214 - I Got Engaged to a Blind Duke
Engaged to the Blind Duke Chapter 214
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Marin looked down pityingly at Rabbit, who had fallen asleep in the stable.
Whatever hardships Rabbit had endured while being dragged to the capital, he had been sleeping all day ever since arriving at the Duke's Residence.
Though she was diligently wiping the bloodstains from Rabbit's fur with a wet towel, the bloodstains etched in her heart would not be so easily erased.
"Rabbit, I'm sorry..."
No matter how much she apologized, it never felt like enough, and her heart ached.
Just then.
"Marin."
"Lord Gerald."
Marin, her eyes swollen from crying, looked up at Gerald.
"I heard you haven't eaten anything all day?"
"I don't have an appetite."
Marin shook her head with a faint smile.
Since he couldn't force her to eat, Gerald set down a plate of sandwiches and sat beside her.
"Why won't he wake up?"
Marin looked at Rabbit with a face full of worry. Gerald's gaze followed hers.
"I don't understand why Rabbit keeps having such difficult experiences. I wonder if it's because he's with me..."
Marin's voice faltered, her face choked with emotion.
Gerald gently patted her back.
"Rabbit wouldn't think that."
"Do you think so?"
"If he can just be by your side, he can endure any hardship. If Rabbit feels the same way I do."
Marin bit her pink lips lightly and shook her head with a sad expression.
"But how can I keep watching the people I love suffer? If that's the case, I'd rather—"
Gerald carefully covered her mouth with his large hand.
Marin's eyes widened in surprise. She was always the one covering his mouth, but this time, her mouth was the one being covered.
"Don't tell me you're picking up that habit from being close to Dia. The men who have to hear those words feel their hearts crumbling."
When Marin looked at him with a puzzled expression, Gerald told her that Dia had decided to break up with the Crown Prince.
Marin quietly studied Gerald's face. His high nose bridge and sharp jawline seemed more defined than usual. While she was grieving over Rabbit, he too must have been suffering, as his face looked worn.
She didn't care that people were pointing fingers and calling her a witch. Because it wasn't true, she wasn't hurt by it.
But if her loved ones were hurt and suffered because of her—could she keep watching that?
Marin gently removed the hand covering her mouth and carefully caressed his large hand.
"I'm sorry."
"You've done nothing wrong."
He interlocked his fingers with hers, holding her hand tightly.
Marin nodded vigorously, mustering up her depleted energy.
Yes, let's not just be sad anymore. I should show a strong front in front of someone who cares for me so much.
"That's right! It's all the Emperor's fault. What a terrible person! Just perish already!"
Marin glared in the direction of the Imperial Palace and cursed the Emperor.
Gerald watched her trying to cheer up and relaxed the corners of his mouth. She always told him to watch his words, but it seemed she was truly angry this time.
"How about reading a book to Rabbit?"
Gerald suggested, hoping it might help her, who cherished BaniBani, regain some strength.
"Ah! You're right. I was so distraught I didn't think of that. I should read to him so he has sweet dreams and doesn't hurt."
Marin sprang up from her seat, vitality returning to her face. It seemed she felt better at the thought that she could do even a little something to help BaniBani.
As she was heading out the door, Marin turned back to look at Gerald.
"Thank you, Lord Gerald."
A smile touched Gerald's lips as he acknowledged her thanks with a nod.
After Marin left the stable, only BaniBani and Gerald remained.
"...You've been through a lot."
Even though BaniBani was asleep and couldn't hear, he meant it sincerely.
A short while later, after he opened the door and left, BaniBani's ear twitched slightly.
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The Emperor frowned as he read through the protest letters sent by the nobles, then tore them to shreds with both hands.
Three weeks had passed since he blockaded the Duke's Residence.
As he intended, rumors that the Duke of the West's fiancée was a witch had swept through the capital. Public opinion demanding that the Duke of the West hand over the dangerous woman had also grown.
However, since the Duke of the West publicly announced he would withdraw from western trade, the nobles' voices had been diminishing.
And their protests were now directed not at the Duke of the West, but at himself.
"What conspiracy are these people up to now? Have they all gone mad collectively?"
The Chancellor, who had brought the nobles' protest letters, bowed.
"Many nobles benefit from the western trade."
"Then they should side with me and pressure the Duke of the West more! If only his fiancée falls into my hands, do you think the Duke of the West would act so boldly like this?"
Bang!
The Emperor slammed the desk, unable to contain his anger, his face flushing bright red.
"My apologies."
The Chancellor bowed once more.
"Arrest and imprison all those who sent these protest letters!"
At the Emperor's unexpected command, the Chancellor lifted his head and hurriedly objected.
"Your Majesty, that cannot be done."
"Are you disregosing my command as well?"
"No, Your Majesty. Please look at the last page."
Beneath the torn protest letters was another sheet of paper.
It was densely filled with the names of nobles. It would be no exaggeration to say more than half the nobility was listed there.
"Ha."
The Emperor let out a hollow laugh and leaned back in his chair.
"What is the meaning of all this?"
"It shows just how important the western trade is."
"What do these people want from me?"
The white-haired Chancellor pressed his lips tightly together.
Although most of the nobles were demanding the Emperor's abdication, he couldn't bring himself to say it.
The Emperor pressed firmly on his throbbing temples. This damn headache was getting worse and worse.
He thought he could manipulate the Duke of the West to his liking by applying pressure through public opinion.
Having ascended the throne with the power of public opinion behind him, he was confident, even knowing it was a double-edged sword.
But he was mistaken.
He threw them bait to tear into the Duke of the West and his fiancée, but instead, the nobles were turning to attack him.
"Tch. Bring me a way to change the Duke of the West's mind."
The Emperor spoke as if taking a step back.
At that, a hot flush rose in the Chancellor's blue eyes.
He causes the trouble himself, and now tells me to bring a solution.
The Emperor's former sharpness and intelligence had vanished, leaving only an impatient and reckless ruler.
What on earth was the Emperor thinking, provoking the Duke of the West?
With just a little thought, he should have known it was a dangerous gamble.
From the start, witches were things that only existed in storybooks.
Even he had seen the Duke of the West's fiancée communicating with the Monster at the Hunting Festival, but that alone wasn't enough to label her a witch.
Furthermore, according to rumors circulating in the marketplace, that Monster was originally the young lady's rabbit.
Assuming Monsters also possess reason, it was within acceptable limits for the rabbit to follow the Duke of the West's fiancée.
As if to prove this, academic societies studying Monsters were eager to invite her.
"You may withdraw."
"Understood."
The Chancellor, with a desolate expression, opened the door and exited the office, only to find the Crown Prince standing right outside.
"Your Highness the Crown Pri—"
"Carry on."
The always polite Crown Prince cut him off and brushed past.
"Crown Prince, what is the meaning of this!"
The Emperor's furious voice came from behind the closed office door.
The Chancellor hurriedly left the area before the Emperor's wrath could splash onto him.
"Your Majesty."
Alecpet greeted with a stiff face.
"I explicitly forbade entry to my office."
Each word from the Emperor was filled with anger.
"I had no other way to see you, Your Majesty. My apologies."
Alecpet's golden eyes stared directly at the Emperor.
It almost seemed like a gesture of defiance.
The Emperor glared at the Crown Prince with viper-like eyes.
"Do you think a simple apology suffices?"
Even in the face of those sharp words, Alecpet questioned the Emperor defiantly for the first time.
"Why on earth did you fabricate such lies?"