Chapter 28

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Translator: Harry Potta
Chapter: 28
Chapter Title: Engaged to the Blind Duke
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“So, throwing yourself at me is supposed to help me?”

His voice rumbled low as he pressed the question relentlessly.

“No, it’s not. Of course not.”

Marin frantically shook her head in surprise. Cold sweat trickled down her back. She barely resisted the urge to grab the trolley and back away.

“You said it touches the body?”

“No, not me—it’s something else. Which is...”

In her panic, Marin stammered incoherently and quickly dropped her gaze to the grass on the plate.

Right, that.

She was about to continue when he cut her off sharply.

“You’ll smother me with something else? A knife? Spies always use knives, right?”

“Whaaat?”

At his menacing words, Marin’s light green eyes bulged wide.

She gripped the trolley handle tightly.

Otherwise, she might just want to smack those handsome, infuriating lips of his.

“Are you admitting it now?”

The corner of his mouth twisted up crookedly.

“No. No, I’m not. Absolutely not. No way. I’m sorry.”

She’d get misunderstood again at this rate.

Marin shook her head vigorously, denying it emphatically.

“What did you do wrong?”

He leaned back deeply in his chair and asked leisurely.

“Just... everything feels wrong on my part.”

Marin whispered dejectedly, her face falling. She’d only tried to help the Duke, and now she was about to be branded a spy again.

“Ahem.”

That cough sounded suspiciously like a laugh.

She snapped her head up, but the Duke sat there with his usual impassive expression.

“Your Grace, it doesn’t seem like the right time. Should I come back later?”

“You won’t help me?”

“You seem to be misunderstanding... It’s not a real knife or anything—it’s just grass.”

“Grass?”

“Yes, yes. It’s made by grinding up flowers into a paste, and it has a cooling effect.”

“I’m not feverish.”

The Duke replied indifferently.

“It’s good for headaches too, and everyone has a slight fever naturally anyway. You’ll see how great it is if you try it.”

As she spoke, Marin snapped back to reality.

If he could see, he’d probably be giving her a look that said, “What are you peddling here?”

“I’m not feverish.”

“It’s seriously the coolest thing ever. In other regions, people swear by it alone...”

So what if it’s like selling medicine? As long as it works.

“Temporary.”

He called her name low, like a warning.

“Please. Just once. Try it once, and if you don’t like it, I won’t do it again. Okay?”

Marin clasped her hands together and begged earnestly. She couldn’t get him to eat it, so she had to get it on those eyes somehow.

“Sigh. Fine, do it.”

***

“Yes. Thank you, thank you!”

Marin was so thrilled she bowed deeply in gratitude, then froze midway.

Tch, this is all for the Duke’s benefit.

Why was she the one thanking him like this?

Pouting, Marin slathered plenty of the paste onto the cloth on the plate. She’d brought a wide, thin cloth on purpose, enough to cover his forehead and eyes.

The Duke sat still in his chair, head tilted back.

Drawing close cautiously, she lowered her voice to a whisper.

“Then, if I may.”

The Duke nodded slightly without a word.

Marin held her breath and gently brushed aside the black hair covering his eyes and forehead with her fingertips.

A handsome forehead appeared, along with the jet-black silk band over his eyes.

Marin looked at it pityingly.

She wanted to remove that band and apply the cloth directly.

But saying that would earn her worse than a spy accusation, so she held back.

“I’m putting it on now.”

Marin laid the paste-soaked cloth over his forehead and eyes.

She patted it carefully to keep the paste from dripping.

“Why on the eyes too?”

“It cools them down, which feels great. It’s a folk remedy. When reducing fever, cooling the eyes helps too.”

“Doesn’t your folk remedy say not to use it on people without fever to begin with?”

“All done.”

Marin pretended not to hear him.

As she straightened up from her bow, the Duke suddenly grabbed her wrist. Her face was still very close to his.

Worried her breath might reach him, Marin swallowed and asked quietly.

“Why?”

“Inspection.”

“Oh, right.”

His red lips were right there in front of her.

He wasn’t even wearing makeup like noble ladies, yet they were such a vivid, pretty color.

For some reason, today he was scrutinizing her wrist size more than usual.

Still bent over, her back was starting to ache.

“Same as always.”

“I told you, I’m fully grown.”

“Bigger.”

“Yes.”

If he says bigger, bigger it is.

Eager to straighten up, she answered quickly.

Finally, he released her wrist.

Marin quickly stepped back and gulped in the breath she’d been holding.

Thought I was gonna suffocate.

She walked back to the trolley and picked up the picture book.

“Today’s story is about the crow that repaid a kindness.”

“Was there a story like that?”

“Yes.”

...There wasn’t.

She’d dredged up an old memory and written it herself. The paper tucked between the picture book pages was covered in her dense handwriting.

She felt like the magpie that repaid a kindness in the tale, so she’d merged with it.

Since there were no magpies in this world, she’d changed it to a crow.

Originally a short folktale, but with the protagonist’s trials and friendship with the crow, it stretched over an hour.

“...Though the crow had lied, the count finally realized all it had done for him. Having repaid the kindness in full, the crow soared high into the sky. And so the count lived happily ever after, forever grateful to the crow.”

***

Moved by her own story, Marin closed the book with a proud smile.

The count was the Duke, and the crow was her.

She’d poured her plea into it: even if my lies are exposed, please don’t kill me.

Of course, the Duke hadn’t noticed.

He was quiet now—probably asleep.

From reading stories to him several times, she’d realized he seemed to wake right as she finished.

That’s why she picked the longest tales.

She’d written today’s extra long on purpose, hoping he’d sleep a bit more.

She set the picture book on the trolley and picked up the prepared damp cloth.

Tiptoeing as quietly as possible, she approached the Duke.

He was even more still than usual today.

Still sleeping?

Marin whispered in her tiniest voice.

“I’ll remove the cloth.”

The moment she reached out carefully, the Duke’s hand snatched her wrist swiftly.

“What is this?”

His sunken voice sounded off.

“Huh?”

Marin’s pupils shook in shock.

“This grass. What is it?”

“Just a common weed from the roadside.”

Why the sudden interest?

Marin chose her words with utmost care.

“The flower you ate yesterday?”

“How did you know?”

“Same scent.”

Wow, what a nose.

Marin marveled inwardly but stayed tense. He mustn’t realize it was a poisonous plant.

“Yes, that’s right.”

“This is your fever-reducing folk remedy?”

The Duke asked again, as if confirming.

“Yes.”

“What’s the flower called?”

“The name... it’s Mandelsong.”

Marin hesitated, then blurted it out, eyes squeezed shut.

It was listed in the poison book, but she hadn’t made him eat it directly.

Yuria had mentioned it as a folk remedy too.

Trembling inside, Marin gauged his reaction.

It’ll be fine, right?

The Duke removed the cloth from his forehead and eyes himself.

Marin quickly offered the prepared damp cloth.

“Want to wipe it? I can do it for you...”

“No need.”

He snatched the cloth from her hand, wiped his forehead and eyes roughly, and tossed it on the desk.

Marin gathered the cloth and damp towel and retreated from him swiftly.

“Your Grace, I’ll take my leave then.”

Unlike usual, the Duke sat frowning seriously.

Feeling like she might catch stray sparks, Marin hurriedly pushed the trolley out.

“Kay.”

“......”

***

Kay appeared before the Duke and bowed deeply.

“Mandelsong. Investigate everything.”