For Sale: Male Lead, Obsession Included - Chapter 84
“For what purpose?”
Dezereth’s busy hands came to an abrupt halt. He massaged his tired neck before leaning deeply into his chair.
“They must have caught the scent of the reward money we issued.”
Clovin slid the glasses perched lazily on his nose upward, recalling the gloomy face of the Rahada who had provided this information.
The Rahada had complained about how long they had to keep spying, lamenting their docked pay and the hardship of the task. Clovin remembered patting the Rahada’s shoulder, promising triple their current pay as long as they didn’t get caught.
“Hmph.”
Dezereth let out an irritated scoff at the mention of the name Estira once again. Just when he thought he could forget it, the name resurfaced.
To him, she was nothing more than a young girl who had returned his son to him—a benefactor, no more and no less.
Dezereth had thought the last time he’d hear Estira’s name would be when he handed her the reward money.
Yet, her name appeared in every single report from Declan, to the point where just hearing it now put him in a foul mood.
Declan had reportedly searched for her day and night, skipping meals. How could Dezereth not feel irritated?
And just as things seemed to settle down after a month, Dezereth heard that Declan had taken up studying diligently in the hopes of meeting her again. That day, for the first time in a while, Dezereth reached for a drink.
Now, he felt the urge for an even stronger drink. Having to hear Estira’s name from the Kyte faction only added fuel to the fire.
“What should we do?”
Clovin’s question made Dezereth look at him with confusion. What do you mean, what should we do?
“Are you just going to stand by and let Estira be kidnapped?”
“And why not?”
If this was the girl Declan was so obsessed with, perhaps it was a good opportunity for her to disappear. It might finally force Declan to give up on her.
Dezereth couldn’t understand why Clovin, who shared similar—or even harsher—values, would be concerned about Estira’s safety.
“Have you lost your touch, Duke? If Estira gets kidnapped, she’ll spill everything about Declan. Then all eyes will inevitably turn toward us.”
“Since when did the ducal house of Ragnar fear the gaze of those temple rats?”
Dezereth’s low-red eyes swept coldly over Clovin, his gaze enough to make most people break into a cold sweat.
But Clovin, unperturbed and not one to fear Dezereth easily, merely chuckled internally.
‘Impressive as always.’
“Of course, there’s no need to fear them. What I’m talking about is Young Master Declan.”
“What about him?”
“If Young Master Declan finds out Estira has gone missing, there will be chaos.”
“Can’t we simply hide it from him? It’s not like we lack the means to fabricate something.”
“That’s true, but you can’t hide it forever.”
“…By then, he’ll be an adult.”
“It’s more dangerous if he finds out when he’s grown up. You should know that, as a father.”
Looking at his clueless and frustratingly oblivious guardian, Clovin rubbed his forehead.
If only Dezereth understood how deeply Declan was attached to Estira. He was practically ready to sell his soul for her.
Clovin swallowed his exasperation and continued as calmly as he could.
“To guide your son down the right path, you can’t just sweep things under the rug and pretend they don’t exist.”
“Weren’t you the one who’s never even been married?”
“Thank you for poking at my sore spot.”
Clovin sheepishly adjusted his glasses, which had slipped down again.
“Anyway, the point is, we need to prevent Estira’s kidnapping.”
“For Declan’s sake?”
“Yes. If something happens to Estira, the young master might completely lose his mind. I’m saying this sincerely.”
Faced with Clovin’s rare serious expression, Dezereth hesitated.
Clovin, who usually wore a sly grin even when discussing the annihilation of a family or the maiming of someone, was genuinely earnest this time. That alone convinced Dezereth to take his subordinate’s advice seriously.
“…Fine, let’s do that.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Make sure Declan forgets about Estira. Do whatever it takes.”
“And by whatever it takes, you mean erasing his memories?”
“…Introduce him to another girl around his age. Someone refined, with outstanding appearance and etiquette.”
Clovin highly doubted that it would work, but he nodded without a word anyway.
As he left the room, Clovin’s mind raced through the faces of young noblewomen who might match well with the young master.
“What kind of taste does our young master have, anyway?”
Grinning mischievously like a child who had found a new toy, Clovin headed toward Declan’s room.
