Saved By The Mad Duke
Chapter 34: The Most Beautiful Person In The World

Chapter 34: The Most Beautiful Person In The World

The bathroom was ominously dark, illuminated only by approximately a dozen candles placed around the bathtub and the bright moonlight seeping through the thick textured glass of the lonely, thin window in the opposite wall.

The warm, orange glow of the candlelight reflected on Aideen’s bare skin. Every part of her body touched by it responded with a shimmering, reflected light, as if her skin were covered in a delicate layer of glitter.

Each time a subtle draft touched the tiny flames of the candles, they cast tall shadows that danced around the room, seeming to have a life of their own. Whenever these shadows reached Aideen’s body, they caressed it like long black ribbons guided by the wind.

The princess was standing with her back towards the door, carefully brushing her long, wavy hair with a wooden comb, moving it away from her back.

She was naked.

And Tillian felt like he had forgotten how to move or breathe.

His deep red eyes gazed upon her form, unable to stop or move away.

He was mesmerized.

His mind was blank but his heart was filled with fire.

It was the first time ever he had seen a woman naked and it felt like a blessing that Princess Aideen Ruan was the first woman whose exposed body was presented before him.

And her body was the only body he would have ever wished to see.

As the candlelight moved one more time, the tall black shadows changed their positions too, and Tillian was shocked once again – the princess’s back which was hidden in the darkness before, was now visible, revealing the horrible map of thick, long scars that carved the landscape of her tender skin like bizarre white rivers.

The Duke clenched the towels in his big hands, his entire body trembling in fury while his raging red glare continued to run over each and every scar that marred Aideen’s beautiful skin.

’The doctor told me about her bruises and scars but I could never imagine that it would be this bad. That son of a bitch... The duel will not be enough to soothe my anger. I will crush him. I will crush anyone who dares to hurt you. I will make them pay.’

It was a heartbreaking image. He felt physical pain suffocating him from within his chest as if something heavy was pressing his every organ.

He had to leave. He had to go before he would explode, do something terrible.

And so he did.

As quietly as he possibly could, Tillian carefully placed the towels on the shelf next to the door, took a step back, and closed the door, removing the image of Aideen’s body from his sight.

Silent but still raging, the Duke fell heavily onto the floor and felt instant relief – for the first time in many years, he was grateful that the floor was so cold as it helped his burning body to finally cool down, even though his racing heart was still attempting to boil his blood again.

With a long, exhausted sigh, Tillian wiped his face with his cold hands and closed his eyes, allowing the cold air of the drafty room to consume him whole, and as it finally made its way to his galloping heart, the man’s body began to let go of the suffocating pain that was holding him, and the Duke succumbed to the welcoming embrace of a much-needed slumber.

***

Aideen carefully opened the door and tiptoed back inside the bedroom. She was surprised to find herself in total silence with only the quiet howls of the draft dancing around the room.

Still as quiet as a mouse, she approached the bed, put the damp towels on the nightstand next to it, and whispered,

"Your Grace? Your Grace, the bathroom is free now, there is still plenty of water for you, I’ve made sure of it."

There was still no response.

’Did he leave the room?’

The mere thought of Tillian leaving her alone in the room somehow made Aideen anxious and even scared. She had no idea she had begun to grow so accustomed to his presence next to her and not sensing him around was now sending light trembles through her chest.

Although his scent, now so dear to heart, was still lingering inside the room, she could not tell whether it was because the Duke was still there or it was just remnants of his presence that would be carried out of the room in mere minutes.

For some unknown reason, she was scared to not even notice the absence of his scent.

The princess took a seat on her bed and tried to focus.

Inside the blend of the subtle sounds that were both filling the room and trying to permeate it from the outside, Aideen was hoping to find one important sound, and after one long minute of concentration, she was finally able to hear it – Tillian’s breathing.

Slowly, the woman leaned over the bed, her long, dark red locks falling over her shoulders onto the old, dusty carpet spread on the floor, and instantly froze as the Duke’s warm, steady breathing brushed over the skin of her face.

Their faces were close. Dangerously close, even. To the point that even their breathing had mixed together and it was hard to tell whether it was two people breathing in unison, or one person transferring their breath to the other.

Startled and embarrassed, Aideen carefully pulled her body away from Tillian’s and shifted back on the bed, snuggling inside the thin blanket and wrapping herself with it like a cocoon.

She touched the part of her face where the Duke’s breath left its invisible mark and could not help but smile.

A great sense of relief washed the heavy worries away and replaced them with the warm, pleasant feeling of something new, something light and comforting; something that finally helped her relax and feel safe.

Safe, protected, cared for.

’Thank you for not leaving me. Good night, Your Grace.’

***

Aideen opened her eyes and tried to focus.

She was not sure whether the sound that had woken her up was a part of her dream or seeped inside it from the outside.

With her mind still in a somewhat hazy state, the princess sat up in her bed and tried to listen carefully.

No, the talking she heard was not a part of her dream, the hushed words were there, inside her bedroom, and they were coming from Tillian.

"I... I don’t want to... See you hurt... Please... I’m sorry..."

Aideen got up from the bed and whispered,

"Your Grace? Are you awake? Is everything alright?"

The man did not answer but continued murmuring something incomprehension in a quiet voice filled with broken emotions.

’Is the Duke talking in his sleep?’

The princess slowly walked up to Tillian and crouched right next to him. She hesitated as the man’s continuous mumbling was scaring her a little.

Still, mustering all the courage she had, Aideen took a seat on the floor beside the Duke, gently placed her hand on his forehead, and whispered again,

"Your Grace? Are you having a nightmare?"

This time, instead of answering, Tillian suddenly moved. Surprised, the princess jerked her upper body but could not move away as the man’s big, strong arms locked around her waist while his head rested on her lap.

"Ah!"

Aideen released a short gasp – Tillian’s sudden action frightened her but his tight embrace and the feeling of his head resting on her thighs managed to instantly calm her down.

Trapped inside the man’s arms, she did not really know what to do next.

Waking the Duke up seemed somewhat cruel but on the other hand, staying in such an awkward position with their bodies so close to one another was not the best solution either.

The princess was facing a very narrow selection of options.

’What should I do? If His Grace wakes up and sees us like this, what will he think? I doubt I will be able to provide a convincing explanation too. I have never been in a situation like this, I am completely lost...’

Aideen continued to struggle with such an unusual predicament until she finally reached the only conclusion that seemed reasonable to her.

She had to free herself from Tillian’s embrace and go back to her bed.

Carefully, she touched the Duke’s locked hands with hers and arched her thin eyebrows in shock – his hands were as cold as ice.

’Goodness, how cold! He is freezing!’

Without a moment’s hesitation, the lady pulled the blanket off the bed and covered Tillian’s body with it. Then, she carefully placed her palms on top of his and moved them slowly under the blanket as well, leaning slightly over the Duke’s upper body to close that little distance that still remained between them in order to channel the warmth of her own body to his.

’He gets cold so easily and yet, he has to live in such extreme conditions of the frozen North. How horrible he must feel...’

With her left hand still on top of Tillian’s, Aideen moved her right hand up to the Duke’s face and paused.

Being blind, her only way of learning about the appearances of other people was to touch them.

There were not many people whose faces she knew and truthfully, she was dying to learn what Tillian Valentine looked like. Right now was the perfect chance for her to do so, but something deep inside her heart kept telling her to stop.

’Perhaps another time.’

The princess moved her hand away and hid it under the blanket again, returning to her previous task of warming up the Duke’s cold skin. Then, she closed her eyes, leaned back against her bed, and whispered,

"Although I do not know what you look like, Your Grace, I am convinced that you are the most beautiful person in the entire world."