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."
Nothing Else Matters
Tillian hesitated in front of the bedroom doors, reluctant to enter for fear of disturbing Aideen's rest with unnecessary noise.
He was utterly exhausted. So much so that he could not even muster the energy to finish his usual tasks, leaving Stanis to take care of them in his stead.
Never had he imagined that seeing Aideen hurt, even if not severely, would take such an immense toll on him. His own well-being deteriorated almost instantly, and he found it remarkable how deeply his wife's condition, or rather, her lack of well-being, affected him.
Both emotionally and physically, he felt the weight of her pain as if it were his own.