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."
Aideen hesitated once more, grappling with the challenge of articulating her thoughts in a proper manner. What she was contemplating seemed utterly inappropriate, yet she clung to the belief that in order to reciprocate the kindness she wished to bestow upon Duke Valentine, she found herself compelled to resort to a little white lie of her own.
A soft, nearly inaudible sigh slipped from her lips as the princess took a significant step toward the man. Speaking in a hushed and hesitant tone, she said,
"Your Grace... Truth be told, I wish not for you to be apart from me tonight. Pardon my directness, but... could you spend the night with me in the same bed?"
"I... I beg your pardon?"
Now it was Tillian who found himself grappling to formulate a response, his entire body unexpectedly growing hot, as though the room had suddenly burst into flames. Never in his wildest dreams had he anticipated such a request from someone like Princess Aideen.