Chapter 69: A Bittersweet Lullaby
At that moment, it seemed that only the two of them existed in the world. Everything around them fell both silent and still, and even the flow of time became irrelevant.
Lying on top of the Duke, Aideen’s face was dangerously close to his but it remained unmovable as if the princess, too, froze on the spot.
As Tillian carefully observed the lady’s face, he could not help but marvel at her breathtaking beauty. Smooth, pale skin with a light tint of blush caused by the tingling touch of cold air; full, reddish lips, slightly parted as if desperate to say something important; perfectly shaped nose, a pair of big green eyes with a strong yellow glow shining down on him like two magical gems; and a frame of long wavy locks that were falling on his shoulders, reflecting the bright silver moonlight with a peculiar shade of both purple and red.
He was scared to move or even blink––the mere thought of losing sight of the woman before him even for a second seemed unbearable to him.
He felt lost in that powerful beauty. He felt bewitched.
His arms twitched, aching to pull Aideen into an embrace, yet Duke Valentine resisted, not wanting to disrupt the fragile magic of the moment.
Amidst the stillness, Aideen felt a rush of shyness. The intimate situation born from a minor mishap stirred conflicting emotions within her towards the Duke. She became acutely aware of his breathing that was now so tenderly brushing over the skin of her face, the pleasant musky scent that surrounded him and latched onto her clothes and hair, and even his distant heartbeat, carefully secured behind the layers of clothing. Strangely, she found great comfort in his arms as if they shared a unique and unspoken connection, known to nobody else but them.
Pulled to one another by invisible powers, the couple remained frozen, their minds completely blank, caught in a moment that seemed to transcend the boundaries of their roles. However, the magical spell was broken when the dogs, the same guilty party that caused such magic to happen, approached their owner and started barking, fearing that he and the princess were in distress.
Tillian, suddenly breaking free from the enchantment, finally blinked, carefully placed his hands on the princess’s waist, and silently helped Aideen to her feet, and once they both were standing tall once again, he looked the lady up and down, a strong concern etched on his face, and finally asked, surprisingly coldly,