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."
Too Soon
"Right... Right now?"
Aideen could not tell why she was caught off-guard by the Duke's seemingly harmless request. It was true that she kept practicing the intricate art of writing, even while she was taking a bath, trying to wash off the results of her previous practice session, which gave Safie quite a hard time. However, although she was sure that she did everything right, there was still no one to confirm that her writing of her own name was correct.
But what did she have to be afraid of anyway? Tillian, much like Ahspid, was there to help her, and he would never dare to make fun of her even if she made a mistake. After all, she had only just started her learning journey.
With the newfound confidence prompted by such thoughts, the lady slid the sheet of paper closer to her and placed her right hand on its smooth surface.