Chapter 174: A Permanent Solution
After the night when Aideen finally seemed to have shown some progress in her emotional recovery, Tillian couldn’t help but notice that she had turned into a completely different person.
While she still refused to leave their bedroom and continued to spend most of her time in bed, the princess began to show her husband how vulnerable she was, constantly clinging to him. It seemed as if she longed for his company, his touch, as if she didn’t want to let go of him when she felt like she was succumbing to depression again, as if Tillian were the only person that existed in the entire world and the woman was afraid to be left completely alone.
The duke did not really mind it; after all, how could he hate being so close to Aideen? Even the mere thought of her craving his presence was exhilarating, and yet, he still couldn’t help worrying that the princess’s desire for closeness was nothing more than a way to remove the heavy sense of sadness that was compressing her chest like a thorny vine.
The moments of ecstasy they shared together were the easiest way to cope with her overwhelming emotions, but Tillian knew that sooner or later, even that would finally stop being effective.
He had to find a permanent solution.
***
Standing before the tall mirror that leaned against the wall opposite the bed, Duke Valentine adjusted his thick coat and fixed the belts securing his weapons.
He hadn’t joined the patrolling crew for quite a long time while he was busy taking care of his wife and the castle’s affairs, but now it was time for him to venture outside as well.
Ever since half of the forest was destroyed during that massive fire, the magic beasts and monsters continued to roam around The North, getting dangerously close to the villages again. While the Raven Knights were successful in fending off the inhabited territories from their attacks, they needed to start eliminating them, which for them meant ’declaring war’ on the creatures and killing as many of them as possible.