I Held the Leash of a Blind Beast (1 Chapters Left to Complete) - Chapter 2
“They told me I’m past marriageable age, so I should wed.”
Illeon’s words struck Rona like a bolt from the blue.
‘Marriage? Marriage, you say? That’s absurd!’
The female lead hadn’t even appeared yet, and Illeon hadn’t regained his sight—so what on earth was this nonsense about?
“My lord, you’re getting married?”
“Yes. His Imperial Majesty said I’m getting old.”
By the customs of this world, that was indeed true. Nobles typically arranged betrothals between families from a young age for the benefit of their houses and held weddings once they came of age.
Illeon’s father, the previous duke, had died early, and Illeon himself had gone off to war even before reaching adulthood. Thus, after his coming-of-age ceremony—during which he inherited the family seal and estate—he returned straight to the frontier without engaging in any other social activities.
Two years ago, he lost his sight on the battlefield and stayed in a townhouse in the capital instead of his estate for treatment. Time passed, and Illeon was now twenty-five!
In our world, that would be prime job-hunting age, but here it was perfectly suitable for becoming a parent and raising an heir. Moreover, Illeon was the son of Princess Rev and thus the Emperor’s only nephew.
“They should be discussing the succession of the ducal house, not this.”
Even blind, his family remained strong.
His blindness resulted from an accident, so there was no risk of his heir being born blind.
Therefore, if Illeon married into a prestigious family and had children, House Clevent would maintain its honor for generations to come. But why did it have to happen right now, of all times?
“Then, who are you marrying?”
Despite her shock, Rona’s mouth produced an appropriate question.
“I don’t know.”
“You don’t know?”
Illeon replied calmly, savoring the aroma of his coffee.
“Presumably, with a suitable young lady from a family chosen by His Majesty.”
“That’s impossible!”
Rona jumped up.
“Why not?”
Couldn’t they just wait three more days? The female lead would arrive and restore his sight.
He’d regain his vision and find love—two birds with one stone, or even three if you counted her returning to her original world.
Unable to give a straightforward answer, Rona clenched her fists tightly.
“My lord, do you even know how long life is? Your heart must be moved! Your heart! This is someone you’ll spend your whole life with!”
“You speak as though you know exactly how long life truly is.”
“W-well…”
It’s because I’ve watched so many dramas.
“In any case, I am absolutely against it!”
Of course, she had no right to oppose Illeon’s marriage.
Rona knew that very well—but she figured he’d regain his sight before the flower withered, so just a few more days of holding out would be enough.
“Marriage should be with someone you love.”
“You think so too?”
“Of course I do.”
In her excitement, Rona hadn’t even noticed she was speaking in an overly dramatic, historical-drama tone.
“But who would accept someone like me as their partner?”
“Huh? What do you mean by that?”
“Since I can’t see. Even if the Emperor commands it, they’ll surely find me burdensome.”
Where in the world could there be such a capable burden? Rona felt sorry seeing Illeon looking so disheartened.
“That’s not true, my lord. You’ll surely meet someone wonderful.”
Her name is Karina Drepein. Such a woman exists. Stop worrying about being a lonely duke.
Rona made up her mind once again.
She would definitely bring the female lead to Illeon within the three days remaining.
“By the way, everyone’s looking this way.”
All the patrons seated in the café kept glancing at Illeon. Even blind, he was the Empire’s greatest knight, a Swordmaster—so he was always acutely sensitive to people’s presence.
“Is it because I can’t see?”
How could he possibly think that? The quintessential male lead, Illeon, didn’t seem to realize at all that it was because of his dazzling looks. He spoke with bitter self-mockery.
“Was it foolish of me to come here for tea?”
Seeing him keep fretting over his blindness, Rona quickly replied.
“It’s because I stand out.”
“You stand out?”
“Yes.”
Rona drank her hot coffee. Having just made her first outing in the capital, she’d been utterly drained—yet now, with caffeine flooding her veins, she felt alive again.
“Now that I think of it, what do you look like? I don’t recall ever hearing a description.”
Well, it wasn’t really important. How could she possibly describe herself in a way that would convince others their glances were her fault?
“Well… My hair is red, my eyes are blue. Slurp. My skin is on the darker side, and my face is quite distinctive.”
Rona gave a vague description based on the colors of the national flag and busily scanned the room so as not to miss Karina—thus failing to notice Illeon smiling.
“You really do look unusual. Those colors must be rare.”
“Exactly! That’s what I said!”
Just as she gave a distracted reply—
“May I touch your face?”
Rona was startled by Illeon’s question.
“Me?”
“Yes. You. Since you say you look unusual, I’m curious.”
When one has been blind for a long time, fingertips become sensitive—they must take over the eyes’ role.
‘But he hasn’t been blind long enough to be skilled at it.’
Indeed, it had only been about two years since Illeon lost his sight, and he’d spent most of that time essentially giving up on normal life.
‘Well, it won’t wear off anything.’
Rona felt obligated to satisfy Illeon’s curiosity—he was her employer, after all.
“Sure, go ahead.”
When Rona leaned her face forward, Illeon reached out his hand into the air.
She took his hand and guided it to her face.
Illeon’s hand—large and slightly cool—was hardened by years of gripping a sword.
‘Is his body temperature naturally low?’
When Rona closed her eyes and her long lashes brushed his fingertips, Illeon paused briefly, then slowly continued tracing her face.
Soon, his hand lifted from Rona’s face.
“Just as you said—you do have a peculiar face.”
Illeon smiled brightly, seemingly pleased to have confirmed her appearance.
‘Ugh, he’s blinding.’
Even blind, a protagonist remained a protagonist. Witnessing that unexpected halo effect head-on across a tiny tea table made her vision swim slightly. Anyone who hasn’t seen our duke smile must be blind.
“Why aren’t you eating your dessert?”
“You should go first, Lord Illeon.”
Rona deliberately clinked the plate as she set it before him. He reached toward the sound and picked up a piece of chocolate.
Only after seeing Illeon place the chocolate in his mouth did Rona finally put her own piece in. A sweet yet bittersweet flavor spread through her mouth.
Illeon took a sip of coffee and leaned back comfortably in his chair. That small gesture alone made it feel as though he’d taken complete control of the space. Truly, he was the protagonist of this world.
“What’s the atmosphere like here? It seems crowded.”
Rona looked around the café anew.
‘Hmm… Honestly, he probably wouldn’t like it.’
Café Cardinal was famous for its low prices and generous portions—a place where cash-strapped youths could order a single cup of tea and chatter for hours. It catered more to commoners’ aspirations than to nobles.
The old café’s tables were worn, and some lace curtains had small tears. The awning hanging over the entrance was frayed—evidently patched with mismatched fabric after a failed repair attempt.
‘After all, we only came here because of Karina.’
In the original story, the female lead Karina was a young lady raised in a remote mountain estate. After her parents suddenly passed away, a wealthy relative in the capital adopted her and brought her to the city. Overwhelmed by preparations for her belated debutante season, Karina briefly rebelled.
Wandering aimlessly through the capital, she followed the scent of sweet desserts to this café—and ended up in a quarrel with some ruffians. The one who helped her was Illeon, who had just stepped outside his ducal residence for the first time since losing his sight.
Blind as he was, he could effortlessly defeat several thugs even with his eyes closed—an overwhelmingly skilled knight. Thus, he saved Karina, and she later visited his estate as his friend, where she saw that herb.
She kept calling it “the herb,” feeling guilty toward the sacred plant whose name she’d forgotten. Anyway, Karina, having grown up in the mountains and being well-versed in botany, was supposed to feed that herb to Illeon to restore his sight.
‘After today, only two days remain.’
As she thought this and looked at Illeon, he was quietly waiting for her to describe the café’s surroundings.
“Well, the tables here resemble the garden table in the ducal kitchen.”
They might share a similar round shape, but the price difference was probably about a hundredfold.
“The curtains are white and hang at every window.”
Rona lied, wetting her lips. It was the sentiment of a reader who only wanted the best for her male lead.
“The awning is blue, with several tables underneath. The sky is clear and blue today, and the sunlight reflecting off the awning is very pretty.”
In the original plot, Illeon never actually drank tea inside Café Cardinal—it was far beneath his station. He only saved the female lead right outside this shop. In short, this was no place for His Grace the Duke to sit.
Proud of having upgraded the setting to match Illeon’s dignity, Rona felt satisfied.
“I see. It’s quite a pleasant place.”
Illeon nodded and took a sip of coffee.
“Go ahead and eat. The chocolate is delicious.”
At his words, Rona popped a piece of chocolate into her mouth.
“Oh! You’re absolutely right.”
The chocolate, which she hadn’t expected much from, turned out to be surprisingly delicious—on par even with the confections made by the Duke’s kitchen chef.
“What does your name mean?”
“My name?”
Rona scratched her head for a moment.
It had been the name of the heroine in a drama she’d been obsessed with before transmigrating.
After transmigrating and wandering like a beggar, she’d heard the Beast Duke was hiring help—no questions asked about social status. It was the perfect opportunity for her.
The elderly forest-keeper couple who’d helped her gave her a small amount of travel money. But fearing starvation once it ran out, Rona had been frugal—going days without a proper meal—until she finally found an employment office by asking around.
“Name?”
“Wonyun…”
The clerk, with curly brown hair and a full beard connecting all the way to his chin—looking thoroughly Western—stared at her.
‘I can’t use Wonyun Ji!’
Her survival instinct kicked in: she needed a name fitting this world’s setting.
“R-Rona.”
And so, Wonyun Ji became Rona.
“I-I don’t know, haha. You know I’ve lost all my past memories.”
Over the past few months, Rona had patiently described and explained everything Illeon had been curious about—but telling him about dramas from another world was simply impossible.
“The meaning of my name is probably known only to those who gave it to me. I’m curious too.”
Illeon didn’t press further after her vague reply.
The sharp, rich scents of coffee and chocolate enveloped them both.
[This is the timeline separator]When they returned to the townhouse, the butler Bernar was in a panic.
“Your Grace! How could you go out like that while I was away?”
“What does it matter whether you’re here or not? I’d just returned from the palace, so I didn’t need special preparations—I only stepped out briefly.”
Bernar jumped up, clearly hurt.
“This is too much! After all this time returning from the palace, you didn’t even let me summon painters to preserve the moment! ‘Briefly stepping out’—it’s the first time in years! The very first!”
Illeon frowned.
“Don’t make a fuss. I drank tea late, so tell the kitchen to consider that for dinner.”
“Yes, Your Grace.”
With a sullen expression, Bernar quickly took Illeon’s coat and placed his cane in his hand. Once Bernar left, Illeon swept his cane across the floor.
Tap tap tap.
Illeon used his cane to locate the uneven tiles on the floor. Soon, the long, linear row of guide tiles caught the tip of his cane.
He slowly made his way to the bathroom, felt for the pitcher on the sink, and poured himself warm water. Meticulously, he washed his hands, face, and neck, then combed his hair back neatly—as if he could see his reflection in an invisible mirror.
Returning to his usual large armchair, cane in hand, he sat upright.
“Phew.”
The tension left Illeon’s body, which had been sitting perfectly straight with shoulders and back aligned.
“I suppose it was foolish to hope anyone would see me as a man.”
Male lead is reincarnated to save his wife
I’ve also read this one twice already. The female lead is kinda soft and gets embarrassed easily—not really my type, but the plot is definitely worth reading. Hurry up and read it, y’all!
Intro
When Shen Yuan encountered Su Jin again in his previous life, she had already become the Prime Minister of the current dynasty. As for him, the former top young master of the capital, he had long since fallen into the abyss, becoming a singer on a pleasure boat.
After a song ended, he was redeemed and sent to the Su Residence.
Su Jin respected and cherished him, gave him a roof over his head, and bestowed him with warmth. Shen Yuan fell deeper and deeper, but before he could express his feelings, Su Jin passed away.
Shen Yuan died to follow her in death, but instead, he returned to when he was fifteen years old.
At that time, he was not yet engaged, and Su Jin was just a poor scholar.
Shen Yuan gritted his teeth, casting aside all his pride, and thought of ways to coax and entice her every day.
The colder and more indifferent Su Jin was towards him, the more proactive Shen Yuan became.
He was not afraid of being mocked by the world, only wanting to marry his Wife-master early, to hold her hand and never let go for a lifetime.
[Note: This story will not specifically point out the male lead’s reincarnation time point; it’s all in the details. Whenever you feel that the male lead is acting strangely, he has most likely been reincarnated.]
[Touch the gear icon in the bottom right corner of the screen to move to the next chapter if you want.]
Hehehe the FL is oblivious to the ML jealousy. Poor Illeon
Hahahahahah this is an opportunity for Illeon. For sure the story has already deviated
Haha, just picturing this is so hilarious. Imagine Duke Illeon fan girling.