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."
If Count Crueder's abusive behavior were only physical and stemmed from his own insecurities; something that might eventually heal or vanish without a trace, Valon's torments were intricate, personal, and never failed to take root. They reached deeply into her soul, trampling all over it and leaving behind only endless suffering and nightmares.
But she did not want to say it all.
"His Highness... Prince Valon and Prince Yanad are the only members of the Royal Family whose appearance I actually know. However, while the Crown Prince is someone whose face I don't really mind having engraved in my memory, his younger brother... Valon is the man whose silhouette haunts me no matter where I go."
"His silhouette?"
Tillian arched his eyebrows as the princess wrapped her arms around her shoulders, burying her face in them. Her voice took on a trembling tone as she tried to explain,