193 - I Got Engaged to a Blind Duke
Blinded Duke, Engaged 193
\ \ \
A shabby alley on the outskirts of the capital.
People were secretly coming and going in a small two-story building.
Southern Duke Smi entered through the back door.
Many nobles were already sitting around a table inside, continuing their meeting.
“Has The Duke arrived?”
A noble who spotted him quickly stood up and offered his seat.
Smi sat down as if the offered seat was originally his.
“I’m a bit late.”
Smi nodded to Eastern Duchess Edena, who was sitting at the head of the table.
Her light blue eyes flashed with displeasure.
“I wouldn’t say ‘a bit’ late.”
“Has the plot to dethrone the Emperor already ended?”
Smi looked around in feigned surprise, and the nobles avoided his gaze with uncomfortable expressions.
“Southern Duke, watch your tongue.”
Edena warned in a cold voice.
“Oh, did I misspeak? I came because I thought it was that kind of meeting.”
Smi said with a playful air, looking at the nobles as if seeking their agreement.
As the nobles felt uncomfortable with the Southern Duke, Edena stepped in.
“The rest of you may leave now.”
The nobles quickly left their seats amidst the tense atmosphere between the two.
Everyone disappeared, leaving only the two of them at the large table.
Silence fell in the room, and the Southern Duke tapped the table once before speaking.
“I heard the Eastern Duke has been much healthier lately?”
Edena, reading the hidden meaning that asked why the Eastern Duke wasn't here and instead the Eastern Duchess was, smiled coldly.
“He still has difficulty moving around.”
“I see. Unlike the former Young Duke, the current Young Duke is too young to be suitable for such a gathering.”
Edena’s eyes gleamed coldly at Smi’s continued attacks.
“I heard the fruit harvest in the South is plentiful, so you must be very busy. Are you still staying in the capital because you haven’t found the person you’ve been searching for?”
This time, Smi’s eyes flared slightly with anger.
It was a secret that he was looking for his twin brother.
But where in the world is there a perfect secret?
Just like how he knew that the former Young Duke of the East had died and been abandoned on the street.
He couldn't go down to the South because he heard that his brother was found in the capital.
Because he had taken the Ring of the Head passed down through the family and hid.
If he couldn't find that ring, he would only be a half-fledged head of the family.
Having exchanged each other's weaknesses once, the two closed their mouths and probed each other.
How much do they know?
Soon, Smi changed his expression to a gentle one and changed the subject.
“Have you heard? News from the West.”
At his words, Edena’s eyes wavered slightly.
“……”
At her silent response, Smi revealed more of his thoughts.
“I hear the Duke of the West’s fiancée has amazing talents. What do you think? Should we use that to shake up the Duke of the West this time?”
No matter how much the East knew about the South, he disliked the Duke of the West even more.
He had recklessly killed a noble from the South because of his sister's matter, and at the annual meeting, he had brought a Monster to show off his power, hadn't he?
As if he was the only one who was great.
If something was an eyesore, it had to be removed.
“……You shouldn’t underestimate the West.”
Edena’s lips finally opened after a long silence.
“Ha, how surprising. The East, the leader of the noble faction, is defending the West?”
The wrinkles around Edena’s eyes deepened.
“I’m not defending the West, I’m stating the facts. Then let me ask. Which side will the South take?”
At her question of whether he would choose the Emperor or the noble faction, a strange smile appeared on Smi’s lips.
“Am I not here in this place right now?”
Edena glared at Smi, who was slipping away like a snake, with dissatisfaction.
The isolated North. The shield of the empire, the West. The East, trusted by nobles and commoners alike.
On the other hand, the South always moved to where it was advantageous and was an untrustworthy entity.
“Then I hope you will attend the next meeting on time.”
“I will.”
Smi replied with a fake smile, meeting Edena’s dubious gaze.
\ \ \
Gerald’s office.
Gerald, who was reading a report, raised his head.
His gaze fell on Olive, whose smile hadn't left his face lately. His face was shining.
Seeing Olive, who had changed so much that he could recognize it, made him feel strangely bad.
“Olive.”
“Yes, Your Grace.”
Olive smiled brightly as he placed another report on his desk.
Gerald narrowed his eyes and stared intently at Olive.
What is it? What has changed?
“I feel bad.”
“Yes?”
“I feel like I’ve strangely lost to you. I feel like you’re ahead of me in something. Why do I feel this way?”
Where did that shiny face and relaxed attitude come from? Just a few days ago, he was like a boiled cabbage, devoid of energy.
Olive subtly avoided his gaze.
“Nothing happened.”
“Is that so.”
“Yes!”
Olive answered quickly.
“Did you win?”
“Yes?”
“Surenne, I mean.”
Olive’s eyes widened like saucers.
Gerald chuckled as if he had finally realized. To be so happy for days just because he won a drinking bet.
He’s still young.
“Th, that’s…….”
Olive’s brown pupils wandered aimlessly.
“It’s good to feel happy when something you’ve been hoping for comes true.”
At his words, Olive’s face changed as if he couldn’t laugh or cry.
“……Yes.”
At that moment, Gerald’s gaze turned to the office door.
“Come in.”
Sebas Butler entered, carrying a letter on a golden tray.
“Your Grace. It has finally arrived.”
At Sebas Butler’s slightly trembling voice, Gerald and Olive simultaneously looked at the letter.
Olive quickly approached and picked up the letter, handing it to Gerald.
Sebas Butler stood next to Olive to hear the good news together.
Gerald picked up the silver letter opener on the desk, cut open the envelope, and began to read the letter.
The two, who had been waiting with excited expressions, looked at the Duke, who remained silent for a long time after reading the letter, and exchanged glances.
‘Why is he reacting like that?’
‘Surely, the Emperor didn’t send a reply of outright refusal, did he?’
Gerald’s expression after reading the Emperor’s letter was as cold as a winter wind.
The precarious and fierce energy that seemed about to explode finally erupted.
Unable to withstand the Duke’s energy, Olive stepped back, and Sebas Butler stepped forward as if to protect him.
“Your Grace!”
Sebas Butler, confronting the Duke’s energy, called out to the Duke in a loud voice as if to inform him of the situation.
The Duke glanced up at the two of them and then suppressed his energy.
The Duke’s energy, which had been stinging even their skin, subsided in an instant.
The Duke’s tightly closed mouth finally opened.
“The Emperor is crazy.”
Olive was startled and looked at Sebas Butler. Sebas Butler quickly composed his surprised expression.
“……Is it not a letter regarding the approval of the marriage?”
Olive asked cautiously.
“That’s right. The wedding.”
Gerald’s voice was filled with coldness.
Olive’s mind raced at that answer.
Why was he so angry when it was the wedding news he had been hoping for?
As the Duke tossed the Emperor’s letter onto the floor as if throwing away trash, Olive and Sebas Butler moved simultaneously.
Sebas Butler, who had well-developed athletic skills, was a little faster. He handed the letter to Olive with a face that seemed unable to bear to see the contents.
Olive unfolded the letter and read it, his mouth slowly widening.
It was indeed about the wedding. But the parties involved were different.
It was the wedding of the Crown Prince and Dia, not the Duke.
“Crazy…….”
Olive quickly closed his mouth at the words that came out without him realizing it.
He should have kept that to himself, but it seemed he was becoming more like the Duke.
As he slowly handed the letter to Sebas Butler, who kept asking with his eyes, Sebas Butler received it with trembling hands and began to read it.
His sturdy arm muscles bulged as he gripped the letter tightly.
“It seems the Emperor is not feeling well.”
Sebas Butler, averting his eyes from the letter, criticized the Emperor as indirectly as possible.
Olive squeezed his eyes shut.
His heart pounded with the feeling of stepping on thin ice.
“I think so too.”
“What are you planning to do?”
Gerald turned his gaze to the window.
“How long should I tolerate the mad Emperor?”
At his dangerous words, Olive and Sebas Butler swallowed hard.
Olive thought of the only person who could soothe the Duke’s anger and cautiously opened his mouth.
“I think it would be best to discuss it with Marin first.”
“That’s right.”
Sebas Butler nodded in agreement.
“I will.”
Olive and Sebas Butler simultaneously breathed a sigh of relief.
