Chapter 147: There Is No Place For Fools In My Fiefdom
Once Khala left together with her crew, the situation near the northern border stabilized once again. Though the matter of the magic beasts roaming closer to the castle and villages was still unresolved, with the traveling bandits moving all the way to the expansive lands of Anathaen, the only Empire on the Continent, the Raven Knights could finally take a breather.
Later on, Duke Valentine received a letter from King Yuraon, its contents informing the Valentine family that the young man had successfully returned to Davoor and resumed his royal duties.
Much to Aideen’s disappointment, the young man did not say much about the time he spent in the Capital. While her time there was not pleasant at all, the princess still missed some of its aspects and hoped that Yuraon’s visit there would satisfy her curious and nostalgic mind.
"I have spent my whole life there, so it is only natural that I wish to learn what had changed while I was here... Yan finally got married. I wonder what Princess Melania is like... I hope that he will be able to protect her from the Queen. Whatever his feelings might be, I can only pray that the princess won’t be hurt there."
Although brief with his words, Yuraon still managed to intrigue the Valentines by mentioning that he had made a rather interesting friend from the Capital’s nobility. He cautiously omitted mentioning their name, but Aideen was somehow certain that it was a woman.
"Regardless of their gender, I am glad he made a connection," Tillian thought as he was reading the letter. "Now that his curse is lifted, it is time the royals of Davoor started building international relationships, and even a single intimate acquaintance could go a long way for him."
Life in the castle turned somewhat quiet once again, which immensely pleased both the Duke and his servants. Too many things had happened in a rather short span of time, and everybody felt that it was time to take a break from such an eventful style of life.
Ahspid, however, did not share such a longing for a peaceful life but had no choice but to agree that his craving for adventures had to be toned down a little as well.
He still continued practicing magic with his talented student; however, he was not allowed to take Aideen outside the castle’s territory unless Tillian himself could accompany them. While the mage was not particularly happy about such an arrangement, having the Duke with them during their lessons was still better than having no lessons at all.
Aideen, on the other hand, did not mind that at all. On the contrary, the princess liked having her husband around when she was practicing magic because he never failed to remind her how exceptionally talented and determined she was and that he was proud of her.
His never-ending compliments and encouraging and reassuring words only made the lady work even harder, and in the end, Ahspid had to admit that Tillian’s company had only a positive effect, at least when it came to his student’s progress.
The serenity and monotony of the castle’s atmosphere eventually came to an end as this morning greeted Aideen with a surprise delivered by her husband.