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."
There Is No Place For Fools In My Fiefdom
Once Khala left together with her crew, the situation near the northern border stabilized once again. Though the matter of the magic beasts roaming closer to the castle and villages was still unresolved, with the traveling bandits moving all the way to the expansive lands of Anathaen, the only Empire on the Continent, the Raven Knights could finally take a breather.
Later on, Duke Valentine received a letter from King Yuraon, its contents informing the Valentine family that the young man had successfully returned to Davoor and resumed his royal duties.
Much to Aideen's disappointment, the young man did not say much about the time he spent in the Capital. While her time there was not pleasant at all, the princess still missed some of its aspects and hoped that Yuraon's visit there would satisfy her curious and nostalgic mind.