13 - I Got Engaged to a Blind Duke
“Thank you for your consideration.”
Marin sincerely thanked Olive.
“It’s nothing. Get plenty of rest today.”
“Yes, please go safely.”
Marin watched Olive disappear until she was out of sight.
The gentle white horse beside her snorted softly.
“Good boy. Thank you too.”
Marin tied the white horse securely behind the cabin.
“Marin?”
Loanna must have sensed her presence, as she came to the door.
“Mom, it’s chilly, why did you come out?”
“Welcome home.”
Her eyes were full of curiosity, but her mother didn’t ask anything and warmly welcomed her.
Marin gently embraced her mother’s thin, small shoulders and went inside.
“Everything went well.”
Loanna’s deep green eyes trembled.
“Really?”
“Yes. Mom, we’re moving.”
Loanna gripped Marin’s hand tightly with an anxious expression.
“Moving? Are we leaving this house? Couldn’t you get the money?”
“No. His Grace the Duke has given us a separate cottage for servants. You and I can live there.”
“Goodness! Heavens. Marin, His Grace must be the kindest person in the world.”
Loanna said with a touched expression.
“Yes, he is.”
Marin hid her awkward expression and deliberately agreed with Loanna even more.
There had been a sort of deal, but it was true that the Duke had considered her circumstances.
“We should pack our things quickly.”
“Yes, Mom.”
“Come in.”
Olive, who had been standing in front of the study door, entered the dark study with a candle as soon as the Duke gave his order.
“I’m back.”
The Duke, who was leaning back leisurely in his chair, started with a question.
“Do you really believe Imsi can put me to sleep?”
Olive opened her mouth honestly.
“I don’t think so.”
“I think so too.”
The Duke agreed as if it were obvious and continued.
“But do you know why I told them to move Imsi’s residence to the separate cottage?”
Olive furrowed her brow slightly and expressed her thoughts.
“The house was in a state where it needed to be moved immediately, but apart from that, do you still suspect Marin?”
“Since she’ll be living in my castle from now on, I’ll find out.”
The Duke muttered to himself as if talking to himself and turned his head.
Olive bowed slightly and carefully left the study.
A bird, busily preening its feathers on a branch, was startled by the rough footsteps kicking up dirt and flew into the sky with a flutter.
Oksanda, Jorno’s wife, who had been hurrying to the entrance of the mountain from early in the morning, stopped abruptly and glared coldly at her husband Jorno, who was slowly following behind.
“Hurry up!”
“I’m going, I’m going.”
“Ugh, you’re so slow.”
“You know they don’t have any money, so how are you going to get the money by visiting them from early in the morning?”
Jorno grumbled timidly, watching Oksanda’s mood.
“Am I going to get money? I’m going to tear the hair of that bitch I couldn’t meet yesterday. I’m not satisfied with just her mother’s hair.”
Oksanda huffed and puffed, burning with fighting spirit.
“Oh my, you’re like a fool. Who else would move into such a shabby place? Instead of thinking about how to keep giving them rent and getting money.”
Jorno grumbled quietly to himself as he followed behind Oksanda.
“What did you say? Who do you think I’m doing this for? It’s all because you had an affair with that bitch!”
Oksanda, her eyes narrowed into triangles, turned around sharply.
“That’s a misunderstanding.”
“What misunderstanding? Look at you defending her again?”
“No, no. Let’s go. Let’s go.”
Before Oksanda could get any angrier, Jorno hurried away first.
Some time after they disappeared into the bushes, a carriage and a person riding a huge black horse followed the same path.
“Look at that, look at that. Look at her standing outside.”
Oksanda frowned and pointed at Marin.
Marin was standing a little away from the cabin, waiting for the two to come. She hoped Loanna wouldn’t hear the commotion that was about to happen.
“Hmph. Does she think I’ll forgive her if she comes out like this?”
Oksanda bent her fingers like claws and rushed at Marin like a hawk.
At that moment, a money pouch fell in front of her with a thud.
The silver coins sticking out of the money pouch sparkled in the sunlight.
Oksanda quickly scanned the silver coins with her narrowed eyes and quickly picked up the money pouch.
“Oh my, what is this money?”
Oksanda made a fuss and took out the silver coins from the money pouch, diligently counting them.
“Marin, where did you get such a large sum of money?”
Jorno’s voice, who was peeking into the pouch with eyes full of greed, trembled with avarice.
Oksanda scanned Marin up and down and opened her mouth as if asking if that was even a question.
“Where do you think she got it? It’s obvious.”
Smack. Marin, who had been looking at them with quiet eyes, slapped Oksanda’s cheek with all her might.
Oksanda’s plump body staggered as if she would fall.
Oksanda grabbed her cheek, which had swollen instantly, and screamed at the top of her lungs.
“Are you crazy?!”
“You dare lay a hand on my mother?”
Marin’s eyes shone coldly like ice. Thinking about what Loanna had suffered yesterday, she was so angry that her blood ran cold.
“W-What?”
Oksanda, feeling a strange sense of intimidation from Marin’s unusual appearance, rolled her eyes with a flustered face.
Marin took a step towards her.
Oksanda flinched and stepped back. She had been pushed back in terms of momentum.
Jorno, who had been anxiously watching the situation from behind, wiped his sweat and stepped forward.
“Marin, don’t get too excited-”
Marin strode forward and slapped Jorno’s cheek hard as well. Jorno grabbed his cheek with a dumbfounded expression.
Marin glared at him with cold eyes.
“You’re the biggest problem. Did you think I wouldn’t know? Who the real affair partner is that your wife is looking for so much?”
“I’ve been too nice to you…”
Jorno, his face distorted with anxiety that the truth would be revealed, approached Marin.
Marin threw 1 silver coin at his feet as if giving alms.
Jorno, his eyes wide, quickly picked up the 1 silver coin.
“Windy?”
While he was distracted by the money, Marin delivered the final blow.
“Windy? Windy, the wife of the stable owner? Why is Windy’s name coming up here? Windy definitely said that bitch’s name!”
Oksanda, who had been listening to their conversation from the side, shouted at Jorno.
Jorno flinched, shrugged his shoulders, and waved his hands.
“No, Windy is a very perfect woman. There’s no way such a woman would have an affair.”
“Perfect? Every woman except me is pretty and perfect, right? Today, one of us dies!”
Oksanda’s eyes rolled back as she grabbed Jorno’s hair.
“Aaaah, let go. It hurts, it hurts!”
Marin clenched her fists tightly as she watched their dogfight.
She also wanted to avenge her mother so badly that her hands were itching. She wanted to pull out all that hair.
“How many women is this?!”
Oksanda screamed at the top of her lungs, loud enough to shake the surroundings.
At that moment, Sebas the butler, frowning as if the noise was annoying, slowly walked out of the bushes and stood in front of Marin as if to protect her.
“Why are you having a marital fight here?”
“……!”
Oksanda, startled by the sudden appearance of an outsider, let go of Jorno’s hair, which she had been grabbing.
Nervous, Oksanda quickly scanned the other person’s attire.
The white-haired old man in a black, high-quality uniform exuded an unusual aura with his sturdy physique.
On the other hand, Marin, her eyes wide, looked up at Sebas the butler’s broad back.
Why are you showing up here?
Sebas the butler turned around and responded as if he had heard her question in her heart.
“I’ve come to pick you up.”
“You’re here early.”
Marin gave an awkward smile and avoided his gaze.
Olive had said she would send a carriage, so she knew someone would come, but she hadn’t expected the butler to come himself.
“I think I’ve arrived right on time.”
Sebas the butler winked one eye and turned to face forward again. His sharp gaze scanned Jorno and Oksanda.
