Translator: Nox

36 - I Got Engaged to a Blind Duke

I got engaged to a blind peacock Chapter 36

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In a quiet, empty room, Gerald closed his eyes and listened to the surrounding sounds.

In the distance, he could hear Killon talking with nephews he had never met.

Anger surged within him, but he quietly swallowed it.

It wasn't the right time yet. Finding his missing youngest nephew was the priority.

Gerald quietly set down his teacup and opened his mouth.

"Kay."

Kay prostrated himself before him.

"Follow Killon and find Peridot."

At his brief command, Kay disappeared again without a word.

Soon after, Olive's footsteps echoed down the hallway.

"Come in."

Olive entered with an indignant expression.

"Killon, the Baron seems to have rushed the funeral arrangements for tomorrow. Many nobles haven't been notified. And..."

Olive hesitated for a long time, stammering.

Gerald didn't press her, silently picking up his teacup.

"The bodies of the Count and Countess were badly damaged, so they've already been cremated. At tomorrow's funeral, they'll be..."

Olive couldn't finish her sentence, her voice filled with sorrow.

No noble is ever cremated before the funeral.

The Duke's tightly closed eyelids slowly opened.

A terrifying murderous intent emanated from his chillingly bright silver eyes.

The porcelain teacup in Gerald's hand crumbled into powder, scattering on the floor.

His red lips slowly parted.

"...How dare they."

Olive trembled slightly with fear.

She had known the Duke for almost her entire life, but this was the first time she had seen him so enraged.

\ \ \

Marin pursed her pink lips into a round shape, focused on the map. She had looked at the map so much over the past few days that she could practically memorize the terrain.

"It doesn't make sense. Arriving in a week doesn't make sense."

A sigh-like murmur escaped her lips.

She knew well that the distance from the west to the south was far. Olive had said that she would travel the ten-day distance in a week by riding quickly.

Wasn't there a saying that fools are brave?

Marin had secretly packed her bags, feeling guilty that she couldn't keep up due to her trauma. She was bravely trying to follow him, even if she had to go alone.

That's how her map study began. Even the straight-line distance from the west to the south was far, and there were mountains in the middle of the route.

She was confident in her riding skills, but she wasn't skilled enough to ride a horse up a mountain.

On top of that, she would be in trouble if she encountered robbers alone.

Even if she arrived after all the twists and turns, the Duke's cold sneer would be waiting for her.

"Haa..."

A deep sigh escaped her lips as she took her eyes off the map. She had made several plans while looking at the map, but they were all reckless.

He hates noisy things, so is he enduring the carriage well? Is he eating properly? I think he's run out of Mandresson Grass by now. Should I have taught him how to make it? How many days has he been unable to sleep?

"My dear, what's so serious?"

"It's not serious... Who are you?"

The only person who would talk to her in the quiet, deserted library was Zero. Marin, naturally assuming it was him, turned her gaze and widened her eyes at the appearance of a stranger.

Long silver hair that shone like the Milky Way. Deep, blue eyes that emitted a cold light behind the glasses. Alluring red lips.

Ah, dazzling. A man of great beauty stood before her.

"It's a pleasure to meet you for the first time. I am Jeromian Rodel Sant. Zero's brother."

Jeromian bowed slightly and made eye contact with a welcoming gaze.

"Ah, hello. I'm Marin."

Marin hurriedly stood up from her seat and greeted him with a bewildered expression.

"I've heard a lot about you from Zero. I'm glad I finally met you."

Jeromian smiled prettily and spoke to her in a friendly manner.

"I see."

Marin forced an awkward smile and slightly averted her gaze, following his lead.

So this is his true form. She couldn't say, 'I know you two are the same person.'

He, who often transforms into the form of a child, appeared in his original form.

What does this mean?

In the novel, he shows his true form long after meeting the female lead. And his real name wasn't revealed either.

Jeromian Rodel Sant.

Zero was a shortened version of his long name.

But Sant? It was a surname she had heard somewhere before.

His surname kept swirling in her head, so Marin repeated the surname in her mind.

Sant. Sant? Could it be the Northern Duke's family, Sant? Is this man the Northern Archduke?

Realizing the unexpected fact, Marin stared at Jeromian with wide, startled eyes. His blue eyes were staring intently, as if examining her reaction.

Marin quickly lowered her gaze and hid her surprised heart, pretending not to know his identity.

If the Western Duke's family was blocking the Monsters of the desert, the Northern Duke's family was blocking the Monsters of the mountains. In particular, the Northern Duke's family was more secretive and mysterious than the Western Duke's family, as they did not engage in much external activity.

That's why she didn't immediately recall the name of the Northern Duke's family.

Even though it's a world inside a novel, is the Archduke of another Duke's family this close? There are only four families in this vast empire?

Using a pseudonym usually means you want to hide something, so is it okay to tell anyone this? Or does he think I won't know because I'm pretending to be a commoner?

"Why do you look so surprised?"

She was caught being surprised. His voice was kind, but his blue eyes held a sharp light.

"Yes? Ah, it's just... you look so much like Zero."

"I hear that a lot."

"Yes. You look exactly alike. I think Zero will look like this when he becomes an adult."

"There's no one as beautiful as me in the Empire, so it's lucky for Zero if he looks like me. Don't you think?"

Jeromian winked and joked.

"That's right."

Marin nodded as if agreeing.

However, Jeromian suddenly took off his glasses and roughly wiped them with his sleeve, as if her reaction was unexpected. His earlobes, barely visible between his sparkling silver hair, were tinged with red.

It was fascinating to see him, who was always so confident, flustered by her one word.

Jeromian put his glasses back on and changed the subject with a nonchalant expression.

"More importantly, you haven't answered my question yet."

"What question?"

Marin asked back with a puzzled expression.

"What's so serious?"

When Jeromian asked the same question again, she finally remembered their first conversation.

"Ah, it's nothing serious, I was just wondering if the Duke is doing well on his way."

"There's no need to worry about that guy. He's the strongest in the Empire."

"Worry...?"

Marin realized her own unexpected feelings.

"You weren't worried?"

"Um, I think so. Worry. I was worried about the Duke..."

The Duke is the strongest in the Empire, as Jeromian said, and the male protagonist of the original novel. There will be hardships and adversities, but he is the protagonist of a happy ending where everything is resolved.

Had she grown to feel close to the Duke as she spent time with him?

Marin shook her head.

No. Her professional spirit is just too thorough.

Marin nodded and organized her thoughts.

Jeromian watched her with curious eyes as she frowned and shook her head, then nodded.

"Thank you, Jeromian."

"Have you finished thinking?"

He asked with a smile on his lips, as if he found it amusing.

"Yes. You have awakened my professional spirit."

"Oh ho. I'm capable of doing such a thing."

As he praised himself, Marin nodded in agreement.

"Yes. You are really amazing. I can't just be worried either. May I excuse myself first?"

Marin folded the map she had spread out with a snap.

"Yes. Go ahead."

"Then see you again next time."

Marin smiled brightly and left the library.

"Very interesting."

Jeromian's sparkling gaze, as if he had found an interesting research topic, lingered on her back for a long time.