Chapter 86

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Translator: Harry Potta
Chapter: 86
Chapter Title: Engaged to the Blind Duke
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“Marin.”

“Yes, Your Grace the Duke.”

Marin answered in a stiff voice.

Why His Grace the Duke again?

Her mood plummeted, roughening her voice.

“What are you doing here right now?”

“What do you mean? You were drinking with me.”

Surenne jumped in to help as Marin grew more tense than expected.

“I can tell just from the smell.”

“Eek. Surenneeee, does the booze smell that strong?”

Marin whined at Surenne in a pitiful voice.

“Yes, miss. It does.”

Surenne was brutally honest.

“Whew. It really does. Guess there’s no helping it.”

“Marin, time to head back.”

“Aw. Just! One more glass, pretty please.”

Marin spouted a classic drunkard line in a cutesy, nasal whine, as if she’d never frozen up.

“Fine, fine. Just one more. Oh, Miss Marin. You finished the bottle already?”

“What?! No way that’s real! Tell me it’s not true! Hurry!”

Marin wailed in a heartbreaking voice, as if the world had ended.

“Sorry. I’ll prepare more next time.”

Surenne’s voice drooped with regret that the fun had to end.

Gerald stood there, arms crossed, watching the comedy unfold with a dumbfounded look.

“Alrighty. Next time, let’s drink more.”

Marin nodded reluctantly and rose from her seat.

“How many bottles did Surenne drink?”

“Two.”

“What kind?”

“Hehe. Bottkan, specially shipped from our empire.”

Surenne boasted proudly, as if she’d been waiting for the question.

Gerald’s eyebrow twitched in displeasure. Bottkan was over 40 proof.

Marin’s usual light steps thudded heavily. Her footsteps sounded precarious.

She’s going to trip.

Gerald hurried to Marin’s side. The girl who was always fragrant now reeked of booze.

“Let’s go.”

“Yeees.”

“Your Grace, Miss Marin. Take care.”

“Mmm. Bye-bye, Surenneeee.”

Marin flapped both hands in farewell, then finally staggered.

Fortunately, she fell into his chest.

“Ow! This sturdy wall!”

“It’s my chest.”

“Ow! This sturdy chest!”

“Good grief. What a sight. Let’s go.”

***

Surenne patted Marin’s back and pushed her along, making Marin hop in place.

“Ow, that stings.”

The door slammed shut behind them.

Marin staggered, lifted her head, and peered at the duke.

For some reason, the duke kept moving fast, splitting into two, then three. Cloning technique?

“Geralddd. Stay still for a sec. You keep multiplying.”

“I’ve been standing still this whole time.”

“Kyahaha! Good one.”

Gerald let out a deep sigh and steadied Marin’s swaying shoulders, leading her along.

“Let’s go.”

Marin kept stumbling, so he grabbed her waist and half-carried her.

“Huh? Geralddd. My feet are moving too fast, I guess. Can’t even see how to walk. So weird.”

Marin chirped brightly while staring at her own feet dangling in the air.

“Huff. Too fast. Huff. This is tiring. Huff.”

And yet she complained about being tired while dangling from him.

“Let’s rest a bit. My feet are exhausted.”

The duke halted.

“Feet, walk slower. If you go that fast, I can’t see.”

Marin bowed her head and sweetly chatted with her feet.

“All done?”

“Geralddd!”

“What?”

“Could you open your eyes just once?”

“Why?”

“Just wanna see something pretty. We drank, the moon’s bright, and pretty eyes too. Hehe.”

Gerald slowly lifted his eyelids at her request.

Darkness spread before him like a black curtain. In that pitch-black space, there was a slightly lighter shade of black. He still saw nothing, but he could sense her standing there.

“Huh?”

“What?”

“Something’s weird.”

“What?”

“Your eye color changed.”

“No way...”

Gerald paused mid-reply at the new realization.

Why wasn’t everything blindingly white? Why black? Another symptom? Or...

“Nooo. They were sparkly silver before, but now they’re a bit darker?”

“...Must be the night.”

“Aha! Geralddd, so smart! Good boy!”

She stepped a handspan closer, stood on tiptoe, and patted his hair like she was praising a puppy.

Gerald froze at her cheeky gesture, then burst into laughter.

He was already looking forward to how she’d react once sober.

“Yeah. Keep laughing like that. You’re so pretty when you laugh.”

“Am I pretty?”

“Oh, you didn’t know? The male lead’s always handsome and pretty.”

“So I’m the male lead? Then who’s the female lead?”

“Duh, who else? Of co—”

She approached as if to scold him, then apparently misstepped and smacked her face into his chest again.

“No, how do you make roads like this? Why’s there another hard wall here.”

“It’s my chest.”

“Oh, it’s Chest Lord? Chest Lord’s really hard. What’s your workout routine?”

***

Marin poked his chest with her finger.

Gerald instinctively tensed his chest at the unfamiliar tickle.

“Omigosh? Chest Lord got even harder. What magic is this?”

His brow furrowed at the dangerous prodding of his chest.

“Marin.”

“Yeees? Hold on. I’m busy.”

Now she was rubbing it lightly with her finger.

“What are you planning to do to my face tomorrow?”

“Tomorrow’s sun rises tomorrow.”

Gerald chuckled at the random but spot-on fact.

To escape more finger attacks, he scooped her up.

“Waaah, princess carry?”

“Do princesses get carried like this?”

“Yes. In tons of novels.”

“Then you’re the female lead today.”

“Huh? Me, the heroine?”

She tilted her head, then plopped her face against his chest.

“Hard chest pillow, the best!”

After her final absurd remark, she suddenly went quiet. She’d finally fallen asleep.

The chirping bird fell silent, and the surroundings hushed instantly.

The girl in his arms was still too light.

“When will you grow more?”

“Not growing. Not growing.”

She answered perfectly even in her sleep.

Gerald chuckled softly and walked slowly. He didn’t feel the cold much, but holding her made everything warm.

* * *

“Water, water...”

“Yes. Here.”

“Thanks.”

Marin lifted her head just enough to sip the water Yuria offered, then buried it back in the pillow.

Her head throbbed like it might split, and her stomach churned at the slightest movement.

“Yuria...”

“Yes, miss.”

“If I die, will you take care of my mom?”

“You say the wildest things in front of her.”

Roanna’s scolding voice came from beside the bed.

“Mom?”

“Yes. I heard our daughter drank a ton last night, so I came to see.”

“Ugh.”

Her stomach lurched just hearing the word booze.

“Mom, ban that word please.”

“What? Booze?”

“Eek, Mom.”

She was too weak to raise her voice.

Roanna burst out laughing and held out a cup.

“Honey water. Your father swore by it for hangovers.”

“Sigh. Honey water. Yay.”

Marin forced down the honey water.

***

Anything to soothe her stomach—she’d drink whatever. Except booze.

“Miss Dia said not to worry about young master Ferido. She read him a picture book last night and he slept well. She says she’ll stay with him all day today too.”

“Ruby will keep me company today, so just rest easy.”

Roanna gently stroked her daughter’s pale face.

Marin squinted open her eyes and forced a smile.

“Yes. Tell everyone thanks for their... His Grace the Duke!!! Aaaah!!”

Marin bolted upright in bed, then yanked the covers over her head and screamed.