Saved By The Mad Duke
Chapter 27: The Royal Dinner

Chapter 27: The Royal Dinner

The melodic sound of cutlery and crystal resonated through the Royal Dining Hall, creating the only audible symphony within its grandeur.

Dinner was a tradition strictly adhered to by the Royal Family of Ruan. It was a sacred routine, a practice upheld religiously, permitted to be canceled only for more important events, typically involving formal banquets or balls where mingling with other nobles took precedence.

As per Queen Fleur Ruan’s decree, these were the sole occasions deemed acceptable for canceling the family dinner.

Tonight, however, was not such an occasion.

King Euris, Queen Fleur, and their two sons—Yanad and Valon—occupied their designated seats around the expansive dining table, each engrossed in the consumption of their evening meal.

The customary silence that usually enveloped their shared meals took on a different tone tonight. Instead of being a source of comfort, it became overbearing, weighed down by the events of the day that lingered in the air, casting a pall of restlessness and anxiety over the royal family.

Determined to initiate the conversation, Fleur set aside her cutlery, turned slightly to her husband, and inquired,

"Is the duke staying at the same place as before?"

The King responded, his eyes still fixed on the plate before him,

"Yes, Aideen’s quarters. The place is in a very bad condition, but the housekeeper arranged Aideen’s old bedroom for him."

A somewhat disgusted wrinkle appeared on the Queen’s nose, and her body shuddered as if touched by a chilly gust of wind.

"I simply despise the sound of that name. It is too beautiful to be worn by a parasite like her."

Euris did not share his wife’s strong negative feelings; his response was accompanied by nothing but a careless shrug of his wide shoulders.

"A name is a name. She is still a member of the royal family, both ours and Utar’s. It is only natural that she has a name befitting her status."

Despite Euris’s nonchalance, Fleur continued, her cold voice betraying her persistent dissatisfaction,

"You know why I am so agitated, Your Majesty. Everything has to be perfect when Princess Melania arrives here. Lafad is the last kingdom to enter the political marriage scene, and the fact that they chose Geraldion to send their only daughter as Yanad’s fiancée means a lot to this family. And to this Kingdom."

The King finally stopped eating and raised his head. He fixed his deep eyes on Prince Yanad, who appeared entirely disinterested in the ongoing conversation, and released a weary sigh. Euris tapped his silver fork on the Prince’s goblet in an attempt to attract his attention. When Yanad met his gaze, Euris grumbled,

"Your lack of interest is truly disturbing, Your Highness. Having a foreign princess as your fiancée is a golden opportunity to prove that you deserve to be the next king, so do not mess this up. I do not wish to give any chances to Duke Daris or... the Valentine’s dog."

With the same air of nonchalance, Yanad picked up the very same goblet that had been attacked by his father’s fork just a few moments ago. He took a big sip of red wine, as if testing the King’s patience, and finally replied in a somewhat cold tone,

"Yes, Your Majesty."

King Euris glared at his son for a few more moments, carefully observing Yanad’s detached expression as he returned to his plate. Then, he picked up his own goblet and addressed his wife,

"Speaking of which... Duke Valentine wants to have a duel with Count Crueder to defend Aideen’s honor."

"What?! That is preposterous!"

The Queen nearly dropped her cutlery, shocked by such outrageous news. Prince Valon filled the Dining Hall with a brief, yet resounding laughter and then exclaimed,

"As expected of a rabid dog! He simply can’t wait to attack someone! Honor, hah! What a joke!"

Fleur, her face turning red from both anger and frustration, shook her head in denial and continued,

"No, this is out of the question. Even if her marriage with the Count is canceled, his vote is still in our favor as long as he is alive. And for that, he HAS to stay alive."

Euris stretched his lips into a confident smile and nodded,

"Do not worry, my darling. The duel will most likely not take place to begin with."

The room turned silent, as if nobody there had spoken before. Three pairs of eyes were firmly fixed on the King, who, as if savoring the moment, took his time to sip wine from his goblet.

As the anticipation of his explanation became overwhelming, Euris set his goblet aside and finally continued,

"Well, unfortunately for Count Crueder, the law dictates that in case of the formal request for a duel of honor, even the King cannot really say no to this. Once the desire to duel is announced, unless Lord Constantine wants to lose his already unstable reputation, he has no choice but to accept it. However... Since this is the duel of honor for Princess Aideen, she has the right to oppose it. This means, of course, that she will have to come to the Capital and meet with me."

The Queen furrowed her eyebrows, her pale face turning even whiter as she interjected,

"So you expect her to say no to a duel? What if the Duke has already brainwashed her into believing that she is worth something? That she indeed has some sort of honor to restore!"

The King’s response was preceded by yet another tired sigh,

"A scaredy-cat like her? She stutters when she simply senses me standing before her. I am certain it will not take me much effort to convince her to talk Tillian out of the duel."

Prince Valon supported his father’s reply with a rather enthusiastic nod and added,

"Do not worry, Father, Mother. She is nothing but a frightened little mouse. If we press on her hard enough, she will break in no time. No one, not even the Mad Dog, can erase the amount of emotional abuse she has gone through. She will definitely give in."

Fleur looked down at the table, getting lost in her own thoughts, allowing the Dining Hall to stay silent with her. Then, she fixed her eyes on the King once more and said in a low, almost menacing tone,

"Fine. Bring her back then."

Euris grinned and nodded, taking another generous sip of wine from his goblet.

Prince Yanad placed his hands on top of his knees and clenched them into tight fists as one painful thought rushed through his mind, leaving nothing but devastation in its wake.

’So she will be back...’