71 - I Got Engaged to a Blind Duke
Gerald drank the Mandressong Juice that Kay had prepared and placed the glass on the desk.
A bitter, astringent taste filled his mouth. He drank the juice once a day, but he could never get used to the taste.
Kay quickly cleared away the glass.
It was top secret that he was drinking Mandressong. He didn't even tell Marin.
The toxic component that had given her a stomachache had no effect on him at all.
It had been effective when he put Mandressong on his eyes, so he could only hope that drinking it would be even more effective.
As Kay hid himself in the Shadows, Gerald habitually touched the blindfold on the desk.
There was also a report on the desk that the butler had left.
The interrogation of the former Norman Viscount had long been over. The Schwentz Barony's assets that he had embezzled were already spent and no longer existed.
This was because his son, Gerbium, had inherited the viscount title and spent money like water on gambling and entertainment.
The assets quickly disappeared, and rather, the debt increased. It seemed that he had planned to reinvest with the dowry he would receive after marrying into the Wares Barony to pay off the debt.
At that moment, Marin's presence was felt outside the office door.
"Come in."
She came in pushing a trolley.
"Gerald, I succeeded! I'm on my way back from putting your nephews to sleep! Ahem!"
Marin's voice was full of excitement.
"My nephews are asleep?"
A faint smile appeared on his lips.
It was a relief. The fact that the children couldn't sleep was something that even Olive had missed.
He immediately allowed her when she came to him and said she wanted to put the children to sleep in the way she did for him.
He knew better than anyone the pain of not being able to sleep. The children were already having a hard time enough. He didn't want to add anything more to that.
"...Thank you."
Gerald said sincerely.
"Yes. I accept your thanks."
When she deliberately replied more playfully, a deep smile appeared on his lips.
"Make a wish."
"Suddenly?"
Marin, who burst into laughter, said the same words she had said before.
"It's a reward."
He said the same thing.
He remembered the day he went for a walk with her. It was a sudden, fun, and sad day.
"You're not going to count numbers right away this time, are you?"
Marin asked in a suspicious voice.
"No. Take your time. Tell me whenever you want to."
"Okay!"
Marin replied cheerfully.
"Are you in a good mood right now?"
"Of course!"
"I see."
Gerald covered the report on the desk with his arm. He didn't want to ruin her good mood with such documents.
"Why are you suddenly asking me how I feel?"
"What's wrong with a fiancé asking his fiancée how she feels?"
"Hmm."
He could feel her footsteps approaching cautiously.
"Why?"
"Are you hiding something from me right now?"
"Why are you suddenly acting so sharp?"
Her sharp tone made her chuckle.
"Because I saw you covering something with your arm."
Gerald hesitated for a moment before pushing the report so she could see it.
"What is this that you're hiding..."
Marin stopped talking as she turned over the report.
Rustle, rustle.
Only the sound of turning paper echoed in the quiet office.
Gerald waited for her lips to part in a state of tense anticipation.
Would she cry? He couldn't dare to guess the many difficulties that Marin and her mother might have experienced due to the fake contract.
After a while, Marin put the report back on the desk.
No sound came from her.
When he listened carefully, her heart was beating faster and faster.
She must be angry.
"...What happens now?"
"I wanted to confiscate the viscount's assets and return them to you, but it's already in debt. You won't be able to get the money back. Of course, the former viscount will never get out of prison until he rots for the rest of his life, and neither will his son. Do you want their deaths?"
He could feel Marin slowly shaking her head.
"I can't forgive them that easily. It's over if they die. I want them to live miserably and continue to suffer. Give them the hardest labor. Make them work hard to pay back our family's money. Give them only one meal a day. What time do they have to eat? They have to pay back the money."
Her voice, speaking calmly and gently, trembled slightly.
Was she trying hard to hold back her tears?
"I will."
Soon, the sound of crumpling the report was heard.
Gerald raised his head in the direction she was standing.
"Aren't you going to show it to the viscount's wife?"
"Yes. I'm not going to show it to her."
Marin crumpled the report one by one.
She couldn't show this to her mother.
While she was wandering between life and death and realizing her past life, Loanna had her property taken away by creditors in her weak body.
When she opened her eyes, all the property had already been transferred.
She was too busy making a living to even have the time to find out how the debt was incurred in detail.
If she knew the facts written in this report, her mother would surely blame herself.
She might get sick again from the mental shock.
She was barely recovering and getting healthier.
It would be a lie to say that her heart didn't hurt.
The viscount who did wrong would pay for his sins for the rest of his life, and she would earn more money than that viscount.
That was enough. She thought it was enough...
The tears that had been in her eyes finally fell.
It was a relief that the Duke's eyes couldn't see. It would be embarrassing to pretend to be okay and then cry.
But the Duke suddenly stood up.
He approached her in one step with his long legs, and covered her eyes with his large palm.
Her vision went dark like the night sky.
"...I didn't have time to prepare a handkerchief."
The Duke whispered as if making an excuse.
His hand was so big that it almost covered her entire face.
Marin wrapped the Duke's large hand with both hands. His hand smelled unexpectedly of nature. Ah, the scent of Mandresson Grass.
"The handkerchief is dark."
"Yes."
His calm voice became a signal flare.
Marin buried her face in his large hand and burst into tears. When she couldn't see, her embarrassment disappeared.
Marin recalled her deceased father and brother, and her mother who had suffered from being deceived by bad guys, and poured out her sadness.
\ \ \
Dia woke up in a refreshing mood for the first time in a long time.
Refreshing?
With a surprised look, she looked around and the room was filled with blue dawn light.
Feeling the weight on her thigh, she looked down and Garnet was fast asleep with her face on her leg.
Where was Peridot? When she looked at the bed, Peridot was also sleeping soundly.
What on earth was going on?
She was about to get up to lay Garnet down when she felt the blanket covering her body.
She had no memory of covering herself with a blanket.
The Duke's fiancée, Marin.
Did she put all three of them to sleep?
How on earth?
When Marin started reading the fairy tale book, she listened without realizing it.
Her soft voice wrapped around her body warmly, and it felt like sitting by a warm fireplace.
The last thing she remembered was thinking that Peridot had fallen asleep after hearing his even breathing.
It was late afternoon when she came into this room, and now it was dawn. She had slept for almost half a day without waking up once.
"Mmm, yum yum."
After stretching her legs out on the long sofa so that Garnet could sleep more comfortably, she covered her with a blanket. She wanted to wake her up and tell her to sleep in the bed, but she didn't want to wake her up from her deep sleep after a long time.
Dia carefully approached Peridot.
Peridot wasn't frowning or clenching his fists. He was a child who always woke up crying as if he was having nightmares even when he took a nap.
She quietly lay down next to the child in case Peridot woke up again.
She was able to be with Peridot and not worry about him for the first time in a long time.
Dia quietly looked down at Peridot's face and thought of the Duke's fiancée.
Marin, she had asked them to believe her.
She couldn't give her the belief she wanted, but she should still express her gratitude.
Dia gently brushed back the hair covering Peridot's forehead and watched the sleeping child for a long time.
