89 - I Got Engaged to a Blind Duke
Marin opened the door to the study and entered with her usual expression.
“Hello, Du- Gerald.”
“Why are you going back to the old title?”
She quickly corrected herself, but he caught it. She wanted to say, ‘I’m nervous,’ but she changed the subject naturally to avoid showing it.
“Did you have a peaceful day?”
Marin approached the Duke and picked up the bowl containing the Mandresson Grass.
“Do you remember what happened yesterday?”
“I don’t remember what happened yesterday.”
Marin squeezed her eyes shut and recited the prepared lines in an instant.
I can do this. Play dumb.
“…Is that so?”
Marin peeked at the Duke with narrowed eyes, and he was leaning back leisurely in his chair.
“Yes.”
Marin put on an indifferent face, placed a cloth over the Duke’s eyes, and then the Mandresson Grass.
“You asked how my day was? I was busy.”
“Ah, you were busy. Did you have a lot to report today?”
Good. That was natural.
Marin smiled contentedly inside and mechanically responded to the Duke’s words.
“No. I was doing chest exercises.”
“Ah, chest…”
The corners of the Duke’s lips were slightly raised as she looked at him up close.
I’m not even ready yet, and he’s already starting to tease me?
Marin maintained her composure as best she could and answered nonchalantly.
“Ah, che, ahem. You did chest exercises.”
“Because someone kept touching them.”
“Ah, someone kept, ahem, tou, ahem, che, ahem, d, ahem, them.”
Marin wanted to sit down and cry right away.
Was speaking always this difficult? She struggled to overcome herself and completed the sentence.
Good job, me.
“I told them to stop touching my chest. But they wouldn’t listen.”
However, the Duke’s attack continued.
“When did I ever do that! Ah, I did.”
Marin widened her eyes in injustice and raised her voice, but forcibly changed her words in the middle.
That person in the story is not me.
“They even tried to unbutton my shirt…”
The Duke trailed off in a languid voice.
Marin momentarily lost strength in her legs and staggered, barely holding onto the desk.
No, this man. How much of a pervert is he making me out to be?
“So, I unbuttoned one…”
“I was wrong.”
She lost.
Marin couldn’t listen anymore and stopped the Duke’s words.
“What?”
“I remember everything. When did I ever try to unbutton your shirt? You shouldn’t make things up that didn’t happen!”
Marin fanned her flushed face with her hands.
It’s so scandalous.
The Duke burst out laughing.
“Stop laughing. The grass will fall off.”
“Weren’t you saying that my smile was pretty?”
“When there’s no grass on your eyes.”
The Duke smiled silently.
If only I could punch those hateful red lips once, I’d have no regrets.
Marin pouted and took out a fairy tale book.
The only way to survive was to quickly put the Duke to sleep and leave.
“I’ll read a book. Once upon a time, there lived a rabbit and a turtle. They had a goal. It was to win the annual long-distance race. They always practiced together. Today, the rabbit ran hard. So, his chest was pounding.
‘Rabbit. Your chest is bi, ahem. gger.’
‘If you take a deep breath while running a long distance, your chest gets bi, ahem. gger.’
‘Really?’
The turtle took a deep breath.
‘Is my chest bi, ahem. gger too?’”
Her eyes trembled as if there was an earthquake.
“Haa… Gerald.”
Marin slammed the fairy tale book shut with a deep sigh.
Looking down at the Duke, his chest had grown bigger. From holding back laughter.
Everything’s getting bigger here and there.
Marin turned her gaze away with a wistful look.
Why is the curtain still swaying even though there’s no wind?
Marin clutched the fairy tale book tightly. She wanted to tear it to shreds right away.
She had chosen this fairy tale book a week ago, not knowing this would happen.
She didn’t know it was a book with so many chest stories back then.
“…Why?”
The Duke asked in a voice barely holding back laughter.
“I think I chose the wrong book. I’ll go get another one.”
Marin whispered with a resigned face.
“Good idea. I don’t think I’ll be able to sleep if I keep listening to that book.”
The Duke permitted, still holding back laughter.
“I think so too.”
Marin drooped her shoulders and trudged towards the study door.
Ah, life is so bitter.
The Duke’s laughter could be heard the moment she closed the study door.
Right. The male lead has to laugh too. People have to live with a smile.
Marin tried to think positively as if hypnotizing herself, but her eyes kept getting watery.
\ \ *
Marin, who had arrived at the training grounds and was warming up by running, was surprised to see Garnet.
Garnet’s luscious blonde hair had been chopped off.
“Garnet? Your hair…”
“How is it? Does it suit me?”
Garnet touched the back of her head, which was cut short like a boy’s, as if she felt awkward.
Marin quickly nodded. It suited her so well.
But why suddenly?
“I’m going to become a knight. This hair is like a resolution.”
Garnet gave a refreshing smile.
“What?”
Marin widened her eyes in surprise.
In the novel, it was only briefly mentioned that ‘she learns the Sword from the butler,’ so she didn’t know that Garnet wanted to become a knight.
“So, there’s something I want to ask you, Marin.”
“Ask me.”
“Why do you train in a skirt?”
Marin trained every day wearing the most worn-out dress she had.
“Because I’m learning it for self-defense. I thought I should train in familiar clothes that I usually wear so that I can move naturally in case of an emergency.”
“Ah, then I should start wearing pants now.”
“Yeah. Good idea. But are you really going to become a knight?”
“Yes. Is it strange that a woman becomes a knight?”
Garnet was sincerely asking for her opinion, not in her usual prickly, haughty cat mode.
Marin laughed with a look that said, “What are you talking about?” and shook her head.
“No. I’m honored that I’m the one who gets to gift the first Sword to a knight.”
Garnet blinked, not knowing what she meant.
Marin brought a long leather case that was leaning against a tree at the back of the training grounds.
Marin held it out as if telling her to open it, and Garnet inadvertently received it and untied the leather straps.
“Ah…”
When she removed the leather, she saw a scabbard with an ivory color and gold dust decorated in soft wave patterns. The multi-colored jewel embedded in the white handle was the first she had ever seen, but it looked very mysterious.
Carefully grabbing the handle and drawing the Sword, the clean blade, so clear that her face was reflected in it, revealed itself.
“…Why are you giving me this?”
Garnet’s green eyes trembled as if she was embarrassed.
“I wanted to give it as a gift as your senior. Actually, I called you my junior here without permission, but I also wanted to become friends with Adria. It’s a kind of bribe, a bribe.”
Garnet carefully placed the gifted Sword on the leather and hugged Marin tightly.
Garnet, who was a head taller than Marin, buried her face in her shoulder.
“Thank you. I’ll cherish it forever.”
Marin patted Garnet’s short hair. To cut off such beautiful hair like this. Her determination was amazing.
“You’re welcome.”
“Why are you raising your honorifics to your junior again?”
Garnet returned to her prickly cat mode.
“Okay, Garnet.”
“Well, you two have a heartwarming senior-junior relationship, but it’s time to run around the training grounds.”
Uvis, who had appeared sometime, put the scabbard on his shoulder and said.
“Okay.”
Marin ran around the training grounds first.
Uvis looked at Garnet’s shortened hair with a regretful look.
“Why? Is it weird?”
“It was pretty. Ah, but of course, it’s pretty now too.”
Garnet, surprised by Uvis’s honest words, widened her eyes.
“Why? Is it weird that I’m speaking informally?”
Garnet nodded with a dazed face.
Actually, she was more surprised by his words.
“You want to become a knight, right? You’re my junior, so I’m going to speak informally from now on. Call me senior. I’ve also received orders from His Excellency, so I’ll be working you hard from now on.”
Uvis playfully sparkled his eyes.
“Okay.”
“Hey, to your senior. Yes, Senior.”
“Yes. Yes, Senior.”
Garnet quickly changed her words. She had to start from the very bottom from now on.
“Good, junior. Twenty laps around the training grounds starting today.”
“Yes!”
Garnet answered with a spirited voice and began running around the training grounds.
Marin’s back could be seen in the distance.
I have to catch up. And I have to move forward!
