27 - I Got Engaged to a Blind Duke
Engaged to the Blind Duke Episode 27
A tear that had gathered in the corner of her eye rolled down her cheek.
"Is the Duke not human too? He could have just gotten up... Ugh, I'm so embarrassed! So embarrassed!"
Marin sniffled as she wiped away her tears.
Until she realized she had been reborn, she had lived her entire life as a noble lady. For someone like her, feeling ashamed in this situation was an unavoidable instinct.
Through her sniffles, her eyes fell upon the basket brimming with Mandelesong.
Marin weakly raised a finger and pointed at the Mandelesong.
"That, that... looks like some kind of flower... or something......"
Her finger, drained of strength, dropped onto the bed with a soft thud.
What's the use of blaming that flower? It's all my own foolish fault.
Instead of gobbling it all down at once, I should have eaten it little by little while experimenting.
Knock knock.
Just then, a knocking sound was followed by Yuria's voice.
"Lady Marin. It's Yuria."
"Come in."
At the sound of the door opening, Marin weakly propped herself up halfway.
Yuria entered, pulling a trolley.
"Lady Marin, I heard you're feeling unwell somewhere?"
"How did you know that, Yuria?"
Marin's eyes widened as she stared at Yuria.
Yuria pointed to the medicine bottle on the trolley.
"Aide Olive told me to take care of you, my lady. Are you in a lot of pain?"
"Lord Olive? Lord Olive knows about this too?"
With her head suddenly spinning, Marin buried her face weakly into the bed.
Ah, is this what dying of shame feels like?
"Lady Marin, are you alright?!"
Startled, Yuria hurried to the bedside.
"Ah, my body's fine. It's more that somewhere else is a bit......"
As her face flushed with embarrassment, she felt a warm heat rising to her head.
"Lady Marin, your face is red. It seems you have a fever. The medicine I brought is for stomach aches, they said."
Yuria held up the medicine bottle from the trolley. Olive knew exactly where she was hurting.
The tears she had held back burst forth again.
"Ah... I already took that medicine... sob."
"Lady Marin, please don't cry. You must be in a lot of pain."
A surprised Yuria examined her with a worried gaze.
"No. It doesn't hurt. This is my heart hurting... sob."
Marin wiped her tears and shook her head. Her body didn't hurt at all anymore. She just wanted to die of shame.
"Ah, this is Mandelesong! Perfect. Lady Marin, may I use a little of this?"
"Sure. You can take it all!"
She didn't even want to look at the Mandelesong right now.
"Just a little is enough. One moment, please."
Yuria grabbed a handful of Mandelesong and swiftly left the room.
Marin sniffled as she glanced at the medicine bottle placed on the trolley.
That wretched Duke. He went and spread the news about my stomach ache throughout the entire castle.
Is it acceptable for a male lead to have such a loose tongue?
"Betrayal..."
And who was it that caused my stomach ache in the first place? I was just trying to repay a favor.
Marin resented the absent Duke and tried her best to somehow overcome her shame.
Knock knock. Soon, a knocking sound was heard.
"Lady Marin."
"Come in."
Having propped herself up halfway again, Marin saw the tray Yuria was carrying.
Along with a white cloth, Yuria had brought a dish holding a green, mushy, unidentifiable paste. Noticing Marin's puzzled look, Yuria smiled brightly.
"It's something I learned when I was young. When you have a fever, you make Mandelesong into a paste and apply it, and the fever would go down."
"Really?"
It seemed the Mandelesong folk remedy she had mentioned almost as an excuse to Zero actually existed.
"Please lie down."
"Okay."
Closing her eyes and lying down on the bed, she soon felt the cool cloth touch her forehead and eyes. Along with the warm fragrance of the Mandelesong, she felt the heat in her head gradually cooling.
"It seems to be working."
"Right? I used to do this often for my younger sibling when I was little."
Yuria spoke in an excited voice, seemingly happy to be of help.
"But you have a sibling?"
"Yes. A twin, who works at the castle just like me."
"I see. Thank you for taking care of me, Yuria."
"Hehe. It's nothing. I'm happy I can help you, Lady Marin."
Yuria smiled shyly.
"Okay. It's a really big help... This is it!"
As Marin bolted upright from the bed, the cloth and paste slid down her face.
"Lady Marin!"
Startled, Yuria's eyes widened as she stared at Marin's face.
"Yuria! You've been a huge help! Thank you! Really, thank you!"
Marin grabbed Yuria's hands and beamed.
She absolutely could not feed Mandelesong to the Duke. Even if it only caused a stomach ache, Mandelesong was a weed listed in the book of poisonous plants.
No matter how much she experimented, given her lack of knowledge about medicinal herbs, the risk was far too great.
But what if she applied it instead of feeding it?
She didn't know how effective it would be, but even the slightest, most minimal effect would be fine.
"I shouldn't ask for too much."
Restoring his sight completely is something the holy figure of the herbal world, the female lead, will handle anyway.
Marin nodded with a determined expression, muttering to herself.
Yuria, who had been watching her actions intently, made eye contact with Marin.
Marin, her face entirely green from the sliding paste, smiled a happy smile, revealing her white teeth.
Yuria gave her an awkward smile in return, examining her with a concerned look.
Ah, so this is why Aide Olive told me not to take my eyes off her for a single moment until tomorrow?
Lady Marin's condition was unusually strange.
Yuria resolved to stay by Marin's side and keep watch through the night, just as the Aide had commanded.
\ \ \
"Come in."
Marin looked down at the trolley she had prepared in advance.
On the trolley were a dish containing Mandelesong Grass, a cloth so thin it was almost transparent, a fairy tale book, and a candle.
After opening the office door, she pushed the trolley inside as carefully as possible.
"...You're alive."
Flinch.* Her shoulders trembled slightly.
The shame she had buried last night threatened to resurface.
But Marin had resolved to be utterly brazen.
She feigned ignorance, making her light green eyes sparkle.
"Why? Did something happen?"
If she had lived her life solely as a noble lady, she might never have been able to come back here, but she wasn't a delicate lady fragile enough to die of shame.
"Nothing happened."
She could see his head nod slightly.
It seemed her answer pleased him.
Marin pulled the trolley closer to the Duke with a bit more confidence.
"Before reading the fairy tale today, I have one request for Your Excellency."
"A request?"
"Yes."
"Why should I grant it?"
Tch. He never makes anything easy.
Marin forced a smile onto her lips. They say you can't spit on a smiling face, after all.
Of course, he can't see it.
"I believe it will be helpful to Your Excellency, the Duke."
"Making a request of me is helpful to me?"
"Yes."
"And if I refuse?"
Ah, seriously.
Her expression crumpled, but she pulled her facial muscles back into a gentle smile.
"You will grant it."
"So what if I don't?"
He's persistent, this man.
Marin dropped the nice-girl act and pouted her lips.
"If you don't, then I'll do whatever Your Excellency the Duke wants."
"Good."
Wow. Even when I genuinely want to help him, why does he have to be so fussy?
Marin pushed the trolley a little closer to him as she spoke.
"Then, if you'll excuse me for a moment. May I approach Your Excellency the Duke and make physical contact with......"
"What?"
The Duke cut her off mid-sentence.
Marin, who had stopped pushing the trolley abruptly, asked back with a flustered face.
"Huh?"
"What did you just say?"
The Duke's voice deepened.
As the Duke's consistently indifferent attitude changed, Marin's face grew tense and she rolled her eyes nervously.
"Did I say something wrong?"
"Repeat what you just said, exactly."
Marin carefully stammered out the words she had just spoken.
"Then, if you'll excuse me for a moment. May I approach Your Excellency the Duke and make physical contact with......"
"Are you now announcing your intent to assault me? This is a novel approach indeed."
The Duke tugged at one corner of his mouth and fiddled with his own collar with his long fingers.
"Whaaaat?"
Her face flushed bright red as she grasped the implication of the Duke's words.
What on earth is that Duke saying right now?
