26 - I Got Engaged to a Blind Duke
Blind Duke and Fiancee 26
I walked along the stone path to the left of the magnificent fountain in the center of the Duke's Castle for a while until I reached a dirt floor.
Fluffy, sheep-shaped clouds lined the blue sky. Tall trees soared as if to pierce the sky. The castle walls were visible in the distance.
I had always been going between buildings, so it felt refreshing to take a walk for the first time in a while.
Beyond the forest, a wide garden with green grass spread out.
Unlike the gardens of other noble families, there were no fancy ornamental trees or beautiful flowerbeds.
However, the green grass under the blue sky created a picturesque landscape.
Now all I had to do was find the Mandelesong that grew like weeds everywhere.
"Found it."
Looking around the grass garden, I could see a lush colony of Mandelesong in a sunny spot.
Marin picked as much as she could carry and filled her picnic basket.
She needed a lot of Mandelesong because she had to extract the juice.
"This is exercise too."
My back ached from bending over and straightening up. I tapped my stiff back and looked at the sky, it seemed like the sun would set soon.
Soon after, I packed my picnic basket and returned to my room, then I was lost in thought.
"How do I get the juice out of this?"
I needed a mortar and pestle.
Should I ask Yuria to bring it?
Looking out the window, the sun had already set, and it was almost time to go to the Duke.
As I touched the yellow petals of the Mandelesong, a subtle mint scent rose. I picked up the Mandelesong and put it to my nose, and the mint scent was strong.
Marin picked a yellow petal and carefully put it in her mouth and chewed it.
My mouth felt cool. It wasn't as burdensome as eating a peppermint candy.
"I can make juice by chewing it."
Marin picked a handful of flowers. Then, she closed her eyes tightly, put them in her mouth, and chewed hard.
Fortunately, thanks to the cool ingredient, it wasn't disgusting and my mouth felt refreshed.
Marin changed into the dress that Yuria had fixed, put a lot of Mandelesong flowers in a sachet, and picked up a fairy tale book.
She was going to the Duke's office while eating the petals.
\ \ \
Marin arrived in front of the Duke's office, chewing on the flowers. Before she could knock, she heard the Duke's voice.
"Come in."
Marin now familiarly lit the candles and went inside.
The Duke was still shrouded in darkness.
Marin swallowed the flower she was chewing and approached the Duke.
After getting close to the Duke, she naturally held out her wrist. The Duke grabbed her wrist once and quickly let go.
"Why are you still wearing your old dress?"
Marin narrowed her eyes and looked at him with suspicion.
Is this person really blind?
"Thank you."
"That's not what I asked."
"I ordered a dress today, so it will take some time. Thank you is for the dress you gave me today."
"Another fairy tale book?"
When he changed the subject, Marin pretended not to know and followed his lead.
"Yes. Then I'll start."
"...Imsi, what's that scent?"
The Duke turned his head towards her and asked.
"Scent?"
"What were you eating earlier?"
Only then did I realize what the Duke was talking about. He must have smelled the Mandelesong scent.
"I ate some flowers."
At her words, his eyebrows shot up.
"Olive isn't the type to neglect her work."
He meant why was she eating flowers instead of the food she was given.
"I was just bored."
Marin made an excuse because she didn't have a good reason.
"I'll have to tell Olive to try harder so Imsi doesn't get bored. Imsi's mouth is precious."
"Pardon?"
Marin was surprised and widened her eyes and asked again.
What about my mouth?
I never thought such words would come out of the Duke's mouth.
"Aren't you working?"
"Yes, I am. Then I'll read."
Marin glanced at him with a strange expression and opened the fairy tale book.
"Once upon a time, long ago, there lived a kind mother and a beautiful daughter who had lost her husband. The kind mother happened to meet a wonderful gentleman and soon fell in love with him."
"Is that a fairy tale book?"
"Yes, it is. Should I keep reading?"
Marin said confidently.
"Yes."
"One day, the mother said to her daughter. My dear daughter, you will soon have a stepfather. And you will have two kind older brothers. The daughter was sincerely happy. Because her mother was happy."
Grumble.
Marin was surprised by the sudden sound of her stomach and pressed her stomach with one hand.
Looking at the Duke, he was sitting still.
"The daughter was very much looking forward to meeting her new family... Ahh."
Grumble. Grumblumble.
The sound coming from my stomach was getting louder and louder. My vision turned black and then white.
"Imsi?"
"Your, Duke, eugh, Your Grace."
Marin squeezed out her voice as much as possible.
"Imsi?"
The Duke straightened up in his chair and leaned his ear towards her.
Don't listen!
Marin clutched her stomach, sweating profusely, and barely managed to say.
"My, my stomach, my stomach..."
Grumblumble.
Thunder was rumbling in my stomach.
"I'll, later... Ugh."
"Go."
"Yes. I'm, I'm sorry... Ugh."
Marin threw down the fairy tale book and ran outside.
She thought she heard a cool laugh from somewhere, but she couldn't hear it because she was in pain in her stomach.
\ \ \
Gerald shrugged his shoulders and laughed coolly. It was the first time he had laughed so hard since he went blind.
It was so funny that he didn't even feel the piercing pain in his ears when he laughed.
The curtain behind him also swayed slightly.
Gerald leaned back in his chair, lost in the afterglow of laughter.
She was a woman who you never knew where she would bounce.
She was deceiving him by saying she was a commoner, but wasn't she originally a young lady from a noble family?
The young ladies he had seen at parties had all tried to look clean and innocent.
If they heard even a little bit of dirty talk, they would leave with a face that said, 'I don't know anything.'
Most of the young ladies didn't even drink a sip of water to avoid going to the bathroom.
But there was a young lady who ran to the bathroom like that?
She would write a suicide note tomorrow because she was ashamed and try to kill herself.
Gerald's face suddenly hardened as he chuckled.
What if she tried to kill herself? He couldn't let her go like this.
She was now an essential person to him.
"...Kay."
"......"
Kay, who quickly prostrated himself in front of him, was felt in the breeze.
"Tell Olive to get Imsi her medicine. Put someone on guard in case she tries to commit suicide."
Kay, who had bowed his head, disappeared like the wind.
The cool floral scent from her was still floating in the air. It was the first time he had smelled that floral scent, and it was very refreshing.
He had never been interested in flowers, but he had avoided flowers since the Demon Flower that had blinded him.
Gerald, unaware that he was worried about her, closed his eyes and took a long, deep breath of the scent that wasn't disgusting for the first time in a long time.
\ \ *
After fighting in the bathroom, Marin lay on the bed with a pale face.
Fortunately, Zero's medicine that I had prepared in advance was working well, and my stomach was quickly calming down.
"I'm embarrassed. How am I going to face the Duke in the future..."
Marin buried her face in the pillow and stomped her feet. Because it was a soft bed, her feet sank deeply.
The situation in the office earlier floated in my head. I thought I heard something like a big laugh.
"No. There's no way the Duke would have laughed. The male lead never laughs out loud. No. Never."
Marin had a time of denial while brainwashing herself.
That's strange. There's no way the Duke would have laughed, so why are my eyes watering?
