Chapter 43

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Translator: Harry Potta
Chapter: 43
Chapter Title: A Sudden Proposal
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Marin quietly took her place at the end of the line of servants standing at attention on either side.

The duke, whom she hadn't seen in a long time, looked a bit thinner, his jawline sharper.

Had he been through a lot of mental strain? Had he been getting proper sleep?

As the duke slowly walked between them, the servants bowed their heads in unison.

Marin assumed the same posture as the others.

Yet, his measured footsteps came to a precise halt right in front of her. It was as if he knew exactly where she was standing and had sought her out.

Marin stared at the duke's feet, motionless before her, then slowly lifted her head. His face, backlit by the sun, was cast in shadow, making it impossible to read what he wanted.

The servants nearby bowed even deeper.

Marin glanced around with a troubled expression before speaking up hesitantly.

“Welcome back? Your Grace the Duke.”

“I'm back... Be careful.”

Leaning down until he was close to her face, the duke whispered the last words softly.

Marin's eyes widened in surprise as she realized this was his response to the words she had said when seeing him off, and she broke into a wide smile.

“Yes!”

* * *

“Your Grace the Duke, preparations for departure are complete. I will tidy up here and travel with the count's household and the young ladies. We're also investigating the mastermind behind it all.”

“Tell the spies we've sent to each ducal house to dig deeper. The culprit is either the emperor or one of them anyway.”

“Yes. And here's the quarterly report from the eastern spy. ‘The child’ is growing well, oblivious to everything.”

“I see.”

“Yes.”

“Perido still can't speak?”

“The physician says it's a temporary symptom from the shock. It will take time.”

Olive reported in a regretful tone.

“I understand.”

Now it was time to leave.

“Um, there's a small issue, though.”

Olive cautiously gauged the duke's reaction.

“......”

Gerald waited for him to continue.

“The eldest young lady has agreed to move to the duke's castle for safety, but she has conditions. She requests a small annex where no one approaches—not even a tutor. After this incident, she trusts no one.”

“Do as the children wish.”

“We can wait for her wounds to heal before assigning a tutor while she stays in the castle, but the biggest problem is that the eldest young lady is due for her debutante ball soon. We need a noblewoman to serve as her chaperone. Technically, any adult noblewoman can do it, but she refuses any interaction with nobles outside the duke's house.”

“No one at all?”

“Yes. If only we had a duchess right now...”

Olive trailed off in a self-deprecating tone.

“......”

Gerald fell silent, lost in thought.

* * *

A dark study room shrouded by curtains.

The conversation with Olive before departing for the duke's castle lingered in Gerald's mind.

***

Assigning a tutor could wait until the children's wounds healed.

But Dia's chaperone was another matter.

As their guardian, he intended to care for his nieces and nephews perfectly. That made Dia's debutante ball a crucial event.

A noblewoman who skipped her debutante would be ostracized in noble society. He couldn't allow his eldest niece to be scorned like that.

He needed someone to present as Dia's chaperone, but she wanted no dealings with other houses' nobles.

He couldn't just marry some woman on the spot either.

He didn't even need marriage. A mere engagement—one that could be broken off anytime—would suffice.

As Gerald pondered, his fingers toyed with the eyepatch on the desk. It hadn't been long since he'd removed it, yet it felt like ancient history.

At that moment, a familiar presence outside made Gerald's lips part.

“Come in.”

“Hello, Your Grace the Duke. You must be tired from just arriving—maybe you should rest early tonight, so I came a bit sooner.”

Pushing a trolley, Marin chattered away like a bird with unasked words. Even so, she remembered to lower her voice out of consideration for him.

The familiar scent of books and mandelsong grass wafted from her.

The corners of Gerald's lips twitched upward faintly, though he didn't quite register it.

“I'll put the compress on your eyes. Did you use the one I gave you well?”

“Yes.”

As she drew close to place the cloth over his eyes, Marin hesitated. She had finally noticed he wasn't covering them.

“You're not covering your eyes anymore? Can I still put this on?”

“Yes.”

The cloth, packed with mandelsong grass, cooled his eyelids refreshingly.

“Today, I'll read you the story of the crown prince and the beggar.”

Clearing her throat, she began reading the fairy tale in a low, clear voice.

Her warm voice tickled his ears. Sleep crept in, but reluctant to miss her voice after so long, he clung to his fading consciousness.

“The crown prince in beggar disguise returned to the palace and told the knight, ‘I am the crown prince.’ The knight laughed at him. The crown prince left the palace and told an old man on the road, ‘I am the crown prince.’ The old man called him a liar and threw stones at him.”

A life where true and false swapped places, the false becoming true.

He despised lies, but sometimes they were necessary.

Listening to the tale, he realized a noblewoman willing to play the fake fiancée was right there.

A deep smile formed on the duke's lips as he listened.

* * *

The next morning.

A tea table was set in the center of the dark study. Flickering candlelight illuminated it brightly.

Sensing Marin fidgeting restlessly, Gerald slowly spoke.

“How's life in the duke's castle?”

“Thanks to Your Grace the Duke's great consideration, I'm living very comfortably. I am always grateful.”

It was a typical social pleasantry, yet why did it sound so amusing coming from her?

“Do you like living here?”

Gerald asked again, thinking of the words he would soon say.

Would she still like it after hearing his plan?

“Yes. I love it.”

“Then let's get engaged.”

Gerald cut straight to the point in a calm tone.

“D-di-did I hear that right?”

“Are your ears not working?”

“No, it's not that...”

“Let's get engaged.”

“Right, that... gulp.”

As expected, her startled reaction made Gerald swallow a laugh inwardly.

“Your Grace the Duke, I think my ears really are bad. I should see the castle physician, so if you'll excuse me...”

***

“Sit.”

“Yes.”

“Shall we return to the main topic?”

“Yes.”

“Very short answers. Do you understand what I'm saying?”

Gerald slowly stroked his lips with long fingers, hiding a smile.

“Yeees.”

Perhaps because of his previous remark, her response this time was very drawn out.

“Short is better. And as natural as possible.”

“Yes.”

Wondering how to convince her best, Gerald posed a question first.

“What do you want?”

“What do you mean...”

“Lady Marin Schwenz.”

She froze for a moment, her breath catching. The fidgeting of her busy fingers halted too.

She still needs to breathe.

Worried as she stiffened, he pretended not to notice and continued.

“When you hid your nobility and entered the duke's castle to work, surely you wanted something?”