Saved By The Mad Duke
Chapter 40: Aideen?

Chapter 40: Aideen?

As Beatrice’s fingers laced up the elegant corset, Aideen could not help but quietly gasp every time the woman’s gloved hands touched her bare skin. The pleasant feeling of the dress’s fine fabric was already overwhelming enough, but the shop assistant’s gentle care added to the mix of such overflowing sensations.

Certainly, the maids, including the kind and warm Bella, had helped the princess dress up before, but this time, it was entirely different.

It was the very first time Aideen Ruan tried on a wedding dress.

Even when she married Count Constantine Crueder, she did not have a wedding. She was practically sold to him, thrown into his greedy hands like a piece of meat. Flawed meat, as his maids liked to refer to her whenever the topic of the poor blind princess was brought up in his mansion.

And although she still did not expect anything special about her second wedding, now that she was trying on the most exquisite wedding dress that could be bought in the entire Geraldion, she could not help but feel unbelievably happy.

At last, she would be a real bride.

"All done, My Lady. Goodness, it does fit you almost perfectly, as if Lady Florence was thinking of you when she was designing this dress! The color compliments your complexion, and your beautiful locks stand out even more. What a beautiful bride you will be! Your fiance will probably melt down the moment he sees you in this dress!"

Lady Beatrice made the final adjustment to the hem of the lace skirt and took a big step back, marveling at the beautiful lady in front of her.

Aideen clasped her hands in front of her stomach and smiled awkwardly, unsure how to react to such flattering words.

The tall woman stood in front of the princess again and exclaimed,

"No, there is no room for timidity when you are wearing such a dress! Come on, my dear, sway for me, twirl around a couple of times; I need to make sure that the sparkles are really working!"

Unwilling to wait for Aideen’s retort, Beatrice grabbed her hand and led the princess down from the podium. Then, she took her other hand in hers and started moving from side to side as if imitating a bizarre dance.

As the dress began to move along with the lady, the princess could not help but notice an unusual sound that seemed to be coming from the very fabric of the wedding dress. Stunned and bewildered, she arched her eyebrows, offering Lady Beatrice a confused look while the shop assistant only laughed and provided a rather enthusiastic explanation,

"I’m sure you are wondering about the sound, haha! That’s the magic pearl powder, My Lady! When you walk, move around, or dance, the tiny sparkles interact with each other and create this subtle but very pleasant melody, akin to dozens of tiny bells ringing in the distance. And there is also a surprise! I heard you are going to have your wedding in The North..."

Lady Beatrice stopped, allowing herself to catch her breath after such an unplanned, although light, dancing activity, and once she felt like she could talk freely again, she leaned closer to Aideen and continued in a whisper,

"If you are not scared of the cold, let the dress interact with the winter wind. The magic powder is sensitive to temperature... There will be another little miracle that will astonish everyone present at your wedding!"

The princess could not hold back her laughter anymore. Twirling playfully under the careful guidance of Lady Beatrice, she continued laughing, filling the changing room with both her child-like excited giggles and the subtle melody of the tiny bells.

***

Beatrice helped Aideen change back into her regular clothes and proceeded to pack the wedding dress for delivery to her quarters. Still standing on the round podium, the princess could not help but feel somewhat empty.

She slid her hands slowly over the sides of her warm autumn dress and released a long sigh.

’I’d like to think that I am not arrogant or greedy. I appreciate every single thing given to me by Duke Valentine, and I will never stop being grateful for everything he has been doing for me. And yet... I must admit that wearing that wedding dress, even for such a short time, even without being able to see it, felt like a priceless miracle to me. His Grace might not be a mage, but he still manages to fill my life with magic...’

"Oh, what do we do, My Lady? It looks like amidst all this fun we had, I have forgotten to write down your measurements! The dress will require minimum adjustments from your seamstress; however, I will never be able to forgive myself if I let you go like this."

The woman took off the white gloves, hid them back inside the pouch of her dress, then adjusted her big round glasses and added,

"Please wait here, my dear. I will bring my loyal notebook and measuring tape. I want to make sure that every detail of this purchase is perfect!"

"Well... Yes, of course, Lady Beatrice."

Aideen agreed to Beatrice’s request with a brief nod. The assistant opened the thick curtain of the changing room and stepped outside, striding lively towards the staff room of the boutique.

Left alone and in silence, the princess carefully stepped down from the round podium and locked her hands behind her back, swaying slightly left and right, still remembering the gentle melody created by the moving dress.

"Aideen?"

As her mind began to sink into the dreamy state crafted by her elevated mood, a sudden mention of her name brought her back to the harsh reality again.

Startled and even scared, Aideen turned her entire body toward the source of the newly appeared male voice, secretly hoping that it was simply her imagination playing tricks on her hearing. Her eyes frantically ran over the space before her while her hands connected in front of her stomach again as a sign of her growing anxiety.

The silence in the boutique turned into the sound of approaching footsteps, and the familiar male voice reached her ears once again,

"So you are really back, Aideen."