54 - I Got Engaged to a Blind Duke
Eyeless Duke and I are engaged - Episode 54
As Yoreli saw the Duke's fiancée with her head bowed deeply, she recalled the eye color she had noticed at their first meeting. They were a clear, light green, like fresh sprouts.
Yoreli pointed to one of the bags with a confident expression.
"This is a Peridot ring mined from the northern mines, and it perfectly resembles the color of the fiancée's eyes."
Yoreli carefully took out the ring with a white-gloved hand and held it out.
Marin overcame her embarrassment and raised her head to look at the ring.
It was a ring with a teardrop-shaped Peridot surrounded by a dense array of transparent diamonds.
"Wow, it's beautiful."
The delicate craftsmanship made the jewel emit a dazzling light.
"I crafted it myself. Hahaha."
"Do you like it?"
"Yes."
She didn't know if she deserved to receive something like this, but it was truly a beautiful ring.
"Excuse me, but how about this one?"
Yoreli, with a glint in her eyes, took out a blue gemstone ring from another bag.
"This is a ring made of Aquamarine. It's a ring that seems to carry a refreshing fragrance. As soon as I heard the fiancée's name, this ring came to mind."
Marin stared blankly at the blue shimmering gemstone ring, thinking of someone she missed.
Her mother loved Aquamarine gemstones. That's why her father gifted her mother with Aquamarine more than any other gemstone. Her own name was also taken from the name of that gemstone.
"It's pretty."
As her expression darkened, Yoreli looked at her with a flustered expression.
"Perhaps, do you not like it?"
"No. It just reminded me of the past for a moment."
As Yoreli looked at her with an anxious face, Marin quickly added.
"My father often gifted this gemstone to my mother. I just remembered that for a moment. Both are very beautiful."
"Buy both. There must be a set that goes well with that ring, right?"
"Of course. We have necklaces, earrings, and bracelets, a complete set ready."
Marin hurriedly turned her gaze to the Duke and whispered.
"It's just for one-time use anyway..."
"Consider this a bonus."
"I will gratefully accept it."
Marin quickly changed her attitude and eagerly accepted.
With these jewels, she could leave the Duke's Castle right away.
"Yoreli. Leave all the jewels you brought."
"N-Neeek? Th-Thank you!"
Yoreli was dazed for a moment, then offered her thanks as if she were about to burst into tears.
"I only need those two."
Marin whispered into the Duke's ear with a weary face.
"You can sell the other jewels, but don't sell those two engagement rings."
Startled. Does this man really have mind-reading abilities?
Having her inner thoughts read, Marin carefully replied.
"I won't."
"I knew it, you were planning to sell them."
A crooked smile hung on his lips.
Ah, I was baited.
"It's a misunderstanding. I was planning to pass them down through the generations in our family."
Marin jumped up as if to say, "What are you talking about?"
In times like this, you have to insist no matter what.
"If you say so."
In the meantime, Yoreli placed the Aquamarine ring and the Peridot ring in a dark red velvet box.
"Here, I will give you the engagement ring first."
"Only the Aquamarine."
"Yes."
Yoreli gently placed the Aquamarine ring box on the hand the Duke held out.
"Why?"
Marin looked at him with a curious face.
"I'll wear this ring at the party. It would be meaningful to wear the ring that your parents loved."
Marin didn't know what kind of expression to make, so she stared blankly at him.
It's not a real engagement.
Marin's nose tingled, and she quickly turned her gaze away.
As a heavy silence was about to settle, the Duke turned his body as if looking at her.
He took the ring out of the box and gently stroked its shape.
Since he couldn't see, it seemed like he was gauging the shape with his hands.
Soon, the Duke held out his large hand to Marin.
"Marin."
"...Yes."
Tension rose to the tip of her throat. Marin carefully placed her hand on his outstretched hand with an awkward expression.
He slowly slipped the ring onto her ring finger. Even though it wasn't real, her heart was pounding incessantly.
"Cough."
"Hup."
Sebas the butler and Yoreli covered their mouths at their solemn appearance.
The ring fit perfectly on her finger.
Marin carefully touched the ring, just as the Duke had done.
The ring she received due to the fake engagement was dazzlingly beautiful. And heavy.
The weight felt even heavier because of the situation of the fake engagement.
Jeromian, heading to the Duke's office, stopped abruptly in his tracks.
Surenne, the blacksmith of the Duke's Castle, and Sebas the butler were coming towards him.
"Hey, handsome alchemist! You look good as always!"
Surenne, whose voice was hoarse, raised her hand and greeted him cheerfully.
Dark purple eyes. Lilac-colored bobbed hair. A height of 185 centimeters, tall for a woman.
Her facial features were bold, so she looked like a handsome man at first glance, but upon closer inspection, she was quite a beauty.
Surenne was wearing a sleeveless shirt that revealed her firm arm muscles and pants.
"Blacksmith. Aren't you cold?"
Jeromian adjusted his glasses and glanced at her attire.
"The forge is too hot, you see. Did you deliver the cane I entrusted to you to the Duke safely?"
"Thanks to you, I made it on time. Thank you."
Without Surenne, it would not have been possible to make it in such a short time.
It was a cane that was designed to have a sword pop out of a perfectly normal cane, and she had spent all night explaining it to her.
"Surenne, it's His Grace the Duke."
Sebas the butler, who was listening to their conversation from the side, interrupted, nagging.
"Muscle-packed butler, that's too long. The Duke doesn't say anything either. I'm not from this empire."
"Surenne, don't you usually say the full name with a nickname when calling other people? And you've lived here for over 5 years."
Sebas the butler rubbed his wrinkled forehead as if he had a headache.
"That's a term of endearment! 'His Grace' is impersonal. And it's true that I'm not from this empire even after living here for 5 years, right?"
"No, why do you only pronounce 'person' like that? You pronounce other things well."
"It's fun."
Surenne winked at the butler and giggled, and Jeromian, who was listening from the side, laughed out loud along with her.
"But there aren't many times when you call the handsome alchemist and me at the same time. Handsome alchemist, do you know why?"
"I'll find out when I go."
Soon, the three arrived in front of the office, and the Duke's voice was heard immediately.
"Come in."
As soon as Jeromian entered, he manipulated his bracelet to brighten the room.
"Handsome alchemist. Make one of those for me too."
Surenne looked at the bracelet with greedy eyes.
"Duke, why did you call us?"
Jeromian pretended not to hear Surenne's words and asked Gerald.
Gerald turned his head to Surenne without answering.
"Surenne."
"Yes, Your Grace. How have you been?"
Surenne bowed her head. In her own way, she was being as polite as possible.
The first place he met her, who was a citizen of the Sanders Empire, was Woasis. Woasis, with a large lake in the middle of the desert, was quite a large commercial district.
She was selling swords she made herself while disguised as a man. At the time, she was closer to a rough mercenary than a blacksmith.
"Can you make a carriage too?"
Gerald brought up a problem he had been pondering for a while.
Marin can't ride a carriage, so they could ride horses together, but he can't see.
Of course, there was no problem riding a horse even if he couldn't see. However, it would look suspicious to others.
A carriage was essential when heading to the capital for Dia's Debutante.
"A carriage?"
"A carriage?"
Jeromian, who was listening from the side, looked at Gerald with a look that said, "What nonsense are you talking about?"
"Yes."
"I could make one if I wanted to, but others would make it better than a blacksmith like me."
"I want a carriage, but not like a carriage."
"What are you talking about?"
Jeromian frowned and interjected.
"The inside shouldn't shake, and it shouldn't be completely enclosed, as if you were outside even when you're inside. Like a glass carriage."
Surenne put her hand to her chin and listened intently.
"A glass carriage... I can make it, but no matter how sturdy I make it, it'll shatter if it gets scratched by wood or stone."
"What if it's made of diamond instead of glass?"
All three stared at Gerald with dumbfounded expressions.
