A Wise Life in Captivity with the Mad Duke - Chapter 9

Because the night was so deep, gloomy thoughts wouldn’t stop looping endlessly. I shook my head hard to cut off the spiral of thoughts.

‘Let’s not wallow in self-pity.’

Instead of wasting time on useless thoughts, it was far more productive to plan how to survive in this ward from now on.

‘Maybe I should secure some backing.’

From what I’d observed so far, having at least one caregiver who’d look out for me didn’t seem like a bad idea.

There was no guarantee I’d stay safe in this place where no one knew when escape might be possible.

Other patients also seemed to have one or two caregivers they got along closely with.

“What have I even been doing, not securing one myself?”

Politics existed everywhere. I should’ve at least gotten on friendly terms with one of the caregivers who held influence here.

The only caregiver I felt even somewhat close to in this ward was Duke Gray.

Lately, I’d been spending a lot of time with him, and unlike the others, he didn’t yell or look down on me with contempt.

‘Having him on my side would definitely make things easier.’

Just look at earlier. He showed up casually and settled the situation with nothing more than a nod.

‘Is there even anyone in this monastery who could oppose him?’

Unless Duke Gray planned to stay in the monastery for the rest of his life, no one here could afford to disregard his noble status outside. That was probably why everyone unconsciously catered to him.

Besides, he was a mutant. Maybe that had been considered a flaw in the past, but now it seemed people viewed it as a form of power.

Still, was it really possible to have a man like that backing me? Just looking at him, it was obvious he was the type to control others, not the type you could control.

He always smiled kindly, but I couldn’t be sure he’d actually step in to help if things went wrong.

“Hm.”

I sighed heavily and rolled my stiff neck with a crack as my thoughts dragged on.

“Holy—! What the hell!”

When I glanced toward the window without thinking, I met a pair of glowing eyes in the darkness and screamed out loud.

My curse echoed through the room before embarrassment hit me a second too late.

‘Ahem. I’m not usually the type to react so dramatically.’

Whoever was outside must’ve heard me because the glowing eyes quickly disappeared.

Who could it have been? At this hour, only caregivers were allowed to roam around. Maybe it was part of patrol duty?

If so, since they hadn’t scolded me for staying up, that meant it was probably Scott, the quiet caregiver who didn’t say more than necessary.

‘Ah, right. There’s him too.’

It wouldn’t be a bad idea to have Scott as an ally either. He wasn’t the meddling type, and he silently granted most reasonable requests.

Besides, compared to the newly arrived duke, Scott had worked here far longer and was surely more familiar with the monastery’s internal system.

He’d probably know plenty of useful details about things like the security layout and ward structure.

Most importantly, a quiet man like him felt much more trustworthy than one whose thoughts you could never read.

With that conclusion, I secretly began planning how to win Scott over to my side.

***

“Caregiver, please have a drink. Hehe, I bought an extra while I was at it.”

On the way to the cafeteria, I happened to witness a patient trying to flatter a caregiver. Watching them, I nodded solemnly to myself.

‘So in the end, the best way to earn favor is flattery?’

It wasn’t a difficult task. I’d survived the filthy entertainment industry, after all. A little flattery was nothing.

After finishing my meal, I immediately bought a drink and waited in the eighth-floor hallway.

Standing there, I could easily see who was coming and going between the upper and lower floors, making it the perfect spot to find someone.

After a while, the elevator from the tenth floor opened, and Scott appeared.

“Caregiver Scott!”

My heart pounded as I called out to him. With no one else around, this was the perfect chance.

“Please wait there for a moment. I’ll come up to you.”

I quickly hurried to the upper floor.

I was worried he might just walk away, but thankfully, Scott waited until I reached him.

“What is it?”

“Here. I bought this for you, Caregiver.”

“Huh? For me… why?”

For the first time, his expression showed visible surprise. His eyes wavered so noticeably that even I was taken aback.

Anyone passing by would think I’d just handed him a stack of cash. Was giving someone a drink really that shocking?

“It’s just a small gesture of appreciation. You know how life in the ward isn’t exactly easy, right? I just hope that if I ever need help, you might lend me a hand sometimes.”

When I smiled faintly, Scott stiffened even more and awkwardly accepted the can I handed him.

“Thank you.”

Then, like someone being chased, he glanced around quickly and walked away.

‘Seriously? That’s it? When someone pokes your side asking for a little goodwill, you’re supposed to respond in kind.’

Clicking my tongue, I watched his retreating figure grow smaller. Was he naïve or just oblivious? Still, at least he’d accepted it, so maybe that was enough.

Back in my room, I sat on the bed and thought about how to close the distance between us.

But only a few minutes into my planning, Duke Gray knocked and entered the room.

“Hello, Rosetta.”

“Here to hide again today?”

“Yeah. And I’ve got a few questions.”

As if it were his designated spot, the duke took his seat under the window and casually popped open a can of soda.

The sight of the familiar drink made me frown without thinking.

Wait a second. Isn’t that the drink I gave Scott?

No way… there’s no way he’d have passed it off that quickly.

Even as I tried to deny it, I couldn’t stop picturing the two of them together, side by side as always.

Just as that seed of suspicion began to sprout, the duke, having downed his drink in one gulp, crushed the empty can in his hand and smiled at me.

‘…What’s that supposed to mean? Is he warning me he’ll crush me next, like this can?’

A chill ran down my spine.

While I instinctively tensed in alarm, the duke slid the crushed can between his fingers and asked casually, “Do you like men like Scott?”

“What?”

“Is that why you bought him a drink?”

And with that, it became clear that the crushed can really was the one I’d given Scott. I didn’t know how it had ended up in the duke’s hands, but still.

“I was just curious. I gave you bread as a gift, but I haven’t gotten anything in return.”

The duke’s expression clearly showed disappointment as he lowered his eyes, sulking like a child who’d been scolded.

Even though I suspected the emotion might be fake, I couldn’t help feeling my heart soften at that pitiful look.

“It’s not that I meant anything strange. It’s just that… with so many dangerous incidents happening in the ward, I thought it’d be good to have a caregiver I could rely on in an emergency. And Caregiver Scott just looked dependable, you know? That’s all.”

At my hasty excuse, the duke quickly dropped his sullen act and smiled brightly.

“Ah, I see. So you needed a hunting dog for emergencies.”

Did he really have to put it that way?

Why did every word out of his mouth sound so insulting? He looked like the kind of person who’d only say pretty things, but every time he opened his mouth, it was the opposite.

“Insted of Scott, what about me?”

“What do you mean?”

“You said you needed a caregiver you could call for help anytime.”

“Well, yes, but….”

It was an appealing offer, yet something about it felt dangerous, like standing before a beautifully ripened, poisonous apple. I couldn’t bring myself to answer right away.

“Do you even need to think about it? Instead of wasting effort trying to win someone else over, you could just have me.”

Why was he speaking so boldly today? It was startling.

I blinked blankly at him, who was smiling as warmly as spring sunshine.

“Are you saying… you’ll be my dog?”

“Yes. I’ll be Rosetta’s dog.”

I’d called him a dog to offend him, but the duke didn’t seem to care at all. Instead, he smiled faintly as if he actually liked the idea.

Well, I guess he did bring up dogs first.

“You’ll have a hard time finding anyone as dependable as me. I’m the strongest one here, you know.”

Of course I knew. From what I’d learned, mutants who possessed one of the four elemental abilities were said to be the most powerful of their kind.

That was exactly why I’d never considered involving him in my plans. He was too unpredictable, too dangerous for me to handle.

But for him to offer to back me up of his own accord, I began to wonder what his true intentions were.

“Why would someone as capable as you want to help me?”

“Because I don’t like seeing you get close to other caregivers.”

What kind of answer was that?

Even though I asked and he answered, all it did was make me more confused.

‘So he really means he just doesn’t like me getting close to anyone else? Or is there something more behind it?’

He’d always been a man whose thoughts were impossible to read, so I couldn’t shake the feeling that he had ulterior motives.

When I was Cheon Go-eun, countless people used to approach me every day with fake smiles, all pretending to care while secretly wanting something.

It was during those days that I learned the hard way never to trust anyone too easily. The world was full of empty compliments that made your skin crawl just hearing them.

Maybe the duke was no different. Maybe he just needed something to amuse himself in this boring monastery and had picked me as his new distraction.

“You want something from me, don’t you?”

At my blunt question, the duke’s eyes widened, sparkling mischievously.

“How did you know? Was it that obvious?”

“Of course it was. It’s suspicious that you’d offer to take my side so easily. What is it? Just tell me. I’ll decide after hearing it.”

If he said something ridiculous, I was ready to throw him out right away. I might not have much, but I wasn’t about to throw away my pride.

“It’s nothing big.”

The duke murmured quietly, tapping the name tag pinned to his chest.

“From now on, don’t call me Caregiver. Call me by my name.”