Saved By The Mad Duke
Chapter 186: Take My Heart

Chapter 186: Take My Heart

Shaken up by the unexpected loudness of the hoarse voice, Aideen felt as if her head was submerged under the ice-cold water and then instantly pulled out, sharpening all her senses and making every feeling and sensation even more prominent than before.

Still somewhat confused or rather shocked and despite being shrouded in the usual impenetrable darkness, she tried to calm down and focus, and when she finally could, the princess felt unbelievably cold. At last, it dawned on her––she was wearing the same clothes she wore when she entered Bella’s bedroom which was nothing but a long thin nightgown. Its fabric was now soaked in both her sweat and the snow and was sticking to her body despite originally being of a loose design.

As her attention shifted to her right hand, Aideen realized that she was still holding the small scarf that Bella knitted for her future child while her left hand was pressed against something cold and bumpy, resembling the thick skin of a live being.

Her entire body started trembling severely either from cold or genuine fear and yet, she couldn’t bring herself to pull her pale hand away from the mysterious creature before her. Sensing her distress, the voice rang in her ears like thunder once more,

"Don’t be scared, Aideen," the voice was now raspy and extremely low as if it belonged to a menacing monster, and no matter what it said, its words sounded like a threat.

Startled by the voice and the movement underneath her hand, the princess finally realized that she was touching the creature’s long face. Her body instantly reacted as if it were stricken by lightning and she immediately withdrew her trembling hand, scared that it might end up becoming the monster’s food.

Guided by persistent fear, Aideen tried to take a few steps back and protect herself but her legs which were no longer controlled by the strange power, were too weak and before she knew it, the woman was falling down to the cold, frozen ground.

Fortunately, her body did not hit the ground as something strong and thick, yet somewhat soft wrapped around her like a wing, preventing her from falling down, and when she grabbed the thing that enveloped her, the princess widened her eyes in shock––it was a wing!

"Stay calm, Aideen, my child," the creature spoke before she could voice her astonishment, "trust me, you are safe here. You don’t need to be scared."

"Who... Who are you?" Aideen’s lips trembled when she finally managed to speak, "What is this place? What did you do to me?"

With a long exhale that fluttered the princess’ hair and felt as chill as the aftermath of the avalanche, the creature answered,

"I am your ancestor, Aideen, the one who created the North, the one who allowed you to be who you are—a snow dragon."

The woman widened her eyes in utter bewilderment while her heart was galloping inside her chest like a mad stallion.

"It can’t be... Utar? The founding dragon?!"

The dragon released another exhale which was now softer like a pleasant cool breeze one might feel when opening all the windows in the room and standing in the middle of it. It made Aideen feel somewhat calm, at peace even.

"That’s right, I am Utar. I answered your call, Aideen and that is why you are here now."

"My call?" The more the dragon spoke, the more bewildering his words seemed to the princess. Utar moved his long face closer as if to make sure his descendant knew that he was real and explained,

"It was your pure heart that called for me, Aideen. You were lonely, you suffered a great deal of pain and yet, your honest heart remained unwavering. You grieve for the innocent and you are strong enough to be fair when using your powers. You are a worthy descendant of the dragon powers. You are worthy to be the dragon, Aideen. You are worthy to lead this world to the greatness it deserves."

"I don’t understand..." the princess clenched her fists tightly, her knuckles turning white under the pressure, "I thought you were sealed forever by your wife, Navia! How come I was able to awaken you? My powers, too, were sealed by the Holy Church... I have no more magic left in me."

"Haha!" The dragon’s laughter shook its surroundings like and earthquake and Aideen couldn’t help but grab its Utar’s wings because she was scared that she might be swallowed by the ground if she were to let go and fall. The dragon let out a suppressed groan and continued,

"The dragon’s powers could be sealed by magic but that was the magic that belonged to the most powerful magus, Navia, who was able to control all types of magic one could imagine. Only the true descendant of Navia and I can combine both the powers of the dragons and the mages to become the most powerful person in the world. And that person is you, Aideen."

The woman’s face darkened upon hearing such strange words that sounded like a prophecy. She couldn’t believe it no matter how hard she tried. Yes, it was true that she was talented when it came to learning magic; even Ahspid admitted it. But if she was indeed so powerful and great, how come she was born so weak, and blind, on top of that? Furthermore, her powers were easily sealed by the paladin of the Holy Church, making her worthless and powerless once again.

The most powerful person in the world? There was no way she was the one. Her heart refused to believe it.

Mustering all her courage, she finally said,

"You say I am destined to become the most powerful person in the world... But how do I even do that? How can I be so powerful when I don’t even have an ounce of magic in me left?"

Utar sighed again, his cold breath filling the space like the whisper of winter itself. The dragon remained silent for a while as if mulling over a perfect response. Then, opening his mouth as if imitating a wide smile, he leaned closer to Aideen and whispered,

"Take my heart, Aideen. Take my heart and become one with me. This is how you will become the most powerful person in the world. This is how you will become a dragon."