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."
Steady Heartbeat
Aideen pressed the back of her hand against Tillian's burning forehead once more, chills running down her spine as the heat of her husband's skin seared her own. The fever showed no signs of abating, and he remained unconscious, lying completely still as if ready to succumb to the dark embrace of death.
When the Raven Knights set out to search for the Duke, they found him to the west of the forest, on the path leading to another, larger village within his fiefdom. It was evident that he was engaged in a fierce battle with a massive wolf beast that threatened to attack the villages, but he had managed to halt its advance.
Beneath the wolf's body, the knights discovered Tillian, his large black sword protruding from the beast's broad back. Though the monster had been defeated, it had inflicted several deep wounds on the Duke's chest and stomach. The long, wide gashes left by its claws were stained with his opponent's crimson blood.