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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."

Saved By The Mad Duke

'So, I was not mistaken that night when I touched his wrist and felt the ribbon... It was a gift from me?'

Aideen hid the silk ribbon within her fist, closing her eyes to draw comfort from the pleasant softness of Utarian silk. It helped her gain a better grip on her emotions, yet it was not enough to entirely grasp the complexity of her situation.

Uncertain about her emotions in that moment, Tillian's confession forced her to confront the strangeness and even wrongness of not knowing her Secret Hero was none other than Duke Valentine himself.

'All this time, I could have had a friend, someone to turn to, and maybe... Maybe everything would have been so much different. If only I weren't too shy or scared that day, I would have known everything and could never even dare to believe those horrible rumors about him.'

But that was not her only concern.

The princess could not help but ask herself – did Tillian possess this knowledge even back then?

Some Peace Of Mind