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."
"Did you have fun, Your Highness? I expected you to give up after the dress boutique, but you sure did surprise me when you asked me to make a day out of it. I think there is not even a single shop or restaurant left that we have not visited today."
Tillian reclined in the leather-covered seat of the coach and fixed his curious red eyes on Aideen's face. The princess pressed her throbbing forehead against the cold glass of the carriage window and closed her eyes, allowing the stinging fatigue to subside, at least for a little while.
She was utterly exhausted. She could not recall the last time she was out for so long, if she ever had, and now she was yearning to get some much-needed rest.