I Got Engaged To The Blind Duke - Chapter 42

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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 42

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On the first day of learning swordsmanship, Sebastian brought her a light iron sword so she could get used to the feel of a real sword.

Marine, who enthusiastically swung it with great vigor, was bedridden with muscle pain for two days.

Three days later, she went out to the training ground looking haggard.

Sebastian apologetically gave her a practice wooden sword this time. It was actually what children used when first learning the sword.

Marine swung it even more enthusiastically than on the first day. She wanted to show that she could do it too.

And then she couldn’t get up for another two days.

With a dejected face, she headed to the secluded clearing hidden by bushes behind the main building. It was the training ground where she was learning the sword.

She could see Sebastian standing in the center of the training ground with his back turned. Marine couldn’t bring herself to call out to him and dropped her gaze to the ground.

When she tapped the dirt ground with her black low-heeled shoes, dusty soil puffed up.

“Miss Marine, welcome.”

Sebastian, sensing her presence, turned around and greeted her kindly.

“Hello, Master.”

Since deciding to learn swordsmanship, she had been calling him Master within the training ground.

When Marine didn’t lift her head even after greeting him, the butler called her again.

“Miss Marine?”

“Do you regret… deciding to teach me?”

Marine asked hesitantly, keeping her gaze fixed on the ground.

She had wanted to make sure Sebastian wouldn’t regret it, but it seemed like she had made him regret it in just one week, which made her upset.

“Hehehehehe.”

The butler burst into hearty laughter.

At his unexpected reaction, Marine timidly lifted her head.

“Yes, I regret it.”

Sebastian said in a voice trying hard to suppress his laughter.

Ugh, brutal honesty.

Marine dropped her head again with a sullen expression.

“I regret that my teaching method was wrong from the beginning. I didn’t know enough about Miss Marine’s physical condition.”

Sebastian said this while looking at her as if she were adorable.

“You don’t regret teaching me?”

When Marine asked hesitantly and carefully, he shook his head with a benevolent expression.

“Of course not. I was the one who asked you. Do you regret it, Miss Marine?”

“No. It’s just that my poor stamina is pathetic.”

“Then will you continue?”

“Yes! Please take care of me.”

Marine answered energetically with a refreshed expression.

When her master wasn’t giving up first, she couldn’t give up either.

“Miss Marine, let’s use this today.”

Sebastian held out a whip-like wooden sword. From the unsmooth wood shape, it looked like he had carved it himself.

“Did you make this yourself?”

“Yes. It seems like holding heavy things would still be difficult for Miss Marine.”

“I’m sorry.”

Marine hurriedly apologized with an apologetic expression.

“No, Miss Marine. This is my fault as your teacher. I was too eager.”

“…”

Marine had nothing to say and gave an awkward smile. If she was surprised by her own stamina, how surprised must he have been?

Daily life stamina and exercise were different, and exercise and swordsmanship seemed to be yet another different matter.

“So I changed the plan starting today. One lap around this training ground per day, then two laps the next day, then three laps the day after that, increasing by one lap each time.”

“Will that increase my stamina?”

“It will. Trust me.”

Sebastian smiled broadly, emanating the aura of a veteran.

“Yes!”

Marine looked at Sebastian with sparkling, admiring eyes.

“Today, run one lap and swing this new sword from top to bottom just 100 times.”

“Yes. But may I ask you something?”

Marine brought up a question she had been curious about since starting sword lessons.

“Yes.”

“Why don’t you teach me dagger technique? A dagger would be easy to hide and not as heavy as a long sword, so it would seem easier for me to learn.”

Sebastian smiled and took a big step closer to her with long strides.

When the tall Sebastian stood at a distance where he could reach her with a slight stretch of his hand, a sense of pressure suddenly overwhelmed her.

“This is dagger distance. To swing a dagger, you naturally have to stand close. A long sword has twice this distance. Naturally, your peace of mind differs.”

When Sebastian stepped back while speaking, her field of vision seemed to brighten and she could see her surroundings better.

“Wow! You’re right.”

Experiencing it directly made her understand more clearly.

“For someone like His Grace the Duke, distance doesn’t matter, but even regular knights consider distance important. For those unfamiliar with swords, that distance is even more essential.”

“Yes.”

Marine answered refreshingly like a well-behaved student.

“Just because I’m teaching Miss Marine the sword doesn’t mean you’ll be able to handle a sword like actual knights. This should never happen, but if you face an enemy, if you can just buy time, it would be very useful when the ducal knights come running to help Miss Marine.”

“Yes.”

Marine nodded greatly and fell into thought.

Buying time. A very important goal had emerged.

Of course, if she left the ducal house, the ducal knights wouldn’t come to help her.

She would have to handle it alone.

If she encountered bandits, buying time to escape from them.

Even that much would be a great gain.

“Shall we begin then?”

“Yes!”

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Marine, gripping the whip-like wooden sword with both hands, took her stance and swung it up and down precisely.

Her face, as she practiced with her pink lips clenched, was completely covered in sweat.

Where had she gotten that shabby navy blue dress that looked like something maids would wear?

Although her clothes looked disheveled with dirt and sweat, she actually seemed to shine as she worked hard.

She had followed along well in previous training without a single word of complaint about it being difficult, so he hadn’t noticed until she was bedridden the next day.

Still, this time the sword was light as a feather by his standards, so it should be better than last time. However, he was worried she might be enduring it with stubbornness again.

“Miss Marine, shall we rest for a moment?”

“I still have thirty swings left.”

Marine only turned her head while maintaining her sword-holding stance.

“Are you sure you’re okay? Rather than overexerting yourself and getting sick like last time, being just a little tired is perfect.”

“Hmm… Then I’ll do just ten more. I think I can manage it.”

“Alright.”

“Butler! Butler!”

Just then, a young knight came running quickly toward him from the distance.

“What’s the matter?”

“The, the Duke will arrive soon!”

“What?”

Butler Sebastian asked back in surprise.

Marine also stopped mid-swing with her sword and stood frozen.

The Duke is already coming? What about the funeral? The aftermath?

How on earth did he arrive so early from such a long distance?

Did he depart as soon as he arrived in the Southern Region?

Marine eavesdropped on their conversation while countless questions flooded her mind.

“He’s crossing the bridge right now…”

Butler Sebastian cut off the Young Knight’s words mid-sentence.

“Let’s go see. Ah, Miss Marine.”

He turned around to look at her.

“Please hurry and go see. I’ll follow along too.”

“Yes.”

Butler Sebastian began running with the Young Knight. Though the Butler was clearly a white-haired old man, he was faster than the young knight running alongside him.

The two disappeared from sight in an instant.

Marine left the wooden sword the Butler had given her in the bushes behind the training ground and ran. Before the Duke arrived, all the servants had to go out together to greet him.

“Huff. Huff. Huff. I’m dying.”

After running around the open field and swinging the sword, her stamina seemed completely depleted. Her legs felt like they had weights attached and wouldn’t move as she wanted.

Though her mind was clearly racing far ahead, her actual speed was as slow as a turtle.

A maid who had been walking with quick steps beside her glanced at her and went ahead.

Seeing this, Marine accepted reality and trudged along.

When she finally reached the front of the Duke’s Castle main gate, the Duke’s carriage had already arrived.

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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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