Chapter 9

-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Harry Potta
Chapter: 9
Chapter Title: Engaged to the Blind Duke
-----------------------------------------------------------------

“Temporary. Don’t act like Olive.”

“Blood’s coming out. You need to see a doctor right away.”

Seeing the blood made her heart ache sharply. Marin tried her best to look away from the bloodstain.

The faint smell of blood hanging in the air was from the duke. Just how much blood had he lost?

“It was bleeding. Not anymore. Don’t you know past tense?”

The corner of the duke’s mouth twisted upward.

“Yes, got it. It was bleeding. Not anymore. Right? You still need treatment. It was bleeding, so you need to get it checked.”

Marin gritted her teeth and suppressed her rising frustration.

“I’m fine. I heal quickly.”

She couldn’t understand his nonchalant attitude at all.

“No matter how fast you heal, you still need treatment. We have to find out why your ear suddenly bled like that.”

“It wasn’t sudden.”

The duke, his eyes covered with a strap, turned his head toward her as if meeting her gaze.

“Pardon?”

“I stabbed it.”

“……Who did?”

Marin’s light green eyes trembled. No way.

The duke tilted his head slightly toward her. Then, as if observing her reaction, he spoke slowly.

“……Me.”

Holy shit. He really is crazy.

“Now you’re quiet.”

Satisfaction laced the duke’s low voice.

Marin clamped her lips shut, unable to say another word.

As she fell silent, the duke’s face turned forward again.

The space was still dark. But the vein she had once seen was now vividly etched in her mind.

A duke who stabbed himself because the pain was so intense.

Ironically, it was the first time he seemed human since meeting him.

Not a male lead from a fictional novel, but a ‘person’ suffering in reality.

She knew this male lead would regain his sight after meeting the female lead. Maybe that was why she had downplayed his blindness.

She had thought the pain and trials of a novel’s male lead were just par for the course.

Because it all ended in a happy ending.

Ah, how foolish.

Only after realizing his mad act did she truly feel his pain.

How agonizing must it be to suddenly lose your sight?

She couldn’t even imagine.

Before she knew it, tears welled up in her eyes. They trickled down her cheeks and plopped onto the carpet.

The duke suddenly whipped his head around. Though covered by the black strap, his eyes seemed to pierce right through her.

“……Why?”

Marin hurriedly wiped her tears.

No matter how sensitive he was to sounds, he couldn’t possibly hear her tears falling.

“What do you mean?”

“……Never mind.”

An awkward silence filled the study.

Just then, Olive returned.

***

“Your Grace? Miss Marin?”

Olive looked puzzled, as if wondering why the two were standing so close.

“This.”

The duke held up her wrist with his thumb and index finger forming a circle. There was still a little slack even with her wrist inside.

“Yes, Your Grace.”

“Make it tighter.”

“Yes.”

Olive answered immediately without asking any other questions.

Marin watched their exchange with wide eyes.

Excuse me. Are you talking about my wrist right now?

“Temporary.”

The duke’s face turned toward her again.

“Yes.”

Marin answered reflexively, then pouted her lips to herself.

She had suspected as much earlier. Temporary? Promoted from twig?

“Get measured.”

“What should I get measured for?”

As if it were too much trouble to explain, he lifted her wrist high and let it drop.

Oh, my wrist.

Marin quickly reclaimed her wrist.

Welcome back, my wrist.

“Report.”

“Yes. Here it is, Miss Marin.”

Olive handed the report to Marin as if he’d been waiting.

“Yes.”

Fine, let’s just get to work.

Marin took the report from Olive and slowly read it down.

Her clear, calm voice wrapped the study in warmth.

Seeing the duke’s rigidly tense shoulders gradually relax, a pleased smile formed on Olive’s lips.

* * *

Marin walked down the corridor behind Olive, her face lost in thought.

She had thought she knew everything about the duke, the novel’s male lead. She was wrong.

She hadn’t known he was suffering enough to harm himself.

The problem was that she knew how to alleviate his pain.

“No. No way.”

Marin muttered to herself and shook her head vigorously. That role belonged to the female lead, not her.

She needed to stay out of sight, earn her money, and quietly disappear.

That way, the novel could proceed to its original happy ending.

After walking a long way down the corridor with black curtains, a bright hallway appeared.

At the end of the bright hallway stood a light brown door.

“This is the office.”

“It’s quite a ways from His Grace’s study.”

Marin gauged the distance between the dark end of the distant corridor and here. The castle was so vast that even traversing from one end of the hallway to the other took time.

“His Grace prefers utmost quiet.”

Olive opened the office door and entered.

Marin stood at the entrance, taking in the office.

Large windows letting in bright sunlight. Bookshelves lining one wall, filled with stacks of papers. A wide brown desk straight ahead. A tea table and brown sofa in the center. Next to them was a brand-new white desk.

She was to assist Olive here outside of reporting hours to the duke.

***

Olive walked toward the white desk.

“This is your desk, Miss Marin. You’ll work here from now on.”

“Thank you.”

Marin felt excited for the first time in ages. It had been so long since she’d used new furniture like this.

Everything had been going well since arriving at the duke’s house. An enormous weekly wage, a new desk, a good superior.

Let’s exclude the scary duke.

Marin tore her gaze from the desk and turned to Olive.

“Um, Aide.”

“Yes, Miss Marin.”

Marin carefully opened her mouth while gazing into Olive’s warm brown eyes.

“There was blood from His Grace’s ear…….”

“You saw?”

Olive asked back with a bitter expression.

“Does he really not need treatment?”

“His Grace hates anything touching his body. Even medical treatment.”

“But he still needs it.”

“I’ve told him many times, but it doesn’t work.”

A shadow fell over the face of the man who always smiled softly.

“But don’t worry too much. He’s very sturdy and heals fast.”

You know he stabbed himself?

Marin swallowed the words she wanted to say as she watched Olive speak brightly.

“Actually, his insomnia is the bigger issue.”

Olive let out a deep, worried sigh.

“He can’t sleep either?”

“No. Not at all.”

But why is insomnia a bigger deal than bleeding?

Marin didn’t understand but simply nodded.

“My mother used to drink a glass of warm wine when she couldn’t sleep.”

“Really?”

Olive’s gaze deepened as if observing her.

Unaware of his look, Marin answered innocently.

“Yes. It worked for her.”

“Thank you.”

“I hope it helps. But Aide, I’m a commoner—why do you speak so formally to me?”

It was unusual for a noble like him to keep using honorifics with a mere assistant commoner girl.

“You’re my assistant?”

Olive tilted his head as he asked back.

“Yes, that’s right.”

“That’s why.”

“Oh, I see.”

He really was an unusual noble.

“Does it bother you?”

“No. Please be comfortable, Aide.”

“Then, would you call me by name from now on?”

Olive said with a beaming smile.

“Yes. Olive.”

“Good. Miss Marin, shall we get started?”

Olive smiled brightly and stacked papers from the bookshelf onto Marin’s desk in neat piles. The amount was staggering even to the eye.

Marin looked at Olive with slightly daunted eyes. He was still wearing his kind smile.

Let’s put the ‘good superior’ thought on hold for now.

***

Marin awkwardly lifted the corner of her mouth and picked up the papers.