I Got Engaged To The Blind Duke Chapter 1

In the silent office, Duke Vines quietly set down his teacup.

Marin, who had been staring blankly at his teacup, flinched.

With an awkward smile hanging on her lips, Marin picked up her own teacup, doing the opposite of Duke Vines.

The subtle fragrance of tea leaves wafted around the tip of her nose.

This was her first time having tea with Duke Vines, the superior of her superior, so she was nervous and uncomfortable. Even now, she couldn’t for the life of her figure out why he had arranged this meeting.

“How is life in the ducal castle?”

“Thanks to Your Grace’s great consideration, I’m living very comfortably. I’m always grateful.”

Marin answered with all her sincerity.

“You like living here?”

The duke asked again, as if seeking confirmation.

“Yes. I love it here.”

Although the duke couldn’t see her, Marin nodded vigorously.

A warm bed, plentiful food, and even a generous salary.

The ducal castle was the best!

“Then let’s get engaged.”

“P-Pardon? I must have misheard you.”

She was so shocked that her voice cracked at the end.

“Are your ears not working properly?”

Duke Vines, whose eyes were covered by black silk, asked in a dry voice.

“No, that’s not it, but…”

Marin trailed off, looking utterly bewildered. Had she really heard him correctly just now?

“Let’s get engaged.”

“Right, I heard that… hic!”

Marin hurriedly covered her mouth and glanced at Duke Vines.

Whether he was pretending not to hear her or had genuinely failed to hear her, the duke maintained his expressionless face.

What did her liking life in the ducal castle have to do with getting engaged?

Did that make sense because he wanted her to stay here permanently?

Marin quickly shook her head, trying to rid herself of such pointless thoughts.

This was dangerous.

Her instincts were warning her.

Marin quietly pushed her chair back and rose to her feet, intending to escape from this place.

“Your Grace, I think my ears really aren’t working properly after all. I should probably visit the ducal castle’s physician, so I’ll take my leave…”

“Sit.”

“Yes, sir.”

At the duke’s command, she obediently sat back down like a well-behaved puppy.

Duke Vines, who had lost his sight after being attacked by monsters, was extremely sensitive to sounds.

He reacted sharply even to the slightest noise, so whenever she moved in front of him, she made every effort to remain as quiet as possible. Even when speaking to the duke, she had to use the faintest voice.

Apparently, he hadn’t been like this before his eyes were injured, but since she had never met Duke Vines back then, she had no way of knowing.

“Shall we return to the main topic?”

“Yes, sir.”

Marin answered energetically like a new recruit standing at attention.

“Your answers are very short. Did you understand what I said?”

The duke slowly brushed his lips with his long fingers.

“Yeeees.”

Of course, being highly perceptive, she understood his words immediately.

“Short answers are better. And preferably, make them sound natural.”

The duke casually covered the corner of his mouth with his hand. It almost looked as though he were hiding a smile, but she was probably seeing things because she was so nervous.

“Yes.”

When your boss tells you to do something, you do it.

Marin carefully gave an ordinary answer and fidgeted with her fingers.

The office once again fell silent.

Since Marin couldn’t even begin to guess the duke’s intentions, she gladly accepted the silence.

“What do you want?”

He suddenly broke the silence.

“What do you mean…?”

“Lady Marin Schwenz.”

Marin’s face instantly turned pale, and her breath caught in her throat. Even her fidgeting fingers froze.

“When you entered the ducal castle and started working here while concealing the fact that you’re a noblewoman, you must have had something you wanted, didn’t you?”

“H-How did you… hic!”

Marin couldn’t stop hiccupping, so she covered her mouth completely with her hand. She could practically feel her heart plummeting to the floor.

Duke Vines leaned back casually in his chair and parted his red lips.

“If you thought you could deceive the House of Vines so easily, should I call you naive?”

Marin hurriedly racked her brain, her eyes trembling.

Her lie had been completely exposed.

The House of Vines was one of the most powerful noble families in the empire.

And she had deceived that very ducal family.

A horrifying future flashed through her mind: being dragged straight to prison, tortured, and eventually killed.

How could she get out of this alive?

Trembling like a drenched kitten, Marin cautiously watched Duke Vines’s reaction. There was simply no way to guess what was going on inside his expressionless face.

“I’m sorry. I was wrong. I needed money…”

For now, she had to apologize for deceiving him first.

Today, Duke Vines’s poker face felt even colder than usual.

“You entered the ducal household because of money?”

As if trying to read her reaction, he tilted his head slightly toward her.

“…I didn’t break in. I got a job here.”

Marin timidly but firmly corrected him, her lips trembling.

Even if your mouth is crooked, you should still speak the truth.

Her life and death depended on a single word from Duke Vines. That was precisely why she had to tell the truth.

“You stayed by my side because of money, too?”

“…I wasn’t just staying by your side. I was assisting you.”

Marin corrected him once again, her voice tinged with indignation.

“You whispered in my ear because of money, too?”

“…I only whispered because you dislike people speaking loudly, Your Grace.”

This accusation was so utterly unreasonable that her voice rose just a little, ever so faintly.

The corner of Duke Vines’s mouth lifted ever so slightly.

However, Marin was too busy correcting his misunderstanding to notice.

“So all of that was because of money?”

“Yes.”

“Then how much would it take?”

“…What do you mean?”

Frustrated by the duke’s constant misunderstandings, Marin stared at him with her light green eyes filled with tears.

“I told you earlier, didn’t I? Let’s get engaged. How much would it take for you to agree to a contractual engagement?”

“Whaaaat?”

Her voice rose involuntarily by about the tiniest fraction. Even the tears that had been dangling precariously from her eyes disappeared.

“Keep it short.”

She could see the deep furrow forming between his brows.

Marin quickly lowered her voice.

“Am I too foolish to understand what Your Grace is saying?”

Marin studied him with a bewildered expression. He kept pulling her up and pushing her down, leaving her completely disoriented.

She had thought he was angry because she had concealed her identity to get a job in the ducal household, but now he was suddenly bringing up the engagement again?

“Didn’t you say you liked living in the ducal castle? Congratulations. From now on, you’ll be able to continue living in the place you love.”

“Actually, now that I think about it, I’m not so sure it’s all that wonderful…”

Marin let her voice trail off as she cautiously glanced at the duke’s expressionless face.

“Really? Hmm, if you deceive the ducal family, then where would you…”

The moment she heard the duke leisurely muttering those words, Marin interrupted him for the first time.

“But! The ducal castle is still the best, Your Grace! Have I ever told you? That I want to lay my bones to rest in this beautiful, wonderful ducal household that I love so dearly?”

Although he couldn’t see her, Marin did her very best to flash him a bright smile.

They say you can’t spit in the face of someone who’s smiling.

“No, you haven’t.”

This time, the corner of the duke’s lips unmistakably curled upward.

It was a smile rarely seen on his face, but to Marin, that smile somehow felt even more frightening.

Marin hurriedly moistened her lips and racked her brain.

“Oh, dear. I thought I’d already told you. That I would serve Your Grace with all my heart and soul until the day I lay my bones to rest here…”

“I don’t need your bones. I want a fiancée.”

Duke Vines declared firmly.

“Um, is there even the slightest chance that I might have the right to refuse?”

Marin asked very cautiously, her eyes trembling.

I hope so. Please.