yoojee

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

Melania slowly blinked her eyes open, roused by the distant clamor, and realized she had dozed off in Loraline's room while waiting for her return. However, her lady-in-waiting was nowhere to be seen.

There was little time to ponder Loraline's absence as the uproar from the palace hallway seized her attention. Footsteps, overlapping voices, and the murmur of arguments filled the air, punctuated by the gasps of the palace maids.

Rising from the bed, Melania prepared to investigate the source of commotion when the door swung open of its own accord. Before her stood the palace guards, their expressions grim and resolute.

"What's happening?" Melania inquired, bewildered.

Before she could make sense of the situation, the guards seized her wrists, pulling her toward the exit. Prince Yanad, equally perplexed, hurried in to confront them.

The Trial, Part I