174 - I Got Engaged to a Blind Duke
Engaged to the Blind Duke Chapter 174
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Olive gulped at the sight of the Duke’s sharpened demeanor, something he hadn’t seen in a long time.
He seemed more dangerous and gloomier than when he was blind.
The fact that what he had to report was bound to anger the Duke made his legs feel even weaker.
“The Duke.”
As the Duke silently raised his gaze, Olive pretended to read the report to avoid his eyes.
“The Imperial Sanction has not yet arrived.”
Gerald’s lips twisted crookedly.
“What’s so difficult about stamping a single seal on a piece of paper that they’re dragging their feet like this?”
“We’ve sent two follow-up letters, but there’s still no response.”
“Is the Emperor getting back at me for what happened last time?”
A cold smirk formed at the corner of the Duke’s mouth.
“I’m sorry.”
Olive couldn’t bring himself to utter disrespectful words about the Emperor of the Empire, so he apologized instead.
“He’s a petty man, so he must be doing something pointless.”
“I’m sorry.”
Olive bowed, sweating cold sweat.
“Send it again. If he doesn’t grant it this time either, I’ll get married without the Emperor’s Sanction.”
Olive tightly shut his eyes. The Emperor’s Sanction was essential for noble marriages.
The Duke was well aware of that fact, but it seemed his mood was thoroughly soured.
“Yes. Understood.”
Olive bowed politely and quickly left the office.
As the door closed, Gerald roughly ran his hand through his hair.
“Kay.”
“Yes.”
“Where is Marin?”
“She is out for a walk.”
“Her mood?”
“She was listless, but she seemed a bit better after speaking with Lady Dia.”
“Find out if Dia needs anything and send it to her.”
“Yes.”
After Kay quietly disappeared, Gerald closed his eyes and leaned his head against the chair.
As Marin’s disappointed expression flickered before his eyes, his chest ached.
He had felt uneasy seeing how fond she was of Peridot, but he never imagined she wanted a child that much.
It felt as though he had crushed her hopes, and a part of his heart crumbled.
What if she says she can’t get married because she wants a baby so badly?
Gerald unconsciously fiddled with the ring on his finger.
He only wanted to make Marin happy.
The thought that she might be suffering because of him even at this very moment made the blood coursing through his body turn cold.
If only he could explain why he didn’t want a child.
When Gerald opened his eyes, his gaze fell on the bookshelf. The book written by the 20th Duke immediately caught his eye.
He had given it to Marin, but she said she wanted to keep it in his office, so he placed it in the most visible spot on the bookshelf.
“Kay.”
“Yes.”
Kay, who had returned without notice, appeared silently.
“Tell Olive I’ll be absent for a while. During that time, entry to the office is prohibited.”
“Understood.”
After Kay disappeared, Gerald took out the Family Seal from the desk drawer.
Then he walked to the bookshelf and pulled out a book that looked the oldest.
There was a round button on the back of the book. When he pressed it, the bookshelf slid to one side, revealing a black door.
The family crest was engraved in the center of the door. Gerald pressed the seal against it.
Soon, the black door made a clunking sound and slid open smoothly.
Inside was a spacious area filled with stones that emitted their own light.
It was the Head of the Family’s Chamber.
Gerald carefully examined the Head of the Family’s Chamber, which he hadn’t entered in a long time.
All sorts of research materials, as well as the diaries and records of previous heads of the family, were neatly arranged in order.
This was only his second visit since receiving the seal from his father and entering for the first time. He hadn’t felt the need to come here.
During his first visit, he had looked around once and taken only the books that seemed helpful.
But now, more than anything, there was something he wanted to find here.
Whether it was possible to share the family’s secret with an outsider.
And just in case, whether this painful ability could be removed.
Gerald erased the thought he had just recalled with a bitter look in his eyes.
His ability had manifested at a very young age, but most heads of the family had theirs manifest at an age when they could control it themselves.
That’s why the previous Dukes considered the ability a blessing.
It was unlikely that those previous Dukes would have thought of a way to remove the ability.
A sad shadow fell over Gerald’s broad shoulders.
Soon, the black door closed with a thud.
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Marin headed to the office to have another serious conversation with Gerald.
But Olive was standing in front of the office door.
“Lord Olive?”
“Lady Marin.”
Olive greeted her with a polite smile.
“What are you doing here?”
“His Lordship is not in the office.”
“May I wait inside?”
“We don’t know when he’ll be back.”
Olive gave an awkward smile.
“……I see.”
Was he blocking anyone from approaching the door?
The thought that Gerald had left indefinitely without saying a word to her made a hollow wind blow through her chest.
Noticing her disappointed expression, Olive quickly added.
“He probably won’t be away for too long.”
“I see. Could you let me know when he returns?”
“Yes. I’ll inform you right away.”
At Olive’s kind words, Marin forced herself to hide her expression and left.
\ \ *
Late at night, the round full moon shone unusually brightly.
Gerald hadn’t returned even after several days, with no word of where he was or what he was doing.
Drawn by the moonlight, Marin went outside.
The warm breeze, heralding the approach of summer, gently brushed through her hair.
Marin walked aimlessly, letting her feet guide her, until she suddenly stopped in her tracks.
A shabby spire stood before her.
She had only wondered if she should come here again, but in the end, her feet had led her here.
She slowly climbed up, feeling her way along the stone wall of the spire. When she gently pushed the door, the old hinges creaked.
The room at the top of the spire, filled with moonlight, was exactly as she had last seen it.
The desk, the wardrobe, the small bed.
Marin went to the small bed, sat down, and carefully stroked the surface.
“Did you really live here? If so, I think I’d be quite sad.”
It was just as her faint murmur scattered like a breeze in the empty room.
“Don’t be sad.”
Startled by the sudden voice of the one she had missed for days, Marin jumped.
“Lord Gerald?”
Marin quickly turned her head.
Gerald leaped effortlessly through the window without glass and entered inside.
He came straight to her, knelt on one knee before her, and gazed intently at her.
Gerald, seen after several days, had a sharper jawline.
Had he not been eating well?
“Why have you lost so much weight.”
With a pitying look in her eyes, Marin reached out and placed her hand on one side of his face.
He leaned his cheek into her palm as if resting against it.
“No.”
“Where did you go without a word? I was worried.”
He stared at her silently for a moment, then slowly parted his lips.
“Marin, I love you. Don’t leave me.”
Marin was so surprised her mouth fell slightly open.
“I know how much you want a baby. So I’m afraid you might leave me.”
His honest feelings, confessed in a calm voice, pierced her heart.
Silly man. How could she ever leave him when she loved him so much?
“…….”
“But, Marin. Even if you try to leave, I can’t let you go.”
His deep gray eyes, tinged with pain and obsession, grew even darker.
