Saved By The Mad Duke
Chapter 164: Drastic Change

Chapter 164: Drastic Change

"The dragon’s heart," Ahspid replied without hesitation. "I need the dragon’s heart, Your Highness. This is why I agreed to teach you magic in the first place. I hoped that if you would be able to unseal the full potential of your powers, you would bring me to Utar’s body and get me his heart. That is all I want."

Aideen’s eyes remained firmly fixed on the mage’s expressionless face. She recalled the words said by Tillian, she was already aware of Ahspid’s true intentions but now that she finally heard it from him, strangely enough, the princess felt no change.

"Why do you need Utar’s heart? What are you going to do with it?"

"You have already guessed it, My Lady. I want to get Lina back. Nothing else." The man shifted his silver eyes to hers, patiently waiting for Aideen’s reaction. But there was none.

The princess, indeed, realized why would one want the dragon’s heart, she had to be a complete fool not to, not after what the man had told her. But was it really possible?

"The Philosopher’s stone cannot bring the dead back to life. Why do you think the dragon’s heart will?"

"I am not stupid, Your Highness. I know that nothing can bring the dead back to life, however... Lina is not dead. Bjarna confirmed it, too. Both her body and soul are stuck somewhere in between, waiting to be pushed to either side. And I think it’s only fair that I pull her back in here. I... thought."

"Thought?" Aideen arched her thin eyebrows, "What do you mean?"

The mage couldn’t help but sigh again,

"Even if the Philosopher’s Stone was real, the dragon’s heart is rumored to be a thousand times more powerful, and while I want to remain hopeful, I choose to believe that I am not the only one who knows what that heart can do when awakened by the power of a dragon, your power, My Lady.

As I continued to teach you, I couldn’t help but finally open my eyes and see––the dragon’s heart cannot be used for one’s selfish desires. It belongs to dragons and only they should be in possession of such powers.

I no longer need that heart."

"What..?"

The princess felt her heart sink. She was still not entirely sure what Ahspid’s words truly meant but one thing remained certain––the mage had already made his decision to abandon the only person he ever loved to protect her; to protect the last living descendant of Utar.

As if to avoid a direct response to the woman’s question, the mage continued,

"If not for that forest fire... We could have kept it hidden for many months. You only needed a small portion of your true power to be awakened at a time to see what you were capable of, this is just how strong you are, Your Highness. But now...

If you agree to come with Sarith to the Holy Church, it will be only a matter of time before they unseal your full potential and realize that you are the descendant of a dragon. Even if Duke Valentine manages to conceal the body of the sleeping dragon, the Royal Family will exploit you until you are completely devoid of mana. They will send you to other kingdoms, let them use you in the alchemy experiments, and eventually... They might take your own heart out even though you would never be the real dragon."

Once more, Aideen felt her whole body growing numb, trapped by the suffocating constraints of fear. For a moment, she thought she could allow herself to feel used and betrayed, after all, it was the initial reason why she was brought to the Duke’s castle to begin with. However, it was still her choice; a life-changing experience and if anything, she could only be grateful that both Ahspid and Tillian helped her discover what she was really capable of.

But now, another change was about to happen. A drastic change that could obliterate her new life, reverting her back to nothing but a mere slave to the circumstances of her birth.

She averted her bleak eyes from Ahspid’s intense but somewhat soft glare and clasped her hands in front of her stomach. She was nervous, scared, and confused. Yet, somehow, she already knew what was going to happen. And it had to be her own choice once again.

Still, as if to seek some sort of a way to remain delusional for a few more moments, Aideen finally returned her gaze to the man before her and asked, her voice almost devoid of all sound,

"Then... What is going to happen? What do I have to do now?"

Having anticipated such a difficult question, Ahspid rubbed his throbbing forehead as if to smooth the deep wrinkles of distress on the surface of his skin, and replied,

"There is only one thing you can do, Your Highness, and that is to allow Sarith to seal your powers again."

"I see."

The princess was ready for such an answer and tried to compose herself even though the tears were already swelling up in her eyes. It was about to come to an end. Her new life, the life filled with meaning and purpose was about to be shattered to pieces, leaving nothing but darkness instead.

"What about you, Ahspid? Will you go back to the Capital then?"

"No, I will not. I... will let Sarith seal my powers too."

"I beg your pardon?!"

This time, Aideen could not control the rising volume of her voice. It was beyond her comprehension that someone as powerful and knowledgeable as Ahspid could give up his magic for the sake of her safety, and although she understood his reasoning, there was still one thing that the two of them had not considered up until this moment,

"Then what about Tillian? What about his plans?"

Ahspid stretched his lips into a bitter smile and answered,

"I’m afraid the Duke will have to find other ways to avenge his family, Your Highness."