Chapter 38

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Translator: Harry Potta
Chapter: 38
Chapter Title: Engaged to the Blind Duke
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The Duke sat silently at the head of the table, and Killon took a seat beside him, with the corner of the table between them.

“Kids, come say hello.”

“Pleased to meet you, Your Grace the Duke. I’m Dia Adria, the eldest.”

Dia curtsied calmly, gathering the hem of her dress.

“Hello. I’m Rubiana Adria, the third.”

Rubiana clumsily clutched her skirt and bowed her head with a trembling voice.

“Hmph.”

Garnet crossed her arms and snorted, ignoring the Duke entirely.

Killon’s eyebrow twitched at her insolent attitude. But since the Duke—who was receiving the greetings—remained still, he couldn’t intervene.

The Duke responded to the sisters’ greetings with a slight nod, saying nothing.

The sisters hesitated, unsure if they could sit back down.

“His Grace the Duke has received your greetings. Ladies, please have a seat. Ah, I’m Olive Lion, aide to His Grace the Duke. Pleased to meet you.”

Olive, who had been standing beside the Duke, smiled warmly and bowed formally.

Dia curtsied again on behalf of her sisters, gathering her dress hem.

“Pleased to meet you. I’m Dia Adria.”

“Yes. A pleasure.”

As he gestured invitingly to the chairs with a kind gaze, Dia gave her sisters a subtle nod.

Once they were seated, the servants brought out mushroom soup and withdrew.

“Haha. Since His Grace the Duke is joining us today, I told the head chef to put in extra effort. Even if you can’t enjoy it with your eyes, perhaps you can savor the taste.”

Killon subtly mocked the blind Duke, but the Duke brushed it off indifferently. It was blatant disregard.

Killon’s face twisted as he swallowed his anger.

And then silence fell.

No one dared to start eating since the Duke hadn’t begun.

Killon was famished, having skipped meals all day searching for his youngest nephew, Perido.

He shot the Duke a dissatisfied glance—unhidden, since the Duke couldn’t see—and broached the subject.

“Your Grace the Duke. Shall we begin the meal?”

“His Grace has no appetite today. Please go ahead and start without him.”

Olive, standing by his side, ignored Killon and addressed Dia directly.

Dia glanced cautiously at Killon.

He was glaring at Olive with a fearsome look.

But he couldn’t openly curse, so he bit his lip and barked coldly at his nieces.

“Eat.”

Starving Rubiana was the first to grab a piece of bread and dip it in her soup. Garnet slowly spooned up her soup as well.

Only Dia didn’t touch a thing.

“Sis, why aren’t you eating?”

Rubiana asked worriedly, chewing on her bread.

“Not that hungry.”

“You haven’t eaten all day. Come on, eat.”

Rubiana tore off a strip of bread and held it out. Dia couldn’t bring herself to refuse her little sister and accepted it.

“Thanks, Ruby.”

As the meal began and he regained his composure, Killon leaned back lazily in his chair. He picked up his wine glass with one hand and turned his gaze toward the Duke.

“Your Grace the Duke. If you’ve no appetite for food, how about some wine? It’s from the finest vineyards in the south. Absolutely exquisite. Haha.”

“Olive, have the children eaten enough?”

Ignoring Killon once more, the Duke spoke in a low voice.

***

The moment the Duke finally spoke, every gaze in the dining room turned to him.

“Yes. They seem to have eaten a fair amount.”

Olive, having carefully observed the sisters, reported calmly.

“Then dismiss them.”

“Prepare the rest of the meal in the ladies’ rooms.”

Olive pointed at a maid standing against the wall like a decoration and issued the order.

“Yes.”

The maid nodded briskly and hurried out of the dining room.

“Ladies, if you would kindly excuse us for a moment.”

The sisters exchanged bewildered looks.

Dia’s heart pounded.

She couldn’t put her finger on it, but the atmosphere in the dining room had shifted the instant the Duke opened his mouth.

Dia first signaled to Garnet and Rubiana, then rose from her seat.

Killon slammed his wine glass down on the table as things took an odd turn.

“What is the meaning of this? Why are you suddenly chasing out my nieces?”

Olive let out a sigh at his words and stepped in front of the startled ladies, blocking their view.

At that moment, Gerald picked up a knife from the table and casually flicked his wrist.

*Whish.*

The knife whistled past Killon’s cheek and embedded itself in the wall, handle-deep.

It happened so fast that Killon didn’t even register it at first.

When his right cheek began to burn, he touched it with trembling hands.

“Wh-what is this…….”

His hand came away smeared with blood redder than wine.

Blood soon dripped steadily from the split skin.

“Kyaa!”

One of the maids screamed at the sight of the blood on Killon’s hand, belatedly clamping it over her mouth.

Meanwhile, the sisters—whose view Olive had blocked—had no idea what had happened.

“My mistake.”

The Duke said calmly.

Panic flickered in Killon’s blue eyes.

A mistake from the Duke, hailed as the empire’s greatest swordsman?

Was it truly a mistake? If not, where had that blade been aimed?

Killon swallowed hard, his eyes wide with fear.

“Ladies, shall we go now?”

Olive continued blocking the sisters’ view while herding them toward the door.

Dia halted in her tracks as she watched Rubiana and Garnet clasp hands and head out.

“Garnet, take care of Ruby.”

“Sis, come with us.”

Rubiana looked up at Dia with terrified eyes.

“Garnet.”

“Fine. But you tell us everything later.”

Garnet gripped Rubiana’s hand tightly and extracted a promise from Dia.

“Got it.”

After watching Garnet and Rubiana walk away, Dia closed the dining room door herself.

“It’s not a sight fit for a young lady.”

Olive said, his eyes filled with concern.

Dia suppressed her racing heart and shook her head slightly.

She wanted to see what would happen next. She had the right to.

“I’ll be an adult in a few months. Let me stay.”

“Sigh. His Grace will have my hide.”

***

“I’ll take responsibility.”

Dia said firmly, as if vowing it.

At that moment, Killon’s voice rang out like a scream.

“Your Grace the Duke! What is the meaning of this? There are imperial laws. You can’t harm a fellow noble without cause!”

Killon clutched his cheek and stood, putting distance between himself and the Duke with a frightened expression.

“…….”

“No matter how great Your Grace may be, I am a noble too. Harm me, and His Imperial Majesty won’t stand idly by.”

“Olive.”

The Duke had listened silently, but now one corner of his mouth curled coldly.

“Yes.”

Olive approached Killon with a worried expression and offered him a white handkerchief.

“You’re bleeding quite a bit. For your safety, at least use this to staunch it.”

Killon’s head was already spinning from blood loss.

He snatched the white handkerchief from Olive and pressed it hard against his cheek.

His mind was too foggy to think straight.

He’d dared provoke the Duke because the man was a blind cripple.

He hadn’t expected him to so blatantly disregard imperial law.

“You’ve accepted the handkerchief.”

“Duel.”

The Duke said languidly, leaning back in his chair.

*Hiss.* Killon dropped the white handkerchief to the floor in shock.

Only then did he realize its meaning.

The moment one threw a white handkerchief at an opponent and declared a duel, His Imperial Majesty could no longer intervene in a noble’s quarrel.

“Th-this is cheating! Invalid! There are so many witnesses.”

Killon’s frantic gaze, darting like a cornered rat, landed on Dia.

“Dia, you saw it too, right? A duel like this is unheard of!”

“I saw you accept the white handkerchief. And I heard His Grace the Duke declare the duel. It’s perfectly legal.”