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Chapter 9
“Temporary. Don’t resemble Olive.”
“You’re bleeding. You should go see a doctor right away.”
Seeing the blood, Marin’s heart throbbed with a sharp pain. She deliberately averted her eyes from the bloodstain.
The faint scent of blood drifting in the air—this must be the duke’s blood. Just how much blood had he lost?
“I said it had bled. Not now. Do you not understand past tense?”
The corner of the duke’s lips curled crookedly.
“Yes, understood. It had bled, but it’s not bleeding now. Right? Still, you should receive treatment. It had, had, bled, so…”
Marin gritted her teeth and suppressed her rising irritation.
“I recover quickly.”
His indifferent attitude was completely incomprehensible.
“No matter how fast you heal, you still need treatment. We need to find out why you suddenly started bleeding from your ear.”
“It wasn’t sudden.”
The duke, whose eyes were covered by a string, turned his head toward her as if making eye contact.
“Pardon?”
“I pierced my eardrum.”
“……Who did?”
Marin’s light green eyes trembled violently. Surely not…
The duke slightly tilted his head toward her and, as if observing her reaction, spoke slowly.
“…I did.”
What the hell. He really is insane.
“Now it’s finally quiet.”
Satisfaction tinged the duke’s low voice.
Marin said nothing more and pressed her lips tightly together.
Once she fell silent, the duke turned his face forward again.
The room was still dark. Yet the trace of blood now etched into her mind remained vivid.
A duke who would stab himself out of sheer pain—how insane must he be?
Ironically, meeting the duke made him seem human for the first time.
He no longer felt like a fictional male protagonist, but like a real person suffering in reality.
She knew that in the story, this man would regain his sight after meeting the female protagonist. Perhaps that was why she had treated his blindness as something insignificant.
She had thought the suffering and trials of a fictional male lead were simply part of the plot.
After all, it leads to a happy ending.
Ah, how foolish that thought had been.
Only after witnessing his self-destructive behavior did she truly grasp his pain.
To suddenly lose one’s sight—how terrifying and agonizing must that be?
She couldn’t even begin to imagine it.
Before she realized it, tears had welled up in her eyes. They rolled down her cheeks and dropped softly onto the carpet.
The duke suddenly turned his head sharply. Though his eyes were covered, it felt as if he was staring directly at her.
“…Why?”
Marin quickly wiped her tears.
Even if he had sensitive hearing, he couldn’t possibly hear the sound of her tears falling.
“What do you mean?”
“…No.”
An awkward silence filled the office.
At that moment, Olive returned.
“Your Grace? Miss Marin?”
Olive looked puzzled, as if wondering why the two of them were standing so close together.
“This.”
The duke formed a circle with his thumb and index finger and lifted her wrist. Even though her wrist fit inside, it looked slightly loose.
“Yes, Your Grace.”
“Fill it.”
“Yes.”
Olive answered immediately without asking any further questions.
Marin widened her eyes, watching the silent exchange between the two.
Excuse me. You’re talking about my wrist right now, aren’t you?
“Temporary.”
The duke turned his face toward her again.
“Yes.”
Marin answered absentmindedly, then secretly pouted.
She had suspected it earlier—but “temporary”? Had she been promoted from a branch?
“Get it checked going forward.”
“What should I get checked?”
He lazily lifted her wrist as if it were bothersome, then let it go.
Ah, he was talking about her wrist.
Marin quickly reclaimed it.
Welcome back, my wrist.
“Report.”
“Yes. Here it is, Miss Marin.”
Olive handed her the report as if he had been waiting.
“Yes.”
Alright, let’s get to work.
Marin took the report from Olive and slowly began reading it.
Her clear, calm voice gently filled the office.
Seeing the duke’s stiffened shoulders gradually relax, Olive’s lips curved into a satisfied smile.
Marin walked down the corridor behind Olive with a thoughtful expression.
She had thought she knew everything about the duke, the male protagonist from the novel—but she had been mistaken.
She hadn’t realized he was suffering to the point of self-harm.
The problem was that she knew how to relieve his pain.
“No. No.”
Marin muttered to herself and shook her head firmly. That role belonged to the female protagonist—not her.
She should stay inconspicuous, earn money, and quietly disappear.
That way, the story could proceed toward its original happy ending.
After walking down the corridor lined with black curtains for a while, a bright hallway soon appeared.
At the end of the bright corridor, a light brown door came into view.
“This is the office.”
“It’s quite far from His Grace’s office.”
Marin estimated the distance between here and the dark corridor she had seen earlier. The castle was vast, and it took quite a walk to go from one end to the other.
“His Grace prefers quiet places.”
Olive opened the office door and entered.
Marin stood at the entrance, looking around.
A large window letting in bright sunlight. A bookshelf filled entirely with documents along one wall. A wide brown desk in front. A tea table and a brown sofa in the center. Beside it stood a white desk that looked brand new.
Aside from the times she reported to the duke, she would be assisting Olive here.
Olive walked toward the white desk.
“This is Miss Marin’s desk. From now on, you’ll be working here.”
“Thank you.”
Marin felt a rare excitement. It had been so long since she had used new furniture like this.
Since coming to the ducal household, everything had been good—an enormous weekly salary, a new desk, and a kind supervisor.
She would set aside the frightening duke.
Marin looked away from the desk and turned back to Olive.
“Um, Assistant.”
“Yes, Miss Marin.”
Marin cautiously spoke while looking into Olive’s warm brown eyes.
“About His Grace’s ear… the bleeding…”
“You saw it?”
Olive asked back with a bitter expression.
“Does he not need treatment?”
“His Grace strongly dislikes anything touching his body. Even if it’s for treatment.”
“Still, he should receive treatment.”
“I’ve told him many times as well, but it hasn’t worked.”
His ever-gentle smiling face now carried a shadow.
“But don’t worry too much. He’s very strong and heals quickly.”
He knows he stabbed himself, right?
Watching Olive speak cheerfully, Marin swallowed the words she wanted to say.
“Actually, the bigger issue is that he can’t sleep.”
Olive let out a deep sigh filled with concern.
“He can’t sleep?”
“Yes. Not at all.”
But why would being unable to sleep be a bigger issue than bleeding?
Marin didn’t understand, but she simply nodded.
“My mother used to drink a glass of warm wine when she couldn’t sleep.”
“Oh?”
Olive’s gaze deepened as if observing her.
Unaware of his scrutiny, Marin answered honestly.
“Yes. It worked for my mother.”
“Thank you.”
“I hope it helps. But, Assistant—why do you speak politely to me when I’m a commoner?”
It was unusual for a nobleman to consistently speak formally to a commoner woman assisting him.
“I am your assistant, aren’t I?”
Olive tilted his head and asked.
“Yes, that’s right.”
“That’s the reason.”
“I see.”
He truly was an unusual noble.
“Is it uncomfortable?”
“No. Please speak however you’re comfortable.”
“Then, would you call me by my name from now on?”
Olive smiled brightly as he spoke.
“Yes, Olive.”
“Good. Miss Marin, shall we begin work?”
Olive smiled warmly and neatly stacked a pile of documents onto Marin’s desk. The amount was overwhelming at a glance.
Marin looked at him with a slightly weary expression. He still wore a kind smile.
Perhaps it was too early to call him a good supervisor.
Marin awkwardly lifted the corners of her lips and picked up the documents.
