104 - I Got Engaged to the Blind Duke
Blinded Duke and Fiancee - Episode 104
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Tap. Tap. Tap.
At the unfamiliar sound of a cane striking the marble floor, the imperial palace maids walking along the corridor turned their heads.
At the far end of the corridor, a large figure was walking, leaning on a cane.
Broad shoulders, a sturdy frame, hair as black as ebony. The man exuded a cold aura and had his eyes closed.
One of the maids, startled, widened her eyes and poked the waist of the maid next to her.
“Isn’t that The Duke Vines?”
“The Duke and a cane? It doesn’t suit him at all.”
“I know, right? Oh, the princesses will be in an uproar. Let’s go quickly.”
The princesses of marriageable age coveted the Western Duke, who had the greatest influence in the empire after the emperor.
Even amidst all this, Gerald deliberately made the sound of his cane as he slowly walked through the corridors of the imperial palace.
Olive, as if guiding The Duke, was walking half a step ahead of him.
Soon, Olive, standing in front of a door engraved with gold, gave a slight bow to the old head chamberlain.
The head chamberlain nodded in response and shouted loudly towards the door.
“Gerald von Weins, The Duke, is entering!”
Soon, the doors swung open on both sides.
In the room with its deep blue hue, there was a golden table in the center, and the emperor was seated on a platform one step higher than the table.
It was the venue for the special meeting between the emperor and the four great dukes, held annually before the noble conference.
Gerald leaned on his cane and slowly entered.
“Weins, I greet His Imperial Majesty, the Emperor of the Empire.”
Gerald bowed to the emperor with a blunt expression.
“Duke, welcome.”
The chamberlain who followed him in deliberately pulled out the chair at the table, making a sound, to accommodate him.
Gerald, as if drawn by the sound, walked towards it, tapped the leg of the chair with his cane, and sat down.
The two dukes and one grand duke who were already seated watched him with curious eyes, fierce eyes, and eyes that were unreadable.
“Western Duke, I’ve been sending invitations continuously. I can only see you at such special occasions.”
“I apologize, Your Majesty. As you can see, I am ill.”
Gerald lowered his head slightly and replied in an indifferent tone.
“So it seems. And yet, you’ve also become engaged.”
The emperor, sitting languidly on the throne, smiled and made a pointed remark.
“Thank you for your congratulations.”
“Ah, yes. Congratulations.”
As Gerald smoothly brushed it aside, the emperor’s golden eyes flashed fiercely.
“Well, now that the Western Duke has arrived, we can have a long-awaited conversation. It’s only once a year that we all gather like this, isn’t it?”
“I will visit more often.”
The Eastern Grand Duke, with a kind impression, said with a smile.
“Everyone is busy, so I understand. Is the Eastern Duke still ill?”
“Yes, Your Majesty. I, who have not yet inherited the dukedom, am here to disturb Your Majesty’s peace of mind. I apologize.”
The emperor gazed at the hair of the Eastern Grand Duke, which had begun to show streaks of white.
“That’s enough. You are getting old, so you should inherit the dukedom as soon as possible.”
The Eastern Grand Duke responded by giving a slight bow with a gentle smile.
“So, I am thinking of bestowing the Order of Noel upon you.”
The Order of Noel was a great award given to those who had dedicated themselves to the peace of the empire, and no one had received it for nearly ten years.
At the emperor’s unexpected proposal, the Eastern Grand Duke looked at the emperor with a surprised expression.
“I heard that the East suffered greatly from drought last year. I heard that the grand duke provided a lot of relief with his personal assets, not the family’s assets?”
“I am humbled.”
The Eastern Grand Duke replied with a faint smile.
“This year’s noble conference will be held in the Sun Hall.”
“In the Sun Hall? It’s been a while.”
The Northern Duke, who had been quietly observing the situation, opened his lips.
The Sun Hall, made of a glass dome where natural light poured in, was only opened for the emperor’s coronation or award ceremonies.
“We will hold the Order of Noel conferment ceremony for the Eastern Grand Duke there. The Eastern Duke, who is ill, would be satisfied with this much, wouldn’t he?”
It was a message to receive the Order of Noel and quickly inherit the Eastern dukedom.
“I am only grateful for His Majesty’s grace.”
The Eastern Grand Duke bowed deeply with a trembling voice, deeply moved.
The Southern Duke watched the scene with a sneer.
While the Eastern Duke was the leader of the aristocratic faction, the grand duke was a sly character.
Look at him groveling before the emperor.
Tsk, to adopt such a man.
“The South is still peaceful.”
The emperor, reading the Southern Duke’s gaze, changed the subject.
“Yes.”
At the Southern Duke’s short answer, the emperor’s eyes flashed sharply before quickly subsiding.
“That’s fortunate. The wine from the South is very precious. Please visit the imperial palace more often.”
“I will.”
“How is the North?”
“The same.”
The Northern Duke answered plainly with an expression that suggested he found everything bothersome.
The emperor was also not interested in the desolate and impoverished North.
The only thing he coveted from the North was the technology of the alchemist, the Northern Duke. The things that came from his hands were enough to amaze the world.
“How is your son doing?”
He was saying it indirectly, but he meant, ‘Have you found your runaway son?’
“Yes. He is doing well.”
The Northern Duke, who had been answering dazedly as if he were out of his mind, suddenly flashed a cold glint in his eyes.
The emperor clicked his tongue inwardly. As expected, the Northern Duke’s only weakness was his son, whom he had late in life.
He had planted spies in the North and was looking for the Northern Duke’s son, but it was always in vain.
The emperor’s gaze now reached the Western Duke, who had his eyes closed.
He constantly doubted whether the Western Duke’s eyes were truly blind and sent spies.
If only he could get those eyes to open even once.
“Western Duke. Now that you are engaged, how about having a meal with your fiancée?”
The expressionless Western Duke quietly raised his head.
The emperor flinched momentarily. Even though his eyes were closed, it felt as if their eyes had met.
As expected, even if his eyes were blind, the aura of the strongest man in the empire could not be ignored.
He was angry at the fact that he had been momentarily suppressed by his energy, but the emperor hid his true feelings with a smile.
“The Western Duke’s injury must be to his eyes, but he is very tight-lipped.”
The eyelids of the Western Duke, who had been quietly raising his head as if he were looking, slowly opened.
The emperor and the other dukes, who had not expected him to suddenly open his eyes, held their breath.
The Western Duke’s black pupils had changed to a deep gray color.
There was no way to change the color of one’s pupils with anything in the world. Not even with alchemy.
And yet, the Western Duke’s eye color had changed. Also, there was no focus in his pupils.
Until now, everyone had been half-doubting the fact that the Western Duke’s eyes were blind.
But in this place, the Western Duke opened his eyes himself and proved that fact.
Why would he reveal a weakness that he should have hidden at all costs?
“Your Majesty, because I am blind, I cannot observe dining etiquette, so it is difficult for me to attend the meal. Please understand.”
The emperor’s expression hardened like stone.
By directly showing that his eyes were blind, the Western Duke naturally refused the dinner invitation.
What exactly was his intention?
The minds of the other two dukes and the grand duke, who were watching the Western Duke’s eyes, were also busy calculating.
“……I hope you recover quickly, Western Duke.”
“Thank you.”
Soon, the emperor’s gaze naturally turned to the others.
Meanwhile, Gerald closed his eyes again and leaned back in his chair with an expressionless face.
The one who sent the assassins who attacked the carriage before was here.
If that assassin, whom he had deliberately let go, had survived to the end, he would probably have reported about his eyes.
However, even after receiving that report, the other party would have constantly doubted and doubted him.
So he opened his eyes. He sacrificed himself and heightened his hearing to the extreme.
Who is it? The one who is least surprised.
The sounds of hearts beating with curiosity and surprise were all different.
And he confirmed the sound of the heart beating the slowest, as if he knew it would be that way from the moment he first opened his eyes.
It was you.
