208 - I Got Engaged to a Blind Duke
“Isn’t that right? Duke Smith Jin Patayan.”
Smi’s face stiffened at Gerald’s declaration.
Olive, who had been listening to the conversation from behind, gasped in surprise.
Marin watched him with a bewildered look.
Duke Smith Jin Patayan?
“Since when did you know?”
“I suspected it from the moment the Southern Duke started desperately searching for his brother.”
“……”
He couldn’t hide his agitation and silently stared at Gerald.
“The Ring of the Head of the Patayan Dukedom was inherited by ‘Smith,’ the elder of the twins. But why would the elder brother be so persistent in finding his twin brother for so many years?”
Marin slightly opened her mouth and looked at Smi—no, Smith—standing before her.
“So, you’re saying the current Duke is impersonating his older brother?”
“That’s right. The two look so alike that no one can tell them apart.”
Smith smiled bitterly at the sound of his name being called after so long, reminiscing about his scarred past.
\ \ \
His drunken younger brother, Smije, staggered into the office.
“Brother!”
Smith took off his glasses and looked up at his intoxicated brother.
“Smije, why did you drink so much?”
“Brother! Brother!”
Smith chuckled as his usually taciturn brother kept calling him.
“Why are you calling me? I’m not going anywhere.”
“……Why aren’t you?”
Smije mumbled, his head hanging low.
“What did you say?”
His words were barely audible in a low whisper.
“I wish you would just go away…….”
“You’re drunk. Go to bed.”
Smije slowly raised his head, his dark navy eyes gleaming.
“Brother, I’m going to become you.”
“……”
Smith stared at his twin brother with a puzzled expression.
“We were born on the same day, but it’s so unfair that I’m pushed aside from the Dukedom just because I was born one minute later than you, isn’t it?”
Smith stared at Smije with a hardened expression.
He knew that Smije was dissatisfied with not inheriting the Dukedom.
But this was the first time he had expressed it so directly.
“……It was Father’s decision. Go and rest.”
Smith dismissed his drunken brother and lowered his head to continue reading the report.
“Brother, Smith. Tsk, tsk. I told you not to just read books and look around the world a little.”
“What do you mean?”
The moment Smith raised his head, a dagger flew quickly towards him.
Clang!
Rowe, who had been hiding, appeared like lightning and deflected the dagger.
“The Duke, it’s dangerous. Step back.”
“I knew you coveted the Dukedom. I don’t have anything like that.”
Smije straightened up and gestured towards Rowe with his chin.
His face, which they had thought was drunk, was perfectly fine.
“Smije…….”
Smije shook his head and smiled.
“No, I’m Smith now. You, Smith, will die today as Smije.”
Smije’s lips, which looked exactly like his, curved up in satisfaction.
At that moment, the door opened and masked men poured in.
“Your Grace! Run away!”
Rowe blocked the men’s Swords one by one.
At that, Smith quickly opened another door in the office with the Ring of the Head and entered. It was a secret passage that only the Head of the Family could open.
Thump, thump!
The secret passage door shook as if it would break.
“Chase him! Kill him and bring the Ring of the Head!”
Smith stared at the shaking door with bewildered eyes.
“Open this door quickly!”
Smith turned a blind eye to his brother’s tearing voice and entered the passage.
\ \ \
“So this person is the real Southern Duke……”
Marin murmured as if she still couldn’t believe it.
So that’s why he said ‘current’ Southern Duke earlier.
Oh my gosh. This wasn’t in the original story! Of course, the original story had been greatly distorted and no longer contained important information.
“And Lord Gerald knew about this?”
“I only guessed. I only found out it was true today.”
“Then what do we do now? We have to go save Priana, but then the real Southern Duke might be in danger.”
“Duke, please help me.”
Smith said in a desperate voice and bowed deeply towards Gerald.
Gerald quietly watched him.
“Raise your head.”
As Smith showed a stiff face, Gerald opened his mouth in an indifferent tone.
“How long are you planning to run away?”
“……”
Smith’s dark navy eyes trembled.
“If you go to save your fiancée right now, I will give you my Knights. If they see my Knights, they will have no choice but to let you go. But you will have to run away again.”
Smith moved his lips and spoke with difficulty.
“If I don’t run away, will you help me?”
“I will.”
Smith looked at the Duke with an unbelievable expression.
His twin brother, who had the same face and was born on the same day, stole his name.
But why was the Duke of the West, a complete stranger, helping him?
“……Why?”
“Didn’t you ask me to?”
The Duke opened his mouth with a nonchalant expression, as if asking something obvious.
Smith looked at the Duke with a flustered face. He had asked, but he didn’t expect him to agree so easily.
“I will save the Young Lady, so go to the South right now. I will send my Knights with you. Go and take back the South.”
“I can’t do that. After confirming Priana’s safety-”
“Then it will be too late. Don’t you know that?”
Gerald coldly cut him off.
Smith clenched his teeth.
He knew that now was the opportunity.
But was it right to leave without seeing Priana, who was suffering because of him? His heart ached when he thought of Priana.
“You have to decide.”
Smith’s face flushed. It was as if his weakness had been exposed to him.
“But the South is under my brother’s influence-”
“Tsk.”
Gerald clicked his tongue as if displeased and cut him off again.
“Who is the Southern Duke now?”
Only then did Smith look at the Duke of the West with dazed eyes, as if he had been hit in the back of the head.
“The Southern Duke is ‘Smith.’ The current Duke has stupidly continued the Dukedom ‘pretending’ to be you. You just need to return to your original position instead of your brother who is pretending to be you.”
Marin admired Gerald’s words in her heart.
Wow, that’s right. Why would the real Smith be conscious of anyone when he’s returning to his original position?
“I understand.”
Smith clenched his fist tightly and said with a determined face.
“Leave immediately. The fake must be excited about his plan to drag you in, so it’s the perfect opportunity to exploit his weakness.”
Smith nodded with a stiff expression, but he couldn’t bring himself to leave.
“Please, Priana-”
That was when.
“Come in.”
Gerald cut him off and ordered.
Then, the door opened and a sweat-soaked Elmis entered.
“Elmis!”
Marin was surprised and approached Elmis.
“I’m back.”
“Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. The carriage entered a building on the outskirts of the capital. Lady Priana is being held there.”
Smith stopped breathing, his face pale.
He wanted to run to his lover right away, but as the Duke of the West said, he had to go to the South as soon as possible.
Many parts of the South may have been taken over by his brother, but there were also forces that could only be moved with the Ring of the Family.
The Southern Knights.
If he moved them, he would be able to take control of the South.
Smith looked at the Duke of the West and bowed again, asking for his help.
“Please save Priana.”
“I will.”
Smith turned his gaze to Marin.
“Please explain to Priana. Please tell her that I will come back and beg for her forgiveness.”
“Yes, I will.”
“Olive.”
At Gerald’s call, Olive, who had been quietly watching the situation from behind, stepped forward.
“Southern Duke, let’s go.”
“Let’s.”
As the two left, only Gerald, Marin, and Elmis remained in the office.
“Marin, I want to step in, but-”
“Lord Gerald, you shouldn’t do this-”
The two stopped speaking at the same time. They were both thinking the same thing.
“You go first.”
Gerald’s lips softened, yielding to her.
“If Lord Gerald goes directly, it could become a fight between the South and the West.”
“I agree.”
He nodded, looking pleased with the wise Marin.
“I’m also a Westerner now, so they could find fault with me if I go.”
Gerald listened to her words with interest.
“So let’s turn the tables completely. So that it doesn’t become a fight between the South and the West.”
“How?”
“Let’s put forward a new figure who is neither from the South nor the West.”
Gerald gestured for her to continue.
“Let’s ask for help from His Highness the Crown Prince.”
“The Crown Prince?”
Gerald asked back in a slightly surprised voice, as if he hadn’t thought of that.
“He’s someone the South can’t easily touch.”
Marin smiled confidently.