Chapter 27

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Translator: Harry Potta
Chapter: 27
Chapter Title: Engaged to the Blind Duke
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Tears welled up in the corners of her eyes and trickled down her cheeks.

"The Duke isn't human or something? He thinks I can just get up like... Ack, how embarrassing! So embarrassing!"

Marin wiped away her tears with sniffles.

She had lived her entire life as a noble lady until she realized she had been reincarnated. It was an unavoidable instinct for her to feel humiliated in this situation.

Amid her sniffling, her eyes caught sight of the basket full of mandelsong.

Marin weakly lifted a finger to point at the mandelsong.

"Th-that... it looks like a wilted flower or something..."

Her finger, drained of strength, dropped onto the bed with a thud.

What good would blaming that flower do? It was all her own foolish fault.

Instead of wolfing it down, she should have experimented by eating it little by little.

Knock knock.

At that moment, a knock sounded, followed by Yuria's voice.

"Lady Marin. It's Yuria."

"Come in."

At the sound of the door opening, Marin weakly propped herself up halfway.

Yuria entered, pulling a trolley.

"Lady Marin, I heard you were feeling unwell?"

"How did you know that, Yuria?"

Marin stared at Yuria with wide eyes.

Yuria pointed to the medicine bottle on the trolley.

"The Aide told me to look after you, Lady Marin. Are you in a lot of pain?"

"Olive? Even Lord Olive knows about this?"

Marin's head suddenly spun, and she weakly buried her face in the bed.

Ah, is this what dying of shame feels like?

"Lady Marin, are you okay?!"

Yuria hurried to the bedside in alarm.

"Ah, my body's fine. It's just... somewhere else that's..."

Her face flushed with embarrassment, and her head felt feverishly hot.

"Lady Marin, your face is red. You seem to have a fever. The medicine I brought is for stomachaches, he said."

Yuria held up the medicine bottle from the trolley. Olive had known exactly where she was hurting.

Her tears, which had stopped, burst forth again.

"Ah... I've already taken that medi... Sob."

"Lady Marin, don't cry. You must be in really bad pain."

Startled, Yuria looked at her with worried eyes.

"No. It doesn't hurt. This is just my heart that's hurting... Sob."

Marin shook her head while wiping her tears. Her body didn't hurt at all anymore. She just wanted to die of embarrassment.

"Oh, this is mandelsong! Perfect. Lady Marin, can I use a little of this?"

"Yeah. Take it all if you want!"

She didn't even want to look at the mandelsong right now.

"Just a little is fine. One moment."

Yuria grabbed a handful of mandelsong and quickly slipped out of the room.

Marin sniffled while glaring at the medicine bottle on the trolley.

That rotten Duke. Spreading rumors of my stomachache all over the castle.

He's the male lead, but how can his mouth be so feather-light?

***

"Betrayal..."

Who was it that gave me this stomachache? I was just trying to repay a favor.

Marin grumbled about the absent Duke while trying to overcome her shame somehow.

Knock knock. Soon, another knock came.

"Lady Marin."

"Come in."

Propping herself up halfway again, Marin looked at the tray Yuria was holding.

Yuria, who had brought a plate holding a mushy green paste of unrecognizable shape covered with a white cloth, noticed her puzzled gaze and smiled brightly.

"It's something I learned as a kid. When your head feels hot, you mash up mandelsong into a paste and apply it, and the fever goes down."

"Really?"

It seemed the folk remedy for mandelsong that she had mentioned to Zero as an excuse actually existed.

"Lie down."

"Okay."

As she closed her eyes and lay back on the bed, a cool cloth soon touched her forehead and eyes. Along with the pungent scent of mandelsong, she felt her feverish head gradually cooling.

"It seems effective."

"Right? I used to do it for my little sibling a lot when we were kids."

Yuria spoke in an excited voice, pleased to be of help.

"You have a sibling?"

"Yes. Twins, and they work in the castle like me."

"I see. Thank you for taking care of me, Yuria."

"Hehe. It's nothing. I'm happy to help you, Lady Marin."

Yuria smiled shyly.

"Yeah. This is a really big help... That's it!"

Marin bolted upright in bed, and the cloth and paste slid down her face.

"Lady Marin!"

Yuria's eyes widened in surprise as she stared at Marin's face.

"Yuria! This was a really big help! Thank you! Really, thank you!"

Marin grabbed Yuria's hand and grinned widely.

She absolutely couldn't feed mandelsong to the Duke. Even if it only caused a stomachache, mandelsong was a weed listed in books on poisonous plants.

No matter how much she experimented, it was too risky for her, who knew nothing about herbs.

But what if she applied it instead of feeding it?

She didn't know how effective it would be, but even a tiny effect would be fine.

"Don't expect too much."

Restoring his sight completely would be the job of the heroine, the saintess of the herb world.

Marin nodded to herself with a determined expression.

Yuria, who had been watching her closely, met Marin's eyes.

Marin's face, covered entirely in green paste that had dripped down, broke into a happy smile revealing white teeth.

Yuria looked at her with worried eyes and awkwardly smiled back.

Ah, is this why the Aide told me not to take my eyes off her for even a moment until tomorrow?

Marin's condition was strangely off from her usual self.

Yuria resolved to pull an all-nighter by Marin's side, as per the Aide's orders.

* * *

"Come in."

Marin looked down at the trolley she had prepared in advance.

On the trolley were a plate of mashed mandelsong paste, a thin transparent cloth, a picture book, and a candle.

After opening the door to the study, she carefully wheeled the trolley inside.

"...You're alive."

Eek. Her shoulders twitched slightly.

***

The shame from last night tried to rear its head again.

But Marin decided to go full shameless mode.

Her light green eyes sparkled as she feigned ignorance and asked back.

"Why? Did something happen?"

If she had only lived as a noble lady, she never would have come back here. But she wasn't some delicate lady who would die of shame.

"Nothing did."

She could see his head nod slightly.

He seemed pleased with her answer.

Emboldened, Marin wheeled the trolley closer to the Duke.

"Before reading the picture book today, Your Grace, I have one request."

"A request?"

"Yes."

"Why should I grant it?"

Tch. Nothing ever comes easy with him.

Marin forced a smile onto her lips. They say you can't spit on a smiling face.

Of course, he couldn't see it.

"Because it might help Your Grace."

"My request helps me?"

"Yes."

"And if it doesn't?"

Argh, seriously.

Her face soured, but she pulled her facial muscles back into a gentle smile.

"It will."

"And if it doesn't?"

So persistent, this man.

Marin dropped the nice act and pouted her lips.

"If it doesn't, I'll do whatever Your Grace wants."

"Good."

Wow. Even when I'm trying to help, why is he so picky?

Marin wheeled the trolley even closer to him and said,

"Then, excuse me for a moment. I need to get close to Your Grace and touch your body..."

"What?"

The Duke cut her off mid-sentence.

Marin halted the trolley abruptly and asked back with a flustered face.

"Pardon?"

"What did you just say?"

The Duke's voice deepened.

As the Duke's consistently indifferent demeanor shifted, Marin rolled her eyes tensely.

"Did I say something wrong?"

"Repeat exactly what you said earlier."

Marin hesitantly repeated her words.

"Then, excuse me for a moment. I need to get close to Your Grace and touch your body..."

"Are you announcing in advance that you're about to pounce on me? This is a new approach."

The Duke tugged at one corner of his mouth and toyed with his collar with long fingers.

"Noooo?!"

Realizing the implication of the Duke's words, her face turned beet red.

What the hell is this Duke saying right now?