For Sale: Male Lead, Obsession Included - Chapter 33
“Clovin.”
The Duke called out someone’s name into the air.
Then, a man suddenly appeared and stood in front of the Duke.
A man with curly red hair and deep dimples, giving him a cute impression.
‘Clovin?’
As I tilted my head at the familiar name, I immediately recognized who he was the moment the red-haired man opened his mouth.
It was thanks to his unique and annoying way of speaking.
“Wow~ I thought I’d come all the way here and leave without even dusting off my clothes~.”
His playful tone and the insane confidence he showed even in front of the Duke.
I nodded my head immediately.
‘It’s definitely that crazy guy who was Declan’s aide in the original story.’
Though popular among readers for his quirky speech and unfiltered dialogue, he wasn’t one of my favorite characters because he wasn’t quite sane.
I hadn’t known he was the Duke’s investigator before becoming the male lead’s aide.
Clovin sniffed towards the Margrave’s castle with his chin up.
“The stench is overpowering here, Duke. I’ll be right back~.”
Smiling broadly, he turned his gaze to me.
“Shall we go, informant?”
Ah. I have to accompany him for the investigation.
‘I don’t like this…’
I instinctively felt uncomfortable. While the Duke was called the just knight of the capital, Clovin was known as the mad dog with obsessive-compulsive disorder.
What that means is.
“Let’s shake everything out until there’s not a speck of dust left~.”
Yes. He earned his nickname because he would thoroughly interrogate his target and find any illegal evidence, even if it meant literally and figuratively stripping them bare.
There was even a rumor that if he lacked physical evidence, he would create it with his own hands, so dedicated was he to his job in a twisted way.
Although I was reluctant to participate in the investigation with such a person, what could I do?
‘I’m the informant.’
I sighed invisibly, stood up, and picked up my dress.
Escaping from prison, jumping in front of a carriage, bowing my head, and now participating in an investigation.
Ah, it’s overwhelming.
My head felt blank, like I had been suddenly awakened from a deep sleep, as I moved my feet.
Or at least, I tried to move. Had it not been for the familiar hand clutching my dress hem.
Turning back, I saw Declan looking at me with tear-filled eyes.
Oh no.
It was then that I realized I had been too focused on saving myself and hadn’t properly explained things to Declan.
How bewildered he must have been to suddenly learn the secret of his birth after living as a slave without knowing anything.
I felt sorry.
“Declan Ragnar. That is your name. I apologize for not telling you in advance and for speaking informally… Please forgive any rudeness I may have committed.”
I gently removed my dress hem from his hand.
His eyes were filled with confusion.
“Master…?”
Hearing him call me that, I bowed my head in shock.
How would the Duke react if he saw his son calling me master right in front of him?
I quickly added to prevent the Duke from getting angry.
“Young Duke, you no longer need to serve anyone as your master. You are a noble being. So, please don’t call me master anymore.”
He seemed not to hear my words, his face blank as he reached out further. I cautiously stepped back.
Declan’s hand, which had reached out desperately, grasped only the empty air.
“I’m sorry, Young Duke.”
His empty gaze made me feel uneasy, so I deliberately avoided looking into his eyes.
“Please, don’t suffer anymore.”
Leaving him standing there with his lips moving but no words coming out, I turned and walked away without hesitation.
Declan’s suffering was over, and now mine was too.
The past ten years, during which I had waited for this day while enduring hardships, flashed before my eyes like a revolving lantern.
At the end of those hellish days, I also recalled brief moments spent with Declan, making me want to turn back and look at him.
But I gritted my teeth and fixed my gaze ahead.
‘I will never look back in my life again.’
My role ends here.
