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."
Lady Valentine Is Missing
In the quiet and somber solitude of Bella's room, Aideen clutched the little scarf to her chest, its soft fibers felt like countless thorns marking her skin with traces of tragedy. Tears streamed down her cheeks unchecked, mingling with the fabric as she hugged it tightly, seeking solace in its comforting embrace.
Each sob wracked her body, shaking her to the core as the weight of her grief threatened to consume her whole like an empty void. She cried until her head throbbed with pain, until her eyes stung with exhaustion, until it felt like the very air had been sucked from her lungs, leaving her no choice but to suffocate.
But still, she cried, unable to stem the tide of emotions that threatened to drown her in their depths. She was afraid that if she were to stop even for a moment, she would never be able to cry again.