The Duke’s Obsession Leads to a Death Flag

The butler, upon learning the full story, sent the attendants to capture the fleeing guard. Only when I saw the sturdy attendants searching the forest did I finally feel at ease and began preparing to return to the mansion with the butler.

My hands were trembling. It wasn’t my first time shooting, yet the shock from the gunshot still lingered. Maybe it was because I had almost shot a person. It was a relief. I was truly relieved that I missed.

“Vin.”

I reached out my hand toward Vin, who hesitated. His red eyes, wandering in confusion, flickered between my outstretched hand and the butler. Unsure if he should take my hand, he hesitated. So, instead, I closed the distance and took his hand myself.

“Let’s go back.”

Holding Vin’s hand, I returned to the mansion. The mansion’s attendants, having heard the loud gunshot from the western forest, murmured among themselves when they saw me return with the butler—and Vin at my side.

Though the butler dispersed them, telling them to return to their duties, the mansion would likely be abuzz with gossip for some time. The gunshot that rang out from the western forest, the sudden appearance of Shining holding the young master’s hand—it was the perfect topic for conversation.

“This is warm cocoa.”

The butler handed me a white mug filled with cocoa. Instead of expressing thanks, I simply gave a small nod and took a short sip. The sweet taste of chocolate seemed to ease my tension.

“Butler.”

“Yes, Young Master.”

“Can you give some to Vin too?”

“…Yes, of course.”

With a polite bow, the butler left the room to fetch cocoa for Vin. I placed my half-empty mug on the table and pulled a chair over.

“Sit here.”

Vin, who had been hiding behind me to avoid the butler’s gaze, lifted his head. When I patted the soft chair, he hesitantly straightened his body before settling into the seat.

“Is this Seo-yul hyung’s room?”

“Yeah, it’s mine.”

“It’s huge.”

Now that the unfamiliar presence was gone, Vin finally seemed to relax, looking around my room in admiration. Compared to the storage room he had been in, this space was three times larger. Just as he was eagerly taking in his surroundings, the moment the butler re-entered, he immediately hid behind me again.

“Here you go.”

The butler placed the mug filled with cocoa on the table. Vin only glanced at it, unable to bring himself to reach for it. When I picked it up and handed it to him instead, he hesitated before finally accepting it.

“It’s hot, so be careful when you drink it.”

Vin, who had been about to gulp it down like water, froze. I lifted my own mug and demonstrated how to drink it properly—blowing on it to cool it down before taking small sips. Watching me closely, Vin slowly started to imitate my actions.

“It’s delicious.”

Tasting cocoa for the first time, Vin was genuinely amazed. As he became completely absorbed in his drink, I reached out and gently patted his head. His lips curled into a wide grin, and he looked so pleased that melted marshmallow clung messily to the corners of his mouth.

“Young Master.”

I had momentarily forgotten about the butler’s presence. Lowering the hand that had been ruffling Vin’s hair, I turned to face him. Vin, too, retreated behind me, sipping the rest of his cocoa in small gulps.

“He must be sent away.”

Even without an explicit subject, it was obvious that he was referring to Vin. My expression stiffened as I frowned, making no effort to hide my displeasure. The butler, seeing my reaction, swallowed whatever he had been about to say.

At this point, sending Vin elsewhere was completely impossible. The mansion’s security would only become more stringent, which meant my plan to escape over the western wall would be rendered useless.

The moment the letter failed to reach District 2, everything had already gone awry. But it was my mistake for not accounting for the butler as an unexpected variable. Now, I had to change my approach.

“Butler, you said I needed a personal attendant of my own age.”

“Why bring that up all of a sudden—”

“You were right. I do need one.”

It was a sudden remark, but upon hearing it, the butler’s expression brightened. No matter how much he had tried to convince me before, I never listened—so now, even in this situation, he couldn’t hide the satisfaction pulling at the corners of his lips.

“In that case, I’ll bring you a list of candidates right away—”

“No, I don’t need any other child.”

The butler, who had been about to leave the room to fetch the list he had shown me before, froze in place at my words. His green eyes wavered as he quickly grasped the true meaning behind them.

If I couldn’t send Vin far away, then the best option was to keep him as close as possible. And the only legal way to do that was this.

I climbed down from my chair and gestured for Vin to come over. Hesitant, he slowly stepped forward. I took his hand and spoke firmly.

“Make Vin my personal attendant.”

***

“I can’t give you any guarantees.”

After a long bout of persuasion, the butler ultimately gave a reluctant agreement to the idea of accepting Vin as my attendant. I had used his previous promise against him—that no matter who I chose, he would allow them to be my personal attendant.

Letting out a deep sigh, the butler rubbed his temple as if nursing a headache. His muttered words were filled with frustration, as though he couldn’t comprehend how things had come to this. Well, that wasn’t my concern.

“Since this is something Young Master desires, I will try to convince the district leader—but don’t get your hopes up too much.”

“Thank you, Butler.”

The butler let out a groan as he watched me hold onto his hand, repeating my gratitude. Looking somewhat burdened, he subtly pulled his hand away and left the room after telling me to get some rest.

I had managed to persuade the butler, but the biggest obstacle remained—Han Jae-hoon. Would he allow Vin to stay by my side? I expected it to be difficult, but strangely, I didn’t think it was impossible.

Han Jae-hoon was weak when it came to Han Seo-yul. He was the type of person who granted his son’s every wish. Maybe I could take advantage of that. Acting cute might work, and if necessary, I could even pretend to be sick.

“Vin, shall we take a bath?”

“Right now?”

“Yeah, let’s wash up and change into clean clothes.”

Wanting a change of pace, I headed to the bathroom to wash off all the dirt from rolling around in the forest. I filled the bathtub, which I usually found too bothersome to use, with warm water and bubbles before getting in with Vin.

It was Vin’s first time bathing in warm water, and he found everything fascinating. The foamy, bubbly shampoo, the floral-scented body wash—everything was new to him.

Like an excited child, Vin splashed around, and before we knew it, the entire bathroom was drenched. We played with the water until we were completely relaxed, finally ending our long bath when exhaustion started to settle in.

Stepping out in white bathrobes, I took a fluffy towel and gently dried Vin’s hair. He sat on the bed and lowered his head to make it easier for me.

“Feels nice, doesn’t it?”

“Yeah, I like it.”

Vin wiggled his now-clean toes and smiled brightly. I playfully tapped his rosy cheeks, and he let out a small laugh.

When I pressed his cheeks a few more times, he mimicked me, pressing mine in return. It was such a silly game, yet we found ourselves laughing together for a long time.

“This is strange.”

“What is?”

“The fact that you’re here.”

We had always met in that dark storage room, and yet now, here we were—playing and laughing under the warm sunlight. It felt so strange, yet so good, that I couldn’t stop smiling.

Vin, an unfamiliar presence in my familiar room.

Spreading my arms wide, I pulled him into a tight hug. He stiffened in surprise at the sudden embrace, but I patted his tense shoulders and finally said the words I had been wanting to say.

“You don’t have to go anywhere anymore.”

“…….”

“Stay here with me, Vin.”

At my unexpected words, his limp hands slowly rose and clutched my robe tightly. As I continued to pat his trembling shoulders, I heard the suppressed sound of a sob being swallowed down.

“Are you really not going to send me away? Will you really stay with me?”

Vin remained buried in my embrace as he spoke. In the forest, he had told me—he wanted to stay here. Not just anywhere, but with me.

I patted his trembling back and answered without a moment of hesitation.

“Yeah, I promise. So don’t be afraid anymore.”

When he finally lifted his face, his cheeks were streaked with tears. Wiping them away with his hand, he suddenly pulled me into a tight hug. For a child, his arms were surprisingly strong, and I nearly lost my balance but managed to steady myself.

“Seo-yul hyung, you promised first. That you wouldn’t send me away, that we’d stay together.”

His crimson eyes shone with an intensity that almost felt overwhelming. Instead of replying, I simply extended my pinky.

Vin immediately understood. Letting go of my waist, he hurriedly hooked his pinky around mine.

“You promised.”

“Yeah, I promised.”

“You promised we’d always stay together.”

“I did. I promise.”

Only after repeating the promise over and over did Vin’s eyes finally soften. He leaned his forehead against my chest, still holding onto my pinky. It was starting to ache from how tightly he gripped it, but I didn’t move.

Because this wasn’t just holding hands—it was a vow. Until Vin could trust it fully, I would let our fingers remain intertwined.

Day faded into night, but neither of us moved from our spot.

And just like that, for the first time, we welcomed the night together.