Chapter 52

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Translator: Harry Potta
Chapter: 52
Chapter Title: Engaged to the Blind Duke
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Roanna, who had been listening to their conversation from the side, looked at Marin with surprised eyes. It felt like she had caught a glimpse of a different side to her daughter, who always acted like a mischievous rascal.

“Then, everyone, I’ll be off since I have things to do.”

Marin waved goodbye to the three of them and quickly slipped out of the room.

She had pretended to have important business, but in truth, she was just running away.

Without thinking, she wandered until she found herself in front of the duke’s study before she knew it.

Ah, why did she end up here?

As Marin turned to leave, the duke’s indifferent voice came from beyond the study door.

“Come in.”

Marin swallowed a sigh and walked into the study as slowly as possible.

The duke tilted his head, listening to her footsteps, then asked abruptly.

“Why?”

“What do you mean?”

“You sound like you don’t want to come in but are forcing yourself to walk.”

Demon. It didn’t even surprise her anymore.

Must be the male lead buff.

“No, I’m not.”

Marin wet her lips and declared confidently. If it wasn’t her, then it wasn’t.

“You are.”

“Can’t you just let it slide as not?”

At the duke’s firm tone, Marin quickly backed down.

“What brings you here?”

“His Grace the Duke told me to come in.”

“Name.”

“Gerald did.”

“Not the study. Why’d you come all the way to the door?”

“Just... I ended up here while running away...”

“Running? From whom?”

The duke’s expression grew slightly colder.

“The party preparation team.”

Marin hurried to clear up the duke’s misunderstanding.

“Why run to me, then?”

A faint smile played on his lips.

“Hmm, probably because you’re the strongest person around me. I figured they wouldn’t look for me near you, Your Grace—Gerald.”

“Must be nice having a strong fiancé.”

He lifted the corner of his mouth and drawled slowly.

Marin’s earlobes turned bright red in an instant.

He meant his position as duke, his wealth, his abilities, right?

“Since you’re here, how about returning to your temporary duties?”

“Yes!”

Marin scurried quickly to the desk.

“Now you want to come closer.”

“People feel safest in their proper place. The fiancée spot isn’t mine, so it’s too uncomfortable.”

Marin picked up a document from the desk and unwittingly revealed her true feelings.

“But if Olive isn’t here, who delivers these documents?”

***

“The butler’s handling Olive’s duties.”

“I see. The butler must be really busy.”

“He’s even teaching someone.”

“Right. Teaching me—huh? You knew?”

“Do you think there’s anything in the duke’s castle I don’t know about?”

He leaned back loosely in his chair and held out his hand.

Marin naturally placed her wrist on his palm.

He gripped her wrist, then clicked his tongue in dissatisfaction.

“How exactly do you manage to stay this scrawny?”

“I told you, it can’t be helped.”

“You can grow, Temporary. Try harder.”

“Even if I try, what can’t grow won’t.”

“Someone’s coming.”

“Huh? Who...”

Bang!

Marin’s eyes widened at the sound of someone kicking the door open, and she hurriedly checked the duke’s face.

He’d said it was fine to speak normally now, but was this level of noise okay?

The one who had kicked the door was none other than Zeromian.

He looked like he had just come out of the bedroom, wearing a flowing silver silk robe. The pajama shirt beneath had its buttons undone down to his chest, making him look sexy.

Marin observed him with an intrigued gaze at this sight, rare in this world.

As expected, a handsome man looked good in anything.

“What’s this? Engagement? Party?”

Zeromian spat out his words fiercely, then stopped dead upon seeing the duke holding Marin’s wrist.

“Why are you holding her hand?”

“Because we’re engaged.”

As Marin blushed and tried to pull her hand away, the duke deliberately gripped it tighter and wouldn’t let go. With no choice, Marin greeted Zeromian with her wrist still held.

“Hello, Lord Zeromian.”

At her greeting, Zeromian took off his glasses in a flustered expression, wiped them, and put them back on.

“Lord Zeromian?”

The duke, having overheard her greeting from the side, furrowed his brow in displeasure.

“Yes. Hello, miss.”

“Miss?”

The duke’s brow wrinkled deeper as he incredulously repeated the form of address.

“Let me introduce my fi—an—cée. Lady Marin Schwenz.”

He placed heavy emphasis on the word fiancée.

Marin glanced down at the duke curiously, then felt Zeromian’s piercing gaze.

“I’ll greet you again. I’m Marin Schwenz.”

“So you were nobility after all.”

Zeromian nodded with an “I knew it” expression.

“I’m sorry for deceiving you.”

“It’s fine. I was deceiving you too.”

Was he about to say he was Zero?

Marin masked her apprehension and feigned ignorance.

“I’m not sure what you mean.”

“The truth is, I’m Zero. I can switch bodies with alchemy. Alchemist Zero,兼 northern young duke Zeromian Rodell Saint.”

Marin’s eyes widened in surprise that he had revealed his identity.

“Surprised, right? Sorry.”

“Ah, no...”

Marin shook her head with a dazed expression.

Fortunately, since she was genuinely shocked, it didn’t seem like he noticed she already knew.

***

In the novel, Zeromian confesses to the heroine about oscillating between adult and child. However, his true identity doesn’t come out until the end of the story.

So why had he revealed even that he was the northern young duke to her?

“What are you scheming?”

As Zero gave an unusually long self-introduction—something he’d never do normally—the duke cut in with a chilling voice.

“Scheming what?”

Zeromian blinked innocently.

“You wouldn’t state facts so straightforwardly without an ulterior motive.”

Zeromian spread his arms and shrugged with an aggrieved look.

“It was a pure self-introduction.”

“Pure? That’s not a word you slap onto something like that.”

“Tsk tsk. To know so little about the word ‘pure.’ That’s why I told you to read some books. Swinging a sword with muscles doesn’t make you a person.”

Marin watched the two men’s childish argument with a baffled face.

These two adult men were acting like kids, right?

“If you’re done talking, get out quickly.”

The duke jerked his chin toward the door with a cold expression.

“I haven’t even started. Engaged? To Miss Marin?”

“Your information’s late.”

“Miss. If this guy’s blackmailing you, shake the carrot. I’ll help you right away.”

Zeromian pulled a small carrot from the pocket of his silver silk robe and held it out.

“What nonsense is this?”

The duke’s low voice grew rough.

Marin’s mouth fell slightly open in shock, too stunned to speak.

How did this guy know about the carrot shaking?

Reading Marin’s surprised expression, Zeromian scratched the back of his head and pocketed the carrot.

“Sorry. I was researching with carrots until just now. If you can’t speak because the duke scares you, give some signal and I’ll hel—”

“Enough! I’m done indulging your useless chatter.”

The duke cut Zeromian off sharply.

“You’re really getting engaged to Miss Marin?”

Zeromian stared at the duke with a serious face.

“Yes.”

“You, who was calling Miss Marin ‘Temporary’ and speaking down to her just days ago, suddenly like her now? You expect me to believe that?”

The duke leaned back leisurely against the chair’s backrest and let out a scoff.

“You’re right.”

“I always speak the truth.”

Zeromian eyed the duke annoyingly as he stated the obvious.

“That bit about you being pure. It was true. To think a noble engagement requires mutual affection.”

Zeromian’s pale face flushed red, then quickly cooled to ice.

“Then what’s this engagement for?”

“Let’s say it’s out of mutual necessity. Now go.”

Feeling like he couldn’t get through to the duke, Zeromian turned to stare at Marin this time.

“I don’t know what you need, but getting engaged to just any man like this isn’t a good choice. You could meet someone be—”

“Young Duke. I appreciate your concern, but I know my own situation best. My house is ruined.”

Marin calmly cut him off midway.

Ruined—with that one word, it conveyed, “The chances of me meeting the better person you speak of are zero.”