45.
During our term of engagement, I would stick close to the Duke to minimize danger and earn my keep.
“Kay.”
At Duke Gerald’s call, a man—hidden in plain sight, with only his eyes visible—suddenly materialized from the shadows.
Marin started, her eyes widening as she stared. She had finally met Kay, a key supporting character in the novel. She knew of his existence, but never imagined he would be summoned right before her.
“Assign Shadow El to Imsi.”
“Yes.”
Answering in a voice barely above a whisper, Kay turned his gaze toward Marin. He was the Duke’s shadow, protecting him at every turn. While the Duke was powerful enough to defend himself, it was whispered that the shadows of the Vines family had guarded the direct line of Dukes for generations.
“My name is Kay. If you call for ‘El’ from now on, Shadow El will appear at your side.”
“Understood.”
Following the bow of the departing man, Marin dipped her head. When she looked up, he was gone.
She glanced around, dazed. Where on earth did he hide? He was definitely still nearby.
As she continued to scan the room, the Duke spoke bluntly.
“Stop looking around. Is there anything else you wish to say?”
Marin narrowed her eyes, studying him with a flash of suspicion. *Is he really blind?*
Knowing he was the male lead made her believe it, but his ability to sense her movements was so precise that others would never suspect his condition.
“Then, when shall we sign the employment contract?”
“You are quite thorough.” The Duke’s lips curled into a satisfied smile.
“It is better to be sure when entering into an arrangement.”
“We shall prepare it by tomorrow, Imsi. Or rather… my fiancée.”
Marin’s eyes widened. What did he just call her? *Fiancée?*
Perhaps because it was a title she had never been addressed by, it felt strange, almost jarring. Even though she knew it was purely an employment contract, her face flushed hot. As a fallen noble who had never even had a debutante season, she had assumed marriage or engagement was entirely outside her reach.
Yet, here she was—holding the title of fiancée. Her heart fluttered with a nervous, uncomfortable rhythm, prompting a delayed response.
“……Yes.”
“From the moment the contract is signed, you must act as though you have fallen in love with me.”
He warned her again, his tone indifferent.
“Yes. I will do my best.”
“I am counting on you.”
At his crisp, direct words, Marin was taken aback. To think the phrase “count on you” would cross his lips. She had assumed this was merely a transactional cover for deceiving the public, but was it—in some small way—a genuine request?
Marin felt she could approach this engagement with a bit more sincerity.
“Yes. I am counting on you as well.”
* * *
Marin walked back to the annex with slumped shoulders, trying to organize her chaotic thoughts.
The narrative of the novel had fundamentally shifted.
She was an anomaly who hadn’t appeared in the original text. That was why she had tried so hard not to disrupt the plot. Even when she learned of the Duke’s agonizing pain, she hadn’t dared tell him the specific ingredients for a cure; she had settled for applying simple herb poultices to his eyes. She had been so careful, yet she never imagined this.
“Haa, is this really okay?”
She muttered to herself, then jumped, quickly covering her mouth. From now on, she had to be careful even with her own thoughts. She didn’t know where or how the shadow might be listening.
She peered around and whispered, “Um, El?”
“Yes.”
*See? They appear instantly.*
Marin looked at El, who had materialized in front of her, with a troubled expression. He had a slightly slimmer build than Kay and was, likewise, covered from head to toe in black, save for his piercing dark blue eyes.
“Are you going to follow me everywhere now, El?”
“That is correct. I am now Lady Marin’s shadow. No one uses formal language with their own shadow. Please address me comfortably.”
El’s voice was steady and calm, with a timbre even more refined than Kay’s. Was he a woman?
“Right, El. By any chance, even when I go to wash……”
“Do not worry. I will handle it accordingly.”
*“Handle it accordingly” wouldn’t mean they’d stay in the room, would it?*
Marin couldn’t bring herself to ask for more detail, so she added a heavy implication that he should *not* follow her into such private spaces.
“Please! Handle it… well… accordingly.”
“Yes.”
Bowing slightly, El vanished in a blink. No matter how much she searched the room, she couldn’t tell where he had hidden. Shrugging, Marin went inside.
Arriving at Roanna’s door, Marin let out a sigh that felt heavy enough to buckle the floorboards.
Now, it was her mother’s turn to be lied to. Since when had her life become a tapestry of deception?
She knocked, and Roanna replied immediately.
“Yes.”
Marin opened the door and greeted her with a bright smile.
“Mom, I’m back.”
“You’re home early today.” Roanna welcomed her with a gentle gaze.
Marin stood by the door, admiring her mother’s face. The hollow, pallid features of the past had faded, replaced by color and a return to her former grace. It was the result of the nutritious meals they’d been eating at the Duke’s estate, and the medicine Yuria brought every single day.
Seeing her mother’s improvement, Marin felt certain her choice had been the right one.
“Mom, I’m getting engaged to the Duke!”
“Ma, rin…….”
Roanna, who had been sitting on the bed, covered her mouth in shock.
“Mom? Are you alright?” Marin rushed to her side.
“What did you say? En, engaged to the Duke?” Roanna’s green eyes trembled.
Marin sat beside her and took her cold hands. “You’re very surprised, aren’t you?”
Roanna nodded slowly, her eyes wide. “My goodness. My goodness. My goodness.”
She seemed unable to find any other words, repeating the exclamation in a daze.
“I didn’t know it would turn out this way, either.” Marin looked her mother in the eyes, sharing a kernel of honest feeling.
“Does he know about our status?” Roanna asked cautiously, her gaze fearful.
Marin picked up the glass of water from the nightstand and handed it to her. “Mom, drink some water first.”
“Y, yes.”
As Roanna sipped, trying to calm her startled heart, Marin took a deep breath, steeling herself for the lies she had to craft. She needed the story to be as close to the truth as possible.
“Mom, it is true that the Duke found out about my status. It seems he had known for a long time.”
The glass in Roanna’s hand trembled. “Even though he knew, he watched over me. I lied about who I was, but I’ve never meant anyone harm, have I?”
That, at least, was the truth. In her past life and her current one, no one had ever called her a bad person.
“That is true. There isn’t a child as kind as you.” Roanna agreed, her expression softening.
Relieved, Marin continued. “I handled his reports and managed my assistant duties quite well.”
“Of course, of course. There is no one as industrious as you.” Roanna stroked her hand, her expression one of deep affection.
“After watching me so quietly, he seems to have… fallen for me.”
*A lie.*
Marin covered her face with her palms, pretending to be shy. It was best to hide her expression entirely if she wanted to keep the falsehood from being detected.