Chapter 3

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Translator: Harry Potta
Chapter: 3
Chapter Title: Engaged to the Blind Duke
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Marin sat on the sofa in the servants' reception room, anxiously jiggling her legs.

She had come this far. Could she really pull it off?

As she tried to calm her trembling heart—

Click.

The door opened, and in walked a handsome man with slightly down-turned eyes that gave off a gentle air.

Softly curled chestnut-brown hair, warm tawny eyes brimming with kindness, and a naturally soft smile playing on his lips.

Olive Lion.

The name of the duke's aide—one of the novel's supporting characters—flashed through Marin's mind.

"Miss Marin?"

"Yes. I'm Marin."

Marin shot to her feet and bowed her head in greeting.

"I'm Olive Lion."

It really was him.

"Please, have a seat."

He gestured to the chair with a gentle voice.

"Yes."

Marin swallowed hard as she answered.

Never had she felt the reality of living inside the novel as strongly as she did today.

Coming face-to-face with a character from the story for the first time made her heart pound and cold sweat trickle down her back.

As she sat back down, Marin's spine stiffened with tension.

"Your handwriting is remarkably neat."

Olive held up the fabricated resume and expressed his admiration.

"Thank you."

"Where did you learn to read and write?"

"I've worked in a noble household since I was young. The young lady and young master I served were around my age, so they taught me a lot."

Marin lied with as much sincerity as she could muster.

"I see. It's rare for a woman to be literate. Quite an unusual background."

"Yes..."

Marin replied in a timid voice.

A commoner woman who could read?

She knew exactly how strange that would seem, and she shrank back instinctively.

Even noble ladies rarely learned to read.

Instead of spending time on letters, they focused on cultivating refinement through playing instruments, appreciating artwork, and the like.

But Marin had begged her father to teach her, then cut ties with the few other ladies she knew. Wasting time gossiping with them seemed pointless compared to reading books at home.

Maybe it was because she'd been a print addict in her past life that she was so obsessed with reading in this one too.

After her family fell into ruin, finding work as a former noble lady wasn't easy.

So, reluctantly, she'd borrowed her late brother's name and disguised herself as a boy.

Something she never could have imagined before regaining her past-life memories.

She had been just another ordinary noble lady, after all.

Her employers, impressed by her quick handling of tasks, always wanted her to stay on. But to avoid her disguise being discovered, she had to switch jobs frequently.

"Honestly, if it weren't for the recommendation, you wouldn't even have this interview. You know that, right?"

Marin's thoughts snapped back at Olive's words.

***

"Yes..."

Her subdued voice grew faint.

This opportunity had come through the recommendation of a superior she'd met while working disguised as a boy.

"I heard a boy named Marion was coming to assist me, so I was a bit thrown when a woman showed up instead."

"Marion is my younger brother. He left for the capital to work, but I didn't want to miss this chance at House Vines."

Marin wove her words as politely as possible.

She had briefly considered disguising herself again, but for helping the duke, her true appearance would be more convenient.

"I see. But we already have enough female servants in the duke's household. And hiring maids isn't my decision anyway—it's the head maid's domain."

"I'm not applying to be a servant... I'm here to assist you, sir."

"Ah, that would be difficult. So, with that understoo—"

"You'll need me!"

Marin cut off Olive as he moved to end the interview.

"Me?"

A flicker of doubt rose in his tawny eyes.

"No. His Grace the Duke."

Olive's down-turned eyes, which gave him such an honest look, sharpened in an instant.

"What do you mean by that?"

"Everyone in the western territories knows about the unfortunate accident that befell His Grace the Duke."

Marin swallowed dryly and pressed on with bolder words.

"Miss Marin? Do you realize what you're saying?"

Olive's smiling face hardened like stone.

Marin pretended not to notice his piercing gaze, stood up, and glanced around the room.

"Miss Marin?"

Olive called her name in a voice strained with forced calm.

But Marin steadfastly scanned her surroundings.

A book. She needed a book.

This was the servants' reception room, though, so none were in sight.

"Miss Marin!"

Olive's voice, drained of patience, cut sharp.

At that moment, she spotted a book standing discreetly by the windowsill.

She snatched it up and began reading aloud with full devotion.

"'Where do monsters come from?'"

"What are you doing right now?"

Olive demanded again in a voice like ice.

But Marin ignored him and focused on the book.

"'Why do they come? Many scholars have raised this question, but none have found an answer.

Perhaps that's why? Some have latched onto a theory that can't even be proven.

That monsters' ecology gradually adapts to their surroundings.

Most scholars disagree.

The historian Blusher Count called this theory utter nonsense... Shall I continue?'"

Olive, who had unknowingly closed his eyes to listen, snapped them open. His face showed surprise at his own lapse.

"His Grace cannot read documents... well, finds it uncomfortable. I can read them for him like this. My voice will be easier on the ears than yours, sir."

That was right.

In her past life, she had been a book narrator.

Even after recovering those memories, she hadn't planned to use that skill. Not unless she was starving enough that she could barely afford to eat.

"Wait. Please, sit down."

Olive masked his confusion and gestured to the sofa again.

"Yes."

She clutched the book like a lifeline.

"For now, regrettably, I don't have the authority to hire you myself."

***

"Ah..."

Marin bit her lip, unable to continue.

Rent, mother's medicine, food—and with winter coming, firewood too.

She imagined gold coins with wings flying off into the sky.

Marin bowed her head in defeat.

"But you really do read beautifully. I was honestly surprised. It's a truly special talent."

Olive, his eyes softened once more, looked at her with genuine warmth.

"...Thank you."

Marin mumbled a response without lifting her head. Praise meant nothing to her right now.

"If it were just for a regular assistant, I could handle it myself. But reading documents to His Grace? That's another matter. So, how about I recommend you to him?"

"Yes? Really?"

Her head jerked up from staring at the floor.

"Yes. Let's give it a try. I've been worrying about that exact issue."

Olive gave a wry smile.

Ever since His Grace lost his sight, reading documents had fallen to him.

The duke was meticulous and never skimped on reviewing even a single page.

But with that many documents, whether they got read depended on the duke's mood that day—leading to delays or skips.

As a result, important matters for House Vines were piling up unresolved.

Olive examined the woman before him, who gripped the book tightly with both hands in tension.

Her plain but worn dress, slender wrists peeking from the cuffs, petite and terribly thin frame, platinum hair pulled up simply—dull and lusterless despite the faint sheen from the sunlight pouring through the window—large pale-green eyes like spring shoots against porcelain skin, and soft pink lips.

She had a cute face overall, but her coloring was so muted she seemed somehow faded.

However, her voice while reading the book was the complete opposite.