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."
A Sparkling Gem
"Good morning! Welcome to Lady Florence's Boutique!"
As Tillian and Aideen walked into the dress shop, they were immediately greeted by a tall, slender woman in her late thirties.
She was dressed in a rather modest green dress with a tall neck, long sleeves, and pearl buttons lined down to the waistline.
Her straight blonde hair was gathered in a very neat bun on the crown of her head and wrapped with a thin, white ribbon. Her face, long and skinny, boasted a healthy complexion, but the big, round silver frames of her glasses seemed rather out of place as they covered nearly half of her face.
The woman trotted briskly towards the early visitors, offered them a generous bow, and introduced herself in a polite voice,
"My name is Beatrice; I am Lady Florence's first assistant, and today you are in my care."
Beatrice ushered the couple further into the store and continued,