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."
Once King Yuraon had properly thanked Yanad for helping Princess Melania reach the North, Aideen asked Safie to assist the young man in cleaning himself up. Then, she left the room with the others to allow him some rest alongside his beloved.
Aideen, Ahspid, and Yanad moved to the duke's study, where more urgent matters still had to be discussed.
"Magic combined with alchemy..." Ahspid crossed his arms over his chest once he heard Yanad's explanation, his silver eyes fixed absently on the opposite wall. "Any specifics, Your Highness?" He looked back at Yanad, who was shifting awkwardly on the opposite couch.
"Unfortunately, all I have managed to gather are bits and pieces. However, there was one peculiar term that was repeated several times in the encrypted letters Valon exchanged with Anathaen's mages: Lunar Eclipse Ritual."