12 - I Got Engaged to the Blind Duke
I heard she was a ruined noble lady, but a sick mother. Is that why she lied about being a commoner and looked for work?
Olive fell into contemplation.
She could always advance her money. But she couldn't judge her.
Strictly speaking, her superior was not her, but His Grace the Duke. Of course, she and the general staff didn't know.
All of the special positions directly hired by the Duke were under the Duke's control. So she had to report everything about her to the Duke first.
"I think I should tell His Grace the Duke first."
"To His Grace the Duke?"
Her green eyes widened in surprise.
"Yes. His Grace the Duke is deciding on Marin's treatment."
"Yes..."
She answered in a small voice with a dejected face.
"Then let's go."
"Yes."
Marin followed Olive to a place like the Devil's den.
Candles were placed on the dark corridor walls at night. It was brighter than during the day, but the shadows flickering in the candlelight felt more desolate and scary.
Soon, Olive arrived in front of the Duke's office and stood still. Come to think of it, he never knocked on the door.
Even if the Duke is sensitive to sound, can he hear the sound beyond the door?
"What's going on?"
...He can hear.
"Marin said she has something to tell you."
"Come in."
"Marin."
Olive lit a candle on the candlestick and held it out.
Marin stared at Olive with wide eyes.
"Aren't you coming in with me?"
"He only called Marin."
"Did 'Come in' mean he was only calling me?"
Olive replaced her answer with a smile and handed her the candlestick as if to cheer her on.
Marin put strength into her trembling hand, opened the door to the office, and apologized first.
"I'm sorry."
"For what?"
"I'm really sorry for visiting you late at night."
"So what's going on?"
The Duke urged her as if to say, "Get to the point quickly."
"I want to get some money in advance."
"......"
There was no answer from the Duke.
"I want to get paid a little earlier..."
Marin explained in a slightly easier way with an awkward expression.
"Why?"
"The landlord said he'll kick me out of the house tomorrow if I don't pay the rent right away."
Marin closed her eyes tightly and confessed honestly. She was more afraid of being kicked out than confessing her poverty.
"If I give you an advance, what will Imsi do for me?"
"Yes?"
Marin opened her eyes wide and asked back at the unexpected question.
"Tell me why I should give you an advance."
Marin racked her brain to find the reason.
What should I say?
Tears quickly welled up in her green eyes.
What should I do? I can't think of anything. Where should I take my mother if I get kicked out?
Her gaze wandered here and there before landing on the wine glass on the desk.
Suddenly, she remembered what Olive had said.
That the Duke can't sleep well.
"I'll put you to sleep."
"......What?"
The Duke's husky voice cracked in surprise.
"I'm good at reading reports, but I'm also good at reading books. My mother sleeps well when I read books. I'll put you to sleep too, Your Grace."
Marin spoke incoherently as things came to her mind. Before she knew it, her tears had dried up.
"How did you know I couldn't sleep?"
Can I say I heard it from Olive? Or not?
As she hesitated and pondered, he said instead.
"Olive?"
"Yes. But Olive didn't say it with bad intentions..."
"Good."
"Yes?"
"Let's sleep together."
His languid voice brushed past her ear.
Marin's face turned red in an instant. It was the right thing to say, but it felt strange because he said it so briefly.
"How long does it take to get from the castle to your house?"
"About an hour."
"I'll have to move you."
"Pardon?"
Her voice rose slightly at the unexpected suggestion. Surprised by her own loud voice, Marin quickly covered her lips with her hand.
"Olive."
The Duke called in a low voice.
Olive, who was outside the door, understood perfectly and slipped into the office.
"Yes, Your Grace the Duke."
"Move Imsi's house to the annex tomorrow morning."
"Yes."
Marin raised her hand slightly and carefully interjected.
"Excuse me, I'm sorry to interrupt your conversation. I live with my mother."
"Move her together."
"Yes, I understand."
This unfamiliar sense of déjà vu, where she is the only one being left out of her own business.
Ah, it was like this when my wrist was grabbed.
"Marin, shall we go?"
"Yes. Thank you, Your Grace the Duke."
Marin bowed politely to the Duke and left the office.
As she walked down the hallway following Olive, he spoke first.
"Shall we go to the office?"
"Yes."
She returned to the office where she had been working until a few hours ago.
Marin sat on the sofa in a daze, and Olive took out 1 gold from the safe and handed it to her.
"Here you are. But if you move your house, you don't need an advance, do you?"
"I have to pay the last rent."
It was a lot of money that she hadn't seen in a long time.
Marin took the 1 gold with trembling hands. With this money, she could buy as much of her mother's favorite food and medicine as she wanted.
Marin held the 1 gold preciously in her hand before handing it back to Olive.
"Um, can I exchange this for silver?"
"I will."
Olive handed her a pouch containing 100 silver.
Marin held the money pouch tightly in her arms, moved her lips, and spoke with difficulty.
"Thank you. And..."
"Please speak."
Olive asked with her usual gentle smile.
"Do I really have to come and live here?"
"Didn't you make a deal with His Grace?"
"To be exact, I said I would help His Grace sleep."
"Yes, that's right. And His Grace sleeps very late. How are you going to go back every night?"
Certainly, the road home was dark and dangerous. It would be difficult to do that every night.
"I'll lend you a carriage tonight."
"No! I don't like carriages. I'll walk."
Marin refused at once with a pale face. The tips of her fingers were trembling. Her vision became blurry.
She hadn't ridden a carriage since the accident. She couldn't afford to ride one because her family had fallen on hard times, but she was sweating just thinking about it now.
Olive was carefully observing her reaction, but she was too panicked to notice.
Marin clenched her hands tightly and tried to come to her senses.
"Then, it's dangerous to send you alone at this hour, so I'll go with you."
"Yes? No. I can't trouble you like that."
Surprised by his words, she shook her hands and declined.
Olive stood up and asked naturally.
"You can ride a horse, of course, right?"
"Yes, I can."
Her green eyes fluttered. The answer came first, and the thought followed.
Do commoners these days naturally know how to ride horses?
"I'll assume you know how to ride."
Olive declared definitively, curving her eyes into crescents.
Marin had no choice but to nod.
After that, things progressed quickly.
She followed Olive to the stable and borrowed two horses. And it was quick to ride the horses home.
After arriving in front of the house, she got off the horse with Olive's help.
"I-Is this the place?"
Surprise was evident in Olive's voice.
"Yes."
Marin stared at the shabby shack with fresh eyes. Still, it was a grateful space that had been a fence for her and her mother for several years.
"Then I'll be on my way. I'll send a carriage tomorrow morning."
"The carriage is fine..."
Marin was about to refuse with a pale face, but Olive gently stopped her.
"I heard that Marin's mother is with you. Wouldn't it be more comfortable for your mother to have a carriage? Marin, you can leave the horse you rode today and come on that horse."
Ah, I was so afraid of the carriage that I didn't even think about how to bring my mother.
