The Duke’s Obsession Leads to a Death Flag

“That’s not how you hold it.”

I pressed my fingers against my throbbing temples, barely resisting the urge to just give up on everything. Taking a deep breath to calm myself, I patiently explained to Vin once again.

“You’re not supposed to grip it like that—watch how I do it. Hold the spoon with your thumb and index finger, then support it with your middle finger.”

“Thumb and index finger… support it with the middle finger….”

Mumbling my words under his breath, Vin carefully moved his fingers. Finally, after no less than twenty attempts, he managed to hold the spoon correctly. Beaming, he lifted it to show me and asked brightly,

“Is this right?”

“Yeah, that’s right.”

I ruffled his hair as a small reward, but honestly, this was just the beginning of the real problem. If even learning to hold a spoon had taken this long, how was he supposed to handle chopsticks? Maybe it would be better to just have him eat with his hands like before and forget about utensils altogether.

The mere thought of repeating this frustrating process over and over again made my head ache, even though we hadn’t even started on the chopsticks yet.

“Don’t forget how to hold the spoon.”

“Okay.”

“From now on, use this instead of your hands when you eat.”

“Okay!”

At least he was good at answering. As I lowered my hand from his head and reached for the chopsticks, I braced myself for the long battle ahead. But before I could even start, the door swung open without a single knock, and the butler strode into the room.

“Young Master, the District Chief is calling for you.”

“Father’s back?”

I knew he would return soon, but this was faster than expected. If the butler was summoning me, it could only mean that my father had heard about Vin. My heart pounded with nervous anticipation.

“I have to go now, right?”

“Yes, he asked for you immediately.”

Letting out a shaky breath, I climbed down from my chair. Vin, looking anxious, grabbed onto me. I mouthed, I’ll be back, and after a moment of hesitation, he nodded and released my hand.

Following the butler’s lead, I soon arrived at Han Jae-hoon’s room. The butler knocked firmly on the tightly shut door and addressed the man inside.

“District Chief, the Young Master has arrived.”

A moment later, Han Jae-hoon’s voice called from inside, telling me to enter. The butler gently pushed the door open and bowed at the waist. I had assumed he would come in with me, but it seemed I had to go in alone.

“I’ll be back, Butler.”

“…Stay strong, Young Master.”

With the butler’s quiet encouragement, I stepped into Han Jae-hoon’s room alone. As soon as I took a single step forward, the door closed behind me, cutting off my retreat.

It’s fine, there’s no need to be nervous. Repeating those words in my head, I walked closer to where Han Jae-hoon sat on the bed. Swallowing dryly, I greeted him first.

“Welcome back, Father.”

“Yes, I’m back.”

His voice didn’t sound particularly displeased, but the moment I straightened from my deep bow and met his eyes, I knew for certain.

He looks absolutely furious.

He always made an effort to show only a kind demeanor in front of me, no matter what. The fact that his anger was this obvious meant he wasn’t even trying to hide it.

At times like this, I felt truly grateful that I was Han Seo-yul. If I weren’t, Han Jae-hoon wouldn’t have had any reason to hold himself back like this.

“I heard you decided to take in a page of your own age.”

“…Yes.”

Caught off guard by how quickly he got straight to the point, I hesitated before answering. Han Jae-hoon let out a deep sigh and stood up from the bed, stepping toward me.

His tall stature made me lift my head to look up at him. Then, he bent his knees slightly to meet my eye level. Normally, I would have appreciated the gesture as an act of kindness, but with his face frozen in an icy expression, it was anything but comforting.

“When did this start?”

“…That day.”

He didn’t specify a subject, but the conversation flowed naturally.

Han Jae-hoon clicked his tongue and exhaled a sharp, irritated breath, his face contorting. The fierce glint in his eyes practically screamed that he regretted not killing Vin that day.

“Does it have to be that child?”

“Yes, it has to be him.”

The instant my firm answer left my lips, Han Jae-hoon’s mouth twitched as if he were about to say something but stopped himself. If I had to guess, he had nearly cursed. Taking a beat to gather his words, he spoke again.

“What if I refuse?”

“I’ll go on a hunger strike.”

“What?”

“I won’t eat until you agree to it.”

It was almost laughable that my best threat was a hunger strike, but just as I had anticipated, it was incredibly effective on Han Jae-hoon. If that hadn’t worked, I had been prepared to say I’d never see his face again, but thankfully, I didn’t have to go that far.

Han Jae-hoon’s hands tightened around my shoulders, his face twisting in distress. His gaze seemed to ask, Do you really have to go this far? But I didn’t waver. Instead, I carefully took his hand in mine and continued speaking.

“Father, since you received him as a ‘gift,’ it should be fine if you give him to me, right?”

“…Baby.”

What happened to a child received as a ‘gift’ was entirely up to Han Jae-hoon. That was the rule of this world, and I intended to use it to my advantage. As long as I had his permission, Vin could stay anywhere and do anything—it wouldn’t matter.

He just needed to get out of that storage room. If I could keep him safe, the destruction of District 5 wouldn’t come.

“I like him. I want him as my personal page.”

That final, decisive statement sealed the deal. Han Jae-hoon, seemingly exhausted by the argument, surrendered. His defeat came quicker than I had expected. The mention of a hunger strike must have shaken him more than I thought.

If I’d said I’d never see him again, he might’ve passed out on the spot.

As he straightened his bent knees and stood up, he wobbled slightly. I instinctively reached out to steady him, but he managed to regain his balance on his own.

Placing a hand against his forehead, he took a deep breath before returning to sit on the bed. Sinking into the plush mattress, he took a moment to gather his thoughts before speaking again.

“I’ll respect your decision, but to be honest, I don’t like that child.”

“Because he’s a Shining?”

My sharp remark hit the mark. Han Jae-hoon’s facial muscles twitched in response. His relationship with the District 1 Chief was particularly strained, so it was only natural that he couldn’t bring himself to trust someone from the same lineage.

“But since it’s your decision, I won’t say anything more.”

Even though he had given his approval, his displeasure was obvious. I needed to soothe his mood. I scampered over and rested my chin on his knee, looking up at him with sparkling eyes. Han Jae-hoon, who had been rubbing his temples from a headache, let out a faint chuckle.

“…Are you trying to act cute?”

I nodded confidently. With a soft sigh, he reached out and tousled my hair with his large hand. A faint floral scent lingered in the air, making me feel inexplicably comforted. It wasn’t a scent I remembered, but perhaps it was because Han Seo-yul’s mother had loved this fragrance.

“Come here, Baby.”

Han Jae-hoon patted the spot beside him. I obediently sat next to him, and he immediately pulled me into a warm embrace. His body heat was so comforting that I let out a small laugh, and when he chuckled along with me, his voice softened.

“I missed you.”

“I missed you too, Father.”

***

In District 1, where light was ever-present, there was no clear distinction between day and night. The only way to tell the time was by the sound of the grand bells that rang at designated hours, but people simply decided for themselves what was day and what was night.

Schools had a more structured schedule due to lectures, making time boundaries somewhat clearer, but even then, it wasn’t a true separation between day and night. During breaks or after classes, students would return to their dormitories, draw the blackout curtains, and sleep, yet no one ever referred to that as night.

The people of District 1 claimed that the ever-glowing moon was their savior, keeping them alive. But to Se-yul, it was the reason they had lost the concept of night altogether.

Of course, voicing such thoughts in District 1 would immediately get you labeled as a dissenter and exiled without question. The people here were like a cult, utterly obsessed with the moon. Any criticism of it was dangerous and had to remain unspoken.

“Se-yul, what are you doing?”

The sound of scribbling had woken his roommate, who called out to him groggily. Startled, Se-yul turned around and quickly apologized.

“Sorry, I’ll sleep in a little bit.”

His roommate let out a huge yawn before pulling the blanket over his head and dozing off again. Se-yul waited patiently until the rhythmic sound of steady breathing filled the room before returning to his letter.

With exams stacked back-to-back leading up to the break, there had been no time to write. But now, the tests were finally over, and in just one more week, the vacation would begin.

At last, he would leave behind this oppressive, blinding light and return to the comfort of District 5, where the night still existed.

“Done.”

Finishing the letter, he carefully placed it inside a white envelope. If he mailed it tomorrow, it should arrive at the estate a week in advance. That meant someone from the household would be sent to pick him up at the bus stop right on time.

“I hope Hyung comes.”

Seo-yul, whose health was so poor that he rarely even left his room, was unlikely to come meet him. But wishing for it was free, after all.

Finally, he was going back. Compared to the endless year of waiting, a single week felt agonizingly short—but the thought of seeing Seo-yul again made everything worth it.

“I wish time would move faster.”

Se-yul wished with all his heart that the week would pass in the blink of an eye.