For Sale: Male Lead, Obsession Included - Chapter 34
“Declan.”
Duke Ragnar cautiously called out his son’s name.
But there was no response. He only stared blankly at the back of the departing child.
“Son.”
So, he called out once more. This time, there was a response.
As soon as the red eyes, resembling his own, turned towards him, they dropped down.
“…I am a slave.”
“….”
“I am not your heir, Duke. I grew up lowly and without parents.”
The Duke, who had been about to approach Declan, stopped in his tracks. The words ‘grew up without parents’ pierced his heart deeply.
When the Duke bit his lip, the old butler approached and shook his head.
“It seems he needs more time. The Young Duke must be very confused.”
“…Yes. I was too hasty.”
Suppressing his rising emotions, the Duke gestured to Declan.
“Come with me. There are many things I want to hear from you…”
“What about Master?”
Declan abruptly raised his head and asked.
“As you heard earlier, that child is no longer your master.”
“No. She is my master.”
“…”
“She is my master.”
As Declan’s muttering repeated, the Duke’s face twisted with anguish.
It vividly painted the picture of the life his young son had lived.
The Duke raised his large, rough hand and covered his face. The old butler turned his head away, pretending not to notice the redness in the Duke’s eyes.
***
As soon as the man who resembled him appeared, everything changed.
Good food, good clothes, a good bed.
It was unbelievable.
Declan’s wish, one he had prayed for at least once, for something like a fairy tale to happen to him, had actually come true.
“It’s time to retire to your bed, Young Duke.”
Someone was preparing his bed and even bowing politely.
A life where he received everything without lifting a finger.
Declan felt like he was living in a vivid, long dream.
The blanket was so soft and warm, incomparable to his master’s blanket. Declan instinctively grasped the blanket tightly but then, startled by the unfamiliar texture, opened his hands.
‘No. This isn’t right.’
Declan’s eyes darted around.
The nightgown that he was used to feeling in his hands was missing. The face of his sleeping master that he used to see when he woke up frightened at night was gone. The kind master who tried to hide her gentle heart… was no longer there.
Would he really never see his master again?
Sitting awkwardly at the edge of the luxurious and spacious bed, Declan suddenly stood up.
Unable to sleep in the deep night.
Declan headed straight to Estira’s room.
His hand, ready to knock, trembled, so Declan clenched and unclenched his fist repeatedly.
But his hesitation was brief, and with a timid knock, Estira’s door slowly opened.
She peeked out through the narrow opening.
She doesn’t seem sleepy at all. Could it be that she was lonely without me?
Seeing her face, Declan smiled. He missed her. He missed her so much.
Swallowing dryly, he opened his mouth.
“Can we…”
“Oh, Young Duke…?”
But his master’s hesitant voice gradually trailed off.
Her gaze… her gaze had changed.
Though she used to look at him as if he was bothersome, her eyes had never been this cold and indifferent.
Declan’s heart quivered with unease, and a sense of anxiety filled the air.
“Let’s… sleep together, Master.”
Declan mustered his courage. Even though a slave should not ask for anything, his master was kind enough never to scold him when he wanted something.
She was always kind, surprising him with wide eyes whenever he desired something, so he believed she would grant his request today as well.
With a trembling heart, he looked into her eyes and quickly understood her answer.
…A resolute light.
“My… my room is too big and uncomfortable, Master.”
Declan pleaded once more, his voice shaking slightly.
“…I’m sorry. We can no longer sleep in the same bed. As I mentioned, you are the Young Duke. Commoners and nobles cannot share a room.”
Please.
As Declan reached out, asking to be let in, the door closed coldly.
Thud.
The sound of the door closing filled him with fear.
It felt like it wasn’t just the door that had closed but his master’s heart.
Declan raised his hand and touched his eyes.
…Tears were flowing.
He had never cried, not when he woke up in the underground mine with no memory, not when he went hungry for days, and not even when he was severely beaten.
“…Ah.”
Declan slumped down and leaned against her door.
If she wouldn’t let him in, being here was fine.
Hugging his knees, he buried his head between them.
Was it because I’m the Young Duke that she dislikes me now? Because I’m the Young Duke, I can’t sleep beside my master?
If so, I don’t want to be the Young Duke.
Good food, good clothes, a good bed.
None of these matter.
All I need is my master.
“Estira…”
For the first time, Declan uttered his master’s name.
