8 - I Got Engaged to the Blind Duke
Engaged to the Blind Duke Episode 8
“Have you ever seen a spy say, ‘I’m a spy’?”
“No…….”
I haven’t. If they did, they’d be disqualified as a spy, wouldn’t they?
Marin trudged weakly toward the wall like a dejected puppy and bumped her face against it with a thud.
“What are you doing now?”
“It’s time for reflection.”
“What?”
The Duke’s breathing faltered slightly.
But Marin, trapped in her own thoughts, didn’t notice.
“You were right, Your Excellency. What spy would say they’re a spy? They’d deny it. I need time to reflect on my foolish words.”
“…….”
Marin stood facing the wall for her time of reflection.
She should have shown it through actions, not words. How could she prove she wasn’t a spy?
Should she reveal something like a novel setting that benefits the Duke?
No, why on earth does the Duke have so many enemies? If he dislikes the Emperor, he should just join the noble faction.
The Duke, who detests factions, stood alone and arrogantly proud.
So both the Imperial faction and the noble faction disliked him.
While the Duke remained formidable, their envy and espionage attempts consistently failed.
But currently, the Duke was in seclusion due to injury. Taking advantage of the situation, spies from both sides had infiltrated the Duke’s household in droves.
That was why Olive couldn’t tell her about the Duke’s condition.
So she had to somehow emphasize that she wasn’t a spy. If she were mistaken for one, it would be a direct trip to the execution grounds.
Time for reflection?
A slight crack appeared in Gerald’s indifferent expression.
Soon, he listened attentively to her actions.
He could feel her banging her head against the wall alone and then standing still without moving.
Is she really reflecting?
The moment she entered the office, her heart had been pounding noisily, but now it had settled into a normal rhythm.
What is it? This woman?
She seemed tremendously afraid of him, yet on the other hand, she didn’t seem afraid at all.
Her attitude lacked consistency, and it was impossible to predict where she would go next.
Unpredictable beings are dangerous. Like monsters.
Wariness suddenly surged within him.
Marin Shuvez, daughter of a Viscount.
After the head of the family and the eldest son died in a carriage accident, the family was ruined.
Living in a crumbling hut, supporting her sick mother. Could not make her Debutante. Unable to marry due to no dowry.
Shadow Kay’s investigations were always swift and reliable.
In just one day, he could learn every detail of her life; she wasn’t particularly secretive.
If she wasn’t a spy, why did she approach him? Just for money?
Even if she wasn’t a spy, she had lied about her identity. For lying to him alone, he could punish and expel her immediately.
“How long are you going to stay there?”
“Until the aide arrives.”
If only it weren’t for that voice.
He thought it only bothered him when she read reports, but that wasn’t true.
Her usual voice didn’t bother him either. When speaking to him, she whispered as low and softly as possible.
Gerald crossed his arms over his chest and turned his head toward where she stood.
“Come here.”
“But the aide hasn’t arrived yet.”
“Are you going to read the report from there when Olive comes?”
After hesitating, she answered cautiously.
“……No. I’ll come.”
He heard the sound of her stepping lightly toward him. Just how thin was she? Her footsteps were as light as a feather.
Kay, who lived as his shadow and always moved silently, might envy that.
She stopped at a slight distance from him. The scent of the crisp autumn sunlight, which he hadn’t smelled in a long time, wafted over.
“It’s hard to see well in there. Can I do it from here…….”
In an instant, he reached out, grabbed her wrist, and pulled her sharply toward him.
“Gasp-”
She quickly covered her mouth with her other hand, not held by him, stifling a scream. The sound of her rapidly beating heart came through clearly.
Gerald slightly furrowed his brow and listened to her.
The secret of the Vines Ducal family’s lineage is passed down only to the direct eldest son.
His close associates only guessed that he could hear a little better than others.
“Why?”
“……Pardon?”
Her pronunciation was unclear, as if she was still covering her mouth.
“I asked why you didn’t scream.”
Marin’s light green eyes trembled as she looked at the Duke.
Is he crazy?
Marin, pulled tightly against the Duke, pondered seriously.
Looking closely, she could see the silhouette of the Duke’s face, hidden in the darkness.
Jet-black hair covered the black silk blindfold. Beneath the sharp, high bridge of his nose, his plump, rosy lips were temptingly full.
A madman with a breathtakingly handsome silhouette.
He was perfect for the male lead setting in a romance fantasy novel.
However, in the novel she read, “The Blue Bird of the Western Duke Does Not Sing,” the male lead wasn’t set as crazy.
What if the female lead just didn’t know?
The novel was written from the female lead’s first-person perspective. So she thought he was simply cold to enemies and gentle only to his woman.
But what if, in reality, he was gentle only to his woman and usually a madman?
As someone who had to deceive the Duke, she desperately wanted to avoid a madman.
“I asked why.”
It felt like a beast that could bite her neck at any moment was growling right in front of her.
Marin’s mind raced quickly.
No matter how crazy the Duke was, she couldn’t outright ask, “Are you crazy?”
She had to give him the answer he wanted.
“Be, because screaming would be noisy.”
“It’s a natural reaction when startled.”
“You knew that and still did it?”
Marin’s light green eyes wavered with anxiety.
Please don’t let him actually be crazy.
“Don’t you think it’s suspicious that Imsi doesn’t do what’s natural?”
Marin’s eyes widened in surprise, blinking rapidly.
Wow. So he’s not crazy; he was just testing me.
“Because Your Excellency can’t see—no, because it’s inconvenient for you to see.”
Relieved that the Duke wasn’t crazy, Marin carefully chose her words.
“…….”
The Duke listened silently to her words.
“Instead, I thought you might be sensitive to sound, so I did that. I’m sorry.”
In the novel, there were several scenes where he became violent due to noise. It couldn’t hurt to be cautious.
“Good analytical skills.”
“Thank you for the compliment.”
Marin bowed her head in acknowledgment and anticipated the Duke’s next words.
‘Are you a spy?’
“Are you a spy?”
“I’m not. Phew.”
As expected. Marin let out a long sigh without realizing it.
“Did you just sigh in front of me?”
Though he didn’t add “How dare you?” it felt like she could hear it.
Marin shook her head firmly.
“I didn’t.”
“You did.”
The Duke’s voice dropped lower, as if warning her.
“Would I dare do such a thing in front of Your Excellency? It wasn’t a sigh, just a deep exhalation.”
Marin deliberately straightened her shoulders and insisted boldly.
Only she could define whether the breath she exhaled was a sigh or an exhalation.
“…….”
The Duke’s jaw muscle twitched discontentedly, but he didn’t say more.
Marin sighed with relief inwardly. By the way, her wrist, still held by the Duke, was really bothering her.
If the test is over, shouldn’t he let go? How do I pull it away?
Then, through the gap in the black curtains, a thin, shimmering beam of light, like gleaming paper, slipped into the office.
Her gaze naturally followed the beam of light. The beam lengthened and then brushed past the side of the Duke’s face as he turned his head.
Oh my god, what is that?
For a moment, her vision spun. Fortunately, she had already experienced something similar earlier, so she was mentally prepared.
Marin slowly covered her mouth again with her hand and called to him, trying her best not to let a scream mix in.
“……Your Excel-lency!”
“Why?”
The shimmering beam of light illuminated the Duke’s ear and then vanished again.
Marin’s anxious gaze moved from the Duke’s ear down his jawline to the dried blood.
“Blo, blood. You’re bleeding.”
“It did.”
The Duke sounded indifferent, as if it were nothing.
“You should get it treated quickly.”
She was more frantic than the person involved. She wanted to call a doctor, but her wrist was still held by him.
