82 - I Got Engaged to a Blind Duke
Blind Duke and I Got Engaged 82
\ \ \
Knock, knock. At the sound of knocking on the door, Marin looked up from her book and answered.
"Come in."
The door opened, and Dia was seen holding the thick gown she had borrowed last time.
"Excuse me."
"Come in, Dia."
Marin offered her a chair, and she sat down carefully. She held out the gown she was holding and bowed slightly.
"Thank you."
"It's nothing."
Marin smiled, took the gown, and placed it on the table.
When she looked up, Dia was staring at her with a face that said she had something to say.
"I'm a very good listener."
At Marin's jest, Dia smiled shyly.
"I heard you're going to be my Chaperone."
"That's right."
"But why aren't you persuading me to go to the Debutante?"
Marin widened her eyes as if asking the obvious.
"That's up to Dia. Go if you want to, don't go if you don't want to."
"The Duke wants me to go."
"Oh, I'm sorry about that. It must be because of me."
At Marin's sudden apology, a question arose in Dia's deep green eyes.
"What do you mean...?"
"I couldn't go to the Debutante. Something came up."
"Yes..."
Dia lowered her eyes and trailed off awkwardly.
"Oh? Did you hear about it?"
Marin asked with a worried look.
"Yes. From the Baroness."
Dia nodded slightly with an apologetic look.
"Wow, from my mom? My mom doesn't usually talk about that kind of stuff. Oh, are you surprised? I'm older than Dia, but I still call her Mom."
Marin burst into an awkward laugh.
"No. I'm jealous that you have someone to call that."
Dia shook her head with a serious look.
"Anyway, because of that thing Dia heard about, I couldn't go to the Debutante. And after that, I was ignored by the nobles. So Gerald must have been forcing Dia more."
Dia's complexion darkened.
"I don't really know The Duke. I don't know what he's thinking, or what he thinks of us."
Marin carefully chose her words while gazing at Dia with a calm look.
"Well, I think it's natural for Dia to think that way. Actually, it's Gerald's job to do well. But if I were to take Gerald's side, he has a lot of enemies."
Dia's deep green eyes wavered as she pondered.
Marin waited quietly for Dia to think it through.
"I'll go to the Debutante. And I want to ask The Duke."
Marin looked at Dia with supportive eyes.
\ \ \
She stood in front of The Duke's office door.
She never thought she'd come here again.
Dia raised her hand, her face tense enough to make her white skin stand out. In one hand, she held her mother's handkerchief, which she had unpacked from her luggage.
"Come in."
Before she could knock, The Duke's voice was heard first.
Where's the candle?
She should have taken a closer look when Olive picked up the candle.
But no matter how much she looked around, she couldn't see the candle.
Maybe it's for the best. After all, The Duke couldn't see because his eyes were closed, and it seemed better for her not to see The Duke's expression either.
Dia carefully opened the office door and widened her eyes.
The office, which she had expected to be dark, was bright with sunlight.
As she walked closer to The Duke's desk, there was a long sofa that she hadn't seen before. On the sofa, she saw children's toys. On the table in front of the sofa, there was also a pastel drawing.
She knew that Peridot came every day, but she didn't expect him to be so considerate of Peridot.
Dia stopped in her tracks and stared at The Duke.
"What is it?"
"Why? Why do you do this?"
Dia asked accusingly.
"......"
The Duke, with his eyes closed, did not answer.
"Why do you make me expect things, why do you do this?"
Her voice involuntarily rose because she felt suffocated.
After her parents passed away, she couldn't trust anyone.
But when The Duke saved her sisters from the devilish Killon. When he found Peridot.
She thought that maybe he was a trustworthy adult.
But as soon as she came to Duke's Castle, her expectations plummeted.
And now she didn't know. Just let her hate him. Why does he keep making her want to trust him again?
"Why did you say that? The words, 'Don't hate my mother, hate me.' Why did you say that?"
"Because it's true."
The Duke's lips finally opened.
"I heard from Marin. That The Duke has a lot of enemies."
"That's also true."
"Is that why you held a party on the day we arrived, as if you were deliberately ignoring us because of those enemies? Is that why you never came to see us? Please tell me, please!"
Dia stared at The Duke's face with anxious eyes.
The Duke resembled her mother.
But the two were very different. Her mother had a variety of expressions, but The Duke was always expressionless.
That's why it was hard to read The Duke's mind. She had to get an answer from him.
"...I'm sorry."
The Duke indirectly admitted it.
Thank goodness. Relief spread deep inside her at the fact that The Duke didn't hate them.
She must not have wanted to be hated by the only adult left.
She turned her head because she felt like she was going to cry, but Peridot's drawing on the table caught her eye. It depicted her sisters, The Duke, and Marin.
"I'll go to the Debutante."
The Duke's head snapped up. A look of relief flashed across his expressionless face.
"Just as you have been doing to deceive your enemies, I will also act coldly. But please cherish Peridot as you do now. She likes you very much."
Dia held out the handkerchief she had been holding tightly to The Duke.
"This."
"......"
The Duke received it without a word. He carefully touched it as if feeling the texture of the old handkerchief.
"It's the one my mother cherished the most."
"......"
The Duke pressed his lips tightly as if holding back overwhelming emotions.
Dia already knew the letters written on the old handkerchief. Her mother had always shown it off proudly.
[Congratulations on your marriage. Sister.]
\ \ *
"Miss Marin."
Marin ran into Olive in the hallway leading to the library.
"What brings you here?"
"I was looking for you. You're so busy."
Marin smiled and nodded.
"That's right. Even I think I'm completely busy these days."
At her jest, Olive gave a soft smile.
"Invitations have arrived for you and Miss Dia."
"For both of us?"
Since the last party, tea party invitations had often come, but they had all been politely declined. Someday, she would have to respond to an invitation.
"Miss Susan Ayer of the Ayer County sent them."
Marin could read an uncomfortable aura in Olive's voice.
"Do you know this Miss?"
"Do you know her, Miss?"
Worry was evident in Olive's gaze.
"I saw her at the last party."
"Then you must know. That Miss's personality."
"I only saw her briefly."
The look in the Miss's eyes as she glared at her came back to her.
"Please be careful."
"Of this Miss?"
"Yes. She's a Miss who shows excessive interest in The Duke."
"I see."
No wonder. Marin nodded inwardly.
"Shall I decline the invitation on my end?"
"Well, I heard about this invitation from Idre. It's said to be a friendship gathering for the Misses who will be having their Debutante. Dia doesn't know anyone in the West, so I think it would be good to go together."
Olive nodded as if she agreed with her, as if she couldn't help it.
"Then, let's prepare before you go."
"Prepare?"
"You can go to Zero."
"To Jeromian?"
"Yes. Zero will show you something very precious."
Marin could feel an ulterior motive in Olive's softly smiling face.
"Okay. I'll go see Jeromian."
