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."
"The doctor will arrive tomorrow right before breakfast, Your Highness. Make sure you are ready for his visit," the Queen said, taking a small sip from her porcelain teacup. "Do you feel different from how you were before? Any signs of discomfort, headaches, slight fever, maybe?"
Melania offered the Queen an awkward smile, her hand slightly trembling as she picked up her own cup. This morning, right after breakfast, the princess received a sudden invitation from her mother-in-law to have some morning tea with her in her quarters.
At first, the young woman thought that Fleaur wanted to discuss her recently spiked social activity since she started venturing out of the Royal Palace more frequently. However, as soon as she took a seat beside her, it became clear that the Queen only had one topic she wanted to discuss: whether or not Melania was pregnant.