51 - I Got Engaged to a Blind Duke
Marin, back in her detached palace, dove onto the bed with an exhausted body.
“I don’t want to do anything……”
“Marin, shall I prepare your bathwater?”
Yuria, who had followed her in before she knew it, kindly took off her velvet shoes.
Marin only poked her head up from the bed and looked up at Yuria.
“Yuria, the way you say ‘Lady’ sounds so natural?”
“Hehehe. I’ve always wanted to call you that. Actually, I noticed a long time ago that you were a noble.”
Marin was so surprised that she got up from the bed and sat up straight.
“How?”
“Nobles have a different aura from the start.”
“You noticed from the moment we first met?”
“Yes. Most of the other servants probably knew too. The maids who used to make fun of you probably noticed and wanted to put you down more, so they said it that way.”
Marin nodded and pondered.
She thought she had been imitating a commoner quite well, but were they all just pretending to be fooled?
Even when she was disguised as a man? She even sat on the floor when she was disguised as a man?
“Thank you for telling me.”
Marin quickly dropped the thought, as if she had glimpsed a new dark history.
“Oh, right, the head maid asked what time you would be available tomorrow. She said there was something to discuss about the party preparations.”
“I don’t want to do anything.”
Marin flopped back onto the bed instead of answering.
“You’re not doing anything right now, though?”
“Yeah. I’m not doing anything, but I don’t want to do anything even more intensely. I just want to breathe.”
Yuria tilted her head and stared at Marin, who was rolling around on the bed diligently.
Why is she rolling around on the bed when she says she doesn’t want to do anything?
Our Lady is a lovely person, but sometimes she’s strange.
\ \ \
The next day, Yuria quickly answered the knock that came early in the morning.
Marin was drinking tea with Loanna when she silently put down her teacup.
“Good morning, Baroness, Marin.”
Head Maid Paige entered the room with her hands full of something.
“Good morning.”
When Loanna greeted her kindly, Head Maid Paige bowed slightly with a dark expression.
“Baroness, please speak comfortably.”
Marin nodded slightly at Loanna’s troubled appearance.
She had already decided to do so, but her mother couldn’t speak formally to the servants.
“I will.”
“Yes. Thank you.”
The head maid gave a polite thank you and raised her head, and Marin asked with a curious face.
“I heard you wanted to see me?”
“Yes.”
Head Maid Paige placed the catalogs she was holding next to the tea table.
“What’s all this?”
Marin was frightened by the memory of being overworked by Idre.
“These are catalogs regarding the party preparations. Since it’s an engagement celebration party, your opinion is important. This catalog is about the tablecloth colors, this is about the curtain colors, this is about the party food, this is……”
“Wait, just a moment.”
As expected, it was a troublesome and difficult task. Marin, who was once again at a crossroads of numerous choices, stared at Loanna with a gloomy expression.
Help me, Mom.
“Isn’t this what you’ll have to do in the future?”
Her mother, who read her gaze, patted her hand as if to cheer her on.
No. That’s not true. The female lead will do this in the future.
Marin swallowed her inner thoughts and sent Loanna a desperate look for help.
“Okay. I’ll help you.”
“Head Maid, did you hear that? You can discuss it with my mother.”
Marin looked back at the head maid with a happy face.
Loanna stared at her daughter with a dumbfounded expression.
“I said I’d help, are you going to leave it all to me?”
“Mom, I haven’t even picked out a dress yet. You know I’m not good at making choices. You have more experience in hosting parties than I do, so I’ll follow your lead.”
Marin clung to Loanna’s arm and acted cute.
“Oh, I can’t stop you.”
Loanna glared at her daughter in a way that wasn’t unpleasant.
“I’ll learn a lot from the side. Please, okay?”
“Okay.”
Head Maid Paige, who had been listening to the two of them silently, slid the catalog towards Loanna.
“Would you like to take a look?”
“I will.”
“Then you two can talk slowly, and I’ll be on my way.”
Marin naturally got up from her chair.
“Marin, you said you’d learn from the side?”
“Hehe. Today’s not the only day.”
Loanna shook her head.
But then, the head maid straightened up again and stood facing Marin.
“Marin, I have something to tell you.”
“What is it?”
“This party is being prepared in a hurry, so it seems like I should be here, but I’m going to resign from this position after the party is over.”
The head maid mentioned her resignation with a calm face.
Marin and Loanna, and even Yuria, who was standing behind them, were surprised and looked at the head maid.
“Why suddenly?”
“As the person in charge of the maids, I was negligent in my management and caused harm to you.”
“That’s something that ended a long time ago.”
Head Maid Paige said with a firm look.
“Yes, it did. Actually, I’ve been wondering how to take responsibility since then. You are the Duke’s fiancée. So I have to take responsibility for letting such rumors spread even more.”
Marin looked at the head maid with a frustrated look.
She was as stubborn as her upright back.
She was a fake fiancée anyway, and she didn’t want the head maid to lose her job because of a fake engagement.
“Head Maid.”
Marin made eye contact with Head Maid Paige.
“Yes.”
“Do you know what Yuria did after dinner yesterday?”
Head Maid Paige’s face hardened slightly.
“I’m sorry. I don’t know.”
Marin watched Head Maid Paige and called Yuria, who was standing behind her.
“Yuria.”
“Ye, yes.”
Yuria, nervous in the serious atmosphere, stuttered again.
“What did you do after dinner yesterday?”
“I, I did e, embroidery in my room.”
Marin, hearing Yuria’s answer, smiled brightly at the head maid.
“Head Maid, do you know what Yuria did on the morning of a week ago?”
“I’m sorry.”
“Yuria?”
“I, I don’t know either. I, I’m sorry.”
Yuria, frightened, bowed her head, not knowing what to do.
“You don’t have to apologize. I don’t even remember what I did on the morning of a week ago. Yuria, just one more question. Do you know how many maids there are in Duke's Castle?”
Marin asked Yuria kindly.
“I think there are about 200 people……”
Yuria pondered and answered in an unsure voice.
“Head Maid?”
Marin turned her gaze back to Head Maid Paige.
“252 people.”
“The head maid can’t know every move of 252 maids. Do you know what I mean?”
The head maid, understanding the intention of Marin’s question, bowed her head deeply.
“Yes.”
“It’s good to be responsible. But to bring up something that I’ve already forgiven and say you’re going to quit, are you saying that you don’t want to be under me in a roundabout way?”
Marin smiled brightly and stared at Head Maid Paige.
“Absolutely not.”
Her trademark neat expression crumbled, revealing a flustered face.
“I almost misunderstood. I look forward to your continued service as head maid.”
“Yes. I will serve you with all my heart.”
Head Maid Paige bowed deeply at Marin’s kind but pointed words.
