OPDPS 114

His lungs burned—not just from being out of breath, but with real pain. His mouth tasted of blood, and his vision blurred.

And still, Aeryl didn’t stop running.

He ran and ran. Because he had no destination, he couldn’t stop.

Then suddenly, his foot caught on a raised brick. He couldn’t keep his balance and tumbled forward, hard.

Thud!

“Ugh!”

The impact jolted through his entire body, leaving him stunned. Because of that, he didn’t notice right away the pair of brown boots stopping right in front of his face.

Before he could decide whether to lift his head, a hand grabbed him by the hair and yanked his face upward. He saw the man’s face.

“You… who are you?”

He wasn’t one of the Emperor’s knights, or a kidnapper, or one of the guards. He was the man who had winked at him by the hospital carriage stop just moments ago.

The man didn’t bother to answer. As if everything had been planned from the start, he reached straight for Aeryl’s glasses and pulled them off.

“!”

Aeryl instinctively shut his eyes.

“Ha! Shut them all you want, I’ve already seen everything, Your Highness!”

The man laughed carelessly. His voice… was oddly familiar.

‘No… it can’t be.’

Hesitating, Aeryl cracked open his eyes. The man’s features began to shift. His lowered eyes and arched brows reshaped into the unmistakable, strikingly handsome face of—

“Derbas…”

As soon as Aeryl said the name, his entire body tensed, every nerve on edge in a wave of dread.

The fear of nearly dying at that man’s hands overwhelmed him, choking his breath.

It’s alright. This isn’t the same as back then.

Aeryl barely managed to calm himself. Derbas, on the other hand, grinned like he’d just hit the jackpot.

“That’s right, it’s me! Your Highness!”

He smiled like a gambler who had just drawn the perfect card.

‘So I wasn’t imagining it when our eyes met before.’

He’d removed the glasses first and didn’t even flinch at seeing Aeryl’s eyes. From the beginning, he’d shown up to check them.

His identity had been exposed.

Aeryl had imagined many ways his identity might be revealed once his glasses were off, but never this.

He wasn’t sure yet—was it tragic to be found out so absurdly, or was it lucky that it wasn’t the Grand Duke or one of the Emperor’s knights, but just some lowly pirate?

‘At least the Grand Duke isn’t here. I wouldn’t want to be found out like this.’

Sighing internally, Aeryl opened his eyes properly.

His long lashes lifted, revealing his eyes in full under the bright sunlight—eyes that shimmered with a dazzling golden hue. Even Derbas was struck momentarily silent by the beauty.

It’s a dead-end alley. And no one around.

Aeryl ignored Derbas’s awe and quickly scanned the surroundings.

Derbas was still spellbound by his face. Aeryl could’ve taken that chance to run or cry for help—but he didn’t.

Derbas still had his glasses. As long as he didn’t want his identity broadcast, he had to go along with him, for now.

The one saving grace? Derbas probably wouldn’t kill him, since he was a prince.

‘I need to shut him up somehow.’

If he showed weakness, the man would tear into him. He couldn’t predict what Derbas might do next, so he had to seize control of the conversation.

‘Emphasize my status as a prince—make it clear I’m not someone he can mess with…’

His mind raced. From this point on, it would be a battle of wits—and he was alone in it.

***

The news that Aeryl had vanished reached Grand Duke Asirion immediately.

According to the knights’ reports, Aeryl had suddenly started running. His bodyguards gave chase, as did the kidnappers, but the guards fell behind while trying to keep the attackers at bay.

In the midst of this, a man dressed like a wandering merchant entered the chase, turning it into a three-way pursuit.

While all sides were too busy watching one another to focus, another new threat appeared—an eruption from the ground that caught everyone’s feet.

From the magical signature, there was no doubt—it had been Derbas.

The kidnappers, the strange merchant, and Derbas…

They had managed to catch some of the kidnappers, but they were only low-level grunts who knew nothing. The mysterious merchant had vanished, and Derbas hadn’t shown himself again.

There were at least three factions targeting Aeryl. But no one knew what state he was in, or where he was now.

‘Please… Aeryl…’

The Grand Duke wanted to storm the entire town himself if it meant finding Aeryl.

But his men had insisted that staying at the outer quarters gates would ensure he heard news first.

So now, he stood on the wall, eyes scanning every road for any sign. But neither Aeryl nor those who had gone to search for him returned.

Inside him, fury toward his enemies and bitter self-reproach churned in equal, unbearable measure.

“I shouldn’t have let him go alone. I should’ve gone with him—no, I should’ve kept him by my side.”

He should’ve followed Aeryl when he said he was going out. He should’ve met him earlier. No—he shouldn’t have let him leave his room the night before.

He should’ve locked him in his arms and never let him go.

All those chances he let slip—for stupid reasons like needing to gather his thoughts or feeling awkward—gnawed at him with bitter regret.

“…Your Grace.”

Someone called up to the Grand Duke from the bottom of the wall. A man from the outer quarters.

He ignored it, assuming it wasn’t about Aeryl. But then another voice rang out.

“I have something urgent to report.”

It was Lady Merel.

The Grand Duke tried to ignore her too—but what she said next made that impossible.

“We’ve identified the one who orchestrated the kidnapping.”

The Grand Duke turned sharply and looked down.

Next to Lady Merel stood a middle-aged man in a butler’s uniform. The man, visibly trembling, collapsed to his knees the moment his eyes met the Grand Duke’s. The sheer pressure of that gaze crushed him.

“Speak,” the Grand Duke commanded.

“I—I am… the butler of Count Iskel’s household.”

The butler stammered. He was so terrified he could barely speak, but the command of the Grand Duke forced the words from his mouth.

“Count Iskel ordered Doctor Aeryl’s abduction.”

According to the butler, the count had planned everything and chosen today to act, waiting for Aeryl to step outside. The scheme had been to fake a carriage accident and abduct him amid the chaos—but an unexpected crash threw the plan into disarray.

“Where is Aeryl now?”

“W-we don’t know.”

“You don’t know?”

“B-but! We know one thing!”

Panicking like a man about to be executed, the butler hurriedly added:

“One of the men who returned said he saw him while fleeing the guards!”

The man reported that Aeryl had run toward a slum-like residential district—practically a maze due to unregulated sprawl.

“Was he alone?”

“No, sir! A brown-haired man was following him…”

Thud!

In an instant, the Grand Duke leapt down from the wall.

The sound of the impact made the butler flinch and shut his eyes, sure he was about to die.

“Arrest Count Iskel and all involved. Imprison this one and place him under watch. And Lady Merel—make sure she does not take a single step out of the east wing.”

The Grand Duke summoned a waiting subordinate and issued his orders. Then, he turned his gaze on Lady Merel.

His unshaken stare was like a finely honed blade.

“Stay where you are. I’ve been lenient only because you are Sorel’s mother.”

Without waiting for a reply, he turned away. He mounted his horse, gave a few more commands to his men, and rode out of the outer quarters at once.

***

While Aeryl was frantically planning strategies, Derbas was comfortably admiring his face.

“How curious. How can someone’s eyes be that color?”

Derbas reached toward Aeryl’s face. Aeryl slapped his hand away with a loud smack.

“How dare you touch the body of a royal? Show some respect.”

“Oh, right.”

Derbas released his grip on Aeryl’s hair and took two steps back before giving a mocking bow.

“That better?”

He looked back up and chuckled idiotically.

“To think you were actually a prince. Would’ve been a real waste if I’d killed you back then.”

“If you kill me, you’ll make the entire Empire your enemy. And address royalty with proper respect.”

“Okay. I mean—yes, sir. So then, can Your Highness command the Grand Duke?”

“You’d have to be Crown Prince to be equal to the Grand Duke.”

“So a prince ranks below the Grand Duke…? But still high, right?”

‘Why am I explaining this to him?’ His honorifics were a mess. Still, at least the exchange confirmed one thing—Derbas had no intention of killing him.

“What do you plan to do with me?”

“There are a few options. Say, kill the prince and blame the Grand Duke. Or claim the Grand Duke kidnapped the prince. Or trade the prince in exchange for punishing the Grand Duke…”

Derbas casually rattled off his schemes. Aeryl’s expression twisted fast.

‘Is there no way I come out of this intact?’

Anger bubbled up at the thought of being used, but he struggled to keep calm. Derbas was in a good mood—relaxed, even. That was an opportunity.

“You’re seriously planning to use me for something that stupid? How idiotic.”