I Got Engaged To The Blind Duke - Chapter 104

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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I Got Engaged to a Blind Duke Episode 104

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Tap. Tap. Tap.

At the sound of an unfamiliar cane striking the marble floor, the palace maids walking down the corridor turned their heads.

At the far end of the corridor, a massive figure was walking toward them, leaning on a cane.

Broad shoulders and a sturdy build, ebony-black hair. The man radiating a cold aura had his eyes closed.

One of the maids opened her eyes wide in surprise and poked the waist of the maid beside her.

“Isn’t that Duke Vines?”

“That man with a cane doesn’t suit him at all.”

“I know, right. Oh, the Imperial Princesses are going to be in an uproar. Let’s hurry.”

The Imperial Princesses of marriageable age coveted the Western Duke, who had the greatest influence in the Empire after the Emperor.

Meanwhile, Gerald deliberately made noise with his cane as he slowly walked down the corridor of the Imperial Palace.

Oliver was also walking half a step ahead of the Duke, as if guiding him.

Eventually, Oliver stood before the door engraved with gold and gave a slight bow to the elderly chief attendant.

The chief attendant responded with a nod and shouted loudly toward the door.

“Duke Gerald von Vines enters!”

Soon the door opened wide on both sides.

In the deep blue room, there was a golden table in the center, and the Emperor sat on a platform one step higher than that table.

This was the venue for the special meeting between the Emperor and the four Dukes that took place before the annual noble assembly held every year.

Gerald slowly entered, leaning on his cane.

“Vines greets His Majesty the Emperor of the Empire.”

Gerald bowed his head to the Emperor with a stoic expression.

“Duke, welcome.”

The chief attendant who followed him in deliberately made noise while pulling out a table chair to accommodate him.

Gerald walked toward the sound, tapped the chair leg with his cane, and sat down.

Two Dukes and one Young Duke who were already seated watched him with curious eyes, fierce eyes, and unreadable eyes.

“Western Duke, I kept sending you invitations. I can only see you at special occasions like this.”

“I apologize, Your Majesty. As you can see, I am currently ill.”

Gerald bowed his head slightly and answered in an indifferent tone.

“So it seems. Though you got engaged in the meantime.”

The Emperor, who was lounging lazily on his throne, smiled and made a pointed remark.

“Thank you for the congratulations.”

“Ah, yes. Congratulations.”

When Gerald brushed it off naturally, the Emperor’s golden eyes flashed fiercely.

“Now, since the Western Duke has arrived, we can have a long-overdue chat. We only gather like this once a year, don’t we.”

“I will visit you more often.”

The Eastern Archduke with a kind impression smiled and spoke.

“I understand you’re all busy people. Is the Eastern Duke still ill?”

“Yes, Your Majesty. I apologize for disturbing Your Majesty’s mood by being present at this gathering when I haven’t even inherited the ducal title yet.”

The Emperor stared at the Eastern Archduke’s hair, which was beginning to show streaks of white.

“That’s enough. You’re getting on in years, so you should inherit the ducal title soon.”

The Eastern Archduke responded by bowing his head with a gentle smile instead of words.

“Speaking of which, I’m thinking of awarding you the Noel Medal.”

The Noel Medal was a great honor given to those who devoted themselves to the peace of the Empire, and no one had received it for nearly ten years.

At the Emperor’s unexpected proposal, the Eastern Archduke looked at the Emperor with a surprised expression.

“I heard the Eastern Region suffered greatly from drought last year. The Young Duke provided much relief with his personal fortune, not the family assets, didn’t he?”

“I am deeply grateful.”

The Eastern Archduke answered with a gentle smile.

“This year’s annual noble assembly will be held in the Solar Hall.”

“In the Solar Hall? It’s been a long time.”

The Northern Duke, who had been quietly observing the situation, spoke up.

The Solar Hall, made with a glass dome where natural light poured in directly, was only opened for the Emperor’s coronation or medal ceremonies.

“We’ll hold the Eastern Archduke’s Noel Medal ceremony there. The Eastern Duke, who is ill, should be satisfied with this much, right?”

It was a way of saying to receive the Noel Medal and quickly inherit the Eastern Duchy.

“I am only grateful for Your Majesty’s grace.”

The Eastern Archduke bowed deeply with a voice trembling with emotion.

The Southern Duke watched this scene with a sneer.

While the Eastern Duke was the leader of the noble faction, the Young Duke was more of a sycophantic type.

Look at him groveling before the Emperor.

Tsk, even adopting such a man.

“The Southern Region remains peaceful as always.”

The Emperor, reading the Southern Duke’s expression, changed the subject.

“Yes.”

At the Southern Duke’s short answer, the Emperor’s eyes flashed coldly before quickly subsiding.

“That’s fortunate. Southern wine is very precious. Please visit the Imperial Palace more often.”

“I will.”

“How about the Northern Region?”

“Same as always.”

The Northern Duke answered plainly with an expression that found everything bothersome.

The Emperor also had no interest in the barren and poor Northern Region.

The only thing he coveted from the North was the skills of the Northern Duke, who was an alchemist. The things that came from his hands were enough to amaze the world.

“How is your son doing?”

Though he spoke indirectly, he meant to ask if he had found his runaway son.

“Yes. He’s doing well.”

The Northern Duke’s eyes, which had been answering blankly as if his soul had left him, suddenly flashed coldly.

The Emperor clicked his tongue inwardly. Indeed, the Northern Duke’s only weakness was the son he had gained in his old age.

He had planted spies in the North and was searching for the Northern Duke’s son, but it was always fruitless.

The Emperor’s gaze now fell on the Western Duke, who had his eyes closed.

He constantly suspected whether the Western Duke’s eyes were really blind and sent spies.

If only he could make those eyes open once.

“Western Duke. Since you’re engaged now, how about having a meal with your fiancée?”

The expressionless Western Duke quietly raised his head.

The Emperor flinched momentarily. Even though his eyes were closed, it felt as if their eyes had met.

Indeed, even if he was blind, the aura of the strongest person in the Empire could not be ignored.

Though he was angry at being momentarily overwhelmed by his presence, the Emperor hid his feelings with a smile.

“The Western Duke’s injury must be to his eyes, but he’s really tight-lipped about it.”

The Western Duke’s eyelids, who had been quietly holding his head up as if looking, slowly opened.

The Emperor and other Dukes, who hadn’t expected him to suddenly open his eyes, held their breath.

The Western Duke’s black pupils had changed to a deep gray color.

Nothing in the world could change the color of one’s pupils. Not even alchemy.

But the Western Duke’s eye color had changed. Moreover, his pupils had no focus.

Until now, everyone had been skeptical about the fact that the Western Duke was blind.

But here, the Western Duke had opened his eyes himself and proven that fact.

Why would he reveal a weakness that should be hidden at all costs?

“Your Majesty, since I am blind, I cannot properly observe dining etiquette, making it difficult for me to attend the meal. Please understand.”

The Emperor’s expression hardened like stone.

The Western Duke naturally declined the dining invitation by directly demonstrating his blindness.

What could his true intention be?

The minds of the other two dukes and the Young Duke who were watching the Western Duke’s eyes became busy with calculations.

“…I hope you recover quickly, Western Duke.”

“Thank you.”

Soon the Emperor’s gaze naturally turned to the others.

Meanwhile, Gerald closed his eyes again and leaned back against his chair expressionlessly.

The one who had sent the assassins that attacked the carriage before was here.

If the assassin he had deliberately spared had survived to the end, he would have surely reported about his eyes.

However, even after receiving that report, the opponent would have continued to suspect and doubt him endlessly.

So he opened his eyes. He sacrificed himself and heightened his hearing to the extreme.

Who was it. The person who was least surprised.

The heartbeats driven by curiosity and surprise were all different.

And he confirmed the heartbeat that beat the slowest, as if it had expected this from the moment he first opened his eyes.

So it was you.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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