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."
Her Turn To Speak
"Your over-exaggeration makes me look like some sort of a hero, Stanis."
Tillian looked at Aideen with a hint of embarrassment in his eyes, but the princess remained immersed in the overwhelming blend of astonishment and awe. She had heard many tales of brave princes slaying strong magical creatures to save the princess they fancied, but they were nothing but mere fairytales; figments of someone's imagination.
Here, right next to her, was not a fictional character from a made-up story; Tillian Valentine was real. He was a real hero. He was a real prince.
"But of course, you are a hero, Your Grace!" another mercenary's voice seeped through the thick veil of the lady's contemplations, pulling her back to the noisy reality of the dining hall. The man, whose name was Gunnar, nearly jumped from his seat, banging his palms on the table, his eyes blazing with excitement and pride.