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."
"Stanis..." With his eyes firmly fixed on the woman behind his desk, Tillian ordered his aide, "Take Safie with you and leave. Do not disturb us until we leave this room."
Both Sir Nygard and the maid glared at Khala one last time before bowing to their lord and leaving his study as ordered. Without saying a single word, the Duke walked up to his desk, stood right before it, and crossed his arms, his glaring eyes drilling right through his old acquaintance.
Khala, tired from the man's hostile glare, finally rose to her feet as well and noted,
"Why does every single person in this castle look so angry? Everyone is treating me like I'm some kind of criminal."
"Like a criminal?" Tillian arched his eyebrows, utterly stunned by Khala's remark. "Isn't that who you truly are, Khala? A criminal?"