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."
"Now, everything is ready, Your Highness."
Bella announced with a sense of accomplishment, her hands delicately adjusting the flowing veil that cascaded from AIdeen's beautiful silver tiara. With precision, she made final tweaks to the sleeves of the wedding dress before stepping back, her gaze filled with admiration.
"I wish you could see it, My Lady! It's so breathtakingly beautiful that I can hardly contain my emotions," Bella confessed, her sincerity evident in her voice.
The princess's lips curled into a smile at the maid's genuine display of emotion.
"I must agree. I've seen... well, I suppose I can say it now. I've seen this dress before, and it truly is astonishingly beautiful."
However, Bella couldn't help but politely disagree with such a modest remark.