Chapter 46

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Translator: Harry Potta
Chapter: 46
Chapter Title: Engaged to the Blind Duke
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“You quietly watched over me like that and fell for me, didn’t you?”

“Oh my goodness!”

Roanna’s voice, which had been full of worry up until now, rose a little in excitement.

Fortunately, she seemed to think Marin was genuinely embarrassed.

“And on your trip to the south, you thought of me a lot. You said you missed me.”

From here on, Marin started to feel a prick of conscience.

Still covering her face, she clicked her tongue at her own lie.

As if the duke would fall for her when she wasn’t some peerless beauty. Besides, he was blind and didn’t even know what she looked like.

“Oh my, how romantic.”

“Y-Yeah.”

Marin was glad she could hide her awkward expression. The words “duke” and “romantic” didn’t match at all.

“Marin.”

Marin hesitated at Roanna’s gentle call before lowering her hands.

Roanna grabbed both of Marin’s hands tightly and gazed at her with warm eyes.

“Do you like His Grace the Duke?”

“I think he’s a… good person.”

Unable to lie while looking straight into Roanna’s eyes, she changed her words midway.

And that statement was true.

He was the male lead of this world, after all. Of course he was a good person.

She had realized that even more today.

To protect his niece, he had devised a fake engagement and even volunteered to play the villain for her nieces. He was a good person.

Roanna shook her head slightly with a regretful look.

“His Grace the Duke is of course a good person. I mean besides that. What about your feelings?”

Instead of answering Roanna’s question, Marin looked around the room.

The warm room, luxurious furniture, clean bedding. And her mother, who had grown healthy again.

“Mom, I like it here. What about you?”

“I can leave this place and live anywhere at any time.”

Roanna hoped her daughter would choose without considering herself a burden.

“Did you marry Dad because you loved him so much?”

“Of course. I fell for his kind nature. He was so gentle and good-hearted that he often got fooled by people, but I really liked him.”

Roanna smiled tenderly, reminiscing about the past.

Right after her father passed away, the debt notices came flooding in. They were from failed investments, but most were probably because he had been duped. He had been too good-hearted but careless.

“You were really lucky, Mom. How many noble couples marry for love?”

Marin smiled faintly and spoke calmly.

“Marin…”

Roanna trailed off with a pained expression.

“Mom, this is a huge opportunity for me.”

Marin knew her situation very well.

She hadn’t even had a debutante ball, so she had no chance to find a marriage partner, and her family was ruined without a penny to her name.

So she had given up on marriage early.

Her life goal was to live happily with Roanna forever, just the two of them.

It was a fake engagement that would end in a few months, but it would surely be a new experience. That was enough. As a bonus, she’d earn hundreds of gold.

Roanna couldn’t deny reality either and looked at her daughter with sad eyes.

“So you’ll give me your permission, right?”

***

Marin clung to Roanna’s shoulder like she was acting cute.

“Do as you wish, dear.”

Roanna gently stroked her cheek.

“Yes. I’ll do my best.”

Leaning on her mother’s shoulder with her eyes closed, Marin whispered to herself like a vow.

***

Butler Sebas and Page Head Maid stood in front of the duke’s office, exchanging puzzled glances.

Normally, he gave orders through Aide Olive, so it was extremely rare for him to summon both of them early in the morning.

“Come in.”

The butler lit a candle and opened the office door, with the head maid carefully following behind.

As they approached the duke’s desk, they saw Marin standing beside him, her face tense.

“Your Grace. Did you sleep well?”

Butler Sebas and Page Head Maid greeted him simultaneously, keeping their voices as low as possible.

“Speak in your normal voices from now on. My condition’s been good lately.”

Butler Sebas, who worried about the duke’s health more than anyone, let his voice tremble faintly with joy.

“We’re truly relieved, Your Grace.”

A look of relief passed over the head maid’s face as well.

“Yes, Your Grace.”

Marin, standing beside the duke, widened her eyes at the news she was hearing for the first time and stared at him.

He hadn’t said anything like that to her. Come to think of it, he had stopped covering his eyes since returning from the south.

If his condition had improved, did that mean she wouldn’t need to give him reports anymore?

Was she about to lose her job?

Marin’s light green eyes wavered.

“I’m going to get engaged to Marin.”

“Hahaha, I see. To Miss Marin… engaageement?”

Butler Sebas let out a hearty laugh and nodded, then froze in shock as the meaning sank in.

“…”

Page Head Maid, standing beside him, turned to stone.

Marin, lost in thoughts of unemployment, gaped in surprise. She hadn’t expected him to say her name so naturally.

It was the second shock after the fiancée title.

“Head Maid! You heard that too, right? His Grace’s eng, engagement! Pinch me here! Confirm what I just heard!”

Unable to contain his excitement, Butler Sebas thrust out his burly arm toward the head maid.

The head maid, snapped out of her shock by his words, looked at the butler with bewildered eyes.

“Marin has something to say.”

Both of their gazes turned to Marin at once.

Marin quickly hid her surprise, bowed slightly to them in greeting.

“I’m Marin of House Schwenz. Due to circumstances, I’ve deceived you all until now. I’m sorry.”

“No, no. Miss— I mean, Lady Marin. No need to apologize.”

Butler Sebas, who had already known she was a noble, hurriedly stopped her.

Meanwhile, Page Head Maid, who hadn’t known, quickly composed her shocked expression and bowed politely.

“Congratulations on your engagement, both of you.”

“Your Grace! The engagement… ngh, congratulations.”

Butler Sebas hurriedly looked up at the ceiling to swallow his tears. Having served the duke for so long, he was clearly overwhelmed.

“Butler…”

Seeing the butler genuinely overjoyed, Marin’s conscience stung so much it hurt.

Soon, Butler Sebas grinned widely, his eyes crinkling.

“Lady Marin, congratulations! And from now on, please speak comfortably with us!”

“Yeah. I will.”

***

Marin mustered the least awkward smile she could toward the two.

“We’ve agreed with Marin to skip the engagement ceremony. Instead, we’ll hold a celebration party in a month to announce it to the nobles, so prepare for that.”

Marin nodded quietly.

Some nobles announced engagements via letters between houses, so skipping the ceremony wouldn’t raise eyebrows.

On the other hand, Butler Sebas and Page Head Maid paled and exchanged glances.

They understood there’d be no ceremony given the duke’s personality.

But no noble house prepared a party in a month. Especially not one celebrating an engagement.

Such an important event would take at least a year to prepare.

But it was the duke’s order. Even if he said to prepare it by next week, they had to make it happen.

“Yes, understood. Then, invitations to what range?”

Butler Sebas asked cautiously.

Normally, this would be Aide Olive’s job, but since he was away, Butler Sebas had to handle everything.

“All the nobles of the west.”