126 - I Got Engaged to a Blind Duke
Blinded Duke and I Got Engaged 126
I conducted many experiments, but failed to eliminate the toxicity of Mandresson Grass.
Instead, I changed my stomachache medicine and figured out which one calmed me down the fastest.
Mandresson Grass tasted grassy whether eaten raw or grilled. The best way to consume it was to steep the dried flowers and drink it. That doubled its unique minty flavor.
Marin also placed the stomachache medicine she had hidden in her hand next to the teacup.
Unlike the female lead, she didn't know of any other herbs that neutralized the toxicity of Mandresson Grass. Still, she had stomachache medicine, so wouldn't it be okay if she took both at once?
If only the Duke could see, she wanted to tell him her true feelings.
That she had come to love him.
"Lord Gerald."
"Why?"
"I didn't bring any grass today."
"Why not?"
"I brought tea instead."
His eyebrows visibly shot up.
"Tea?"
"Yes. Mandelesong Flower Tea."
Marin stared at the Duke with trembling eyes.
Perhaps because she was so nervous, her dry hands kept getting sweaty, so she wiped them on her skirt hem.
"Are you finally trying to poison me?"
"Pardon?"
"Bringing Mandresson Grass even though you know it's poisonous. You're getting bolder and bolder."
One corner of his mouth quirked up.
"Oh, no. I'm not a spy."
I knew it. That's why I couldn't bring it all this time.
"Right. So, if you're not a spy, why are you trying to poison me?"
"Poi, poison!"
"Mandresson Grass is even listed in Zero's book, 'Poisons of Nature.' Did you think I wouldn't know that all this time?"
Marin's green eyes fluttered.
Right, there's no way he wouldn't know. Still, there must be a reason why he kept applying the grass without saying anything.
"Then, why did you keep applying the grass all this time? Even though you knew it was poisonous?"
"Because I wasn't eating it. It actually felt cool."
"That's right."
It's actually effective for headaches too. The Duke only started becoming less sensitive to sound after applying Mandresson Grass.
It must be effective in curing the Duke's eyes.
So, if he just drinks it-
"So, what's the reason for trying to poison me now?"
"No, really. I'm not trying to poison you. Who dies from a stomachache?"
Marin opened her mouth with a wronged expression.
"Zero says people can die from dehydration."
Marin widened her eyes and stared at the Flower Tea, which was brewing nicely in the teapot.
Was it that dangerous?
"I'm sorry. You don't have to drink it."
"I haven't heard why you were trying to poison me yet."
Marin shuddered just hearing the words and strongly denied it.
"I wasn't trying to poison you! I just heard somewhere that it's good for the body, and since Lord Gerald's eyes are uncomfortable, I thought it might help even a little."
"Marin."
"Yes."
"Why do you want my eyes to see so badly?"
At his serious question, Marin couldn't bring herself to tell the truth. Because his eyes seeing had to take precedence over her own feelings.
"That's obviously..."
"Obviously?"
"For the stability and prosperity of my employer, of course. That way, I can get paid properly, and plan my life for my retirement..."
Marin just blurted out whatever came to mind. She didn't even know what she was saying as she spoke.
"Retirement?"
"Yes. I need to start planning for my retirement now."
Now that she said it, what would her retirement be like?
If she broke off her engagement with the Duke, she wouldn't have a rabbit-like husband and fox-like children for the rest of her life, would she?
The Duke wasn't a rabbit to begin with, so it was impossible from the start.
Her appetite soured at the family plans that wouldn't exist in her future.
"So, you're saying you're going to leave me and plan for your retirement?"
"Well, yeah."
"Even to the point of poisoning me to completely get rid of me?"
"Pardon?"
Marin's eyes widened.
Why is the conversation going back to poisoning again?
"Marin. My eyes will continue to not see, and you won't be able to leave my side. Never."
Marin choked up at his resolute words.
Why is he giving up on his eyes so quickly? Is it so painful just to have hope? You can see if you just meet the female lead!
"You shouldn't give up so easily."
Then the Duke raised his head as if he were looking at her.
"It's easy."
Gerald chuckled. Compared to losing her, everything else was easy.
"So, you give up too. On leaving me."
"I can't give up on Lord Gerald's eyes."
A deep furrow formed between Gerald's brows.
He didn't understand why she was so desperate to leave him, even to the point of being stubborn.
Was it because he wasn't affectionate? He was going to try to be affectionate to her this time.
But after secretly watching her put Mandresson Grass in hot water, he lost it.
Her efforts to make his eyes better so she could leave him infuriated him.
So, his tone naturally became prickly.
"Why are you so desperate to leave me?"
"When did I ever act desperate...? I'm just worried about Lord Gerald."
She mumbled in a sullen voice.
"You were just talking about retirement plans, and you're saying you weren't desperate?"
He thought he should speak kindly in his head, but the words that came out were cold.
Be kind. How do you do that? Damn it.
"That's..."
"Does that retirement plan include a husband and children?"
"How could it... No! It doesn't! I'm not going to raise a rabbit-like husband or anything."
A rabbit-like husband?
Following a kind man, a rabbit-like husband?
It's hard enough to be a kind man, but how do you become a rabbit-like husband?
More than that, what is that precise expression, as if such a person is around her?
Gerald searched his mind for a rabbit-like, kind man around her.
Olive immediately came to mind as a kind man.
Olive, that bastard, was he a rabbit?
As the Duke's face grew colder and colder, Marin swallowed hard and slowly backed away.
A haze of fierce energy was rising around his body.
It looks like the Duke's lost it again? He can't even see, but he loses it so well. I don't know what part triggered him.
At that moment, the Duke stood up from his seat and slowly approached her.
Marin backed away little by little until her back hit the wall.
The Duke stopped right in front of her, lowered his head to her face, and whispered in a low voice.
"Marin. What kind of man is a rabbit-like man?"
"Pardon? I just said it."
Marin gave an awkward smile and turned her gaze to the side. She just said it randomly, so she wasn't specifically referring to anyone.
"I don't think I'm a rabbit."
His voice suddenly became kind.
Even if he speaks kindly while exuding a fierce aura from his body, it's just scary.
"Tha, that's right. Lord Gerald is definitely not a rabbit."
The Duke's face hardened at her words.
"You're honest. Then who is that rab. bit. man?"
The wolf asked kindly.
"I don't know, hic."
Marin curled her shoulders. Becoming a timid sheep in front of a wolf, she hiccupped after a long time.
"You must know. You expressed it so precisely. Think hard. Huh?"
The Duke leaned further down, placing his hand on the wall above her head.
I'm already scared, please don't do the wall slam.
"Marin?"
His seductive voice and warm breath tickled her cheek.
Marin's green eyes trembled with fear.
I wish you'd just choose whether to seduce me or scare me. Please.
"I misspoke. There is no such thing as a rabbit-like man in the world. It must be because the book I picked today happened to be a story about a rabbit and a wolf that I said such nonsense. I'll bring a different book."
Marin spat out the words quickly without taking a breath, then quickly opened the door and ran away.
Gerald slowly lifted his eyelids and looked down at her empty spot.
His eyes gleamed coldly.
She runs away so well. Makes me want to chase her.
