Saved By The Mad Duke
Chapter 189: A Tiny Prince

Chapter 189: A Tiny Prince

Aideen was right to feel shocked at what she saw sitting before her on the icy ground; there, in the heart of the cold cave, nestled amidst the shimmering frost, was a creature of wonder, a creature of magical lineage –– a baby snow dragon.

He was small, no larger than an average dog, his tiny form adorned with delicate features that hid the fierce power within. Small wings, fragile yet full of potential, fluttered nervously as he shifted, his white claws glinting in the soft glow of the cavern’s icy ground.

But it was his eyes, oh, those eyes that captured the essence of his being. Big and luminous, they shone with a mesmerizing blend of green and yellow, mirroring the color of the eyes that belonged to Aideen.

His skin, blue and scaly like the frozen depths of a winter lake, was covered with a thin layer of shimmering ice as if the creature was about to be frozen.

On his forehead, a sparkling white snowflake glistened, a symbol of his connection to the frigid landscape that birthed him. And beneath his chin, a fluffy white beard cascaded down to his chest, a charming contrast to the sharpness of his horns. With a tiny tail wagging behind him, he gazed out into the world with a mixture of curiosity and innocence, a tiny prince in a realm of ice and snow.

As Aideen continued to carefully examine the baby dragon, he, on the other hand, was busy twirling around with the soft red scarf wrapped around his neck flattering along with his strange movements.

Although still utterly confused both by her newly acquired ability to see and the small creature in front of her, the princess managed to finally gather her thoughts and asked quietly,

"Who... Who are you? It cannot be..! Utar?!"

Upon hearing her voice, the dragon finally stopped shifting around and looked up at her face with his big eyes full of innocent ignorance. Keeping silent for a few long moments, he then shook his head and spread his mouth open, supposedly imitating a smile while making a weird and unfamiliar noise,

"Wa!"

Despite the undeniable tension brought on by the situation, Aideen couldn’t help but chuckle,

"What is that supposed to mean?"

She held naive expectations that asking more would help the dragon answer in a way she could understand but he didn’t. Instead, he buried his nose under the soft fabric of the scarf and averted his gaze as if embarrassed to look at the woman before him any longer.

"This is the scarf made by Bella... It was meant for a child but I suppose you can be called a child, too."

In hopes of finding a clue as to whether the creature before her was indeed Utar, Aideen looked around, still trying to adjust her eyes and mind to the new, full perception of the world around her. To her yet another disappointment, the cave she found herself in was completely empty, prompting her to arrive at her own, rather baffling conclusions.

"Utar told me to take his heart and said he would disappear once his powers are absorbed... Then who is this?" She returned her bewildered eyes to the baby dragon and tilted her head to the side, resuming her contemplations, "Was he here with Utar this whole time? I could not see what was around him when I came here so it is quite possible that I did not know but how come Utar did not tell me anything about him either?"

In the meantime, the creature started fluttering its tiny wings in an attempt to fly, however, perhaps due to its young age or the natural lack of strength in its small body, his continuous attempts failed one by one which resulted in a somewhat disappointed expression on his adorable face.

"Did I look like this whenever I failed to follow Ahspid’s teachings? I must admit, he looks very cute, especially with this fluffy scarf around his neck."

With a wide smile of affection on her lips, Aideen carefully lifted the dragon in the air and held him with her arms outstretched, still somewhat scared to bring him closer. The dragon did not seem to mind the woman’s approach at all, on the contrary, his face brightened up the moment he realized he was up and fluttered his tiny blue wings once again, pretending that he was indeed flying, a proud look sparkling in his big round eyes.

This was way too adorable for Aideen to feel intimidated about and without even realizing it, she started laughing, her happy voice filling the empty cave with its happy melody.

Startled by her laughter at first, the dragon paused his movements and opened his mouth, his eyes firmly fixed on the princess’ expression. A few moments later, however, he fluttered his wings once again and released a series of cute, loud noises, attempting to copy the sound of laughter made by Aideen.

"Goodness, how fascinating you are! Are you trying to laugh together with me? How adorable!"

At last, she felt that she simply could no longer have any feelings of fear about the baby dragon. With her chest still shaking from the hearty giggles, Aideen brought the creature closer and embraced him in a careful hug, allowing him to get used to her body.

This gesture made the tiny dragon fold his wings and bury his nose under the scarf again. Pressing closer against the woman’s chest, he reached his short arms upwards and placed them under Aideen’s neck, while his fluffy chin tickled the princess’ skin as it settled upon it.

"Waaa..."

This time, his voice was adorably calm which made Aideen smile again and hug him tighter.

’He feels warm, I did not expect that... I can even hear his steady heartbeat. What a strange encounter this is!’

Brushing her palm over the dragon’s spiky head, the princess felt a bizarre connection between herself and the small creature inside her arms. It felt incredibly familiar and right and at some point, she even thought that their heartbeats matched, reflecting the similar life force flowing within one another.

"Your Highness?"