146 - I Got Engaged to a Blind Duke
“Are you all right?”
“That dress……”
Marin’s face flushed red as he trailed off.
The sight of her turning red all the way to her neck made his chest ache as if he’d been punched hard.
Damn it. Why is she so pretty?
“Well, there weren’t any other dresses like this here……”
He pressed his chest, and she asked worriedly again.
“Are you all right?”
“No, I’m not. I should just destroy this empire.”
“Pardon?”
She stared at him with a ‘I didn’t hear you right’ expression, and the jealousy he had hidden deep inside reared its head.
“Isn’t this room too small?”
“Not at all?”
Marin looked around. Perhaps because it was the Third Prince’s room, it was as large as the Duke’s office.
“You were here alone with the Third Prince? Without any other maids?”
“Well……”
She subtly avoided his gaze.
“Why are you avoiding my gaze?”
“Are you going to tell Lord Gerald?”
“Is it a secret?”
Marin lowered her eyes and fidgeted with her fingers. It was what she did when she was embarrassed or troubled.
“I’ll keep it a secret.”
“We were together, but actually, His Highness the Third Prince was trying to protect me. His Highness the Second Prince appeared and demanded that I be handed over.”
“Why?”
“To capture and torture me, and to find the Duke of the West’s weaknesses. So it would have been a disaster if Lord Gerald had come here. Probably all the knights in the palace would have tried to capture and kill Lord Gerald, under the pretext of him infiltrating secretly……”
Marin shuddered as if the mere thought was horrifying.
A chill settled in Gerald’s eyes.
The Second Prince……. I must kill him.
“By the way, was what you said earlier real?”
Marin asked cautiously, her eyes hesitant.
“What do you mean?”
“Earlier, when Lord Gerald confessed his lo- no, confessed to me.”
“I love you.”
Gerald said, staring straight into her eyes. He could say it any number of times now.
Marin stared at him blankly, then her face flushed.
“You’re good at confessing. It sounded like you were really saying it to me.”
“I am.”
“So, Lord Gerald told you to convey those words to me?”
“……Yes.”
“But that part is so strange.”
Marin mumbled, tilting her head.
“Why?”
“Cal knows that we have a contract engagement. So there’s no need for Lord Gerald to ask him to deliver a fake love confession, so why did Lord Gerald make a fake confession?”
“Why are you so sure it’s fake?”
“Why would Lord Gerald sa…… confess to me?”
Marin changed her words midway, as if she was too embarrassed to utter the word ‘love’.
Why couldn’t she believe his sincerity?
Gerald wanted to tear open his chest right away and show her his heart, which beat only for her.
“Why can’t you believe it?”
Gerald’s voice flowed out slowly, as if in pain.
“Well……”
Marin paused for a moment.
All this time, she had firmly believed that she could love the Duke, but there was no possibility that the Duke could love her.
Because the Duke had a female lead.
But the female lead was gone now.
Could it be that the Duke really loved her? Why? Since when?
Marin’s face grew redder and redder.
“U-uh, th-there.”
Her words didn’t come out properly, as if something was broken.
The Duke loved her? Really? Truly?
A faint smile leaked out of her lips.
What to do. Really?
“Kya!”
Marin covered her face with both palms and sat down again.
“……What’s wrong? Is she sick somewhere?”
Gerald followed her, kneeling on one knee to lower his posture.
“Because I’m happy.”
“……What?”
“I’m too happy and embarrassed. Does my face look ugly?”
Marin peeked out only her eyes from the face she was covering with her palms.
His expression, which had seemed aloof, crumbled. His sharp eyes softened, and a smile formed on his lips.
“No. You’re cute. Madly.”
“Really? Where’s the mirror? If I meet Lord Gerald with this face, will he say I’m cute? No, I have to look pretty, not cute.”
Marin got up again and stared at her face in the mirror.
What should he do with that madly lovable woman?
He wanted to reveal that he was Gerald himself right away and hug her tightly.
She, who had been looking at her face in the mirror from every angle, ran back to him.
“But, why did Lord Gerald tell Cal to say those words?”
“Because I regretted it…….”
Doubt clouded her eyes.
“I regretted not saying it as soon as I realized my love. He said he wanted to say it right away when he met her.”
Her cheeks were tinged pink.
Gerald’s fingertips tingled because Marin was so lovely.
“Oh my, you shouldn’t do things like proxy confessions like this.”
She twisted her fingers and smiled shyly.
Gerald couldn’t take his eyes off her face.
Marin wasn’t upset after hearing his confession. He could judge that this was a good sign, right?
At that moment, Marin’s head suddenly shot up.
“Since I received a proxy confession, will you convey my words too?”
“……Yes.”
Gerald, whose breath was cut off by the tension, could barely utter an answer like a sigh.
He had been thinking positively until just now, but he was terrified again.
What if she rejected his confession? Could he live without her?
No, his eyes darkened. No matter what answer Marin gave, he had no intention of letting her go.
Marin gestured as if asking him to lower his head a little.
Gerald lowered his head slightly.
As her warm breath touched his ear, his chest tightened painfully.
“Say those words directly to my face.”
She whispered in a small voice.
“Ah…….”
He had already said it directly.
Gerald chuckled and raised his head.
“I’ll convey it clearly.”
“Yes.”
Marin smiled lovingly.
\ \ *
The Second Queen’s Palace, decorated splendidly, came into view. It was the most beautiful place in the Imperial Palace.
The only place in the Imperial Palace, built in the middle of the desert, decorated with an artificial pond and flowers that bloomed in all seasons.
A maid informed the Second Queen of his visit.
“His Highness the Third Prince has arrived.”
“Very well.”
The Second Queen, who was getting her nails done in the room, looked at him and smiled with her red lips.
Although she had two grown sons, the Second Queen still maintained her youth and was as enchantingly beautiful as a flower.
“Prince, you’ve come?”
“Yes, Mother. I heard you summoned me.”
The Queen gestured for the maids to leave.
“Please, sit.”
The Queen pointed to the chair opposite her with a kind smile.
“Yes.”
“I heard you’ve brought in a new woman these days?”
“Is it only once or twice?”
Tan burst into laughter as if it was amusing.
“This mother is very happy that the Prince is having fun.”
“I’m happy that Mother is happy.”
Tan smiled prettily.
“Really? Then will you make this mother even happier?”
“As long as you don’t touch my women, I will do whatever Mother wants.”
At Tan’s words, the Queen’s beautiful forehead furrowed slightly before smoothing out.
“This mother is about to feel hurt by the Prince’s words.”
Tan smiled sweetly, hiding his already cold insides.
“Don’t I always follow what Mother says?”
Since Tan had refused in advance, the Queen could no longer insist.
As he said, the Third Prince listened to her well. And he hated it when his women were touched.
Having no choice but to step back, the Queen smiled enchantingly again.
“Of course. I know everything.”
The Queen took Tan’s hand and patted it.
He was a son who had been like the tongue in her mouth since he was young.
He was also a son whose sprouts she had cut off early in order to make her first son, the Second Prince, the Crown Prince.
The Queen took out a box from a basket on the table.
Tan’s smiling face momentarily stiffened, then he smiled sweetly again.
“Are you enjoying the candy?”
“Of course, Mother.”
“How does it taste?”
“It’s not too sweet, which is perfect for my taste.”
“It was specially made for our Prince, so please eat it often. Come and find me anytime if you run out. This mother summoned you to give you this gift.”
The Queen pushed the candy box towards him.
