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."
The Tyranny Of Grief
Aideen carefully opened the door and walked into the empty room. The maids' quarters were silent, as it was already two in the morning and everyone was long asleep.
The emptiness of the room, which Bella and Safie used to share, held a heavy presence, and the princess couldn't help but feel somewhat unwelcome as she continued to take cautious steps toward the center of the room.
After Bella's death, Safie requested to be moved somewhere else because she couldn't bear staying in that room alone. Tillian didn't hesitate with his permission, and now Safie was sharing a room with Angela, the kitchen maid. Neither Duke Valentine nor his wife had the heart to start looking for someone else to replace the beloved head maid of the castle.