Chapter 1

Translator: Nox

Blinded Duke and I Got Engaged - Episode 1

Prologue

In the silent office, Duke Vines quietly placed his teacup down.

Marin, who had been blankly staring at his teacup, flinched.

With an awkward smile on her face, Marin picked up her teacup, the opposite of Duke Vines.

The subtle scent of tea leaves lingered around her nose.

It was her first tea time with Duke Vines, her superior's superior, so she was nervous and awkward. Even now, she couldn't fathom why he had arranged this meeting.

"How is life at the Duke's Castle?"

"Thanks to your great consideration, Your Grace, I am living very comfortably. I am always grateful."

Marin spoke with all sincerity.

"You like living here?"

The Duke asked back, as if seeking confirmation.

"Yes. I love it."

Although the Duke couldn't see her, Marin nodded vigorously.

A warm bed, abundant food, and even a generous salary.

Duke's Castle is the best!

"Then let's get engaged."

"I, I beg your pardon?"

She was so surprised that the end of her voice cracked.

"Is your hearing bad?"

Duke Vines, whose eyes were covered with black silk, asked in a dry voice.

"No. Not really..."

Marin trailed off, looking dumbfounded. Did she hear correctly just now?

"Let's get engaged."

"Yes, that word... hic."

Marin hurriedly covered her mouth and glanced at Duke Vines.

The Duke maintained a blank expression, as if he hadn't heard or perhaps truly hadn't.

What does living well in the Duke's Castle have to do with getting engaged?

Does it make sense because he wants me to stay here forever?

Marin quickly shook her head and escaped from the unnecessary thoughts.

This is dangerous.

Her instincts were warning her.

To escape from this place, Marin quietly pulled her chair back and stood up.

"Your Grace, I think my hearing really isn't good. I think I should visit the Duke's Castle physician, so I'll be going now..."

"Sit."

"Yes, sir."

At the Duke's command, she obediently sat back down like a well-behaved puppy.

Duke Vines, whose eyes had been damaged by a Monster attack, was very sensitive to sound.

He reacted very sharply to even small noises, so she tried to make as little noise as possible when moving in front of him. She also had to speak in a very faint voice when talking to the Duke.

She heard that he wasn't like this before he was injured, but she had never met Duke Vines from that time, so she wouldn't know.

"Shall we return to the main topic?"

"Yes, sir."

Marin answered briskly, like a disciplined new recruit.

"Your answer is very short. Did you understand what I said?"

The Duke slowly stroked his lips with his long fingers.

"Yessss."

Of course, with her high level of understanding, she understood his words at once.

"It's better to be short. And if possible, naturally."

The Duke slightly covered his mouth with his hand, as if hiding a smile, but she was too nervous and must have been seeing things.

"Yes."

When the boss tells you to do something, you do it.

Marin answered normally with all her heart and fidgeted with her fingers.

The office fell silent again.

Marin willingly accepted the silence because she couldn't even guess Duke Vines' intentions.

"What do you want?"

He broke the silence unexpectedly.

"What do you mean..."

"Miss Marin Schwentz."

Marin's face turned pale in an instant, and her breath momentarily stopped. Her fidgeting fingers also froze.

"When you hid that you were a noble and came to work at the Duke's Castle, there must have been something you wanted, right?"

"H, how did you know... hic."

Marin covered her mouth completely with her hand because her hiccups wouldn't stop. She could feel her heart plummeting to the floor in real time.

Duke Vines leaned back loosely in his chair and opened his red lips.

"If you believed you could deceive the Vines Dukedom so easily, should I call you naive?"

Marin quickly turned her shaking eyes and racked her brain.

Her lies had been exposed.

The Vines Dukedom was the most prestigious noble family in the empire.

And she had deceived that Dukedom.

A terrible future of being dragged to prison, tortured, and killed was drawn in her mind.

How can I get out of here alive?

Marin trembled like a wet kitten and watched Duke Vines. She couldn't guess the Duke's inner thoughts at all.

"I'm sorry. I was wrong. I needed money..."

First of all, she had to apologize for deceiving him.

Duke Vines' poker face felt colder than ever today.

"The reason you infiltrated the Dukedom is because of money?"

His head tilted slightly towards her, as if trying to read her reaction.

"...It's not infiltration, it's employment."

Marin denied it timidly but strongly with trembling lips.

Even if her mouth was crooked, she had to speak the truth.

Her life and death depended on Duke Vines' words. That's why she had to tell the truth even more.

"You stayed by my side because of money too?"

"...I didn't stay by your side, I assisted you."

Marin corrected the fact again with a voice filled with injustice.

"You whispered in my ear because of money too?"

"...I whispered because you don't like loud noises, Your Grace."

This part was really an absurd excuse, so her voice rose slightly, very faintly.

The corners of Duke Vines' lips momentarily lifted slightly.

However, Marin was too busy correcting the Duke's misunderstanding to notice.

"So all of that is because of money?"

"Yes."

"Then how much will it take?"

"...What do you mean?"

Marin was frustrated by the Duke's constant misunderstandings and stared at Duke Vines with tearful, light green eyes.

"I said it before. Let's get engaged. How much will it take to allow a contract engagement?"

"Huhhhhh?"

Her voice rose even more than an ant's butt without her knowing. The tears that had been dangling in her eyes disappeared completely.

"Keep it short."

She could see the wrinkles on his forehead clearly.

Marin quickly lowered her voice.

"I am too foolish to understand Your Grace's words?"

Marin looked at him with confused eyes. She was being lifted up and down, up and down, and she was completely out of her mind.

She thought he was angry because she had hidden her identity and got a job at the Dukedom, but suddenly it was back to the engagement story?

"Didn't you say you liked living in the Duke's Castle? Congratulations. You will be able to continue living in your favorite place in the future."

"Actually, now that I think about it, it doesn't seem that good..."

Marin trailed off and glanced at the Duke's expressionless face.

"Really? Hmm, if you deceive the Dukedom, where to..."

As soon as Marin heard the Duke muttering leisurely, she interrupted his words for the first time.

"But! The Duke's Castle is the best, Your Grace! Have I ever told you? That I want to be buried in this beautiful and wonderful Dukedom?"

Although he couldn't see her, Marin smiled as brightly as she could.

You can't spit on a smiling face.

"No, I haven't heard that."

The corners of the Duke's lips clearly lifted this time.

It was a smile that she rarely saw on him, but Marin felt that the smile was even more frightening.

Marin diligently applied saliva to her lips and racked her brain.

"Oh dear, I thought I had already said it. I will serve Your Grace with all my heart until I am buried here..."

"I don't need bones, I want a fiancée."

Duke Vines declared firmly.

"By any chance, just in case, do I have the right to refuse?"

Marin asked very carefully with trembling eyes.

I wish I did. Please.