Saved By The Mad Duke
Chapter 83: King Yuraon Of Davoor

Chapter 83: King Yuraon Of Davoor

Prompted by that voice, both Ahspid and Aideen turned around at the same time, surprised by the unexpected appearance of a stranger on the Duke’s territory.

The owner of the voice was a man of a rather large build and dressed in all black, except for his flowing black cape that was embroidered with an intricate ornament of dark blue, painting a myriad of flowers and trees all over its thick fabric.

The mysterious dark stranger jumped off his giant black horse adorned with blue reins of intense blue color, and stood before the pair, his identity concealed under the big black hood covering his entire head.

Slowly turning his head from side to side as if examining the place surrounding him, the man then turned to Aideen, and said, his voice –– an interesting blend of melodic yet somewhat rough undertones,

"This is a very interesting use of mana. I’m quite impressed! But I don’t think this place needs even more snow than it has already."

Although his words were clearly innocent, the princess’s face suddenly turned red which attracted the attention of Ahspid. Redirecting his eyes back to the stranger, he finally asked, his voice chillingly cold,

"Who are you and what business do you have here?"

At last, without a moment’s hesitation, the man removed his hood, exposing his mysterious identity.

While Aideen could still only see the outline of his features, Ahspid got a truly good look at the person before them. In addition to the tall and muscular body, the man’s face was undeniably handsome, though carried a subtle hint of something intimidating and even scary within his features.

He was definitely young, his slightly tanned skin was smooth and glowing as if soaked in the morning dew. He had a sharply outlined jaw and high cheekbones while his full lips looked like two petals of a blooming flower.

His narrow eyes were bright blue like a clear, icy river; his long straight hair seemed black but the longer the mage looked at it, the more he realized that it was actually dark blue akin to the blood of a cursed magic beast.

But what impressed Ahspid the most was the man’s body – or rather his exposed torso – which was covered in ancient tribal tattoos and runic writings that the magus recognized right away.

The young man patiently waited for the lost looks on their faces to finally dissipate but when it did not happen, he stretched his peach-colored lips into an unexpectedly warm smile which instantly erased the menacing expression from his otherwise handsome face, and offered Ahspid his reply,

"The name is Yuraon. I am the King of Davoor, perhaps you’ve heard of that one. My business here is... a friendly visit. His Grace Duke Tillian invited me to his wedding."

Enjoying both Aideen’s and Ahspid’s still confused expressions, Yuraon approached the princess, a playful smile playing on his lips, then took her right hand in his, and planted a light kiss on her cold skin, the smile turning into a wider grin as he noticed the lady blush even more than before.

Aideen, on the other hand, turned her eyes away, aware of the hotness that was burning on her cheeks and ears while the mage furrowed his thin eyebrows and snapped his fingers –– an action that made the young King’s cape twirl in the air before finally wrapping his body around, covering his inappropriately exposed torso.

Shooting another dissatisfied glare in the newcomer’s direction, Ahspid grumbled,

"Great! Just what we needed, another person in this already cramped old castle!"

"Your Majesty?"

The three of them turned to the familiar male voice that effectively erased the promising awkwardness created by Ahspid’s remark. It was Tillian.

Moving his black horse closer to the little gathering at the castle’s front gate, he shot the King a rather sharp glare, continuing,

"So my guess was correct, it was indeed you."

Turning his face back to Aideen, the young man smiled and asked rather calmly, his gleaming blue eyes firmly fixed on the woman’s flustered face.

"You’ve noticed my arrival?"

Yuraon arched his thick dark blue eyebrows, feigning a genuine surprise, to which the Duke replied with a new hint of dissatisfaction,

"The day has proven to be quiet, Stanis and I were on our way back home when we noticed hoofprints leading in this direction so we had to make haste. There is only one person I know would be daring enough to travel from West alone on the horse."

As if stricken by a lightning bolt, the princess finally withdrew her hand from Yuraon’s grasp and took a step backwards, away from him, which made the King visibly upset. He released a disappointed sigh, faked a polite smile, turned his whole body around, and started walking towards Duke Valentine, mumbling under his breath,

"Perfect timing as always."

As he stood before Tillian, Yuraon embraced him in a warm and friendly hug.

"Well, it is nice to see you too, Your Grace. After all those trading meetings, it feels refreshing to meet outside the stuffy palace halls."

Surprisingly cold, the Duke only nodded at the King, then shifted his red gaze to Aideen, and asked, his voice filled with worry,

"My Lady? What are you doing outside?"

"We... Ahspid and I were practicing magic, Your Grace."

Tillian could not help but notice how red the princess’s face was and that was the type of blushing he had definitely witnessed before. He looked at Yuraon, arching his eyebrows as he realized that his usually naked torso was covered, then sighed as well, resuming,

"I assume you have been out for quite some time seeing how your face is all red. Has His Majesty introduced himself to you?"

Not allowing the lady even a second to form a reply, Yuraon quickly chimed in and answered in a pleased voice,

"I have indeed! What a great delight it is to finally meet your stunning fiancee, Your Grace! You are a lucky man to have someone so beautiful by your side!"

A deep frown etched between Tillian’s eyebrows as he glared back at the King.

"Ahspid, please escort Her Highness back to the castle. It is too dangerous to stay outside for so long in this cold."

Usually rebellious, now, the mage complied with the Duke’s words right away. He offered him a brief nod, then placed his elegant hand on the princess’s shoulder, and whispered,

"Let’s go, My Lady, we will continue this lesson some other time."

As the two of them disappeared behind the castle’s doors, Tillian offered Yuraon a rather stern look as he addressed him once more,

"Why are you alone?"

The King only smiled and shrugged his shoulders,

"You know I don’t like travelling in coaches so I just took my horse and left. My people will arrive tomorrow."

"You should have warned me prior to your arrival, Your Majesty," the Duke sighed again and brushed his blond hair away from his face, "I can get you a room but I can’t promise it will be warm."

Yuraon grinned again, then removed his thick black cloak, exposing his strong muscular torso once again, and retorted confidently,

"The royal blood keeps me warm, Your Grace, that is the perk of being born as Davoor. I think I can manage."

Annoyed both by the young man’s arrogance and the accuracy of his words, Tillian shook his head in a condescending manner, then friendly nudged Yuraon on the back, inviting him inside,

"Let’s go in. And put that thing back on, I have zero tolerance for half-naked men in my castle."