Saved By The Mad Duke
Chapter 37: Golden Pass

Chapter 37: Golden Pass

"Are you nervous about the duel, Your Grace?"

Aideen turned her face slightly to the left, fixing her golden-green gaze emptily on the space in front of her. The Duke’s coach steadily moved along the well-tended gray stone road leading to the Shopping District in the Central Capital, west of the Royal Palace.

Tillian, seated opposite Aideen inside the carriage, crossed his arms in front of his broad chest and shook his head.

"Should I be nervous, Your Highness? Is Count Crueder such a talented swordsman?"

The princess perceived his response as an attempt at mockery. She pouted her lips slightly and answered in a somewhat grumpy tone,

"You jest, Your Grace, but I am being serious. The duel of honor is quite a big deal for both participants, as it is a duel to the death. While Count Constantine is already old and has lost his grip on martial arts quite some time ago, you fail to remember one crucial thing – the participants can choose a champion to fight in their stead. Doesn’t that bother you at all?"

The coach fell silent again, only the distant chatter of passing Capital dwellers mixed with the slow but rhythmic clip-clop of the horses’ hooves filled the space between the two passengers.

Tillian scratched his chin, as if giving the lady’s response some serious thought, then shrugged his shoulders somewhat dismissively, and finally said,

"I am confident in my abilities, Your Highness. Even if the Count chooses someone else to represent him in the duel, I’m sure I can defeat them. After all, who can he even assign to be his champion? As far as I know, the strongest swordsmen of the entire Kingdom are employed by the Royal Order of Knights, and they are the people who cannot be bribed to fight for some low-class noblemen."

"I guess that is correct..."

Aideen nodded, but the unsettling feeling refused to leave her heart. She lowered her eyes and got lost in her inner thoughts for a moment, then arched her eyebrows as the sudden realization struck her and asked in a worried tone,

"But doesn’t it defeat the purpose of the duel then? Oh, what a horrible mistake! If Count Constantine assigns a champion to fight instead of him, then how can you kill him?"

The Duke leaned against the leather-covered back of the coach seat, shifted his red eyes towards the carriage window, and answered in a calm, almost careless voice,

"I wonder... I guess we just have to wait and see."

’We just have to wait and see...’

The princess mouthed the same words silently and could not help but ask herself – was Duke Valentine prepared even for that? It made sense for him to be ready for everything; after all, she had already learned that he was a smart, cunning, and even scheming man. But what could he possibly have prepared for the duel when he was not even sure whether it would be happening in the first place upon arriving in the Capital?

"We are here."

Tillian’s low voice interrupted Aideen’s inner contemplations, making her wince slightly and instinctively turn her head to the right, towards the window.

Finally, she was there, in the famous Shopping District—one of the places in the Central Capital that had always been out of her reach. The place that welcomed everyone who desired even a glimpse of the luxurious lifestyle that belonged to rich noblemen, only to mock them with stores, cafes, and restaurants that accepted only those deemed worthy of such exclusive luxury.

The Duke exited the carriage first, then gently took Aideen’s hand in his and assisted her in descending the steps as well. The moment her feet touched the clean and even stones of the pavement, Tillian put the wide hood of the lady’s new autumn coat over her loose dark red hair, concealing her face underneath it as per her earlier request. Then, he placed the princess’s hand over his arm and started walking, carefully leading her through the bustling crowd that had already gathered in the district.

"So, Your Highness, where would you like to go first?"

Aideen turned her face toward the man and offered him an awkward smile.

"I’m afraid I cannot answer that, Your Grace. I have never visited the Central Capital, especially the Shopping District. I only have a vague idea of what kind of places it harbors, so you will have to use your own judgment here."

The moment the princess uttered these words, she realized that Duke Valentine, too, had never had a chance to visit the Shopping District—or at least, that was the idea she had in mind. Provided that Tillian, just like Aideen, was not welcome among other noblemen.

To her astonishment, however, Tillian responded with unwavering confidence in his voice.

"Very well, then. Since I have made a promise to take you back to your quarters the moment you feel tired or uncomfortable, I guess we should start from the most important place—Lady Florence’s Dress Boutique!"

"I beg your pardon?!"

Duke Valentine managed to surprise Aideen yet again.

’Lady Florence’s Dress Boutique’ was, just like the bakery that belonged to Lady Roselle, the most expensive dress shop in the entire Geraldion.

Marquise Florence Bennerton and her dress boutique were famous for a reason. The lady had been fascinated by fashion from a very young age. Rumor had it that even as a little girl playing with other children, her dolls were always the best-dressed among them, stirring jealousy within the rest of the noble girls.

Her passion for fashion did not go unnoticed. When she turned sixteen, her parents gifted her a dress shop and hired skilled seamstresses to support their daughter’s "innocent hobby." However, within a couple of years, the dresses from her shop became the epitome of "unique and luxurious style," turning young Lady Florence into the toast of the Capital.

"Your Grace... I might be ignorant about many things but even I know that one needs a special invitation to even set foot inside Lady Florence’s shop. I appreciate your enthusiasm, however––"

The lady couldn’t finish her retort as Tillian abruptly stopped and placed something rectangular and smooth between Aideen’s slender fingers. The princess arched her eyebrows, uncertain about what to do with the glossy piece of paper in her hand, while the Duke grinned and said in a rather arrogant voice,

"Worry not, Your Highness, I’ve got something even better than a mere invitation. What you are holding in your hand right now is the Golden Shopping Pass!"