Chapter 4

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Translator: Harry Potta
Chapter: 4
Chapter Title: Engaged to the Blind Duke
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It felt as cozy as lying under the warm spring sun. As refreshing as being in the heart of nature, with the sound of a babbling brook and birds chirping.

It was a strange, brand-new experience she'd never felt before in her life.

It was different from singing.

The contents of the book she read flowed straight into her ears, sticking perfectly. It wasn't boring at all. Her hazy presence imprinted itself instantly through her voice alone.

She really did seem like someone His Grace the Duke absolutely needed.

"Miss Marin, shall we go together?"

"Yes."

Marin nodded and hurried after Olive. Whether because of his long legs or his impatience, he walked at an incredibly brisk pace.

The corridor stretched on forever. Since the castle was five stories tall, losing sight of him might mean getting lost.

As she chased after Olive, the surroundings gradually grew darker.

The sun couldn't have set already.

Marin slowed her pace and looked around. All the corridor windows were covered with black curtains.

It felt like being sucked into a pitch-black cave, so Marin stopped in her tracks without realizing it.

When no footsteps sounded from behind, Olive turned around.

Marin swallowed hard and slowly scanned the dimming surroundings with anxious eyes.

Looking straight ahead again, she saw Olive smiling wryly.

"His Grace is sensitive to light."

"Yes......"

"If you end up attending to His Grace at his side from now on, I'll tell you all the things you need to watch out for."

"Yes! Understood."

Marin answered extra briskly on purpose.

It wasn't certain yet whether she'd be able to serve the duke directly. But it was important to make a good impression on Olive, who might become her direct superior.

"Shall we go again, then?"

"Yes."

Even as she hurried after him, Marin unwittingly clutched the book she'd read earlier like a talisman.

* * *

Olive straightened his breathing in front of the office door and glanced back.

Marin was there, panting heavily from rushing to keep up. At the same time, he noticed the book she was holding dear.

"You should probably leave that here for now."

"Huh? Oh, yes."

She set the book down beside the office door with a startled look.

Olive stood quietly in front of the office door, and a voice came from inside.

"Come in."

Olive signaled to Marin behind him to wait a moment.

Then he lit a candle on the wall sconce, picked up the candlestick, and opened the office door.

The office, with its windows sealed tight by black curtains, was as dark as the bottom of a well despite it being early afternoon.

"Your Grace."

"What is it?"

Duke Gerald's low, deep voice was thick with boredom.

"I've hired someone, but it seemed like a matter that required your permission, so I came to see you."

"Since when do I have to concern myself with every little servant?"

Chided in his indifferent tone, Olive bowed his head a little deeper.

***

"You won't need to concern yourself from now on either. It's just... this person is a bit special. I think she needs to be at your side, Your Grace."

"At my side?"

Gerald's voice sank low in disbelief.

"Yes. She seems like someone Your Grace absolutely needs."

Olive spoke resolutely, with conviction.

"A doctor? I've met all the doctors in the empire, I think."

A faint hint of interest colored Gerald's voice.

Olive squeezed his eyes shut. They'd summoned every skilled doctor they could find for over a year. But none had been able to cure His Grace's eyes.

Feeling like he'd given him false hope for nothing, Olive bowed deeply.

"Not a doctor. My apologies."

"......"

In Gerald's silence, Olive added desperately.

"Not a doctor, but someone who can help Your Grace. Please, just meet her once. Just once."

Even though His Grace couldn't see him, he'd sense the urgency.

"......Bring her."

After a long pause, heavy permission fell from Gerald's lips.

"Yes. Thank you."

Olive quickly stepped back out.

"Miss Marin. Come in."

"Y-Yes, yes."

Tense as she was, she answered twice without thinking.

Marin followed Olive inside.

The office was stuffy with the smell of stale dust, as if it hadn't been aired out in ages. On top of that, not a single ray of light slipped through the black curtains over every window.

Only the flickering, dim light from the candlestick on the floor illuminated the room. The deep interior, untouched by the light, remained pitch black.

The duke was there.

In the cave-like blackness, an enormous shadow sat utterly still, exuding an overwhelming presence.

Ah, so this is the protagonist's dignity.

Marin swallowed hard without realizing it. She wanted to run.

"Miss Marin."

"Y-Yes?"

Her frightened voice rose an octave.

"Here."

Olive, now holding a stack of documents, handed her a few sheets.

"Like in the reception room."

"Yes......"

Marin took the papers with trembling hands.

White was paper, black was letters.

The letters floated hazily over the paper. She chased the drifting letters with her eyes. Cold sweat trickled down her back.

I can do it. No, I can't. No, I have to.

"Miss Marin?"

Olive called her with a puzzled expression.

Marin squeezed her eyes shut without thinking.

Yeah. How could I fool the duke? I should just say I can't do it now.

But just as she was about to open her mouth, the image of Roanna lying pale in bed flashed in her mind.

No. I have to!

Marin snapped her eyes open. Her trembling body relaxed, and the letters on the paper came into focus.

She took a deep breath and slowly began reading the documents.

"This is an urgent report on the silver mine discovered in Nylon Territory.

After a year of deploying miners for exploration and analysis, the ore appears not to be silver, but a low-grade mineral with an opaque white hue.

Additionally, tunnel monsters frequently appear in the mine, making miners reluctant to enter.

***

According to mine experts, it would be better to abandon it rather than risk further danger.

We report this urgently, so we request your orders at once."

Marin read the urgent report with sparkling eyes, deeply interested.

This silver mine discovered in Nylon Territory features prominently in the novel's midsection.

It eventually becomes an abandoned mine, where the heroine goes to gather herbs, finds a mineral there, has it crafted into a necklace, and it becomes a trend in high society.

This mine, slated for abandonment, was actually not a silver mine, but an opal mine.

Opal was a gem never before discovered in the empire. Its value skyrocketed beyond measure.

"What a shame......"

Why didn't I think of this sooner? If I snuck in there and mined a few chunks, I'd make a fortune.

"What?"

"Eek, yes?"

Marin looked up in shock at the towering duke standing before her.

In her absorption with the report, she'd forgotten his presence, but he'd approached her without a sound.

She had to crane her neck all the way back just to see his face. And it wasn't just his height—he was massive.

His smooth jawline, tilted at an angle, caught her eye. Lifting her gaze further, she saw the duke's overall face, his eyes covered by a black silk strap.

Even with his eyes covered, he had a sculpted high nose bridge and below it, full red lips in a graceful shape.

He was indeed the male lead. Handsome enough to shine even in the dark.

"I asked what was a shame."

He must have overheard her murmur.

Marin's vision went dark.

I have to answer quickly.

Her heart pounded.

This is the world inside a book, so I know the future. If I say it's a shame to abandon the mine because of that?

I might get dragged off somewhere and burned as a witch. Or chased out as a madwoman.

Think fast.

"Th-That is......"

Marin racked her brains while trembling. She felt like a tiny rabbit standing before a massive tiger, barely a mouthful.

"Olive."

"Yes."

Olive, standing beside her, answered in a tense voice.

"Was I known for my long patience?"

A subtle irritation laced the duke's languid voice.

"No, Your Grace."

Olive looked at Marin with pity in his eyes.

"So he says."

"......"

Marin racked her brains furiously, to the point steam might rise from her head.

"She doesn't seem to understand words well."

At the duke's icy tone, Marin opened her mouth in a trembling voice.

"Mo-Monsters."