The Duke of Death and His Black Maid Spoilers

Despite being exiled from his family and living in a separate estate deep in the woods with only a maid to keep him company, the duke of death is never resigned to his fate. Throughout his journey to rid himself of his curse, he befriends a witch and sorcerer duo who helps him along the way.

The Duke’s Curse – Touch of Death

A witch bewitches the Duke when he is only five years old, causing him to be unable to touch anything. This causes him to be ostracized by both his peers and his family and eventually banished to a remote mansion where he lives alone. The Duke later meets Alice and falls in love with her, a girl he has known since childhood.

The Manga

The manga was first published online via Shogakukan’s Sunday Webry website starting October 2017, with a twelve episode anime adaptation produced by J.C. Staff aired in Japan from July to September 2021. It was licensed by Seven Seas Entertainment for an English release in May 2022.

Character Spotlights & The Maid

There are a few recurring characters that make up the cast of this series. One is Rob, an elderly butler who works for the Duke and is his only companion outside of Alice.

Another is Viola, the Duke’s sister who is annoyingly sweet and constantly tries to flirt with him. She also reveals she has a crush on him when she accidentally bumps into him at work and teases him about his relationship with Alice.

Philip – Childhood Friend of the Duke: Early in the series, a childhood friend of the Duke visits him under the pretense of catching up with him but when the duke catches him in the act, he calls him a monster and apologizes. Then he also pities him for the fact that he had to live with his mother’s curse and banishment, which he feels very ashamed about.

The Witch Who Cursed The Duke: In Chapter 7, an evil witch who bewitched the Duke when he was a child reveals she wants him to show her a life of misery, which is why she carved his face. The Duke later learns that she is the same person who scarred Daleth’s face, causing her to wear a mask.

Ripple Effect Indicator: After the Duke, Alice, Daleth and Zain travel through time in a dream land, Sharon wakes up from her slumber and reveals she is the same person that had been haunting their thoughts in the past. She is shown to have had a lot of trouble in the past, and while she was once a very good person who could care for others, she has been corrupted by her own narcissistic tendencies.

Romantic Spoonfeeding: The Duke and Alice celebrate their second anniversary by feeding each other cake. They also have a few more moments to themselves, including the two of them playing piano and almost kissing each other.