OPDSP 52

“Ugh…!”

“Urgh. Wh-What is this…?”

Those who were sensitive to pheromones couldn’t even remain standing and collapsed to the ground. Most barely managed to stay upright, but none could move. Their bodies were frozen stiff, and not a sound could escape their lips.

Even allies standing nearby were overwhelmed like this—so the man bearing the full brunt of the Grand Duke’s wrath fared far worse.

What the hell is this atmosphere…?

He felt his legs trembling. He had faced the Grand Duke once before, back in the summer. But it hadn’t been like this. Back then, he’d thought the man possessed impressive power—nothing more.

But now, he was honestly afraid. It felt like standing with a black sea at his back and a blade at his throat. The sensation brought back memories of his childhood, when he had been forced to face death. That same helpless, despairing feeling washed over him.

“Sh-Shit!”

He cursed loudly. He tried to raise his voice, tried to summon some bravado—but the terror that had crept into his subconscious wouldn’t let go. If not for the sheer strength of his hatred toward the Grand Duke, he wouldn’t have been able to withstand this much.

The Grand Duke approached—his pace neither fast nor slow.

“D-Don’t come any closer! I’ll kill him! I said stay back!”

The man shouted, swinging the knife in front of him. It was an empty threat—a desperate bluff to keep the Grand Duke from advancing. It would’ve been smarter to keep threatening Aeryl, but his instincts betrayed him, driven by fear.

That was a fatal mistake.

The Grand Duke had never once feared a blade pointed at him. He closed the distance in a flash and seized the man’s wrist.

“Aaagh!”

The man screamed and dropped the dagger. The Grand Duke caught it and, without hesitation, plunged it into the man’s neck.

Clean. Precise. Effortless.

The man’s eyes flew wide open. The pain struck a moment before he realized what had happened—but by then, his body was already crumbling.

He collapsed to the ground with a dull thud. His body twitched a few times, but never rose again.

At the same time, Aeryl also slumped to the ground.

‘Is he dead?’

With his eyes shut, Aeryl had no way to know what was happening. He had to rely on sound and scent. He sensed the Grand Duke’s terrifying pheromones erupt… then the man went wild… and then fell. That was all he could gather.

For a moment, silence fell.

The Grand Duke’s presence was still so vividly oppressive, yet no sound came. That silence only deepened Aeryl’s unease.

“Your Grace?”

The Grand Duke didn’t respond. Instead, he knelt in front of Aeryl and pulled him into his arms.

Aeryl was startled, but his instincts kicked in—he checked the Grand Duke’s condition first.

His pheromones are still running wild.

His breathing was rough. His heart pounded. A man usually so composed was now completely unhinged.

Aeryl had protected himself with his own pheromones, so he was fine—but the others wouldn’t be. The Grand Duke’s body was already unstable, and staying in this agitated state for too long would only make things worse.

‘I have to help him calm down.’

Aeryl wrapped his arms around the Grand Duke’s back. One hand cradled the nape of his neck; the other rested on his lower back. He pressed close to him, gently patting his tense muscles. He also released a steady flow of his own pheromones, guiding him toward stability.

“I’m alright now. Everyone’s safe. It’s all over.”

He whispered softly, soothingly. The Grand Duke’s body slumped into him as if collapsing. Resting his forehead on Aeryl’s shoulder, he let out deep, shaking breaths.

‘I got him back.’

The sweet scent of pheromones. The warmth of his body. The steady rhythm of his heartbeat. Feeling it all with every nerve in his body, the Grand Duke finally felt at ease.

His peace had returned to his arms. His strength gave out, and all the tension drained from him.

Aeryl felt the Grand Duke stabilizing quickly and cautiously cracked open one eye. The alpha pheromones had nearly dissipated. The purge unit members were wiping sweat from their brows or exhaling the breaths they’d been holding.

They looked disoriented, clearly having no idea what had just happened. But at least they seemed unharmed.

Off to one side, the man lay collapsed on the ground.

‘Is he dead? He’s not moving… Wait, huh?!

For a brief moment, it felt like their eyes met.

Aeryl flinched and shut his eyes reflexively.

‘Was he… just looking at me?’

He wanted to check—but couldn’t bring himself to open his eyes again.

“Your Grace, Aeryl—are you alright?”

Just then, Innis’s voice called out.

“Is my glasses over there?”

“Your glasses… Ah, here they are.”

Innis picked them up and handed them to him. Aeryl quickly took the glasses and put them on. As soon as he opened his eyes again, he checked the man’s body.

‘Was I mistaken?’

The man lay on the ground with his eyes closed. His chest wasn’t moving—most likely, he was dead. And even if he were still alive, the chance he had looked into Aeryl’s eyes was low.

Whew.

Only then did Aeryl feel relieved.

“Your Grace, please give the order.”

Innis spoke to the Grand Duke, but there was no reply.

“Your Grace? The squad is waiting on your command.”

Aeryl called him and gave him a small shake, but got no response. Huh? Aeryl hurriedly checked the Grand Duke’s condition again.

He’s lost consciousness?!

His body was cold, and there was no trace of pheromones. The symptoms were exactly the same as when he collapsed during the early stages of the purge.

No—it was worse. There was no fever, yet sweat ran down his skin, and his body had begun to tremble.

The Grand Duke had deliberately avoided taking his medicine to hold onto Aeryl. Now that the effects of the last dose had worn off and his rage had driven his pheromones to surge—when his emotions finally settled, the sudden drop triggered a shock to his system.

Aeryl didn’t know the details, but he knew one thing clearly: the Grand Duke was in danger.

“We need to get to the clinic! Please help! This is an emergency!”

Aeryl shouted urgently. The purge unit members, startled, quickly sprang into action, and the Grand Duke was swiftly transported to Aeryl’s clinic.

***

Aeryl’s clinic.

They brought the Grand Duke in and began emergency treatment. While Aeryl tended to him with single-minded focus, Innis led the purge unit out and kept order. Despite the chaos, no one disobeyed.

“Haaah…”

Aeryl let out a long breath. At last, the Grand Duke was stable, and he could finally relax.

He was about to sit down in a chair—but instead, he simply lay down beside the Grand Duke. It was a bit cramped, but he truly needed the rest. His body ached all over from exhaustion. He’d used up every last bit of strength and didn’t even have the energy to lift a finger. He didn’t have the strength to climb up to the bedroom upstairs.

‘This way, I’ll know right away if anything happens to him.’

It wasn’t the first time he’d shared a bed with the Grand Duke, so surely the man wouldn’t mind.

‘My neck… I need to treat it.’

Even as the thought passed through his mind, his body refused to move.

‘Later. I’ll do it later.’

Aeryl squirmed a bit to find a more comfortable position. Somehow, the Grand Duke’s arm ended up resting against his forehead, but he was too far gone to care. He soon fell into a deep sleep.

Some time after Aeryl fell asleep, three people entered the hospital. Kyla, Innis, and the commander of the knights. They had cleaned up the scene and now came to report to the Grand Duke.

However, the Grand Duke had not yet regained consciousness, and Aeryl was asleep.

There was nothing they could do. Kyla looked over the two.

“His Grace is stable, and Mr. Aeryl must have fallen asleep from exhaustion. I think I should treat the wounds Mr. Aeryl sustained.”

While Kyla tended to Aeryl’s injuries, Innis and the Knight Commander stood silently in the corner of the clinic and waited.

“I’ve never seen His Grace collapse before.”

“Same here.”

Who had? From the time he was heir to the moment he became the Grand Duke, he had never shown a moment of weakness.

Even when he had suddenly taken the position and endured immense hardship, he had always remained unwavering and strong. None of them had imagined that he had been enduring it all alone.

Judging by how smoothly Aeryl handled the situation, this didn’t seem to be the first time.

“Commander, do you know anything about this?”

“…It’s not something I should speak of.”

“I suppose not…”

Neither of the two in question were in any condition to talk.

The Commander could only assume that something had gone wrong with the Grand Duke’s health during the purge and that Aeryl had been the one managing it. He’d know for sure if he waited, but the uncertainty was difficult to bear.

Just then, Kyla finished treating Aeryl and approached them. She had been stationed with the purge unit, so she wasn’t aware of everything that had happened.

“By the way… what’s this about? The body disappeared?”