OPDSP 23

The Grand Duke’s gaze instantly turned sharp. Ah… this was exactly why Aeryl hadn’t wanted to ask.

“You’re not asking out of personal curiosity, I assume.”

“Of course not! I already know everything I need to know!”

Aeryl replied firmly.

“Then why ask something like that?”

“I wanted to explain the reproductive functions of Alphas to Your Grace. I needed to know how much you already understood in order to explain properly…”

“…Are you trying to give me sex education right now?”

Now it was the Grand Duke’s turn to grow serious. Aeryl nodded with difficulty.

“…Ha?”

A sigh full of disbelief escaped from the Grand Duke’s mouth. Understandable. No one wanted to sit through an explanation about how their genitals work at his age.

But Aeryl felt the same way. He had no desire to sit a fully grown man—one who clearly had sexual experience—down and start talking about erections and rut cycles.

‘I’m an omega! I should be the more embarrassed one here!’

“But this is something happening to your body. You have to know… I really wouldn’t be saying this unless it was necessary. It’s not pleasant for me, either.”

He was only doing this out of a sense of duty as a doctor. Typically, people with dynamics didn’t have dedicated sex ed books—things were passed down orally or learned through experience.

Aeryl had learned from his mentor, through words. To understand pheromones, it helped to first understand the body.

“…”

“Then I’ll begin.”

“…Go ahead.”

Aeryl unfolded a scroll he’d prepared here and there. Though amateurish, it included some drawings. He hadn’t even had a chance to use it before, and now he was stuck teaching someone else with it. Swallowing a vague sense of defeat, he began speaking in the most clinical tone he could muster.

“The most notable physical change upon Alpha manifestation concerns the penis.”

He pointed to the diagram for reference. It depicted the genital differences between betas, Alphas outside of rut, and Alphas during rut.

“…”

The Grand Duke stared at the drawing with a deeply uncomfortable expression. But at least he was listening—small mercies. Aeryl recalled the first time his own mentor had taught him. It had been so awkward and weird that he’d run away for days. Now that he thought about it, he felt guilty for putting his teacher through that.

‘I finally understand… a teacher’s pain…’

With his mentor’s dedication heavy in his heart, Aeryl continued. Thus passed the most awkward, uncomfortable night since he had met the Grand Duke.

***

The morning of the fifth day of the Purge dawned.

Aeryl stretched with a long yawn and reached for his glasses. He always took them off before bed to avoid damage, but he never truly relaxed while sleeping. At this point, putting on his glasses first thing after waking had become a reflex.

‘I’m exhausted.’

Even with his glasses on, he stayed sprawled on the bed. Maybe it was because he’d finally gotten a proper night’s rest—his body felt sluggish. For the past few nights, he’d barely slept, staying up to watch over the Grand Duke. But yesterday, he had returned early and managed to rest.

‘I never want to do that again… that so-called sex education…’

Especially not for a grown, dark-minded Alpha who already knew everything.

‘Still, it’s a good sign he’s stable enough to even talk about stuff like that.’

His erratic pheromone levels had settled into a relatively stable pattern. As long as he kept taking the prescribed treatment, there shouldn’t be any sudden collapses.

So today, Aeryl had decided not to follow the combat unit. He should have taken a break earlier, but the Grand Duke’s unstable condition hadn’t allowed it. Now that things had stabilized, there was no need to push himself.

That said, he didn’t plan to slack off entirely. He still intended to gather medicinal herbs and check in at the infirmary.

“Are you awake?”

Someone called out to Aeryl from outside.

“Yes, I’m up. I’ll be out in a moment.”

Aeryl sprang to his feet and stepped out of the tent. Waiting outside was a man in military medical garb—Beryl.

“Good morning. Did you sleep well?”

“Yes. But what brings you here?”

“Lady Kyla asked me to look after you. If you’re feeling up to it, would you come to the infirmary now?”

“Ah, sure. Let me get ready.”

Aeryl recalled the conversation he’d had with Kyla yesterday. She really meant it, huh. He stepped back into the tent and quickly got ready.

Beryl led the way as they walked toward the infirmary, with Aeryl following alongside.

“First of all… I owe you an apology.”

Beryl was the one to break the silence.

“For what?”

“For misunderstanding you. I only heard one side of the story and assumed the worst.”

Since there hadn’t been any real conflict between them, the apology felt a little awkward to receive.

“I get it. From your perspective, it made sense. I was pretty withdrawn, too—I was tired.”

“That makes me feel even worse. Thanks to how you handled things, nothing serious happened.”

Beryl had likely known Fedel for years, and yet he remained composed.

“You must feel conflicted. He was a colleague for a long time.”

“Well… not exactly. I never really got along with him…”

Beryl trailed off, and the complexity of his emotions came through clearly.

Fedel had been consumed by jealousy and inferiority when he looked at Aeryl. The dark energy of the forest might have played a role, but it was probably just a magnifier of what had already been there. Perhaps he’d always made people uncomfortable in subtle ways. Even in a purge unit supposedly united by justice, it seemed human relationships weren’t immune to tension.

That’s probably why His Grace tries to always appear strong, Aeryl thought. A group needs a firm leader to stay stable.

‘I wonder if he’s doing alright.’

Lost in thought, Aeryl gave polite nods as Beryl continued talking. Before long, they reached the infirmary.

And waiting there, clearly unable to sit still, was someone else who had been anxiously anticipating Aeryl’s arrival.

“I’m sorry!”

The moment Aeryl stepped inside, Jenx ran up and bent at the waist in a perfect right angle.

“I heard what happened! I was stupid and reckless! I had no right to accuse you like that in front of everyone without even knowing the full story. I’m so, so sorry!”

The apologies came pouring out like rapid fire. Aeryl looked down at Jenx, a little taken aback.

“Jenx. You’re making Aeryl uncomfortable.”

Beryl chimed in from the side.

“O-oh!”

Jenx straightened up in a panic, but still kept her head slightly bowed, unable to hide her guilt. Aeryl was surprised—he hadn’t expected any kind of apology at all.

‘Wow. That’s one solid apology. Is this how the North does it?’

Nobles never apologized so straightforwardly—saying “sorry” was a blow to their pride. They always wormed their way out of things like slippery eels. Hearing someone own up so directly was… refreshing.

“I really mean it. I’m not just saying it… Here, take this.”

Jenx removed the necklace from around her neck and held it out to Aeryl.

“It’s enchanted. It gives you courage and boldness. I’m actually pretty timid and anxious, so I spent a fortune to get it. It works, but… sometimes I think it pushes too far. Makes me lash out.”

So things like that exist? Aeryl looked curiously at the necklace. Beryl, surprised, added from the side:

“Wait, I thought you were just naturally hot-headed?”

“I’m not! I’m super timid. Anyway, that’s why I want to give this to you. So I don’t act out again. It’s a symbol of my regret. I caused you trouble, and it’s not exactly compensation, but… please take it!”

‘What do I even do with this? Accept it? Refuse?’

It was definitely a rare item, but Aeryl didn’t exactly need a necklace to become bold. Still, he had already decided to forgive Jenx the moment she apologized. It hadn’t been unforgivable, and Jenx had also been deceived by Fedel.

“Just take it. It’ll put his mind at ease. Looks expensive—let’s pawn it and make some money,” Beryl said with a teasing tone. Aeryl got the sense that Beryl just wanted the necklace out of Jenx’s hands.

“Alright then. I won’t refuse. And Jenx… you don’t have to feel guilty anymore.”

Aeryl finally accepted the necklace.

“Don’t call me Jenx. Call me senior,” she said.

“Okay.”

“Well, I’m off to work now. See you around!”

Jenx left the infirmary looking far more at ease.

“I’ll continue showing you around.”

Beryl guided Aeryl through the infirmary, explaining how everything was structured and run. He was friendly and informative, and Aeryl learned a lot thanks to him.

***

After finishing lunch, Aeryl headed toward the entrance of the camp. There was something he needed to find today—for the Grand Duke.