The Duke’s Obsession Leads to a Death Flag

I walked west toward the mansion while looking at the roughly drawn map. As I passed through the dense forest path and emerged into a wide clearing, the towering wall surrounding the mansion greeted me.

Standing in front of the wall, which easily seemed over three meters high, I checked the circle marked on the map once again. There should be a small hole around here, but no matter where I looked, I couldn’t find any gap.

“Why isn’t it here?”

I frantically ran my hands over the wall, but the gap I remembered was nowhere to be found. Just in case, I checked the map again, but this was definitely the right spot. The hole had disappeared.

“This is driving me crazy.”

It had been two years since I discovered that gap, so it was highly likely someone had found and sealed it. Why hadn’t I thought of that? Like an idiot, I was certain that it would still be in the same place even after all these years.

“Fuck…”

Unable to contain my frustration, I kicked the firmly sealed wall hard. My foot throbbed from the impact against the solid stone, but I grit my teeth and kicked it a few more times.

“Ugh.”

Acting recklessly, I had only hurt myself. My foot, bounced off the solid wall, ached sharply. Overcome with frustration and injustice, I slumped to the ground, letting out a long sigh as I stared up at the towering wall.

‘If Jung I-hyun were here, he could’ve just jumped over this pathetic wall like it was nothing.’

With a running start, a three-meter wall wouldn’t have been an issue for him at all. Or he could’ve easily lifted the kid and tossed them over the fence.

But unfortunately, Han Seo-yul lacked far too many things. His body was weak, making him shorter than his peers—almost the same height as someone three years younger. And he was so feeble that even opening a storage room door took all his strength.

‘I really can’t do anything.’

In just two days, Han Jae-hoon would leave for District 1. Would I be able to find a safe way to get the kid out before then? Regrettably, with my current abilities, it was impossible.

But if I missed this opportunity, who knew when Han Jae-hoon would leave the mansion again? The next district leader’s meeting was months away, and his vacation was already confirmed.

If not now, the kid would have to stay there indefinitely.

“I need to find another way.”

The more anxious I felt, the more I had to move. If I didn’t take advantage of Han Jae-hoon’s absence, there would be no other chance. Steeling myself, I looked at the map again.

“This seems to be where the intercity bus stop is.”

Because of Han Jae-hoon’s overprotectiveness, I was never allowed outside the mansion, so everything beyond the wall was drawn based on what the butler had told me. Honestly, most of the map relied on the butler’s memory—it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say so.

According to the map, the east side of the mansion was a village where the district residents lived, while the west side marked the boundary of the district. At that boundary, there was an intercity bus stop.

That meant if I could just get past this wall, I could send the kid to another district. Yes, if I could just get over this damn wall.

Before sending the kid off, I planned to send a letter in advance to an orphanage in District 2. That way, a teacher from the orphanage would receive the letter and safely take the child in. There, they would be protected and raised until they came of age.

I could trust the orphanage in District 2. Compared to other districts, it was much safer, and the orphanage I had researched was the best one within the district.

“Is there a side door or something?”

Right now, it was the shift change, so the area was relatively quiet, but soon the guards would return. If I lingered around the wall and got caught by a guard, it would only be a matter of time before the news reached Han Jae-hoon. I needed to find something before that happened, and my nerves were on edge.

As I ran along the long stretch of the wall, I spotted an unfamiliar gap. My heart pounded as I hurried over, hoping against hope.

As expected—it was a side door leading outside.

“A door.”

It was as tall as the wall itself, but as long as I found the key, I could open it. If I searched for the shackle key, I could look for this door key at the same time. That thought eased my anxiety, even if only slightly.

I pulled out a pen and marked the side door’s location on the map. Then, I scanned the surroundings for anything distinct that would help me remember this spot.

Luckily, there was an old signpost standing at the entrance of a path leading into the forest. I marked that on the map as well. If I used it as a landmark, it would be much faster to find this place again later.

“Someone’s coming.”

I heard the sound of approaching footsteps. Had the shift change already ended? I quickly searched for a hiding spot and slipped behind a nearby tree. A guard arrived at the side door and took position right in front of it. I had almost been caught.

Pressing a hand to my chest to calm my racing heart, I shoved the map and pen deep into my pocket. Now that I had confirmed the location of the door, it was time to head back to the mansion.

I cautiously watched the guard while slowly sneaking into the forest, but then—creak—the sound of the door opening made me freeze. Alarmed, I quickly ducked behind the tree again. It wasn’t time to move yet. My heart pounded with the fear of nearly being discovered.

“Why are you so late?”

A man I didn’t recognize grumbled as he stood before the guard. The guard replied that it was shift change, but the man immediately began complaining about how long he had been waiting.

“If this was going to happen, you should’ve changed the meeting time. Do you know how many hours I’ve been waiting for you?”

“I tried to get here as fast as I could. But what was I supposed to do? I can’t control my schedule. Even now, it was hard sneaking out alone.”

As their stubborn argument continued, the tension between them grew. Before long, they were practically growling at each other, as if they were about to grab each other by the collar and start a fight.

But despite their hostile glares, neither of them threw the first punch. Instead, the irritated man let out a frustrated sigh and tossed a heavy pouch at the guard’s feet.

“The agreed-upon advance payment.”

The guard hastily picked up the pouch and checked its contents. From the jingling sound, it seemed to be filled with money.

Why was he giving him money? My curiosity piqued, I strained to listen more closely to their conversation.

“What the hell? This is less than what we agreed on.”

“I told you, I can’t give you more than that.”

“Then I can’t do it. No, I won’t do it.”

The guard shoved the pouch back at the man. As it hit his chest and fell to the ground, golden coins spilled out from the opening.

“I told you, if it succeeds, I’ll reward you properly.”

“Then why don’t you do it? Do you have any idea how hard it is to sneak this out?”

“Fuck, this is driving me crazy.”

The man ruffled his hair in frustration, then bent down to pick up the fallen pouch. He pulled a few more gold coins from his pocket and added them to the pouch before handing it back. The guard, eyeing him, couldn’t hide the pleased twitch of his lips.

“Here, I’ve added more, just as you wanted.”

“That’s more like it.”

“I paid a high price, so you better be right about this.”

“Don’t worry. Even I’ve never seen a color that vivid before. With that, you could be rich.”

The guard accepted the pouch and tucked it carefully into his clothes.

While the two were absorbed in their dealings, I seized the moment, hunched low, and swiftly slipped into the forest.

As I fled, I must have stepped on some grass, because the rustling sound made both of them glance toward the woods. Fortunately, the dense trees concealed me well. The farther I ran, the fainter their voices became until they were completely out of earshot.

‘At this rate, I’m going to die from a heart attack one day.’

I sprinted nonstop along the forest path and finally arrived at the front of the mansion. Collapsing onto the soft grass, I gasped for breath. The fact that Han Seo-yul had managed to run this far was a miracle in itself. Maybe all that exercise had paid off after all.

“Young master?”

A voice unfamiliar yet recognizable made me lift my gaze. Looking down at me was a boy my age—one of the mansion’s attendants. I had seen him a few times in the garden before. He was also the overly helpful one who once tried to carry my bag for me.

“Hey.”

“Hello.”

The boy gave a small bow. I wanted to lie there a little longer, but his curious stare made me self-conscious, so I slowly pushed myself up.

As I brushed the grass off my clothes, the boy shifted uneasily, looking like a restless puppy about to pee. When I asked what was wrong, he hesitated before cautiously speaking.

“Would you like me to dust off your clothes for you?”

“No, I’m fine.”

This much, at least, I could do on my own. I rejected him firmly.

Did people really think that just because I was the young master, I couldn’t even brush grass off my own clothes?

Well, considering Han Jae-hoon still called his thirteen-year-old son baby, it was no surprise that the attendants treated me like some helpless child.

But I never expected even this little brat to treat me like one too.

I dusted off all the visible grass. Meanwhile, the boy remained standing beside me, staring blankly as if waiting for something.

Was he standing next to me just to avoid working? He didn’t look the type, but maybe he was more cunning than he seemed.

“You can go back now.”

“Ah… okay.”

The boy’s face was filled with disappointment. As expected, he must not have wanted to work. He gave a small nod before turning away from me.

As I watched his retreating figure, something about his dejected posture reminded me of someone. For some reason, it tugged at my mind, making me call out to him again.

“Hey, what’s your name?”

“Seon-woo, sir.”

Seon-woo. Thankfully, it was an easy name to remember.

I never really paid attention to the attendants, but since I had run into this boy multiple times, it might be good to at least know his name.

Come to think of it, this was the first time I had learned the name of a servant who wasn’t the butler. Maybe that simple exchange had formed a flimsy sense of familiarity, because my voice unconsciously softened.

“Alright then, Seon-woo. See you next time.”