body. From his tall and slender frame, the man seemed to have lost a little bit of height, whereas his frame became wider and more muscular, stretching the clothes he was wearing to their limits.

Strangely, he still looked just as young, not a single line on his face betraying his real age. And even though he appeared more mature and dignified, he exuded a somewhat youthful aura that shielded him from the unforgiving touch of time.

Just when it seemed like nothing else in the mage’s appearance could change, Aideen had to silently admit that the man before her was an entirely different person. Though his new form would definitely take some getting used to, it was what lay inside him that was dear to the princess’s heart.

"My hair is white like linen, and my eyes are gray, like a rainy sky on a warm summer day."

The lady flinched as the sound of his voice changed as well; now, it was lower and rather raspy—a common quality that often accompanies aging men. As if to make it easier for Aideen to adjust, Ahspid continued in a quieter, more composed tone,

"The Adell family is one of the oldest mage families in Geraldion. We possess a unique appearance paired with a distinctive color and quality of of mana. Coupled with our innate talent, this makes us the most powerful lineage of mages on the entire Continent."

"Oh..."

Aideen widened her eyes and parted her lips in awe. She was already aware of the man’s outstanding abilities, but to think that he was this formidable... It certainly explained why the Holy Church was so desperate to get him back.

Taking the princess’s stunned silence as a sign of her willingness to listen, the man continued,

"Adells were the only mages who served the Royal Family of Valentines almost exclusively. We are nobles by birth but, as you know, every magus has to relinquish their status once their powers are registered. They become... The property of others. They live to serve anyone but themselves."

"That must be a horrible feeling..." Aideen furrowed her eyebrows as a strong sense of pity and sorrow gripped her heart. She was someone who could sympathize with others for their unfortunate lives, and she could certainly understand what it meant to not belong to oneself.

"In truth, serving the family of Valentines was not so bad. They were great and wise rulers and never frowned upon the mages’ desires to express themselves with their magic. And when alchemy, too, was accepted as a lawful practice, the Valentines did not oppose our involvement with it. On the contrary, they wanted us to supervise its progress."

Ahspid paused and rose from his seat, walking slowly to the window behind the Duke’s desk, his hands joined behind his back. As he stood next to the window, he finally turned around, leaned against the thick, cold glass, and continued in a serious voice,

"No matter how arrogant I might sound, I was, without a doubt, the most powerful magus in Geraldion, and it was only natural that people around me were jealous of my accomplishments. They couldn’t help it. The Holy Church kept insisting on my joining their tutoring program, but I couldn’t care less for it. All of them were miserable weaklings compared to me, but more importantly—they were arrogant and self-absorbed. They took their powers for granted and refused to improve, and that alone made me despise them all. Until..."

As the mage paused again, Aideen couldn’t help but feel as if he did so simply to stop his voice from breaking, betraying the painful memory he was about to expose. This raw, unprotected side of him was almost overwhelming, and the princess had no clue what she could do to make Ahspid understand that it was safe to be this vulnerable in front of her.

The words seemed to evade her grasp, but it was her understanding eyes that did the trick.

Running his fingers through the long waves of his white hair, the man let out a long, surrendering sigh and said,

"Until I met her. The young alchemist called Lina."