Chapter 1

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Translator: Harry Potta
Chapter: 1
Chapter Title: Engaged to the Blind Duke
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In the silent study, Duke Vines quietly set down his teacup.

At that, Marin's shoulders jerked as she stared blankly at his teacup.

Marin plastered an awkward smile on her lips and, in contrast to the duke, picked up her own teacup.

The faint aroma of tea leaves wafted to her nose.

This was her first tea time with Duke Vines, her boss's boss, so she felt tense and awkward. She still couldn't fathom why he had arranged this meeting.

"How's life at the Duke’s Castle?"

"Thanks to His Grace the Duke's generous care, I'm living very comfortably. I am always grateful."

Marin spoke with genuine sincerity.

"You like living here?"

The duke asked again, as if seeking confirmation.

"Yes. I love it."

Even though the duke couldn't see her, Marin nodded vigorously.

A warm bed, plentiful food, and an overflowing salary to boot.

The Duke’s Castle was the best!

"Then let's get engaged."

"Did I, did I hear that wrong?"

Her voice cracked in shock.

"Are your ears bad?"

Duke Vines, his eyes covered with black silk, asked in a dry tone.

"No, they're not... "

Marin trailed off, her face blank. Had she really heard that right?

"Let's get engaged."

"Th-that... hic."

Marin hurriedly covered her mouth and glanced at Duke Vines.

Whether he was pretending not to hear or truly hadn't, the duke maintained his expressionless face.

What did living at the Duke’s Castle have to do with getting engaged?

Maybe he meant for her to keep staying here indefinitely?

Marin quickly shook her head, banishing the foolish thought.

Dangerous.

Her instincts were warning her.

Marin quietly pushed her chair back and stood to escape this place.

"Your Grace, I think my ears really are bad after all. I should go see the castle physician, so if you'll excuse me..."

"Sit."

"Yes, sir."

At his command, she sat back down obediently, like a well-trained puppy.

Duke Vines, blinded by a monster attack, was extremely sensitive to sound.

He reacted sharply even to the smallest noises, so she always tried to move as quietly as possible in his presence. She even spoke in the faintest whisper when addressing him.

They said he hadn't been like this before the injury, but since she'd never met him from that time, who could know?

"Shall we return to the main topic?"

"Yes, sir."

Marin answered briskly, like a disciplined new recruit.

"Your answer is very short. Do you understand what I mean?"

***

The duke slowly stroked his lips with long fingers.

"Yeees."

Of course, with her sharp comprehension, she had understood him perfectly.

"Keep it short. And as natural as possible."

It looked like he was hiding a smile behind his hand over his mouth, but she was too tense to be seeing things.

"Yes."

When the boss said jump, she jumped.

Marin gave a plain, earnest reply and fidgeted with her fingers.

The study fell silent once more.

Unable to guess Duke Vines's intentions, Marin welcomed the silence.

"What do you want?"

He suddenly broke it.

"What do you mean...?"

"Miss Marin Schwenz."

Marin's face drained of color in an instant, her breath catching. Her fidgeting fingers froze.

"You must have had some goal when you hid your nobility and came to work at the Duke’s Castle, didn't you?"

"H-how did you... hic."

Marin hiccupped uncontrollably and clamped her hand over her mouth entirely. She could feel her heart plummeting to the floor in real time.

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

"If you thought you could fool House Vines so easily, I'd call that naive."

Marin's eyes shook as she frantically racked her brain.

Her lies had all been exposed.

House Vines was the empire's foremost noble house.

She had deceived that house.

A horrific future flashed in her mind: being dragged to a dungeon, tortured, and executed.

How could she get out of this alive?

Marin trembled like a rain-soaked kitten, stealing glances at Duke Vines. She couldn't read the expressionless duke's thoughts at all.

"I'm sorry. I was wrong. I needed money..."

First, she had to apologize for the deception.

Today, his poker face felt even icier.

"You infiltrated the duke's house for money?"

His head tilted slightly toward her, as if gauging her reaction.

"...It wasn't infiltration, it was employment."

Marin timidly but firmly denied it, her lips quivering.

They said even if your mouth is crooked, speak straight.

Her life hung on his every word. That's why she had to tell the truth.

"You stayed by my side for money too?"

"...It wasn't staying by your side, it was assisting you."

Marin corrected him again, her voice tinged with injustice.

"You whispered in my ear for money?"

"...I whispered because Your Grace hates loud voices."

This one was such nonsense that her voice rose just a little, very faintly.

The duke's lip corner twitched upward ever so slightly.

But Marin was too busy correcting his misconceptions to notice.

"So all of that was for money?"

"Yes."

"Then how much?"

"...What do you mean?"

Frustrated by his constant misunderstandings, Marin stared at him with teary emerald eyes.

***

"Yeeeesss?"

Unknowingly, her voice shot up like an ant's asshole. The tears dangling from her eyes even retreated.

"Short."

She could see wrinkles form clearly between his brows.

Marin quickly lowered her voice.

"I'm too dim to understand Your Grace's words?"

Marin eyed him with a bewildered gaze. He was toying with her—picking her up and dropping her, over and over—leaving her mind in chaos.

She'd thought he was angry about her hiding her status to get hired, but suddenly it was back to engagement?

"Didn't you say you like living at the Duke’s Castle? Congratulations. Now you can keep living in the place you love."

"Actually, on second thought, it might not be that great after all..."

Marin trailed off, sneaking a peek at the expressionless duke.

"Is that so? Hmm, fooling a duke's house... where would that lead..."

The moment she heard him mutter leisurely, Marin interrupted him for the first time.

"But! The Duke’s Castle is the best, Your Grace! Did I ever tell you? I want to bury my bones in this beautiful, wonderful House Vines?"

Even though he couldn't see her, Marin smiled as brightly as she could.

You can't spit on a smiling face.

"No, I haven't heard that."

This time, the duke's lips clearly curved up.

It was a rare smile from him, but to Marin, it felt even more terrifying.

Marin wet her lips diligently and racked her brain.

"Oh dear, I thought I'd already said it. I'll serve Your Grace with all my heart until the day I bury my bones here..."

"I don't need your bones. I want a fiancée."

Duke Vines declared firmly.

"By any chance, just possibly, do I have the right to refuse?"

Marin asked ever so cautiously, her eyes trembling.

Please, she hoped. She really did.