OPDPS 111

Aeryl covered his mouth with both hands. He had nearly screamed.

‘The Grand Duke likes me?’

So all that hugging, all those strange touches—was it because he liked him?

‘Calm down, Aeryl. It’s still an unverified theory.’

He tried to recall if the Grand Duke had ever shown signs of affection.

To start, the Grand Duke rarely expressed emotion, and it wasn’t just Aeryl—others had said the same. But he had smiled in front of Aeryl, rare as that was.

‘His smile’s unexpectedly pretty. His pheromones even shimmer.’

It didn’t make sense to describe scent as shimmering, but that’s exactly how Aeryl experienced it. He was sure the Grand Duke had been just that happy. With that handsome face drawing near in such a moment, it had been impossible not to close his eyes.

And that kiss that followed…

‘…His breath was hot.’

He remembered the subtle movements of his lips, the practiced strokes of his tongue. As he recalled the large hand combing through his hair, he could also remember—vividly—the Grand Duke’s hand gliding down his body in this very room. It was far too easy to imagine those hands caressing bare skin.

“Ugh…”

Aeryl shifted his legs, trying to get comfortable. His lower half had become incredibly uncomfortable. His head was filled with nothing but the Grand Duke.

The kiss kept replaying in his mind, each memory dragging along the intimate acts that followed—mingling pheromones, stimulating each other, gasping for breath in his arms.

‘I can’t think of anything but filthy stuff…’

He dropped his head in shame. It seemed today was a lost cause. With a sigh, he awkwardly got up and headed to the bathroom.

No matter what happened the night before, the sun always rose and daily life resumed. Aeryl was no exception to this universal law.

He reported to the infirmary first thing in the morning. Though no one said anything, he kept glancing around nervously. It was the same room he always saw, yet everything felt different.

Was it possible the Grand Duke had arranged this splendid infirmary for him? That he’d laid him in the bed because Aeryl had been overworked and sleep-deprived? That he’d allowed him to purchase medicine and books freely, without worrying about the budget?

Was it all because…?

‘No, I can’t. I need to get out of here!’

Unable to bear it anymore, Aeryl decided to flee the infirmary. He’d already planned to head out early that morning, so no one would think it strange.

Thanks to Connie’s preparations, he was able to leave the inner quarters swiftly. After greeting the guard knights at the outer quarters, he boarded a carriage. As usual, unfamiliar faces greeted him warmly, but today he was in no state to respond to each one.

The carriage headed east of the Grand Duke’s castle, to a large hospital in the lower town. It was a neat northern-style building of striking beauty—where the unconscious patient had been transferred yesterday.

Aeryl had planned to check in that morning, worried about the snake corpse the cat had brought in. He hadn’t expected to rush out quite so early, though.

“Second floor, last room to the right.”

Connie had already gotten directions. Together, they located the patient’s room. It was a quiet, private room for one.

“She’s still unconscious.”

Aeryl examined her condition. She remained unresponsive, as still as a wax figure. Several devices were attached to her body as precautions, making her look even more critical.

He gently took her hand, checking for any unusual marks. Between her fingers was a small brown spot. He’d noticed it before, but since there was only one mark—not two—he hadn’t thought it a bite.

“Is this a fang mark?”

While Aeryl pondered, the door opened and a doctor walked in. He was a seasoned man of middle age.

“You’re here early. You must be Aeryl Aden?”

“Yes, that’s me.”

“I’m this patient’s attending physician.”

“Ah, hello, doctor.”

Aeryl exchanged greetings.

“So what brings you here today?”

“Sorry for the sudden visit.”

He hadn’t made an appointment or given notice—he’d simply shown up, asking to speak with the patient’s doctor. The doctor looked understandably confused. If Aeryl weren’t someone who worked in the Grand Duke’s castle, he might have been turned away.

“I found this near the place where she collapsed. I couldn’t just ignore it.”

He retrieved a small wooden box and opened the handkerchief inside to reveal the snake. The blue snake with a square head was small and didn’t seem threatening—yet the doctor reacted strongly.

“Ah!”

He jumped back in shock, then looked embarrassed when he realized the snake was dead.

“Ahaha… it’s dead. Good. This one’s notorious. It’s called verdant snake… We suspected snake venom but didn’t know what kind, which made things difficult.”

That got Aeryl’s curiosity up.

“You were sure it was venom? The symptoms didn’t match what I knew, and there were no fang marks, so I ruled it out.”

“It’s pretty obvious, actually.”

The doctor looked surprised at the question, then seemed to realize something.

“Oh right. You’re from the south, aren’t you?”

“Yes.”

“That explains it—different snakes live in different regions, and the venom acts differently.”

He gave a brief explanation: the north had its own species, and their venom caused different symptoms.

“I never considered that. Makes sense.”

“Most northern venom mimics symptoms of cold exposure. Also, only one fang mark tends to be left behind.”

Apparently, the verdant snake had three fangs—two of them so tiny they didn’t leave visible marks. Aeryl recalled the single dot between the woman’s fingers.

“So that was a fang mark after all.”

“Most likely, yes. Verdant snakes are rare, so we didn’t have an antidote. But now that we have the snake, we can make one. I thought it’d take longer—this is lucky. The longer someone stays unconscious…”

“Yes. The more the body deteriorates.”

Aeryl looked at the patient. It was a relief to have moved her and discovered the cause, but a troubled feeling lingered. If he had known more about the north, perhaps she could have been treated sooner.

“I thought I knew a lot, but there’s no end to learning, is there?”

“Haha, exactly. But thanks to your quick response, she stabilized early, and that made it easier to find the cause. You handled the emergency well, too.”

The doctor offered sincere praise. Aeryl was still young, and yet he had kept calm and saved a life—commendable indeed.

The doctor felt compelled to show this young man some goodwill.

“A few of us doctors gather from time to time to study together. If you’re interested, would you like to join us? You could learn a lot about regional illnesses in the north.”

“Really?”

Aeryl’s eyes lit up. He’d always studied alone and had long dreamed of joining such a group. It was one of his goals after moving north.

“But I’m not from this hospital. I’m not even from the north…”

“Ah, come on—you took part in the Great Purge, didn’t you? No one’s going to question you! Everyone will welcome you. Even better if you share stories from the purge.”

‘Good thing I went on that blasted purge!’

He hadn’t understood why people were so eager to participate—but now it made sense. It acted like a stamp of trust.

Aeryl was amazed at the unexpected reward. He owed the Grand Duke thanks. Sure, being dragged into the purge had been hell, but he’d gained so much because of it.

‘When he first manifested and pounced on me… it was intense.’

His thoughts began to drift into scandalous memories again.

“Doctor?”

“Ah! I’ll send you a letter.”

What is wrong with me? Aeryl scolded himself while flashing a perfect smile. The doctor, caught up in his smile, chuckled and nodded.

“Please send it to the hospital. I’ll be heading off to work on the antidote. Safe trip back.”

“Thank you. I’ll leave it to you.”

The doctor left with the snake. After one last check on the patient, Aeryl exited the hospital. As he stood at the gate, waiting for the carriage, he felt far lighter than when he’d arrived.

“Thank goodness. She’ll recover soon.”

“Indeed. When did you find that snake? Don’t tell me you were out alone…”

Connie’s gaze sharpened. Sometimes, it was hard to believe she was just a regular maid.

“No, I was with His Grace.”

…At least near the end. Aeryl bent the truth slightly.

“Oh, then that’s why he returned in such a rush?”

“What? Ah… haha.”

It almost sounded like His Grace had hurried back for a date.

‘Wait. Why did Connie accept that so easily?’

He was curious. But something told him that if he asked now, he wouldn’t be able to handle the answer. Best to save the question for later.

He glanced around aimlessly—and then his eyes caught on a man across the street. A complete stranger. The man smiled and waved both hands like he’d found a long-lost friend.

“Ew. He’s flirting. At least he’s got taste. Let’s go.”

Connie, disgusted, pulled Aeryl behind her—not that she could actually hide him with the height difference.

Fortunately, the carriage arrived just then. When Aeryl got in and looked back across the street, the man had vanished.

‘I have been taking better care of my appearance lately.’

Connie’s efforts had worked wonders. Aeryl was used to people fussing over his looks, so he dismissed the man’s presence without much thought.