The Duke’s Obsession Leads to a Death Flag

“Master, won’t you take just one look?”

“No, I won’t. I already said I’m not interested.”

Despite my firm refusal, the butler tirelessly followed me around, trying to show me a list of children suitable as attendants my age.

They were supposedly well-educated within the district and capable of holding a conversation, but at best, they were just ten-year-old brats. What on earth would I even talk about with kids like that?

I couldn’t exactly say, I may look like a thirteen-year-old brat on the outside, but inside, I’m actually twenty-three!

Frustrated, I simply pressed my lips shut and wandered swiftly around the mansion, waiting for the butler to wear himself out and give up. But he was relentless, sticking to me like a shadow.

“Since you have trouble warming up to people, I’ve selected children who are exceptionally friendly and adaptable.”

“There’s no need for that.”

“But can’t you at least meet them once? You might find someone you like.”

I abruptly stopped in my tracks and turned to face the butler. Thinking I was finally showing interest, he quickly tried to present the list tucked under his arm.

I pushed aside the list he thrust toward me and adopted a serious tone. If I didn’t settle this properly, he would hound me all day without giving up. It was time to put an end to this.

“Butler, I’m not interested. Even if I look at the list, my answer won’t change. I don’t like any of them. And I never will.”

The butler’s green eyes wavered noticeably. I felt a little guilty for speaking too harshly, but before I could dwell on it, he let out a deep sigh and switched tactics, trying to coax me instead.

“Of course, I understand that you’re shy and may find this uncomfortable. After spending your days alone, suddenly having someone by your side could feel awkward.”

“Exactly! That’s what I’ve been saying—”

“But staying like this won’t be good for you, Master. If loneliness grows too much, even the heart can fall ill.”

I thought for a moment that he finally understood me, but in the end, we were back to square one. Cutting me off mid-sentence, the butler continued speaking in a slightly urgent tone.

“So please, just this once, meet them. The district leader and I carefully selected these children, so I’m sure you’ll—”

“If you were that worried, you shouldn’t have sent Se-yul away.”

Bringing up the uncomfortable topic that everyone avoided on purpose, I watched as the butler fell silent.

If they truly thought I was lonely from spending so much time alone, they shouldn’t have sent Se-yul away to school in District 1.

Or at the very least, instead of allowing him to return to the mansion only once a year for a mere week, they should’ve let him visit more often.

I wasn’t sure if Han Jae-hoon, who was always ruthlessly cold when it came to Se-yul, was aware of this, but at the very least, the butler seemed to have caught on to exactly what I was trying to say.

That should be enough to keep the topic of an attendant my age off the table for a while. I was about to turn away, feeling relieved, when the hesitant butler spoke up again.

“…But if you ever need one, at any time—”

“That won’t happen, so just get rid of that list. I don’t need an attendant my age.”

I was so fed up that my voice came out sharp and harsh. The butler, startled by this unfamiliar side of me, was rendered completely speechless.

Leaving him frozen in place, I returned to my room. I slammed the door shut with a loud bang! and even locked it. I heard the sound of his footsteps following me, lingering hesitantly outside my door for a while before eventually retreating.

“Seriously, so annoying.”

They called it an attendant my age, but I knew better—it was just a surveillance camera disguised as a person for when the adults weren’t around.

Judging by how persistent they were about assigning me one, it seemed likely they’d caught wind of me visiting the western forest. Otherwise, did they really think I was just lonely and going through puberty?

“Puberty, at my age?”

Either way, it was all equally annoying. Maybe I should just pretend to be going through it—that might make them leave me alone for a while.

If only they would just let me be until I got the child to a safe place.

“They care way too much. It’s a problem.”

There was less than a week left until Han Jae-hoon left. I just had to hold out a little longer. Repeating that to myself like a mantra, I started getting ready to see the child. A glance at the clock showed it was already well past noon.

***

I hid behind the wall and peeked into the kitchen. The attendants, who had just finished cleaning up, were gathered around the breakroom table, chatting idly.

Looks like it’s safe to go.

Keeping my body low, I crept into the kitchen. I opened the refrigerator and stuffed my bag with whatever food I could grab.

Several sandwiches from today’s lunch, some rice balls someone had prepared for later, and even neatly sliced fruit.

Once my bag was packed full, I slipped out of the kitchen just as quietly as I had entered. The attendants were too engrossed in their conversation to notice that I had been there at all.

“Success.”

I had gotten sick of only bringing the child rice cakes and snacks, so I had decided to raid the kitchen. The result was more than satisfying. The weight of the bag slung over my shoulder filled me with pride.

Humming a little tune, I made my way to the western forest where the child was. Maybe because the weather was so nice today, my steps felt especially light.

“The sun is so bright.”

The warmth of the sunlight was so pleasant that I tilted my head back to gaze at the sky. If only I could show this sunlight to the child, too—not just the narrow rays that filtered through a tiny window, but the real, open sky.

Soon enough, I will.

Savoring the little time left before that moment, I quickened my pace toward the storage shed. I was eager to see the child as soon as possible.

Besides the food weighing down my bag, I had a lot more to bring the child today.

As I pulled out a wire to pick the lock securing the shed door, something caught my eye—a set of unfamiliar footprints hidden beneath a layer of dried, withered leaves.

“What’s this…”

The footprint, seemingly left by an adult man, had dried into the hardened mud. It had been well over a week since it last rained, so the imprint must have been made around that time.

Why was someone here?

I studied the footprints lingering in front of the door before they trailed off in the direction of the mansion. Who would have come all the way to the western storage shed? The answer was obvious.

Someone must have been sent under Han Jae-hoon’s orders to check if the child was still here. It was such an expected outcome that I dismissed it without much concern.

Click. The lock came undone.

“Hey there.”

I swung the door open, greeting him cheerfully. The boy, who had been curled up in the darkness clutching an unlit lamp, dipped his head slightly toward me.

His reaction was definitely different from before when he had been utterly indifferent, and that alone lifted my mood.

“What were you doing?”

“……”

“Did you sleep well?”

For a second, I thought he had changed since he acknowledged my greeting, but I was wrong. He sealed his lips shut, pretending not to hear me, just like before.

I tried speaking to him a few more times, refusing to give up, but the result was the same. Eventually, I gave in and let the conversation die out, muttering to myself in defeat.

Shaking my head, I dropped the heavy bag from my shoulder. His crimson eyes, which had been staring blankly into space, reacted to the sound of the zipper opening.

The boy carefully placed the lamp he had been holding down beside him and slowly crept forward.

He was just like a wary stray cat—only lowering his guard and coming closer when food was involved.

Glancing at him for a moment, I wordlessly pulled out the food I had packed.

“Wow…”

The boy let out a small gasp at the sight of the sandwiches and large rice balls. His eyes sparkled with excitement—likely because it was the first time he had seen something other than rice cakes and snacks since arriving here.

“Can I eat this?”

So, he can speak when it comes to food.

I felt a childish urge to tell him he couldn’t eat anything out of sheer pettiness, but just as I was about to act on it, the perfectly timed growl of his stomach softened my resolve.

With a sigh, I pushed the food toward him.

“Go ahead.”

The moment I gave permission, the boy eagerly tore open the sandwich wrapper.

Gripping one of the sandwiches tightly, he was about to shove it into his mouth—wax paper and all.

“You’re not supposed to eat the wax paper!”

I quickly snatched the sandwich from his hands. His face twisted into a fierce glare, as if I had just committed an unforgivable crime.

After peeling off the wax paper, I handed it back to him, and only then did the hostility in his gaze subside.

“Don’t eat the paper. Take a big bite.”

Following my instruction, the boy hesitated for a moment before opening his mouth wide and sinking his teeth into the sandwich.

He chewed a few times, then suddenly stopped.

“What? Does it taste bad?”

Gulp.

The boy swallowed the mouthful of sandwich he had been holding in his mouth and shook his head.

Judging by his brightening expression, it wasn’t because the food tasted bad—it was because it tasted too good, and the shock had momentarily frozen him in place.

“Well, I’m glad you like it.”

He took another massive bite, stuffing his cheeks until they were puffed out like a squirrel’s. Even though he was choking, pounding his chest with his fist, he still forced more food into his already full mouth.

“Uugh—”

“Slow down, will you?!”

His face turned bright red as he choked, flailing his arms around in a desperate search for water. Panicking along with him, I quickly pulled out a water bottle from my bag and handed it over.

Without even attempting to unscrew the cap, he tried to drink straight from the bottle.

“You have to open it first.”

Tears welled up in his eyes as he shook his head furiously.

Sighing, I twisted off the cap for him. He hurriedly drank, so fast that he ended up soaking his clothes in the process.

Only after his face relaxed, no longer contorted in discomfort, did he realize what a mess he had made of himself.

“Look at you. You’re drenched.”

The boy glanced down at his sopping clothes and, instead of getting upset, let out a laugh.

I had no idea what he was so happy about, but his laugh was contagious.

Before I knew it, I was laughing along with him.