Saved By The Mad Duke
Chapter 173: Out Of Sight, Out Of Mind

Chapter 173: Out Of Sight, Out Of Mind

Yuraon lifted his head and fixed his bright blue eyes on the clear sky above him. Spring had already arrived in Davoor, and the weather was growing warmer and sunnier with each passing day. The air was filled with the refreshing aroma of awakening flora, and the loud, melodic singing of birds could be heard from every corner of the kingdom.

The spring awakening of nature got the young man thinking about the North. While the rest of the continent continued to experience seasons without fail, each time of the year bringing its own allure to the surroundings, the North remained forever frozen, veiled by the cold breath of the sleeping snow dragon.

Thinking about dragons led Yuraon’s thoughts to Duchess Aideen Valentine.

Ever since he found out that her powers were sealed, he continued to exchange letters with Duke Tillian. The man’s every letter was filled with genuine concern for his wife’s well-being. The lady’s condition did not seem to be improving, and he felt incredibly saddened by the tragedy that had befallen her.

"Now that Lady Aideen cannot wield her magic, it means Tillian’s plans for revenge will have to be postponed indefinitely," the young king mused inwardly. "Now, his utmost priority has to be his wife’s health. He has to focus on taking care of her, helping her recover from the loss of powers, while also looking for a way to keep her safe if he still decides to attack the royal army in the future."

Letting out a long, slightly irritated sigh, Yuraon brushed his fingers through his long, dark blue hair and closed his eyes, absorbing the warmth of the sun still high up in the sky as thoughts continued to occupy his restless mind.

"Perhaps it would be better to send her to Utar and let her stay there, with her family? Perhaps King Zelon would still accept his granddaughter back even before Tillian gives him what he promised... Surely, he wouldn’t reject the only granddaughter he has, right?" Yuraon pondered silently.

Opening his eyes again, the young man released another long sigh and murmured, the fresh gust of the spring wind carrying his words away the moment they escaped his lips.

"Everything has become so complicated..."

As he adjusted his upper body slightly to assume a more comfortable position, Yuraon heard a slight rustling sound coming from the inner pocket of his unbuttoned vest.

"Speaking of complicated things..."

He then retrieved a folded piece of paper from his pocket, unfolded it, and placed it on his lap, leaning over to shield the white surface from the blinding reflection of the sun.

It was another letter from Princess Melania.

He focused his blue eyes on the first line of the message, carefully outlined by the woman’s elegant hand, and began to read slowly, repeating each sentence as if trying to memorize them or decipher a hidden meaning behind the simple words. He did this with every letter sent by the princess. He simply couldn’t get enough of anything she had to say. Each word, each letter even, was too precious to discard so easily.

They exchanged letters weekly. When Melania told Yuraon about Prince Valon intercepting the letters she sent to her family in Lafad, the young king of Davoor employed his own personal messenger to deliver their letters to one another. He couldn’t allow a third party to interfere with their intimate communication, especially since there was no guarantee that even a messenger hired from the outside would not eventually be caught.

Additionally, the man offered the princess the use of his messengers to deliver her letters to Lafad, but Melania had to refuse that offer. She said that the royal family might truly begin to suspect something if she stopped sending correspondence through the appointed royal messengers. Therefore, at least for now, she had to do things the ’proper’ way and simply be careful with her words.

With each received letter, Yuraon couldn’t help but ask himself––how was it possible for him to fall in love with someone so quickly and easily? The brief encounter they had in Geraldion made them instantly fall for each other, yet he still thought that being away from the princess would make him forget about her just as easily. After all, it was true what they said: out of sight, out of mind.

And yet, although they could not see each other and only exchanged letters, the affections they shared with each other so easily only seemed to deepen their love.

"I cannot help but think that I am still dreaming and none of that is real. It is as if... The moment my curse was lifted, I was instantly blessed instead."

But his growing emotions only made it harder for him to remain sane.

Yuraon kept thinking that if Tillian were to finally capture the throne, he would have annulled Melania’s marriage, and she could marry him instead. Now, his only option was to kill the Crown Prince and steal his widow, which would only lead to a new war of his own.

The young man didn’t mind that; he felt his blood boil every time he thought about all the misery Ruans were causing his lover, but a strong seed of doubt still continued to grow inside his weary mind––would Melania, too, appreciate her next husband being a senseless, barbaric murderer?

"The whole idea of political marriages is to erase the dirty past of the continent and prevent kings and emperors from starting pointless wars on a whim. Every political marriage is a promise made by two kingdoms, and although it is indeed a rather heartless promise aimed at ruining people’s hopes for a happier life, these are rules we all have to follow if we want to live in a world free from needless bloodshed."

There was truly no perfect solution for him as of now. His best option could only be Tillian’s rebellion, and he had no other choice but to wait and provide him with whatever help he might need in the process.

"It’s good to be young, I guess... I can still afford to be patient. For a little bit longer."