Saved By The Mad Duke
Chapter 61: The White Puppy

Chapter 61: The White Puppy

"I beg your pardon? Lord Wiggles and Lord Giggles?"

A blend of both curiosity and bewilderment froze on Aideen’s beautiful face while the Duke’s study fell completely silent. The awkward stillness that stretched between them after Tillian finally uttered the dogs’ names was overwhelming, and the two of them understood it very well.

Once it finally sank into her brain completely, the princess’s lips tried to curl into a smile, but she had to make an enormous effort to hold back any display of joyous emotions just to spare the Duke any further awkwardness. Duke Valentine, however, still noticed her emotions and could not help but release an embarrassed sigh as he tried to explain,

"Well... It was Bella who gave them these names; I never really cared. When I first brought them to the castle, I called them Dog One and Dog Two for almost a month, and they did not seem to mind either."

’Dog One and Dog Two? That is so ridiculous...’

Aideen suppressed another wide smile while Tillian continued,

"At some point, Bella insisted on giving them proper names but since I did not care enough to come up with any, she took it upon herself to name them in my stead... That is how they got their names. Lord Wiggles is the one with a little silver bone on his collar and Lord Giggles is the one with the medallion shaped like a dog’s head."

The princess covered her mouth with her right hand and coughed a few times to prevent a hearty chuckle from escaping her lips, then made another effort to compose herself, and finally asked,

"Why do they have different medallions on their collars?"

The Duke could only shrug his shoulders.

"The blacksmith made them per Bella’s request and then they each chose the one they liked themselves. They have been wearing them ever since."

"Goodness, this is so adorable!"

Aideen could no longer hold back her emotions – this whole situation was overwhelmingly cute and was making her strangely happy.

Tillian’s reluctance to name his own dogs seemed understandable, he did seem like a rather distant man who did not care to form many attachments, however, his soft side still prevailed on numerous occasions, and accepting the dogs’ adorable names was another proof of that.

Still, one question remained unanswered.

Clearing her throat with a quiet cough, the lady turned back to the Dobermans who were now quietly snoring with their heads on each other’s necks, and continued in her quest to quench her curiosity,

"But why are they Lords? What title do they have, Your Grace?"

Duke Valentine covered his face with his big hand, irrationally happy that the princess could not see his embarrassed expression, then released a somewhat quiet grunt, and finally answered,

"Bella thought that since they live in the castle, they simply must be of noble birth, so... They are Barons."

Now, Aideen could no longer remain calm. Covering her face with both hands, she started laughing like she had never laughed before, her sonorous voice echoing through the study like a happy melody. The laughter made the dogs wake up and shoot her a somewhat disapproving glare with their beady red eyes.

The woman kept laughing, her shoulders and chest shaking uncontrollably, while Tillian simply stood there in silence, watching her with a rather bewildered expression on his face. Then, his features softened, and his lips formed a wide, contented smile – he was happy.

He was happy to see her laugh, even at the expense of his own dignity.

’She has a cute laugh... I want to hear it more often.’

As the princess finally managed to calm down, she wiped her teary eyes and took a deep breath to compose the remainder of her joyous feelings. Then, she turned back to face the Duke and said rather apologetically,

"Forgive me, Your Grace, but it was simply too precious. Judging by the size of the dogs, they would probably frighten anyone who lays their eyes on them, but their names... Goodness, I might burst into laughter again!"

Tillian awkwardly scratched the back of his head and released another long exhale,

"Yes, these dogs are excellent hunters and never hesitate to attack any monster or beast they meet during our patrols, but my corps is always in tears whenever they hear anyone calling them by their names. I agree; this is just way too ridiculous."

Aideen imagined the formidable Raven Knights running around and calling the Dobermans by their names and almost exploded once more.

"Well, to tell you the truth, Your Grace, I think it is still a lot better than calling them Dog One and Dog Two. With this, they have... personality, I guess? You mentioned they were abandoned by their pack because they were a mixed breed. Now, they live a life of having a home, a family, of belonging somewhere... And with noble titles, no less! I am very happy for them, and I am very happy that the one who found them was you, Your Grace."

Tillian brushed his blond hair back in an attempt to compose his growing embarrassment, but his heart was still beating a lot faster than he would prefer. He found it pleasantly flattering to hear such warm words from the princess, especially since he never really thought that he, the man who was left without a real family of his own, could become one to others. Even if those others were just a couple of abandoned dogs.

The Duke slowly walked up to the resting Dobermans, then gently brushed his big hand over Lord Wiggles’s soft, short fur, to which the dog replied by touching his skin with his cold wet nose as a gesture of appreciation. Tillian then shifted his eyes to Aideen, whose glowing eyes were slowly moving over the leather couch, and said,

"The dogs are usually running around the castle on weekends, so if you ever want to spend some time with them, you are welcome to do so."

The princess responded with a wide smile and a confirming nod,

"Thank you, I would love that. I really love dogs."

"Yes, I know that..."

"Pardon?"

Tillian winced as he realized that those words were not supposed to leave his mouth in the first place. Clearing his throat with a loud, somewhat awkward cough, he stepped away from the couch and tried to come up with a believable excuse.

"Well... I mean, you look like someone who loves animals, and seeing how pleased you were with the dogs’ reaction to you, I assumed you loved dogs too."

"Oh..."

The Duke helped her take a seat next to his large wooden desk and sat in his own chair across it. Aideen wrapped her robe tighter around her waist and started fidgeting with the long, wide silk ribbon that served as the robe’s belt just to keep her hands busy while she was collecting her thoughts. Then, she finally raised her head back up and continued,

"I do love dogs, Your Grace. I always wanted to have one, and my nanny even brought puppies to my quarters numerous times, but... Well, let’s just say that some members of the Royal Family did not want me to have any pets."

"Was it Valon?"

The question was too obvious, but Duke Valentine still felt like he had to ask. The princess nodded.

"Yes. Prince Valon hates animals. He was always rather sadistic towards them, but he was especially cruel when it came to the ones I particularly cherished. Sometimes he would torture them right in front of me, and sometimes he would just leave their tiny dead bodies in my bed... He would not let me love anything. Or, perhaps, he simply did not want anything to love me."

She paused and lowered her face, unsure if she had the strength to continue. Tillian leaned in, moved his hand across the desk, and gently touched the lady’s shoulder as if to let her know that he was there to listen if she wanted to say more but would also accept her silence if she did not.

Somewhat encouraged by that subtle gesture, Aideen took a deep breath to try and push back the tears that desperately wanted to fill her eyes. Then, she raised her face again and shook her head, continuing,

"Perhaps it was very wrong of me... I still craved to have someone else by my lonesome side. I still craved some kind of company and affection. So... I took another puppy in. My nanny said it was as white as a snowflake and had a very short tail, which it liked to wiggle every time it saw me. It was the cutest little thing, very soft and fluffy too. It liked to sleep with me in bed, right next to my neck, here."

She pressed her hand against the right side of her neck, letting Tillian understand where exactly it was sleeping, and added,

"I was trying to be very discreet, very cautious this time, but Valon still managed to find out..."