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."
Forgetting An Important Lesson
Unwilling to tolerate the peculiar scene any longer, Tillian strode up to Aideen and swiftly pulled her away from the young King, enveloping her in his protective embrace. With a menacing glare, he directed his attention to Yuraon, who responded with a guilty pout, resembling a guilty puppy.
"What is the meaning of this, Your Majesty? Do you possess no sense of decorum whatsoever? How could you emerge from your chambers in such an inappropriate state?!"
The Duke's voice resonated with a mixture of simmering anger and palpable hostility, fueled by both his exasperation with the unforeseen circumstances and, quite possibly, a fit of festering jealousy provoked by the sight of the princess in another man's embrace, especially when that man had no clothes on.
Yuraon, however, found himself simply perplexed and slightly frustrated, as provoking such strong feelings had never been his intention to begin with.