Shinigami Bocchan to Kuro Maid

The Duke of Death and Alice endure isolation, betrayal, and a fatal curse.

Cursed to kill anything he touches, the Duke of Death lives in exile, served only by his childhood friend Alice, who tempts him despite the danger. When Phillip, another childhood friend, visits, the Duke hopes for companionship, but Phillip arrives with guards to keep his distance. After witnessing a plant wither from accidental contact, Phillip fears the Duke and attempts to persuade Alice to abandon him. Phillip then confesses that the Duke’s mother forced the visit to spy on him, aiming to replace the Duke as heir with his younger brother and cut him off from the family. Heartbroken by this revelation, Phillip leaves and vows never to return. The Duke remains alone but resolves to break his curse and eventually confess his love to Alice, asking her to marry him.

Duke, Butler, and Lost Cat Encounter Family and Feline Visitors

Rob resumes duties as the Duke’s butler, though his poor eyesight causes the Duke concern. The Duke focuses on composing piano music, playing an original piece for Alice, who nearly kisses him while he sleeps. His sister Viola arrives, teasing him about his feelings for Alice and urging him to break his curse to return home. Viola accidentally bumps into Rob, revealing her own affection for him. A stray cat enters the mansion, causing the Duke anxiety due to his condition. Rob discovers a note in the cat’s collar, leading the Duke to assume it was abandoned. Upon releasing the cat, he finds it has a mate and kittens. Later, the Duke and Alice waltz without touching. He nervously asks for her feelings, and she confesses her love and adoration for him.

Duke and Alice attend a festival, face curse rumors, and miss a meteor shower during a deceptive boat trip.

Alice invites Duke to a town festival while he wears a heavy costume to prevent danger. A masked woman named Daleth identifies Alice as Sharon Lendrott’s daughter. Duke comforts a lost child by playing the piano, causing the crowd to dance. After seeing a novelty mask of his face, Duke realizes rumors about his curse are spreading. Alice shares a story about a princess sending kisses to a prince imprisoned on the moon. Duke feels depressed that he cannot touch Alice on their date, but she reassures him that closeness is sufficient. Later, Alice summons him to her room under the pretense of perverted reasons, but she simply helps him relax to sleep. Duke invites her on a boat to watch a meteor shower, but when she falls in, he cannot catch her. Alice demands a kiss even if it kills her, but when he refuses, she reveals it was a trick to tip him into the water. They miss the meteors, and Duke is upset he could not confess his love as planned. Alice does not mind and tells him to try again at the next meteor shower in ten years.

Duke and Alice share snow memories while a witch named Cuff appears

Duke worries when Alice stops teasing him, but is relieved to discover she just has a cold. After she recovers Alice asks Duke to spend the day in the snow and gives him a scarf she knitted. Returning inside Alice notices she dropped an earring that belonged to her mother. Duke sneaks outside to locate it but passes out in the cold. A nearby bat transforms into a girl and helps him recover. When she discovers he is a noble helping a maid she decides he has potential, uses magic to find the earring and introduces herself as Cuff, a witch. Duke invites her inside where Alice is happy he found her earring. Cuff explains she distrusts humans as witch hunters killed her parents and being half-human witches avoid her so she never learned about curses. She reveals her friend might know something but when Duke suggests she seems to really like her friend based on how much she trusts him, she jumps out a window and vanishes. Alice reminisces about one of the last times Duke was able to touch her, defending her from bullies, and he claimed snow makes her look like a snow-fairy.

Alice and Duke ice skate while Viola visits and Zain appears as a transformed crow

Viola visits and insists Alice learn to make cute faces, but Alice already excels at this with Duke while Viola embarrasses herself with Rob. Viola attempts to help Alice cook but remains distracted by Rob. She expresses jealousy that Duke has support for his curse and urges him to find a cure before their younger brother becomes heir. Duke takes Alice ice skating, where they encounter Zain, a magic user and Cuff’s friend who transforms from a white crow. Alice reveals she found Cuff in bat form on the ice and helps her warm up. Duke grows jealous of Cuff and Zain’s physical contact, while Zain is envious of Duke and Alice’s honesty. Cuff plans to take Duke to the next Witches' Sabbath to find the witch who cursed him. Viola stays the night with Alice, discussing love and Viola’s desire for an older sister due to her mother’s neglect. Alice advises Duke to pay more attention to his sister.

Duke and Alice attend the Sabbath and learn about the curse's origin.

Duke prunes his conservatory and crafts a flower crown for Alice. A cat steals her gown, forcing her to wear his coat, which leads to teasing. After the gown is ruined, Alice dons her uniform, and Duke declines her shower invitation. Cuff and Zain disguise them as witches to attend the Sabbath. The event is merely a five-minute administrative meeting led by Daleth. She reveals she met Alice’s mother once and Duke as a child. Daleth states the witch who cursed Duke is dead and that his curse likely cannot be removed due to the witch's genius. She burns their disguises, forcing them to flee. Cuff explains his potential and promises future friendship. Despite the grim news, Duke remains determined to find a cure.

Alice and Duke encounter a ghost, a flower, and a dream while testing a curse cure

Alice purchases a witch’s pot to brew a curse-removal potion, but it fails. She tasks Duke with playing a song that supposedly cures curses when performed perfectly. As Duke plays, the songwriter’s ghost appears and attempts to molest Alice, but she stops him. The ghost departs after hearing the perfect performance, lifting only his own curse. Later, Viola teaches Duke about the suspension bridge effect, prompting him to try scaring Alice. However, he panics when he nearly curses a flower Rob has cultivated for 50 years. Rob is actually grateful because jewelry stolen from Duke’s grandmother decades ago was hidden in the pot and is now recovered. Duke and Alice fall into a magical sleep induced by a book on curing curses. In the dream, Duke is disappointed he cannot feel Alice’s breast. They spend the night chasing a white rabbit for a girl in a blue dress and plan to end the dream with a kiss, but Duke wakes up in his library before it happens.

Cuff seeks literacy lessons from Duke while Walter feels overshadowed by his brother and Viola

Cuff requests reading instruction from Duke to impress Zain. Walter resents his mother favoring Duke as heir and Viola’s preference for him due to his inferiority complex. Viola encounters Cuff at Duke’s residence, attempting to detain her as an intruder, but feels humiliated when Rob discovers her sitting on another woman. During a snowstorm, Alice recalls her arrival at the mansion when Duke was younger and depressed by his curse. He once destroyed rooms in anger and rejected Alice, a childhood friend who refused to leave. He challenged her to clean his ruined bedroom in three days or face dismissal. Alice completed the task in one night, prompting Duke to flee. After nearly freezing, Alice found him, scolding his suicide attempt and noting how he once comforted her during her own childhood illness. Duke returned with her, realizing he had fallen in love.

Walter Disguised as Santa at Duke's Christmas Party

Viola plans to gift Rob a handkerchief at the Duke's Christmas party, while Walter follows her disguised as her driver. Zain attempts to compliment Cuff, who falls asleep. Walter sneaks into the mansion as Santa to find Duke alone but is caught by Cuff, who drops him down the chimney. Duke is pleased to see Walter after years apart. Walter confronts Duke about being a mere replacement, then settles a dispute between Viola and Cuff over the gift. Walter bets Duke that the one who cures his curse becomes heir. Stuck outside in the snow because he is Viola's driver, Walter waits. Later, Alice asks Duke for a kiss under the mistletoe, reminding him of their first declaration of love.

Alice dreams of her mother while navigating Duke’s insomnia and family tensions.

Alice dreams of her mother, Sharon, who served the Duke’s mother in his youth. Viola is upset they missed Christmas dinner, prompting Zain to send Cuff shopping alone after criticizing his doting nature. Cuff nearly harms a pickpocket, forcing Zain to intervene and resume his protective habit. Duke struggles with insomnia, so Alice joins him in bed, but her nudity worsens his restlessness. She questions his mother, and Duke vows to leave his family if separated from Alice, causing Alice to fear future division. Rob recalls being ordered to raise Duke away from the family, becoming a surrogate father who blamed himself for Duke’s isolation until Alice arrived. Duke asks Alice to sing while he plays The Owl and the Pussy-Cat on the piano, leading to mutual embarrassment. Alice returns to her room despondent, believing they will be parted when his curse breaks.

Viola uncovers secrets in a logbook while Duke faces threats from Daleth and Zain.

Viola discovers a servant’s logbook in the mansion while her mother pressures her into marriage. She shares the book, written by Alice’s mother Sharon, with Duke. Daleth spies and alerts Zain, who warns Duke to avoid witches. Alice learns two witches visited during Duke’s curse. Zain steals the logbook after Daleth threatens Cuff, but returns it when Duke catches him. Duke urges Zain to destroy it for safety. Zain disintegrates the book, claiming he can restore it with secret magic once Daleth stops watching. Daleth ceases spying, satisfied the evidence is gone, but privately reveals she holds Sharon’s body in a coffin, leaving her fate unknown. Duke then receives a letter from his mother summoning him to the main house for the first time in years.

Duke confronts his curse and family while Alice confesses her love

Duke visits his mother, who postpones their conversation until morning. Viola reveals Gerbera’s positive mood and shows Duke the garden where a witch cursed him to remain unloved. She expresses jealousy toward Duke for living away from their mother’s control. At dinner, Gerbera announces their father’s terminal illness and demands a decision on the heir, giving Duke until spring to break his curse or ceding the title to Walter. Duke passionately declares his love for Alice, but Gerbera refuses to allow him to marry a maid. He accuses her of treating her children as possessions and storms out, though Gerbera privately admires his defiance. Duke returns home with Alice, reaffirming his desire to marry her despite the opposition. Alice waits for him to sleep before confessing that she loves him as well.

The Duke, Alice, and the Reunion with Mother

The Duke, Alice, and the Mysterious Clone

The Duke, Alice, and Two Mothers

The Duke, Alice, and Sade's Love

The Dance Party (Part One)

The Dance Party (Part Two)

Coming Together

Persuasion

Loneliness and Uncertainty

Victor's Grandson, Sharon's Daughter

Friends, a Broken Curse, and What Follows

The Duke of Death and His Maid