Saved By The Mad Duke
Chapter 49: I Will Be Your Home

Chapter 49: I Will Be Your Home

"You are unusually quiet, Your Highness. Did the duel shock you that much?"

After more than a day spent on the road back to The North, Tillian could not help but worry that Aideen would be exhausted, or worse, fall ill. However, the princess adamantly refused to stop and rest at an inn, convincing him that she was eager to return to the castle.

Most of the time, she remained serious and quiet, forgoing much food or sleep, her mind lost in silent introspection. No longer able to conceal his growing concern, Tillian gently covered Aideen’s hands with his right hand and slid his thumb over her cold, soft skin, allowing the warmth of his own flesh to seep into her body. A faint smile graced the princess’s lips, but it vanished instantly as a sudden realization troubled her already restless mind.

"Your Grace, how could you allow me to forget! Prince Yanad told me you were wounded! How is your arm? Is it painful? is there blood? Goodness, we left so quickly, as if we were running away from a fire, but we should have stopped to get your arm checked! And you offered us to stop but I refused, I cannot be forgiven!"

The lady’s innocent yet genuine lamenting concern caused the Duke to stretch his lips into a wide smile, inviting a slight blush to grace his pale cheeks.

"Do not worry, My Lady. It was just a scratch. Nothing important was damaged. Well... Almost nothing."

He looked down at the blood-stained ribbon on his left wrist and released a short sigh, while Aideen arched her eyebrows, her eyes widening as she almost shouted,

"What do you mean ’almost’?! Perhaps there is a small temple or shrine on our way to The North; we could ask a priest to check your arm there!"

The Duke chuckled at her enthusiasm, appreciating her caring nature.

"There is really no need to worry, Your Highness; it’s not serious at all. I apologize for causing you so much concern; I was simply joking—I wanted to see that adorable expression on your face, is all."

The princess parted her lips, utterly perplexed, rendered speechless by Tillian’s childish behavior. She then furrowed her thin eyebrows and pouted her lips, offering the man a forced angry expression that only fueled the Duke’s playful intentions. He was about to tease Aideen some more when she freed her hands from his gentle hold and said somewhat quietly,

"It is still bothering me, though..."

"What is?"

"That mercenary... He would not have agreed to be Count Constantine’s champion in the first place if the payment was not sufficient enough. Do you think he surrendered because he did not know you would be his duel opponent? But then again, he could have refused to fight the moment he stepped into the arena..."

Suddenly, she turned her entire body to face Tillian and added in a nervous tone,

"Oh, please, don’t get me wrong, Your Grace! I am wholeheartedly happy that he surrendered and you emerged victorious! I just can’t help but feel that it was very strange of him to do that, that’s all."

Duke Valentine leaned back in the coach seat and crossed his arms in front of his chest, releasing a long humming sound while contemplating his further actions.

Truthfully, he wanted to tell Aideen everything, primarily because he did not want any secrets between them. However, at the same time, he was not entirely sure if his confessions would evoke trust instead of suspicion or even mistrust.

Nevertheless, he had learned a long time ago that any meaningful relationship should be built on trust; thus, the choice was now apparent.

With a long, somewhat hesitant exhale, Tillian rubbed his forehead and attempted to explain,

"Well, the thing is... That mercenary is someone who works for Stanis."

"Excuse me?!"

The princess nearly jumped in her seat upon hearing such a shocking revelation. The Duke helped her assume a proper sitting position again and continued,

"I knew that if the duel were agreed upon, the Count would resort to assigning a champion to fight in his stead. And since hiring a knight was out of the question, his only option was a mercenary. When Stanis brought you to the Capital, he did not go back home straight away. He had to make sure the mercenary the Count hires would properly cooperate."

"I don’t understand..."

"You are aware, Your Highness, that the leader of the Black Flame guild is always in hiding, right? Well, the reason why nobody can ever approach him is that he lives in The North. Stanis is the leader of the Black Flame mercenary guild."

"Oh my..."

Aideen gasped, covered her mouth with both hands, and widened her eyes. That was quite perplexing news, to say the least. She shook her head, as if trying to dispose of the nagging feeling of confusion, and decided to seek more explanations. Turning back to Duke Valentine, she asked,

"But how is that possible? I thought Sir Stanis was sent to The North twenty-five years ago too..."

"That is correct; however, Black Flame was created by Stanis years before that happened. It consisted of young peasants who wanted to fight but could not join the Royal Order of Knights. They were all fine warriors, just like Stanis. And when he was knighted and had to leave the guild, he continued to manage it from behind the shadows. The Black Flame mercenaries are the ones who serve me as the Raven Knights, too."

"They are from the Black Flame as well?! Wow, this is truly astonishing..."

The lady lowered her hands and turned her head towards the carriage window. This was all too much to take at once, however, she still could not help but feel an unusual sense of bizarre pride and admiration flickering deep inside her heart.

The image of Duke Tillian Valentine was shrouded in mystery. There were so many things she did not know about him, but the more she discovered, the more conflicted she felt.

Who was he? What has he been doing all this time alone in The North? Would she ever be able to find out everything about him? And what would happen when she did?

With her eyes still wandering aimlessly on the coach’s window, she asked in a serious voice,

"So you knew that the mercenary would surrender? You simply orchestrated all of that to make Count Crueder believe he had a chance?"

Tillian nodded and replied in a somewhat cold tone,

"Exactly. I wanted to give that moron hope just to see the light leave his eyes when he realized that hope was taken away from him. After all, you cannot consider it revenge if it is only physical."

"Revenge..."

Aideen mouthed that word almost inaudibly and closed her eyes.

’So revenge can be mental as well... What a dangerous man you are, Duke Valentine. Dangerous, yet fascinating.’

"We have arrived, Your Highness."

The princess’s inner contemplations and the somewhat tense silence inside the coach were interrupted by Tillian’s sudden remark. Surprisingly, it managed to dismiss the lingering uncomfortable feelings evoked by their conversation as Aideen rushed to slide open the carriage’s window, inviting a harsh, cold gust of winter wind inside.

The moment the wind touched the lady’s face, she felt a pleasant cool sensation spreading all over her skin, awakening a refreshing feeling from deep within her body.

With her face stuck out of the window like a curious, excited child, Aideen moved her hand outside as well, hoping to catch at least a few snowflakes inside her palm. This sincere and adorable behavior only made Tillian laugh.

"You do enjoy the cold, Your Highness. I must admit it makes me happy. I brought you to The North without your permission, so I was frightened you would hate it here."

Aideen smiled as she felt tiny snowflakes fall onto her open palm, turning into tiny droplets of water when touched by the warmth of her soft porcelain skin. Then, she finally closed the window and nonchalantly shrugged her shoulders.

"I used to hate winters in the past, mostly because I never had proper winter attire and would freeze whenever I had a chance to go outside in cold weather. The North is different somehow. I do not feel cold here, but refreshed instead. The air does not burn my lungs; on the contrary, it makes me feel as if I have never breathed before. It even smells different. It’s like... I belong in The North, like it’s my true home."

Tillian fixed his red eyes on the princess’s smiling face but remained silent. Only one thought crossed his mind as his gaze tried to memorize the bright spark that was now playing in Aideen’s beautiful, unique eyes,

’What a relief... It is your true home, Aideen. My entire life, I have never felt like I was home, but now that you are here, I think I found my home in your presence. And from this moment onward, I will make sure you feel at home in every place you visit. I will be your home, too.’