Saved By The Mad Duke
Chapter 78: Her Turn To Speak

Chapter 78: Her Turn To Speak

"Your over-exaggeration makes me look like some sort of a hero, Stanis."

Tillian looked at Aideen with a hint of embarrassment in his eyes, but the princess remained immersed in the overwhelming blend of astonishment and awe. She had heard many tales of brave princes slaying strong magical creatures to save the princess they fancied, but they were nothing but mere fairytales; figments of someone’s imagination.

Here, right next to her, was not a fictional character from a made-up story; Tillian Valentine was real. He was a real hero. He was a real prince.

"But of course, you are a hero, Your Grace!" another mercenary’s voice seeped through the thick veil of the lady’s contemplations, pulling her back to the noisy reality of the dining hall. The man, whose name was Gunnar, nearly jumped from his seat, banging his palms on the table, his eyes blazing with excitement and pride.

"How many times have you slain monsters in one motion after that? Your strength, indeed, has no match in the entire Geraldion, perhaps even beyond, and I will fight anyone who dares to think otherwise!"

"I wonder if you’ll be able to win, though!"

Avir patted his comrade on the shoulder, forcefully assisting him in retaking his seat by pressing him down with his strong hand. He then turned to Stanis and decided to contribute to the common accolades a bit more.

"This is precisely why the King could not reject His Grace’s visit to the Capital and bestow the grand title of the Duke upon him! Have any of you ever heard of a case like this? Nobody from that Royal bunch of Knights had the guts to come here to defend these lands from beasts; it was always the daredevils or the mercenaries with the death wish who could barely keep the creatures in check. If you are not a hero, Your Grace, then who is?"

Stanis, too, returned to his chair, poured himself more wine, and nodded, agreeing with all the praise.

"The Valentines were renowned for their innate strength; all of them were glorious warriors, respected throughout the Continent. I was fortunate enough to witness the reigns of both King Caleb and his son, King Aster. Hopefully, I will live to see you back on the throne, too, Your Grace."

He raised his goblet, offering Tillian an acknowledging nod, and gulped down his wine, emptying the vessel once more before continuing.

"You have worked really hard to get where you are now. Starting from occasional trading deals with Utar, you’ve managed to connect with both the northern and western parts of the Continent, dealing in the trading of rare beast furs and leather along with the selling of gems found in dangerous caves buried under thick layers of freezing ice and snow. Now, one can even say that every single noble outside Geraldion is dependent on His Grace’s rare trading goods. With the taxes he pays to this Kingdom, even the King himself does not dare to interfere."

’He is trading pelts and gems through other Kingdoms? Is this how he managed to accumulate such wealth?’

Aideen lowered her head, locking herself inside her inner musings once more. She wanted to succumb to despair again, mercilessly pulled down by the weight of her own insecurities. She silently compared herself to Tillian in her head and ended up with only one conclusion – next to him, she had nothing to offer.

But the princess did not allow all that negativity to divert her heart from a more important fact – the Duke, just like herself, was born with nothing to his name. While he struggled to achieve what he wanted and deserved, the princess spent her life wallowing in silence and solitude, unable to do anything at all.

Sure, they were still not equal from birth; Tillian was not disabled and had many people standing beside him, helping him through every step he had to take while achieving his goals, whereas Aideen was entirely alone.

’I can’t help but be bothered by it, but so what? Although twenty-two years late, I am now here, surrounded by kind people who treat me with respect and love. It will take me longer now, but I will get there too. And besides, I dare to think that I still have an advantage – my magic, my hidden powers. I am a Valentine now; I will prove that I, just like Tillian, belong on the throne.’

Upon emerging from her thoughts, the woman found herself in the middle of the same conversation, and it was still Avir’s low and raspy voice that echoed through the dining hall.

"His Grace has been working truly hard all these years, but now that he is getting married, he will finally be able to take it easy and get some help. After all, it is the job of the lady of the castle to handle the state of her husband’s manor, including its finances and such."

The mercenary fixed his dark eyes on the lost princess, whose expression now bore a blend of confusion and slight distress.

The room suddenly drowned in awkward silence; only the rhythmic crackling of the large fireplace filled the space with its peculiar percussion.

Gunnar nudged his friend on the shoulder and nodded in the princess’s direction, making a very quick sign with his hand that helped Avir finally realize his mistake.

Shooting Aideen a somewhat guilty glance, the mercenary cleared his throat with an embarrassed cough and tried to rectify the situation.

"Oh, I suppose being blind cannot be much of a help in such matters. I’m sorry, Your Highness." He offered his comrades a wide grin, resuming in a rather condescending tone, "But well, the noble princess is still the lady of the castle, and it’s not like queens also have much to do around their palaces––"

"Watch your words, Avir."

The man’s insensitive remark clearly angered the Duke, his menacing voice thundered through the dining hall like the growl of a mad beast. Tillian was ready to stand up and reprimand the baffled mercenary when Aideen’s soft and warm hand suddenly covered his in a light and soothing gesture.

Shaking her head at him as if to let him know that it was fine, the princess rose to her feet and fixed her glowing eyes on the space before her, her beautiful face darkening, her eyebrows furrowing.

Now it was her turn to speak.