Saved By The Mad Duke
Chapter 65: Do You Want To Mark Your Territory?

Chapter 65: Do You Want To Mark Your Territory?

"So, you have been practicing releasing your mana for almost a week now, Your Highness. How do you feel?"

Ahspid snapped his fingers, causing yet another book to fly from the tall bookshelf next to the wall right into his hands, while his purple eyes carefully observed the changing expressions on Aideen’s face.

The princess turned her face toward the mage and shrugged her shoulders rather timidly.

"I am not sure... It feels... cold?"

"Ha!"

The man threw the book onto the table, clasping his hands together as if to applaud her adorable reply. He then curled his lips into a wide grin and nodded.

"Of course it does; you are a snow dragon, after all! But that’s not what I meant. Can you feel your mana lingering around you even when you’re not practicing?"

Aideen placed her right index finger against her chin, pondering Ahspid’s words.

Though it had not been long since they commenced their lessons on magic, the lady had already realized that her mana was cold and tinted in hues of sparkling white and light blue. Unaware of the significance behind these colors, she found contentment in Ahspid’s explanation, as he mentioned that they represented the colors of The North.

Now, those were her colors too.

"I suppose you could say that? I mean... Once I cease practicing, I still sense a lingering presence around me. It’s cold and somewhat unsettling. But I believe I’m gradually becoming accustomed to it."

"Good."

Ahspid rose from his seat, then walked up to the princess, placing the book taken from the bookshelf in front of her. He continued,

"We are going to use this feeling of ’lingering presence’ to learn the alphabet."

"Oh? I thought we were going to use the same method you’ve been using for teaching me the runes?" Aideen arched her thin eyebrows, surprised by the unexpected change in their usual routine.

The mage took a seat beside the woman and opened the book to the very first page, offering her another explanation,

"As I mentioned before, the method I used for teaching runic writings relies heavily on the basic principles of alchemy. However, since you have admitted that you can now sense your own mana residue, I don’t see why you should waste precious energy on converting the air around you into palpable matter."

Ahspid placed his hand on top of the open pages of the book, and just a moment later, every single letter written on the pages began to glow with a subtle purple light. He then gently took the princess’s right hand in his, placed it on one of the pages, and added,

"Do you feel the same as when I first infused my mana into the runic writing?"

Aideen nodded confidently, eliciting another wide grin from the mage.

"Now, all we have to do is teach you the alphabet this way, Your Highness. Once we accomplish that, every time you infuse your mana into any writing and touch the page, a letter, or a sheet of paper, your memory will immediately recall the letters you’ve learned. You will have a clear image of the text in your head, enabling you to read it effortlessly." Ahspid explained, outlining the promising path of Aideen’s education.

"Incredible..."

A great yet bizarre sense of accomplishment washed over the lady. What Ahspid explained seemed rather easy, and she was somehow certain that she could do it very well. However, the hardest hurdle was still yet to be overcome.

She needed to start.

Taking a deep breath in preparation for yet another fascinating journey, Aideen nodded her head and declared,

"Alright. Please teach me the alphabet, Ahspid!"

***

It was almost impossible to tell how many hours the two of them spent sitting in the reading room together, their heads hanging solemnly over numerous sheets of paper, surrounded by dozens of broken quills, ink blotters, and empty ink bottles.

The space around the princess seemed to be covered with dried black ink stains, while both the lady’s hands and face were smeared with black ink as well. No matter how many times Ahspid tried to clean her, Aideen still ended up covered in ink.

’Just look at her, she is like a child...’

Removing yet another broken quill from the woman’s tight grip, the mage took the sheet of paper that she had just finished working on and started going over it, prepared to correct any mistakes. This time, however, he was pleasantly surprised – at last, Aideen had managed to write every single letter of the alphabet without a single mistake.

"Very good, Your Highness. Your very first time making zero mistakes—I am a proud teacher. If you keep practicing just as diligently as you have with magic, you will be able to read and write like everybody else in no time."

Offering the young woman head pats for the tasks done well was now a habit of his. Now was the perfect time for giving her another one – gently placing his gloved hand on top of the princess’s head, he patted it a few times, promptly eliciting a happy smile on her ink-smeared face.

"Ahspid, I have a question..."

Aideen’s timid voice made the man remove his hand and raise his eyebrows.

"Yes? Go on."

"If I can feel my mana lingering around me, does it mean I can intentionally use it to... Well, to leave it on objects surrounding me?"

"Oh, you already want to mark your territory, Your Highness?"

The mage could not help but release a loud scoff, which only made the princess turn red from embarrassment. As she listened to Ahspid’s laughter, she was silently dying to learn how to make one disappear into thin air on a whim. Once the man was finally able to get a hold of his emotions, he wiped his teary eyes and nodded,

"Oof, I would not have laughed if it were not for your red face, My Lady! How easily embarrassed you are!"

"And you are rather easily entertained! I was being serious, but you only laughed at my sincerity."

Aideen playfully pouted her lips while the mage composed the remnants of his excitement with a loud cough. He then placed his hand back on the crown of the princess’s head, moving on with his now serious reply,

"I was saving it for another time, but I am still glad you asked, My Lady. Yes, as a matter of fact, you can infuse your mana, or rather, you can ’leave’ your mana on objects around you. That will help you ’see’ their shapes with your memory. It works with people too. You can try it tonight, if you want, starting with the objects you have in your bedroom."

He moved his hand over her soft hair as if to praise the woman for her curiosity, to which she replied with another contented smile and a nod.

That wholesome moment of contentment was interrupted by a loud knocking on the reading room’s door, which was then opened, inviting Safie inside.

"Excuse me, My Lady, but the two of you have been locked in here for many hours now. I was sent here to check up on you and inquire whether there is anything you might need."

Ahspid redirected his eyes to the wooden clock hanging on the opposite wall and smiled,

"Would you look at that? We were so engrossed in our lesson that we completely failed to notice the flow of time. We have been here for almost five hours, Your Highness!"

Widening her eyes in bewilderment, Aideen turned around to face the maid and nearly exclaimed,

"It is so late already! Safie, did His Grace himself send you here? He must have been so worried!"

The maid confirmed her assumption with a brief "Mhm" and added,

"Yes, Your Highness. He was also wondering, since it is almost time for dinner, whether you would like to share a meal with him in his study?"

"In his study?" The princess arched her eyebrows once again, "Why? Is he busy again? If so, perhaps I shouldn’t bother him with my presence––"

"Not at all!" Safie interjected rather loudly, "In fact, he insisted that I return from you with a positive response to his invitation. The reason why we cannot serve dinner in the dining hall is..."

The maid shifted her eyes to the grinning mage, offering him a somewhat disapproving glare, and continued,

"Someone put out the fire in the dining hall’s fireplace this morning while using it for their witchcraft and did not light it back up, so the room is very cold."

Ahspid shrugged his shoulders rather carelessly, then rose to his feet and said in a teasing tone,

"How bizarre, now we also have a witch living in the castle! I should catch her immediately and kick her out of here; there is no room for another spellcaster. This territory is already marked by me!"

"It’s all giggles with you, Lord Ahspid!"

Safie furrowed her eyebrows while the mage offered her another sly grin and started marching towards the door, addressing the princess in the meantime,

"Good job today, Your Highness. Make sure to practice as much as you can tonight. See you tomorrow!"

Pausing momentarily before the frowning maid, Ahspid winked at her and disappeared into the hallway. Safie released a long sigh, then turned to her lady once again and said,

"Well, what should I tell His Grace, My Lady? Will you dine with him today?"

Aideen sighed as well, rising from her seat. She then nodded and replied,

"Yes, I will, but..." She stretched her arms in front of her, blushing from embarrassment, and added, "I need to take a bath first."