"He watched quietly... and it seems he fell in love with me."
"My goodness—how *lovely!*"
Roenna's voice, tense with anxiety since the start, brightened with a note of genuine warmth.
*Fortunately, she believes I'm simply embarrassed.*
"During his trip to the South, he said he thought of me often." Marin's voice dropped, as though the confession cost her. "He said he... missed me."
From that moment, her conscience began to ache.
Still hiding behind her hands, Marin clicked her tongue inwardly at her own lie.
She wasn't some legendary beauty who could make a duke fall helplessly in love. Besides—he was *blind.* He had never even seen her face.
"Ah, how *romantic.*"
"Y-yes. That's right."
Marin was grateful her palms concealed her sour expression. The word *romantic* did not suit the Duke in the slightest.
"Marin."
At the gentle sound of her mother's voice, Marin hesitantly lowered her hands.
Roenna clasped her daughter's fingers tightly. Her gaze was warm, searching.
"Do you love His Grace?"
"He is... a good person. I think so."
She couldn't lie while looking her mother directly in the eye. So she changed the sentence midway.
And that much *was* true.
He was the male protagonist of this world. Of course the Duke was a good man.
Especially now—she understood it more clearly than ever.
To protect his nieces, he had staged a false engagement. He was willing to play the villain, to draw all the danger onto himself.
For their sake, he was undeniably good.
Roenna shook her head with gentle pity.
"Of course His Grace is a good man. That's not what I'm asking." Her voice softened further. "I'm asking about *your* feelings."
Instead of answering, Marin let her gaze drift around the room.
Warm. Cozy. Expensive furniture. Clean linens. Fresh flowers on the nightstand.
And her mother—*healthy.*
"Mama, I like it here." She turned back. "Don't you?"
"I could leave this place at any moment and live somewhere else."
Roenna's meaning was clear: *Choose without regard for me. Don't let me be your burden.*
"Did Mama marry Papa for love?"
"Of course I did." A tender smile crossed Roenna's face, softening the lines of illness. "I fell in love with his kindness. He was gentle and trusting—which is why he was often deceived—but I loved him all the same. So very much."
Marin remembered.
The moment her father died, debts had come flooding in—IOUs from every direction. Officially, the cause was failed investments. In truth, he had simply been swindled again and again.
Her father was a good man. But he had been utterly defenseless.
"Mama, you were lucky." Marin smiled easily, her voice light. "How many noble families marry for love?"
"Marin..."
Roenna's voice trailed off, heavy with sorrow.
"This is a great opportunity for me."
Marin understood her own situation perfectly.
She had never made her debut in society—which meant no chance to secure a proper match. Her family was ruined. Not a single coin to her name.
That was why she had abandoned the idea of marriage long ago.
Her goal was simple: live with her mother, keep her safe, and find what happiness she could.
The sham engagement would end in a few months. But it would be a new experience—and that was enough.
As a bonus: hundreds of gold coins.
Roenna, unable to deny the reality before her, gazed at her daughter with quiet sadness.
"So you will allow it?"
Marin leaned playfully against her mother's shoulder.
"Do as you wish."
Roenna's hand rose to stroke her cheek—gentle, warm.
"Yes." Marin closed her eyes, her voice dropping to a whisper. "I'll try."
It sounded less like an answer and more like a promise she was making to herself.
---
## — The Duke's Office —
Butler Sebas and Head Maid Paige stood before the Duke's office door, exchanging bewildered glances.
Orders were typically relayed through Olive. It was exceedingly rare for the Duke to summon them both—and rarer still at such an early hour.
"Come in."
Sebas, holding a candle, pushed open the door. Paige followed carefully behind.
As they approached the Duke's desk, they noticed Marin standing beside him, her face taut with tension.
"Your Grace—how did you rest?"
Sebas and Paige greeted him in hushed voices, as always.
"From now on, speak in a normal voice." The Duke's tone was calm, almost casual. "I've been feeling considerably better lately."
Sebas's voice trembled with barely contained joy.
"What wonderful news, Your Grace."
A shadow of relief passed over Paige's face as well.
"Indeed, Your Grace."
Marin, standing nearby, heard this for the first time. Her eyes widened as she stared at him.
*He didn't tell me that.*
Now that she thought about it, since returning from the South, the Duke had stopped wearing his blindfold entirely.
If he was feeling better... did he still need her reports?
*Am I going to be dismissed?*
Her pale green eyes flickered with sudden alarm.
"I am going to become engaged to Marin."
"Ho-ho-ha! Is that so? To Miss Marin—"
Sebas chuckled and nodded along—then froze as the meaning struck him.
"—*Help?!*"
Paige, beside him, stood rooted to the spot.
Lost in her spiraling worries about dismissal, Marin's jaw dropped. She hadn't expected the Duke to speak her name so naturally—so *easily.*
This was the second shock, after being called *bride.*
"Head Maid!" Sebas seized Paige's arm, unable to contain himself. "You heard that too, didn't you?! His Grace's *engagement!* Pinch me! Convince me I heard correctly!"
He thrust his powerful hand toward her.
Paige, still dazed, blinked—then seemed to return to herself at the sound of his voice.
"Marin has something to say."
Both sets of eyes turned to her at once.
Quickly composing herself, Marin dipped into a slight bow.
"I am Marin, of the House of Viscount Shuvenz. Due to circumstances beyond my control, I have been deceiving you all until now." She straightened. "Please forgive me."
"N-no—Miss Marin—I mean, *my lady.*" Sebas waved his hands in alarm. "Please, there's no need to apologize."
He had already suspected she was noble; this merely confirmed it.
Paige, who had known nothing, recovered with admirable speed. She inclined her head in a polished, formal bow:
"Congratulations to you both on your engagement."
"Your Grace!" Sebas's voice cracked. He quickly turned his face toward the ceiling, blinking rapidly. "The engagement... *ahem*... congratulations."
He had served the Duke for so many years. The emotion was too much to contain.
"Mr. Butler..."
Marin's conscience didn't merely prick—it *ached* at the sight of his genuine joy.
Soon Sebas composed himself, his weathered face breaking into a broad, crinkled smile.
"Lady Marin—congratulations! And please, from now on, speak more freely with us!"
"Alright." Marin forced the most natural smile she could manage. "I'll do that."
"By mutual agreement, we will forgo an engagement ceremony." The Duke's voice cut cleanly through the warmth in the room. "Instead, we will hold a celebratory reception in one month to announce it to the nobility. Begin preparations."
Marin nodded quietly.
Some families announced engagements through letters exchanged between households. The absence of a ceremony wouldn't seem unusual.
But Sebas and Paige exchanged pale glances.
They understood the Duke's character—he was not one for excessive ritual.
But no noble family prepared a reception with only *one month's* notice. And not just any reception—one announcing an *engagement.*
Such an event typically required at least a year of preparation.
Yet this was the Duke's command. If he told them to have it ready by next week, they would find a way.
"Yes, Your Grace. We understand." Sebas's voice steadied. "Who should be invited?"
Normally, Olive would have handled such matters. In his absence, the burden fell to Sebas.
"All the Western nobles."