I Got Engaged To The Blind Duke [Novel]
1.
The office was heavy with silence. Duke Gerald von Vines set his teacup down with a faint, sharp click against the saucer.
Marin, who had been staring blankly into her own cup, flinched. She plastered an awkward smile onto her lips and picked up her cup to mirror him, the subtle scent of tea leaves curling at the tip of her nose.
This was her first tea time with the man who stood as her superior’s superior. The tension was suffocating, and she could not fathom why he had orchestrated this meeting in the first place.
“How is life at The Duke’s Estate?”
“Thanks to your great consideration, Your Grace, I am living very comfortably. I am always grateful.”
Marin spoke with all the sincerity she could muster.
“You like living here?”
The Duke asked again, his tone demanding confirmation.
“Yes. I love it.”
Even though the Duke could not see her, Marin nodded her head vigorously. A warm bed, plenty of food, and an overflowing salary—The Duke’s Estate was paradise.
“Then let’s get engaged.”
“I—I beg your pardon?”
Her voice cracked, escaping in a shrill note of surprise.
“Is your hearing poor?”
Duke Gerald von Vines, his eyes perpetually veiled behind a strip of black silk, asked in a voice as dry as parchment.
“No. That’s not the case, but…”
Marin stammered, her expression dumbfounded. Had she heard that right?
“Let’s get engaged.”
“Yes, that word… *hiccup*.”
Marin hurriedly covered her mouth, glancing at the Duke for a reaction. Whether he was pretending not to hear or was genuinely oblivious, he maintained a hollow, blank expression.
What did liking her accommodations have to do with an engagement? Was he suggesting she had to marry him just to stay here permanently? Marin shook her head violently, trying to banish such irrational thoughts.
This is dangerous. Her instincts screamed a warning.
To escape the pressure, Marin quietly pulled her chair back and stood up.
“Your Grace, I think my hearing might actually be failing me. I believe I should visit the physician at The Duke’s Estate. If you will excuse me…”
“Sit down.”
“Yes.”
At his command, she sat back down, obedient as a well-trained puppy.
Duke Gerald von Vines, who had lost his sight during a monster attack, was hyper-sensitive to sound. He reacted sharply to the slightest disturbance, so she took care not to make a noise whenever she moved in his presence. Even when speaking, she kept her voice faint. They said he hadn’t been this way before his injury, but she had never known the man before the darkness took his sight.
“Shall we return to the main point?”
“Yes.”
Marin answered with the spirit of a disciplined recruit.
“Your answer is very short. Did you understand what I meant?”
The Duke slowly stroked his lips with his long fingers.
“Yesss.”
Highly perceptive, she had understood him instantly.
“Short is better. And it would be better if it sounded natural.”
The way he shielded his mouth with his hand made it look as though he were hiding a smile, but she must have been hallucinating from sheer nerves.
“Yes.”
When the master commands, you obey. Marin answered plainly, fidgeting with her fingers. The office settled into a suffocating silence once more.
“What do you want?”
He broke the stillness unexpectedly.
“What do you mean by…”
“Lady Marin Schventz.”
Marin turned pale, her breath hitching. Her hands froze.
“When you hid your status as a noble to enter The Duke’s Estate and work here, you must have wanted something, didn’t you?”
“Th—that, how did you… *hiccup*.”
The hiccups wouldn’t stop, so she pressed her hand firmly over her mouth. She felt her heart dropping to the floor in real-time. Duke Gerald von Vines leaned back loosely in his chair and parted his red lips.
“If you believed you could deceive the House of Duke Vines so easily, should I call you naive?”
Marin’s eyes darted around, searching for a path. Her lie had been unearthed. The House of Duke Vines was the foremost noble family in The Empire, and she had dared to deceive its master. She envisioned a terrifying future: being dragged to prison, tortured, and executed.
How can I get out of this alive?
Trembling like a kitten caught in a downpour, Marin kept a wary eye on him. She could not read the mind behind that expressionless mask.
“I am sorry. I was wrong. I needed the money…”
First, she had to apologize for the deception. The Duke’s poker face felt colder than ever.
“The reason you intruded upon The Duke’s Estate is because of money?”
His head tilted slightly toward her, as if testing the air for her reaction.
“…It wasn’t an intrusion, it was employment.”
Marin denied it timidly but firmly, her lips trembling. *Even if your mouth is crooked, you must speak the truth.* Her life hung on his every word.
“And sticking by my side was also because of money?”
“…I wasn’t sticking by your side, I was assisting you.”
Marin corrected him, her voice tinged with grievance.
“And whispering in my ear was also because of money?”
“…Whispering was because, Your Grace, you dislike loud noises.”
The absurdity of the accusation made her voice rise, just a fraction. For a fleeting second, the corners of the Duke’s lips rose minutely. Marin, however, was too busy frantically correcting his misunderstandings to notice.
“So, all of it is because of money?”
“Yes.”
“Then how much do you need?”
“…What do you mean?”
Frustrated by his constant misinterpretation, Marin stared at him, her green eyes brimming with tears.
“I told you earlier. Let’s get engaged. How much will it take for you to agree to a contract engagement?”
“Yesss?”
Her voice soared to an unnatural pitch. The tears vanished as if by magic.
“Keep it short.”
A clear furrow appeared between his brows. Marin quickly lowered her voice.
“I am dull-witted and cannot understand your words, Your Grace.”
She examined him with bewildered eyes. He was pulling her back and forth, tossing her around, leaving her utterly lost. She had thought he was angry about her hidden status, but now, this engagement talk again?
“Didn’t you say you liked living at The Duke’s Estate? Congratulations. From now on, you’ll be able to continue staying in the place you love.”
“Actually, now that I think about it, I’m not sure if it’s that great…”
Marin trailed off, glancing cautiously at his impassive face.
“Is that so? Hmm, I wonder where one goes if they deceive The Duke’s Estate…”
As soon as she heard him mumble those leisurely words, Marin cut him off.
“But! The best place is The Duke’s Estate, Your Grace! Did I mention before? That I want to bury my bones in this beautiful, lovely place?”
Although he could not see her, Marin flashed the brightest smile she could muster. *One cannot spit on a smiling face.*
“No, I hadn’t heard that.”
This time, the ends of the Duke’s lips clearly curled upward. It was a smile rarely seen, yet to Marin, it felt more terrifying than his anger.
Marin licked her lips fervently and scrambled to regain her footing.
“Oh my, I thought I had already said it. That I will serve Your Grace with all my heart until I bury my bones in this place…”
“I don’t need your bones, I want a fiancée.”
Duke Gerald von Vines declared firmly.
“By any chance, in the unlikely event, do I have the right to refuse?”
Marin asked, her eyes trembling.
I hope I do. Please.