Saved By The Mad Duke
Chapter 70: The Most Handsome One

Chapter 70: The Most Handsome One

Black, ominously large horses galloped towards the Duke’s castle, the loud clopping of their hooves resonated through the stillness of the frozen courtyard, cutting it like a blade.

Following the four great obsidian stallions, the tall gates of the castle welcomed a big and wide wooden carriage, painted all black, with no windows on its walls.

The men on the horses were just as mysterious and dark – dressed in all black, with their heads and faces covered, they all seemed to move in unison, and as they rode through the snow, with every sudden gust of the cold northern wind, their long black capes fluttered like the spurts of raging flame.

The Black Flame.

Stopping his horse in front of the back entrance to Tillian’s castle, a tall, broad-shouldered man raised his hand in the air and gestured for the rest of his party to turn their horses and move in the direction of the knights’ quarters.

Once he made sure that his order was carried out, he jumped off his horse and resolutely marched towards the Duke and his assistant, his heavy footsteps resembled the ones of a menacing giant. The man then stood right before them, and finally removed both his wide hood and the black mask, revealing a youthful face framed with long, somewhat unruly dark hair, and offered his hosts a wide smile, as he bowed down,

"Avir Edwall, the appointed commander of the first mercenary division at your service, My Lords."

Sir Stanis nodded at the tall man, sizing him up with a somewhat stern look, then stretched his lips into a bright grin, and embraced Avir in a friendly hug, patting him on his strong back in a parent-like manner.

"It hasn’t been that long, but you have fattened up even more! Are you now aiming at crushing your opponents with bare hands, Avir?"

The mercenary shrugged his shoulders and took a step back, allowing his lords to take another good look at his massive frame, proudly declaring,

"Impressive, huh? Never skipped a day of exercising since I joined the guild. If I want to ever become as strong as His Grace Duke Tillian, I have to do everything I can."

Avir shifted his deep eyes to the Duke who kept staring at him with a rather disapproving glare which instantly wiped off that happy smile from the man’s face. Offering a sincere apologetic look in response, the mercenary pressed his fist against his chest, and bowed down once again as he exclaimed,

"I apologize for what happened back in the Capital, Your Grace! I will accept any punishment!"

Tillian, with his unbothered and calm demeanor, took a few steps towards Avir, placed his heavy hand on his shoulder, and responded with a subtle, yet rather threatening smile,

"Well, it’s an eye for an eye, my friend. Only in your case, it’s your mane for my strand."

The confidence on Avir’s face was immediately replaced with an expression of bewilderment as he hesitated to answer the Duke’s offer.

As a man of honor, he respected Tillian’s decision but had a better proposal instead.

"I am indeed at fault, Your Grace, therefore, I find your terms fair. However, how about we settle this like we do amongst the members of the Black Flame?"

The Duke arched his eyebrows, curious about his proposal. The mercenary continued,

"Let us have another sparring match. If you emerge victorious, you can shave my head clean. But if I manage to graze you with my sword, my hair will remain unharmed."

Curling his lips into a somewhat mischievous grin, Tillian nodded, agreeing to such an offer.

"Very well. Stanis, you will judge the battle. If Avir indeed manages to touch me with his sword, the victory is his."

The knight answered with a brief bow and stepped aside, making room for the upcoming friendly sparring.

With their swords drawn and ready for battle, two men assumed their starting positions. When Stanis signaled for them to begin, it seemed that the long fight was inevitable, however, with seasoned precision and skill, in a mere two seconds, it took Tillian only a couple of swift movements to disarm Avir, knocking the sword out of his hands.

The castle’s courtyard fell silent for a moment, all three men quietly staring at the sword stuck in a heap of white snow, and then, just as suddenly, they all burst into laughter, acknowledging the humor in the swift turn of events.

Avir shrugged his shoulders and turned around, holding his hair in his giant fist,

"Well, a deal is a deal, Your Grace. Shave it all off!"

With a mischievous glint in his eye, Tillian brought his sword to the man’s hair and began to cut it. In jest, he remarked that if he shaved the mercenary’s head, he’d probably end up looking even uglier than he already did. The banter between them transformed a potentially tense situation into one of camaraderie.

Sporting a fresh, though rather messy haircut, Avir joined the rest of his companions in the knights’ quarters to rest from the long trip to The North. Once the man disappeared inside the building, Stanis offered Duke Valentine a long look before finally asking,

"I never bothered to ask the details, but now I can’t help it - what is this obsession with your looks, My Lord? I know it’s for the princess but does she really care so much about one’s looks?"

Tillian, still struggling to suppress the lingering excitement, glanced at his aide with a hint of nostalgia in his eyes. He began to recount a memory from his first time in the capital before meeting Aideen. With a short but loud exhale, he explained,

"I think it happened when I first got lost strolling around the Royal Palace and mistakenly wandered into Aideen’s quarters. She was sitting outside with her nanny, they were engrossed in a rather lively conversation about noble gentlemen. The nanny asked the princess what kind of man she wanted as her husband, and Aideen’s honest reply seemed to have settled in my memory forever."

Sir Stanis arched his eyebrows, overcome with curiosity,

"What did she say?"

"The most handsome one."