Saved By The Mad Duke
Chapter 60: Lord Wiggles and Lord Giggles

Chapter 60: Lord Wiggles and Lord Giggles

Startled at first, Aideen abruptly recoiled from the door, pressing both of her hands against her chest. Although she had indeed been hoping to find Tillian still awake, the princess was now overwhelmed with a strange sense of embarrassment.

The Duke’s insistent tone helped her regain her confidence as it seeped through the door once more,

"Please, come inside already, Your Highness; you are making my friends wait."

’Friends?’

Pushing the study door, Aideen stepped inside the room, immediately offering a polite apology she had rehearsed at least a dozen times while on her way to see Duke Valentine,

"Forgive me for bothering you so late, Your Grace. I know you mentioned working most of the time, but I was wondering if I could sit here with you in the study, just to pass the time until I finally calm down and get tired..."

Tillian raised a curious brow at the princess’s adorable request, then rose to his feet. He marched up to her and closed the door behind her back before finally replying,

"Well, of course, you can spend time here; I don’t mind. However," the man redirected his gaze to the two Dobermans lying leisurely on the big leather couch in the middle of the room and continued, "I first need to check if my friends are alright with sharing my company with you."

Another mention of the Duke’s friends prompted Aideen to take a little, somewhat timid, step back to the door. She offered Tillian a shy look as she whispered,

"I am truly sorry, Your Grace; I had no idea you were having company here."

This yet another adorable reply made Duke Valentine release a hearty chuckle as he shook his head, explaining,

"I wouldn’t really call it ’company,’ but they are definitely my cherished friends. Come, let me introduce them to you."

Not allowing the lady even a second to comprehend his words, Tillian gently grabbed her hand and guided her towards the leather couch. The moment they stood right in front of it, Aideen heard the already familiar subtle growling of the dogs. Then, more startled than scared, she involuntarily withdrew her body, her back instantly hitting the Duke’s body as he stood right behind her, akin to a sturdy protective wall.

"You were talking about dogs?!" The princess’s loud whisper was filled with both panic and confusion.

With another light-hearted scoff, the man leaned closer to Aideen, his cheek almost brushing against hers, and said somewhat quietly,

"No need to be scared, Your Highness. Although it is true that they do not like the Royal Family, you are no longer a part of it. Go on, greet them; I am convinced they will accept you rather warmly."

With that, Tillian, still standing behind her, wrapped his long fingers around the princess’s thin wrist, helping her stretch her hand out. He then lifted it slightly and jerked his chin, gesturing for the dogs to get off the couch at the same time.

Obediently, the Dobermans jumped off the couch and slowly approached the couple, their noses busy sniffing the air surrounding the trembling princess.

She was familiar with the rumors about Duke Valentine’s infamous Dobermans – enormous in size, strong, and always scowling, baring their fangs at anyone but their master. Some even said they, too, had mad eyes, just like the Duke – bloody red and always glowing like sinister stars.

Every time their large, heavy paws took another step closer, emanating a peculiar sound every time they touched the wooden floors of the Duke’s study, Aideen couldn’t help but flinch, anxiously anticipating the moment the dogs would finally touch her as well.

But, to her great surprise, it was not as dreadful as she had expected.

As the dogs finally approached the lady, they both, almost as if specifically trained to do so, brushed their heads against the princess’s hands several times, clearly asking for pats from her. This finally made Aideen relax and stretch her rosy lips into a big smile.

"See? I told you they would like you, My Lady. Apparently, they are quite fond of beautiful women."

The Duke released Aideen’s hands and took a few steps away from her.

With a light chuckle escaping her lips, the princess gently placed both hands on top of the dogs’ heads and started carefully patting them. The Dobermans reacted with quite an enthusiastic wiggling of their tails, which then turned into them happily jumping around the lady, occasionally giving her hands generous licks.

Happy with such a turn of events, Aideen started laughing, frantically trying to hide her hands under the shelter of her robe in order to protect them from being nibbled. However, the dogs only considered it as some sort of a new game and ended up nearly knocking the woman off her feet. They were excited to have found a new source of entertainment.

Catching Aideen in his strong arms, Tillian shot a stern glare towards his playful ’friends’ and commanded,

"Alright, that’s enough you two. Her Highness needs to rest; she is not used to your levels of energy."

Clearly disappointed, the Dobermans replied to their master with a timid symphony of oppressed whimpering, assuming their previous positions back on the leather couch.

Duke Valentin clicked his tongue at their childish antics, then retrieved a white silk handkerchief from the inner pocket of his unbuttoned vest. He placed it inside Aideen’s right palm, offering her the means to wipe her hands after that unexpected play.

Sliding the soft handkerchief over the wet skin of her hands, Aideen turned her head towards the couch and said,

"I never expected them to be so nice and playful, Your Grace. You know, considering the rumors and all..."

Then, she suddenly widened her eyes, realizing her mistake, and added rather nervously,

"Oh, I apologize; I did not mean that––"

"It’s alright, Your Highness. I know what kind of rumors are circulating within the Capital about me and everyone else around me."

Tillian’s reply was tinted with an obvious shade of deep hurt, which made the princess regret her insensitive and careless words even more.

Taking a big step towards the Duke, she shook her head and continued,

"But these are simply nasty, unfounded rumors, Your Grace! None of them are obviously true!"

"How can you be so certain of that, My Lady?"

Duke Valentine also took a big step towards the princess, their body now almost touching, and Aideen felt his warm breath brushing over the crown of her head every time he exhaled. She did not know what to reply to his unexpected remark. After all, he was not so wrong – what did she really know about him? Yes, he was kind and caring, doting even; he was always respectful and considerate and everyone in the castle treated him with nothing short of admiration.

So why would he make her doubt her own judgment?

No, there was no reason for that at all. She was certain.

Raising her head, Aideen furrowed her eyebrows, her face acquiring a very serious expression, and said in a somewhat cold tone,

"I am certain of that, Your Grace. I cannot possibly be aware of all the gossip that is being passed on during the noble gatherings, but all the rumors I have ever heard about you were proven to be false. You are nothing what they say about you, Your Grace."

Tillian remained silent for a few seconds, then curled his lips into a wide grin, and finally replied,

"I am relieved you think so, Your Highness. Truthfully, I do not really care what others say or think about me, however, I would definitely not want you to harbor such undignified opinions. I am not concerned about my own reputation, I know it has been tarnished even before I was born, but I do care about the people around me. They definitely do not deserve to be badmouthed behind their backs."

With a confident smile playing upon her plump lips, Aideen nodded and declared,

"We will make sure to fix everything, Your Grace! We will restore your reputation and bury the glory of those who dared to mar the name of Valentines. And I will help you with that. Just like I promised."

Tillian could not help but release another light chuckle – somehow, such seriousness only made the princess look even cuter. Nodding his head in agreement, he said,

"Yes, I will count on that, My Lady."

"But, Your Grace," the woman turned around, facing the Dobermans once more, and continued, "Are they really the same dogs you brought to the Capital with you thirteen years ago? That would make them so old! Can dogs even live that long?"

"They are not simple dogs, Your Highness," the Duke began his explanation, "They are the puppies of a Doberman and a northern wolf beast. I found them abandoned in the forest when I was nine, and they have been living with me ever since. With the beast’s blood running in them, I think they might even outlive me."

"Oh..."

Aideen froze in fascination for a moment, then turned back to Tillian and asked again,

"So what are their names?"

Her seemingly innocent question caught the Duke off-guard and he was reluctant to answer it. The man’s hesitance made the princess arch her eyebrows in confusion and when the silence began to grow overwhelmingly heavy, Tillian released a long sigh, admitting that there was no choice but to provide her with a reply. With a rather embarrassed tone, he finally mumbled,

"Their names are... Lord Wiggles and Lord Giggles."