The Duke’s Obsession Leads to a Death Flag

Finding someone to send the letter, I hurried to get ready to go see Vin. On my way to the dining hall to grab the sandwich and bread I had for lunch, I stopped in my tracks when I heard a familiar voice coming from the entrance.

‘Han Jae-hoon?’

Peeking out from behind the wall, I observed the scene unfolding at the entrance. Unlike his usual comfortable attire, Han Jae-hoon was wearing a jet-black outer garment, clearly aiming to avoid drawing attention. Accompanied by two attendants, he was preparing to head somewhere.

As he conversed seriously with the butler, Han Jae-hoon spotted me hiding behind the wall. His stern expression softened immediately, and he greeted me with a bright smile.

“Baby, you’re awake?”

“Where are you going?”

I naturally inquired about his destination as I stepped in front of him. Kneeling on one knee, Han Jae-hoon gently patted my head as he answered.

“I’m going to the village for a bit.”

As the district leader, Han Jae-hoon frequently checked on the village. Though our district had fewer residents and wasn’t as large as others, he had once told me that this allowed him to pay closer attention to its details.

Han Jae-hoon cherished the Fifth District immensely. He was such a devoted leader that he was willing to abandon all pride and beg for electricity from the First District’s leader—whom he utterly despised—if it meant securing resources for our people.

That was why I had to crush his expectations as soon as possible. As much as he was dedicated to the district, he loved his son even more, and he was certain—without a shadow of a doubt—that I would succeed him as the next leader of the Fifth District.

‘But that’s impossible for me.’

In the original story, the next leader of the Fifth District wasn’t me—it was Se-yul. Han Seo-yul’s one and only younger sibling, currently studying abroad in the First District.

Of course, before Se-yul could officially take over, the Fifth District would be destroyed at the hands of Vincent Shining. But even without considering that, Se-yul becoming the district leader was far better for the Fifth District than me taking the position.

Naturally, Han Jae-hoon would never, under any circumstances, accept that.

“When will you be back?”

“If I want to have dinner with my little baby, I have to be back before evening.”

I swallowed back the words, It’s okay if you’re a little late. Stretching his legs as he stood, Han Jae-hoon bid farewell and left for the village.

I bowed slightly as I watched his figure recede into the distance, then suddenly realized—right now, the study would be completely empty.

Han Jae-hoon’s study was rarely vacant. That was why I had planned to wait until the day he left for the First District. But now… this was my chance.

“Where are you going, Young Master?”

“To my room. I’m going to rest for a bit, Butler!”

Leaving behind a shameless lie for the butler calling after me, I quickly climbed the stairs. The layout of the house placed my room on the east side of the staircase, while Han Jae-hoon’s study and bedroom were on the west side.

Unlike the bustling first floor, the second floor was relatively quiet. After quickly scanning my surroundings to confirm that no one was around, I dashed toward the study.

“Excuse me.”

Even as I sneaked into the empty study, I didn’t forget to announce my presence. The silent room felt eerily still. I had until evening before Han Jae-hoon returned, but there was no telling if someone else might come before then. I had to move quickly.

‘Just find the key and get out.’

Han Jae-hoon would most likely keep the key in either his desk drawer or the safe. I went straight to the safe hidden in the corner of the study and entered the password. All of Han Jae-hoon’s important passcodes were the same—Han Seo-yul’s birthday. The safe was no exception.

“It’s not here.”

Inside the safe were only jewels and important documents. A thief would probably go mad with excitement over the contents, but to me, they were utterly useless.

Giving up on the safe, I moved to the desk. If it wasn’t here either, that would be a problem. Pushing aside my rising anxiety, I carefully opened the drawers, making sure not to topple the towering stacks of paperwork.

For someone who seemed endlessly perfect and meticulous, Han Jae-hoon was surprisingly terrible at organization. Or rather, he didn’t even bother. Other parts of the house were kept in order by the attendants, but the desk was a different story.

‘This is a complete mess.’

Digging through the chaotic drawers, I finally found a bundle of keys buried deep inside.

“This must be it.”

Just in case, I rummaged through the rest of the drawers, but nothing else of interest turned up. Then this had to be the right one. The only places Han Jae-hoon would keep keys were here or the safe.

Slipping the keys deep into my pocket, I quietly exited the study. Closing the door behind me, I walked down the hallway as if nothing had happened and returned to my room. A perfect crime.

“Seriously, I’m going to die at this rate.”

Clutching my racing heart, I took a deep breath. Sneaking around like this might be thrilling once or twice, but if it kept happening, I was sure my heart wouldn’t be able to take it.

Leaning against the door, I pulled out the weighty culprit sitting in my pocket. There were ten keys in total. Whether one of them could unlock Vin’s shackles—I’d have to go find out for myself.

***

As I pushed open the heavy storage room door, Vin, who had been curled up in the darkness, shot to his feet at the sight of me. But my mind was so consumed with the keys that I skipped any greeting and got straight to the point.

“Vin, your foot.”

“My foot?”

“Yeah, I’m going to unlock your shackle.”

The moment I pulled out the keys from my pocket to show him, Vin’s eyes trembled violently. Desperate to check if any of them would work, I immediately sat on the floor and inspected the shackle closely.

Vin followed my lead, sitting down and extending his foot to make it easier for me to see. I ran my fingers over the smooth metal restraining his delicate ankle, eventually finding the hidden keyhole on the inside.

Praying that at least one of these ten keys would fit, I inserted the first one into the lock.

“This one doesn’t work.”

The first one wasn’t it. It didn’t fit at all. Taking a deep breath, I inserted the second key, but it was the same. This one wasn’t it either.

“Are you okay?”

By the time the fifth key failed, anxiety started creeping in. I was so on edge that I couldn’t even answer Vin. Before trying the last key, I let out a shaky breath.

“Please.”

This was the final key. The previous nine had all been wrong. If this one didn’t work either, I’d have to sneak back into the study to search for more. The next opportunity wouldn’t come until Han Jae-hoon left for the First District, and I didn’t want to wait that long.

‘Just this once, please. Let this be the one.’

Praying with all my heart, I pushed the last key into the lock. Click. Unlike before, the key slid in smoothly and fit perfectly.

Swallowing dryly, I slowly turned the key.

And unbelievably—the shackle’s lock unlatched with a soft click.

‘It… opened.’

The heavy metal shackle clattered to the floor with a dull thud.

Vin, frozen in shock, stared at his ankle as if he couldn’t believe what just happened. Then, with trembling hands, he reached out and rubbed his now unburdened ankle.

Rubbing over the faint marks left on his pale skin, he lifted his head and looked at me.

“It’s really… unlocked.”

“Yeah.”

“It’s really unlocked!”

Vin shot to his feet and immediately dashed across the room to a place he hadn’t been able to reach before because of the chains. As if still unable to believe it, he twisted his ankle back and forth, testing his freedom.

And then, realization seemed to fully hit him. Excited, he began bouncing in place, his movements light and unrestrained. There were no shackles on his ankles anymore.

I tossed the heavy bundle of keys onto the floor and wiped the sweat off my forehead. I had tried to act like it was no big deal, but the truth was, I had been terrified that none of the keys would work.

“Your ankle doesn’t hurt anymore, right?”

“No, it doesn’t.”

Vin lifted his foot, showing me the reddened skin where the shackle had once been. Carefully, I reached out and ran my fingers over the faint ring-like mark.

“It should fade completely in about a week.”

“You think so?”

“Yeah, it won’t last long.”

Even though it seemed like the mark would never disappear, by the time Vin reached the Second District, it would be gone. And with steady treatment, the wounds covering his body would heal too.

When that happened, Vin would be able to forget about this place completely. The future would shift away from the original storyline, and both Vin and I would be able to live peacefully.

‘This is how it should be.’

But thinking about our impending farewell left me feeling strangely melancholic. I must have grown attached to him in the meantime. That was why I wanted to say a proper goodbye.

Not in this dark, damp storage room—somewhere proper.

I wanted to make his last memory here at least a little better. Of course, that didn’t mean the nightmares of this place would disappear.

“Then… do you want to go outside?”

“…Right now?”

Vin, who had come to a sudden halt, asked hesitantly. Instead of answering, I stood up and pushed the heavy door wide open. Sunlight poured into the dimly lit storage room, making Vin squint against the brightness.

“Let’s go out now.”

Stepping outside first, I gestured for him to come.

Vin staggered forward but stopped right at the threshold, unable to take the final step. He stared fixedly at the invisible line separating him from the outside world before hesitantly retreating.

“What are you doing? Come on out.”

His crimson eyes, filled with fear and uncertainty, wavered with hesitation.

Even though the door had been opened for him, Vin was like a caged animal that had forgotten how to leave.

The world beyond this door was unknown to him. It was a place where too many things had happened—far too much for a mere ten-year-old to bear. And perhaps he was also afraid of being seen. What if I step outside and someone notices me?

“Come here.”

Just in case, I pulled out the hat I had brought and placed it over Vin’s head. The black fabric covered his striking red hair, like camouflage shielding an animal from predators. As he fidgeted with the hat, I extended my hand toward him again.

“It’s okay. Let’s go together.”

Vin hesitated for a long moment before finally reaching out and taking my hand.

Even with the hat, it was too risky to go near the mansion, so I led him down the forest path in the opposite direction.