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."
The Strongest Woman
Aideen and Yanad rode hard through the night, their horses' hooves pounding against the ground as they approached the outskirts of the capital of Geraldion. The first light of dawn cast a grim glow over the landscape, revealing the full extent of the devastation brought by war. As they crested the final hill, the capital lay before them, shrouded in smoke and fire. The sight that greeted them was nothing short of mortifying.
The battlefield stretched out in a chaotic expanse of destruction. The once-proud capital was now a nightmarish scene of ruin. Flames licked at the remnants of buildings, and thick black smoke curled into the sky, blotting out the sun. The stench of burning wood and scorched earth filled the air, mingling with the metallic tang of blood.