Saved By The Mad Duke
Chapter 22: Pleasant Irony

Chapter 22: Pleasant Irony

The morning sunlight drowned the bedroom in its sparkling white glow, leaving prismatic patterns on surfaces as the rays of light bent through the texture of the thick window glass.

Aideen opened one of the drawers of her closet and dived her hand inside it in an attempt to fish out something with her thin fingers.

As her bare skin touched the items she was looking for, her lips curled into a light smile. It was her treasure. The only things that truly belonged to her. The only things she could never sell or exchange. The only things she first took from the Royal Palace and then from the Count’s mansion.

Her treasure was a roll of silk ribbons from the flower crown that her mother, Princess Yuliana Imrie brought with her from her homeland, the Kingdom of Utar when she was offered to King Euris Ruan as a royal concubine after he captured the throne.

Carefully, the princess unrolled the ribbons and slowly touched them one by one as if expecting their soft silky surface to evoke the memories of a person who used to touch them before her.

’I couldn’t have been mistaken. Even when I was a child, the maids kept stealing these ribbons from me because the silk brought from Utar is one of a kind and is incredibly expensive. Queen Fleur, however, has forbidden the import of these ribbons which means I am the only one who still has them. I have touched items made of silk before but nothing has the same feel. I am certain the ribbon on His Grace’s wrist was Utarian silk. But how did he get it?’

A soft knocking sound pierced through her quiet inner musings, prompting Aideen to quickly shove the ribbons back into the drawer and hide them underneath a pile of clothes as if to protect them from the curious glances of whoever might appear near her.

"Your Highness, it’s me, Bella! I brought your breakfast!"

"Yes... Please come in."

Somehow, Aideen felt disappointed that Bella was the one to visit her first thing in the morning. In addition, she caught herself being upset that even though her dinner with the duke seemed to have gone well, she still ended up having breakfast alone in her room.

’What is making you so upset, Aideen? The only meal you ever shared with Count Constantine was dinner twice a week. These things are normal among nobles.’

The princess tried to convince herself that it wasn’t her fault that she was left alone again and shook her head slightly, hoping that the maid would not notice her unreasonable disappointment.

Completely oblivious to the lady’s state, Bella simply placed a big round silver tray on the coffee table in front of the armchair positioned by the fireplace and started pouring hot tea into one of the small porcelain cups, her voice chipper as she said,

"His Grace offers his apologies that he could not share breakfast with you today, Your Highness. You see, he has left the castle early this morning––"

"He has?"

The loud tone of Aideen’s question surprised even her. Startled and embarrassed, she pressed her right hand against her mouth, her eyes lowered while Bella released a soft chuckle before awkwardly clearing her voice in order to explain,

"Yes, Your Highness. I myself helped him get ready before his departure."

"Where is he headed?"

"To the Capital, Your Highness, His Majesty himself invited him to visit the Royal Palace!"

"Oh..."

Bella put a big slice of pumpkin pie on a dessert plate next to the fresh cup of tea and continued while Aideen took her seat in the comfortable embrace of the velvet-draped armchair,

"But don’t you worry, My Lady, the castle is well-protected even in his absence. Sir Stanis, His Grace’s assistant, is just as strong as the duke himself!"

The princess poked the slice of pie with her fork and raised her eyebrows as the name was never mentioned to her before.

"Sir Stanis? Who is he?"

The maid took a seat on a chair beside Aideen, wiped her hands off her white apron, then rearranged thin pins in the tight bun at the crown of her head, and finally replied,

"Sir Stanis Nygard is like a father to His Grace. He looks young but that’s not really surprising, he is only forty-five years old! He used to be a knight when he lived in the Capital, you see. I hear he comes from a line of poor nobles."

"Oh, so he is of noble birth as well..."

"Yes, that is correct!" Bella continued somewhat enthusiastically as if she found pride in Stanis’s noble lineage. "He was sent here together with His Grace’s late mother, Queen Elindine Valentine as her personal guard. And once Duke Tillian was born, he practically raised him in her stead."

Aideen placed a small piece of the pumpkin pie into her mouth and instinctively closed her eyes as its pleasant sweetness melted all over her tongue. While Bella got preoccupied with arranging the firewood inside the crackling fireplace, the princess decided to use the silence that lingered between them to walk down memory lane.

’I remember that name – Elindine Valentine, the Queen Consort who was sent to the North right after her husband, former King Aster Valentine was murdered. I heard she passed away just a couple of years after she gave birth to His Grace. I thought, however, that she was here all alone but it turns out she was even given a personal knight. I guess King Euris can be benevolent like that...’

The princess fidgeted with the silver fork in her hand, her mind drifting away again.

’How lonely and sad it probably was to grow up here, in this desolate land, all alone, surrounded by total strangers.’

At the same time, she knew she understood Tillian perfectly well. After all, she herself was a complete stranger no matter where she was.

’I was growing up surrounded by "family" and yet, I have never received even an ounce of love or care I always wanted. Tillian, on the other hand, was brought up by people who had no connections to him whatsoever... Still, they have managed to turn even a cold and lonely place like The North into a place one can call home.’

Aideen did not know if the light pang she felt inside her chest was mere envy or genuine happiness. She poked the slice of pie with her fork once again and put it inside her mouth, enjoying the unique taste that played upon her taste buds.

’What a wonderful dessert. Its taste is as warm as the walls of this frozen castle. What a pleasant irony.’