Saved By The Mad Duke
Chapter 168: Don’t Miss My Magic Tricks Too Much, Alright?

Chapter 168: Don’t Miss My Magic Tricks Too Much, Alright?

Ahspid stood before his dark, empty desk, slowly sliding his somber, almost colorless eyes over its polished surface. He had grown used to the usual mess he liked to leave behind, even though it was always taken care of by one of the nosy maids, no matter how many times he continued to ruin her efforts simply because he liked to banter.

Now, this emptiness was a reflection of his own self.

Then, he carefully took off the golden ring from his little finger and placed it on the desk, his hand trembling slightly as he moved it away from the golden band.

’You gifted me your treasure, Lady Valentine, so allow me to gift you mine. Take good care of it for me. I know you can.’

With the heavy, solemn air surrounding him like an invisible presence, the man wrapped a long, thick black cloak around his shoulders, took one last good look at his empty room, then covered his head with the wide hood, and left the room quietly as if he were a wandering ghost.

As he opened the back door of the castle, he was instantly greeted by a strong gust of cold wind that seemed to have reached his very soul despite it being hidden underneath the thick layers of warm clothing. The man shook off the unpleasant chilly feeling and tied the cloak tightly around his neck, protecting himself from the future touch of cold.

The castle was fast asleep, with not a single sound or movement, only the occasional howling of the wind ringing ominously in Ahspid’s ears. It was the perfect night to disappear.

Before taking another step to resume his journey, as if his own body was still reluctant to move, the man raised his head and fixed his eyes on the full moon shining brightly in the dark, clear sky. When was the last time he stopped and watched the moon glisten with all shades of silver? He could not recall.

Perhaps that was the reason why all of a sudden, not only the moon but the whole world around him began to look completely different.

’I had to lose all my magic in order to finally notice the world around me... I wonder what will happen from now on.’

At last, Ahspid’s feet listened to his head, and he started walking towards the knight’s gate leading out of the castle. Having walked half the distance towards the gate, the man suddenly paused, startled by the sound of light footsteps behind him. He turned around and widened his eyes—it was Safie who clearly had just left her bed, both her hair and clothes in utter disarray as she ran towards the man, clutching the hem of her white nightgown with her pinkish hands.

"Lord Ahspid, wait a moment!"

"Safie? What are you doing here?"

Struggling to catch her breath, the maid whispered somewhat loudly. As she finally stood before him, Safie brushed her hair away from her puffy face and continued,

"I need to ask you the very same thing! Why are you leaving in the middle of the night? Are you running away from us?"

Ahspid was taken aback by such a spot-on question and for a moment, was at a loss for words. But what was the use of being cunning when it was indeed obvious that he was leaving without any intention of coming back? The disguise was taken off from both his appearance and his heart.

"There is no use in staying here anymore. I can no longer teach the princess, I cannot heal anyone; I am... Well, I don’t want to burden anyone with my presence here. This is just how I feel and this is what I need to do. I am sure you understand."

Safie, however, refused to either accept or understand his words. Rounding her eyes in shock, she almost betrayed him by raising her voice,

"Burden? How could you say that? Everyone thinks of you as a member of our family! So what if you can no longer use magic? We like you and we want you to stay with us! How can you just leave your family like this?"

The young woman’s sincere response melted something deep within Ahspid’s heart. He lifted his head and looked towards the wide textured glass of the window on the second floor of the castle.

He wondered if Aideen was asleep. He hoped she would feel better when she woke up. He prayed she would forgive him. Yet, he wished she would not forget who he was.

With his silver eyes reflecting the bright moonlight, the man allowed his lips to stretch into a subtle smile, and said,

"The North is indeed a magical place... Family, you say?"

Then, he turned back to Safie and gently patted her on the head, his voice softening as he added,

"Take good care of Aideen for me, and... Take care of yourself, too, Safie."

The maid’s lips started trembling under the weight of her emotions, yet she had no idea what to say. All she could do was stand still and watch as the bizarre mage turned away from her and resumed his walk towards the castle’s tall gate.

Finally, with an enormous effort, the young woman managed to take hold of her emotions and whispered, although she knew that her words would be carried away by the cold wind and lost forever,

"So this is it? You will never come back?"

As Ahspid’s fingers touched the cold metal surface of the gate’s bars, he suddenly paused, turned his head to the side without showing his face to the woman, and said in his usual teasing tone,

"Don’t miss my magic tricks too much, alright?"

The metal gate closed without making a single sound. Safie couldn’t tell whether it was the dark veil of the night that swallowed Ahspid’s silhouette or the thick film of tears that covered her eyes, preventing her from seeing clearly, but when she was finally brought to reality by a harsh blow of the chilly wind, the man was already gone.

Wiping her tears with the cold fabric of her coat, the maid forced herself to smile and whispered,

"Farewell, Lord Ahspid. I hope you will find what you are looking for."