Chapter 30

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Translator: Harry Potta
Chapter: 30
Chapter Title: Engaged to the Blind Duke
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"Temporary is already mine."

Zero's eyes sparkled with interest at Gerald's possessive words. His reaction was far more entertaining than expected.

Meanwhile, Olive's eyes widened in surprise.

"Oh ho."

"Olive, kick this guy out. You stay."

"Yes."

Olive snapped back to attention and poked Zero in the side, making him recoil in horror.

"Wait, our deal isn't done yet."

"It's late. His Grace the Duke needs his rest. And so do you, Mr. Zero."

"I'll go, I'll go, so stop poking me."

Knowing Zero couldn't stand being tickled, Olive kept targeting his side.

"Please go get some sleep."

"I said stop! Olive-yu!"

"I'm Olive Lion."

Olive replied with a bright smile, completely unfazed by Zero's name attack.

"I'm going, I'm going."

Zero kicked the door open with a scowl and stormed out. His grumbling footsteps faded down the hallway.

"Olive."

"Yes, Your Grace."

"Look into the author of that fairy tale book, The Raven Who Repays Kindness."

"Understood."

"You're dismissed."

"Yes. Rest well."

The moment Olive quietly closed the door behind him, pain surged in Gerald's eyes again.

"Damn it."

As the pain in his eyes began, his other senses went haywire as if they'd been waiting for it.

The senses he'd suppressed in anticipation of Zero's noisiness rebelled even more fiercely.

"Kay."

"......"

Kay appeared before him and bowed.

Gerald hesitated for a moment before issuing the order.

"......Procure some Mandelsong and make something like Temporary did. And I command eternal silence on this matter."

"......"

Kay paused, then bowed his head and vanished.

He had no idea how effective it would be, but no one could know about it.

If that weed, which didn't even look like poison grass, truly relieved the pain, then he'd genuinely owe her for helping him through the teasing today.

Suddenly, the story of The Raven Who Repays Kindness came to mind.

Was the raven her... or him?

* * *

"Snowflower Princess and the seven elves prepared for another adventure and lived happily ever after."

She'd adapted Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs into an adventure tale of Snowflower Princess and the seven elves. This one had a lot of incidents, making it two hours long.

Her throat was parched from reading nonstop.

***

Marin took a small sip of the water she'd prepared in advance and narrowed her eyes at the duke.

'Is there no book that doesn't end with "lived happily ever after"?' She expected some prickly comment like that.

But it was quiet.

And the duke had been acting very strangely these past few days.

He'd obediently let her place Mandelsong on his eyes, and he rarely interrupted during the fairy tale readings.

Suspicious. So suspicious.

A duke who didn't pick fights felt alien.

No way her lie had been found out, right?

With an anxious expression, Marin picked up the damp cloth and approached the duke.

"Here's the damp cloth."

She no longer worried about him waking midway. She knew he'd wake the moment the fairy tale ended anyway.

She approached near the duke and meekly held out the damp cloth with both hands. But today, oddly, he didn't take it.

He always wiped his own face with it himself.

"Do what Temporary does."

The duke's firmly closed red lips slowly parted.

"Pardon?"

Marin blinked in wide-eyed surprise.

"Wipe it for me."

She'd said...

......When? Marin swallowed the rest of her words as her light green eyes trembled in bewilderment.

"Wasn't it what you said at first?"

"Oh...... Yes, I'll do it."

It was what she'd said when she first handed him the damp cloth, but she'd forgotten. Of course, she'd expected him to refuse as a matter of course.

He'd been so docile these past few days. Was this his way of hitting her from behind?

Marin's trembling fingers peeled away the cloth.

Green leaves clung to the black cloth covering the duke's handsome forehead and eyes.

"I-I'll do it."

Olive had said the duke disliked others touching him so much he rarely saw even physicians.

What if she touched him wrong and got executed?

Marin bit her lower lip hard and steeled her quivering, aspen-like fingers.

"Do it."

"I'm really doing it."

Muttering timidly to herself like a pledge, Marin slowly reached toward his face.

Just a bit more. Come on, hand. Just a bit more.

Contrary to her inner cheering, her hand advanced excruciatingly slowly.

"Temporary."

Her sluggish movements must have frustrated him.

The duke grabbed her wrist holding the damp cloth and pressed it to his forehead.

It touched. No, if you're going to do that, do it yourself.

Grumbling inwardly, Marin delicately wiped his forehead.

As expected of the male lead. His smooth forehead was truly beautiful.

Marin stepped a bit closer to the duke.

She wiped meticulously, careful not to touch his body as much as possible. His skin was whiter than any young lady's, from lack of sunlight for so long.

Not getting enough sun means vitamin D deficiency. And his meals are meager, they say. Her employer needed to stay healthy to pay her on time. Only then could she earn enough to build a happy future with her mom.

Her thoughts chained one after another.

"Are you planning to peel my skin off entirely?"

"Ah, sorry!"

Marin jerked away from him like she'd been burned.

As she tidied the cloth and water, the duke spoke from behind her.

***

"Temporary."

"Yes."

"Who's the author of The Raven Who Repays Kindness? Olive searched everywhere but couldn't find them."

"Oh, I wrote that."

Marin answered nonchalantly as she finished tidying.

"I see."

His voice rose slightly in surprise, but she didn't notice.

Having finished, Marin grabbed the trolley handle and gave a bright farewell.

"Then I'll take my leave."

"Temporary."

Just as she turned to go, he called her in a low voice.

"Yes."

"......Tell me your wish."

"Suddenly?"

Marin stared at him with baffled eyes.

What? This random development?

The duke, lounging lazily in his chair, gave a slight nod.

"It's a reward."

"You're suddenly giving me a reward?"

As Marin blinked in wide-eyed question, he began counting.

"10. 9. 8. 7......"

"Ah, no. Wait, Your Grace. Give me a moment to think......"

"6. 5. 4......"

"It's so sudden that I......"

Marin twisted her clasped hands anxiously, racking her brain.

Think fast. This is a chance! Can't miss it.

"3. 2......"

Isn't he counting too fast?

"A walk!"

"1."

Marin and the duke shouted simultaneously.

Marin poked her lips in a daze after blurting it out.

What did I just say?

Die, you lips. Why'd "walk" come out of there?

"A walk?"

"Well, I thought it might be good for Your Grace to take a walk. Going straight outside after so long might not be wise, and it's night now anyway...... So how about starting little by little?"

Marin swallowed tears inwardly and stammered on.

It was the extension of her thoughts, from his pale skin to her own future, spilling out.

"Why?"

"Um, exercise?"

"You're worried about my muscles?"

One corner of his mouth quirked up crookedly.