85 - I Got Engaged to a Blind Duke
Engaged to the Blind Duke Episode 85
“Lord Borandi, are you alright? Even though there were false rumors circulating that Lady Air did it, I believed it couldn’t be true. To think they’d pin such lies on you, Lord Borandi!”
The young ladies who approached Borandi glared at Susan with reproachful eyes.
“But what is that? I’ve never seen anything like it in my life.”
“I know what that is. It’s a patented item of the Northern Duke’s household. My father once saw it at the imperial palace and explained it in detail. They say if you stand before a certain special stone, it shows an exact replica of your appearance in midair.”
Susan hugged her trembling body, trying to pull herself together. She didn’t know where that thing had suddenly appeared from, but she had to somehow turn the situation around.
Susan forced a calm expression and stiffly raised her head.
“That day, I visited the Duke’s Castle upon His Grace the Duke’s invitation.”
She skillfully mixed truth and lies. In reality, her father was visiting the Duke’s Castle on business, and she had pestered him to take her along.
“That’s not the issue right now! Why did you try to frame me with lies?”
Borandi asked with an incredulous expression.
“Lord Borandi. That must be something someone deliberately set up to insult me. Who here would do such a thing?”
Susan instead played the victim.
Several young ladies glanced back at Marin.
Marin was watching the situation with an expressionless face.
Susan’s eyes flashed as she stood before Marin.
“To bring a fabricated item and insult me like this, Schwentz Young Lady.”
“I merely showed what happened that day because you asked for evidence, Young Lady.”
Marin shrugged her shoulders.
Look at that composed face. Because of a woman like this, her reputation was being thrown to the ground.
Susan was so angry her eyes seemed to burn crimson. A blood vessel had burst.
No matter how much she tried to make excuses here, she couldn’t silence the mouths of those who had seen it firsthand.
Now, she could no longer be the flower of the western social circle.
Because of this woman.
Finally, Susan discarded her gentle mask.
“How could a worthless woman like you possibly suit His Grace?!”
“Oh my, yet Lord Gerald seems to like a woman like me. Not a young lady.”
Seeing the woman throw her own words back at her, Susan’s anger soared to the top of her head.
Susan swung her hand to slap Marin’s cheek.
Marin had already prepared for Susan’s attack, so she braced her waist and slightly pulled her head back.
Susan had put so much force into it that she staggered and hit the champagne table. Champagne spilled all over Susan’s white dress.
“Kyaaah!”
The nearby young ladies screamed and stepped back.
Startled, Susan stepped back, slipped on her thoroughly soaked dress, and fell to the floor.
Susan, sprawled on the champagne-drenched floor, looked utterly disgraceful.
It was the perfect downfall of the flower of the western social circle.
\ \ \
Marin collapsed onto the bed with a weary face. It felt as if all the energy had drained from her body, as if she had returned from a war, not just a fight.
Knock knock.
At the knocking sound, Marin only lifted her head slightly.
“Yes.”
“It’s Yuria.”
“Okay, come in.”
Yuria looked pityingly at Marin, who seemed one with the bed.
“Was it difficult?”
“Gatherings with young ladies. Doesn’t suit me, doesn’t suit me.”
“I’ll prepare water for you to wash up.”
“Thank you.”
“And there’s a message from the smithy. They asked you to come by.”
“Really?”
Marin sprang up from her spot with an expectant face.
Was the sword already finished?
Marin looked down at her sky-blue dress. It was a bit wrinkled from lying on the bed, but it wasn’t bad.
“Yuria, I’ll wash up after I return from the smithy.”
“Yes. I’ll prepare it that way.”
“Okay. I’ll be back.”
Marin headed towards the smithy with excited steps.
\ \ \
Arriving at the smithy, she knocked on the door, but the sound was buried by the loud clanging noises from inside.
Marin opened the door and went in.
“Surenne.”
“Oh! Lady Marin. Welcome.”
Surenne, still in her short sleeveless attire, raised her hammer-wielding hand high.
Wow, look at those muscles. You’re so cool, unnie.
Marin’s eyes sparkled as she approached Surenne.
“Is the sword already finished?”
“Yeah. I made it specially ahead of all the other requests.”
Surenne grinned and placed a long, thin leather-wrapped object on the table.
Removing the leather revealed a silver scabbard. In the center, gold dust was sprinkled in a wave pattern, shimmering and shining. The scabbard itself looked like a work of art.
Surenne slowly drew the sword from the scabbard. The thin blade gleamed so brightly it reflected her face, and a green opal was beautifully embedded in the sword hilt.
“Wow! It’s really pretty!”
“I heard you’ll be embarking on a long journey soon, so I made it quickly.”
“Yeah. Thank you.”
“Since the sword is finished, shall we have a drink?”
Images of the champagne that had poured abundantly at the party venue came to mind.
“Champagne?”
“Eh, that’s just water. Fizzy water.”
“Then?”
Surenne grinned like a villain and pulled a white bottle from under the table, thumping it down.
Marin stared intently at the white bottle with curious eyes.
“Now this is real liquor. Hahahaha.”
When she popped the bottle cap open with a thud, the pungent smell of strong liquor immediately wafted out.
Is it something like vodka?
Until now, the only liquors she had ever tasted were champagne and wine.
Whenever she drank occasionally, it suited her palate quite well, so she believed she had a high alcohol tolerance.
Was it finally time to test her drinking capacity?
When Surenne jerked her chin with a look asking if she could handle it, Marin also mirrored her with a villainous smile.
\ \ *
Pale moonlight seeped through the parted curtains.
Gerald sat in the quiet study, waiting for Marin to come and put him to sleep.
But even after waiting for a long time, he couldn’t hear her light footsteps.
“Kay.”
Kay quietly appeared before him.
“Find Marin.”
Kay bowed his head in lieu of an answer and quickly disappeared.
After Kay vanished, the study was plunged into perfect silence. The familiar stillness felt strangely unfamiliar.
Every morning, it was noisy with visits from Marin, Olive, and Peridot, and in the evening, Marin would visit again to read him a book.
From morning till night, his time was filled with her.
While lost in thought, he heard Kay returning.
“She is at Surenne’s smithy.”
Gerald’s brow furrowed slightly.
He acknowledged Surenne’s skill, but her rough social skills sometimes made people uncomfortable.
“Is Surenne detaining Marin until this hour?”
“……It doesn’t seem like she’s being detained.”
Kay, who usually reported accurately and promptly, hesitated.
“More details.”
“She is drinking with Surenne.”
“Hah, I’ll have to go see for myself.”
As Gerald rose from his seat, Kay melted into the shadows.
Gerald headed straight for the smithy.
The smithy was still far, but he could hear the voices of Surenne and Marin talking.
“Surenneee. So I did exactly like this! So I said exactly like this, like this! So that young lady went splat! That’s what happened! Isn’t it funny?”
“Hahahaha. Lady Marin, do you know how many times you’ve said that now?”
“Huh? How many times did I say it?”
“A hundred times! Hahahaha.”
Surenne laughed heartily while slapping the table.
“Really? Only that many? I should say it more. Heeheehee.”
Both of them were drunk.
His footsteps towards the smithy quickened a bit more.
The smithy seemed to be brightly lit, emitting a warm aura.
When he opened the smithy door and entered, a wave of sweltering heat and pungent liquor smell assaulted him simultaneously.
“Ooh! Your Grace! What brings you here?”
Surenne greeted him.
“Who? The Dukeee?”
Along with a clattering sound, Marin’s voice was heard.
