Chapter 59: Too Excited To Sleep
"Spell? Have you been practicing magic here, Your Highness?"
Tillian carefully brushed the sparkling heap of snow from Aideen’s head and covered it with the warm hood of his cloak. The princess turned her pale face towards the Duke and asked, her expression betraying genuine excitement,
"It’s the spell that creates an illusion of snowfall, Your Grace! Can you see it? Can you see the snow?"
’Illusion? This doesn’t look like an illusion to me.’
Duke Valentine took another brief look around the room, then fixed his glowing red eyes back on the woman before him and nodded,
"Yes, Your Highness, I can see the snow. There is quite a lot of it here, to be honest. I think it’s time you took a little break."
He considered moving her closer to the fireplace, only to realize that the fire had been extinguished by the snow as well. Aideen, already turning blue and shaking uncontrollably, widened her eyes and shook her head, rejecting the Duke’s suggestion,
"No, there is still too much to learn and practice, Your Grace. I must do it as quickly as possible!"
Tillian couldn’t help but sigh.
"Your Highness, you are clearly exhausted; your whole body is trembling from the cold, your lips are a dangerous shade of blue, and the chattering of your teeth can be heard from the hallway. Take your time; there is no need to push yourself so hard. I don’t want you to fall ill, especially not so soon."
Duke Valentine turned around and ordered,