Saved By The Mad Duke
Aideen Ruan, though a royal princess, was always unwanted due to the circumstances of her birth. Born blind to a hostage concubine, she possessed an intriguing beauty; however, her disability rendered her utterly useless to the royal family. Even when the struggling Count Crueder reluctantly agreed to take Aideen as his wife to secure the royal dowry, her life failed to improve. A year into their marriage, Aideen's inability to produce an heir sealed her fate. The princess was destined for exile to the Temple, consigned to spend the remainder of her days in isolation and abandonment. Contrary to her anticipations, instead of the Temple, Aideen found herself within the cold walls of Duke Tillian Valentine's castle. Duke Valentine, the last scion of the once-revered Valentine family that ruled the Kingdom before the "Fratricide Rebellion", now presided over the desolate Northern lands. Faced with fear and confusion, Aideen expected her life to perpetuate its cycle of misery, only to discover that Duke Valentine might hold the key to a new opportunity, a chance at a life she had never envisioned. "You bewitched my body and soul. Put an intoxicating spell on me, shackled my heart to yours with your magic. If I could exchange my eyesight with you, I would do it just to make you see what a man dying from love looks like."
Drastic Change
"The dragon's heart," Ahspid replied without hesitation. "I need the dragon's heart, Your Highness. This is why I agreed to teach you magic in the first place. I hoped that if you would be able to unseal the full potential of your powers, you would bring me to Utar's body and get me his heart. That is all I want."
Aideen's eyes remained firmly fixed on the mage's expressionless face. She recalled the words said by Tillian, she was already aware of Ahspid's true intentions but now that she finally heard it from him, strangely enough, the princess felt no change.
"Why do you need Utar's heart? What are you going to do with it?"
"You have already guessed it, My Lady. I want to get Lina back. Nothing else." The man shifted his silver eyes to hers, patiently waiting for Aideen's reaction. But there was none.