Saved By The Mad Duke
Chapter 213: The Punishment, Part I

Chapter 213: The Punishment, Part I

From the towering vantage point of the castle’s tower, Aideen and Yuraon watched with bated breath as Prince Valon’s formidable army approached. The sight that greeted them was daunting—a seemingly endless sea of soldiers, their armor glinting menacingly in the faint moonlight. The sheer size of the approaching force sent a shiver down Aideen’s spine, and she exchanged a worried glance with Yuraon beside her.

"It’s larger than we anticipated," Yuraon murmured, his voice tinged with concern.

Aideen nodded grimly, her eyes narrowing as she observed the army’s relentless advance. "Valon’s obsession with alchemy may have turned him mad, but he remains a coward, hiding behind the backs of others."

As the army drew closer, their footsteps thundering like an approaching storm, the princess’ heart raced with anticipation. She knew that their carefully laid trap awaited them—a network of disguised trenches designed to lead the enemy forces to their graves.

Sure enough, as the first ranks of soldiers reached the perimeter of the castle, they stumbled into the concealed traps, their cries of alarm echoing across the snowy landscape. Aideen’s lips curled into a relieved smile as she witnessed the chaos unfolding below. The trenches did their job well, ensnaring the soldiers and slowing the advance of the army.

But amidst the chaos, Aideen’s attention was drawn to a figure at the head of the army—a man riding confidently on horseback, his cloak billowing behind him. Prince Valon himself.

With the rehearsed command, she watched as Taru, in his larger form, soared into the sky, his wings beating with powerful strokes. With lightning speed, he closed the distance between himself and the second prince, who remained oblivious to the danger lurking above.

With a swift motion, Taru swooped down, his claws outstretched, and snatched Valon from his horse before he could fall victim to the treacherous trenches below. The prince’s startled cry was drowned out by the roar of the wind as Taru carried him high into the air, away from the chaos unfolding on the ground.

"Success!" The young king offered Aideen a victorious smile, to which she replied with a nod, fastening her cloak in preparation for what was about to happen next. "Let’s go. Time for the second part of the plan."

Together with Ahspid, they exited the castle and moved behind the Raven Knights’ quarters, where Taru dropped the second prince onto the ground like filthy trash, his body rolling towards King Yuraon’s feet like a discarded doll.

Lying face down, with his pale face covered by dirty snow and blood from his broken nose, Valon looked pathetic and small, prompting the young king to take advantage of the opportunity to assert his dominance.

Towering above him, the man placed his foot on top of the prince’s head, pressing him hard into the cold ground, his voice sharp with animosity. "This is a position fit for a bug. I’m dying to just squish your guts out, but that would be way too easy."

Valon, aggravated by the king’s audacious remarks, attempted to set himself free, and Yuraon allowed it. However, since he was still under the influence of Aideen’s barrier, his attempts to use alchemy were futile. When he tried to flee for his life, to his dismay, he realized that the princess’ magic had trapped his legs in a pile of snow that almost reached his knees.

As Taru, still in his larger form, landed behind him, Valon’s eyes widened in mad excitement for a moment. Then, he turned back to the princess and burst into laughter.

"I knew the rumors were true! The Holy Church could sense it too, but everyone hesitated... You damned wench! You were the one to awaken the dragon! It was you all along!"

King Yuraon took a step forward and pressed the sharp tip of his massive sword against the second prince’s neck. "Don’t get distracted, you filthy slime. The likes of you don’t even have the right to breathe in Her Highness’ presence."

Valon, clearly frightened by the cold sensation of the steel against his neck, swallowed hard but remained bold in his replies.

"Such a menacing demeanor... King Yuraon Davoor joined the war because he wanted to support another young king. Hahaha! You blindsided idiot. So this is about your precious princess, huh? Well, she took her own life, haven’t you heard? So take it up with her then, when you both see each other in hell!"

Yuraon’s whole body trembled with anger. Each word uttered by the prince drove another rusty nail into his already aching heart. One move, and his life would be over. One move, and his disgusting head would roll over the snow. But that would not be enough to soothe his hatred. Perhaps nothing would ever be enough.

Gritting his teeth, Yuraon pushed the tip of his sword further, a thin trail of blood running down Valon’s neck as the sword made a cut over his pale skin. The prince started choking on fear.

The young king finally curled his lips into a somewhat satisfied grin. "Painful? Scary? As I said, what we have in store for you, little prince, is a bit more sophisticated than the death you were preparing for."

Yuraon jerked his chin, signaling for another person to approach from the shadows. Ahspid, who had stood silently behind the prince the whole time, finally stepped forward and wrapped a cold metal chain around Valon’s neck, ensuring that he could not move his upper body anymore.

Tightening the chains, the mage pulled them towards him, bending the prince’s neck back and partially restricting his breathing.

As the king had promised, there would be nothing easy about his death.

Yuraon took one of Valon’s skinny wrists in his hand and asked, "Didn’t you order for that artist to have his hands severed?"

Valon widened his eyes and laughed nervously. "Are you insane? That bastard touched the princess! That’s the punishment befitting the crime!"

The king furrowed his eyebrows, his voice as cold as the steel he was pressing against Valon’s skin. "We both know it’s not true, Your Highness. She never had an affair with him; he never touched the princess. So, is this going to be the punishment fitting the crime of lying?"