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."
The King's severed head rolled on the icy ground, smearing dark blood as it turned into nothing but a piece of discarded trash.
Tillian released a loud exhale, his body releasing all the tension it stored as he fought his enemies. Standing tall and free, he tilted his head backward, closed his eyes, and felt the cold sporadic snowflakes touch his burning skin, the pleasant sensation of their contact soothing his very soul.
The battlefield fell silent as if in respect to the one who finally put an end to this war. Euris was gone, his tyranny reduced to nothing. The dragons circled above, their presence a symbol of the newfound peace.
There was no need to fight anymore. As if released from the heavy shackles of manipulation and control, every single knight of the king's army fell onto their knees, surrendering their lives to the new ruler.