OPDPS 117

The Grand Duke and Aeryl held each other for a while longer before riding together back to the castle. Aeryl sat in front of the Grand Duke, still wrapped in his arms. With warmth returning to his body and a sense of safety washing over him, drowsiness began to creep in.

‘I shouldn’t fall asleep on horseback…’

Just as Aeryl tried to shake his head and stay awake, the Grand Duke whispered at his ear.

“You can sleep if you’re tired. I’ve got you.”

The gentle tone made the offer all the more tempting.

“Please hold on tight, then.”

With that, Aeryl slipped into sleep. As his head naturally tilted to rest against the Grand Duke’s chest, the Grand Duke found himself lost in complicated thoughts. How could he fall asleep like this, being so close? And yet, it was touching—that he trusted him enough to let his guard down so completely.

There’s a long road ahead.

He guided the horse more carefully and waved off the approaching knights with a hand motion, sending them to the back. Didn’t want to wake him.

Then, he adjusted his cloak to cover Aeryl more thoroughly. The disheveled clothes, the shirt collar that looked like someone had forcibly pulled it open—all of it had been bothering him, so he made sure Aeryl was well covered. He wanted to ask what that brutish pirate had done to him, but held back, afraid it would only bring up pain.

Instead, he simply held Aeryl close. In his tender embrace, Aeryl sank deeper into peaceful sleep.

***

As they entered the outer quarters, a commotion broke out.

“His Grace has returned!”

“Is Doctor Aeryl with him? Is that him?”

“That’s him! It’s Doctor Aeryl! He’s back! Thank goodness!”

The pale face that peeked out from within the Grand Duke’s black cloak was impossible to miss.

The Grand Duke couldn’t block out all the voices erupting from every direction. As his expression began to tighten, Aeryl blinked drowsily and cracked open his eyes. He didn’t know exactly what was going on, but he could tell people were looking at him, so he instinctively raised his hand to wave—and promptly began to doze off again.

“You should put your hand down before sleeping.”

The Grand Duke gently lowered Aeryl’s hand and smiled. His fond smile, leaking out like he simply couldn’t help himself, left many of the onlookers stunned.

Before leaving the outer quarters, the Grand Duke had been a terrifying figure.

When he learned Aeryl had gone missing, he was furious. His rage carried a strange weight, so heavy that those around him could do nothing but lower their heads and hold their breath. Just standing still atop the castle wall, his presence had been so overwhelming that it made hearts race with anxiety.

So when word came that he had returned, everyone had dropped what they were doing and rushed to the windows. And now, look at him. That face was soft as a spring breeze—and he was even smiling.

“Is that really His Grace?”

It was the first time anyone had seen such a smile from their lord. It felt so unfamiliar that it almost made more sense to believe he was someone else entirely.

But the man smiling at his beloved was indeed their lord—Grand Duke Asirion.

The power of love…

It wasn’t until they had seen the Grand Duke in his wrath again that they realized just how much softer he had become lately.

He was still as cold and calm as ever, but that ferocious edge had dulled. Like how a breeze in early spring differs from the chill of early winter—he had changed. And that was unmistakably because of Aeryl.

It’d be lovely if His Grace and Doctor Aeryl married soon.

They’d only just shared a kiss, and already the whole castle was getting ahead of itself. But after everything that had happened, the tide of public opinion was rapidly surging toward their marriage.

***

“Mmm…”

Aeryl groaned, furrowing his brows. He’d fallen into a deep sleep, only to be woken halfway through, and he didn’t feel great about it.

‘Was I wearing my glasses?’

His fingers groped around and, just as always, found his glasses on the bedside table. He quickly put them on and sat up.

‘I remember riding back with the Grand Duke…’

Though he’d been half-asleep, he remembered how warmly the people in the castle had welcomed him. Even if he’d always claimed he didn’t want to stand out, being welcomed like that filled him with joy—it meant he’d done something right here.

‘The Grand Duke… isn’t here.’

Of course the Grand Duke wouldn’t be in his room. Still, his chest felt oddly empty without him.

Grrrl.

His stomach growled loudly. So that’s why he’d woken up. Aeryl looked around, a bit dazed. There didn’t seem to be anything to eat in the room.

‘Come to think of it, I’m still wearing the same clothes…’

The same outfit he’d worn while rolling across the ground and hiding in the brush. His shirt, dirty and rumpled, was now loosely fastened at the collar by a handkerchief tied like a cravat.

Did the Grand Duke do this too?

The handkerchief was unmistakably his. Derbas had pulled open his collar a bit too much. If someone had seen him like that, there might’ve been some serious misunderstandings.

Grrrlllll.

His stomach complained again, more insistent now. He hadn’t had a proper meal all day—of course he was starving.

Aeryl stepped down from the bed and opened the door. The hallway was dark and completely silent.

‘What time is it?’

He suddenly remembered the castle’s rules—and its ghost stories—and froze. It felt like it was past ten. Was it really okay to be wandering around at this hour?

‘Ugh, it’s all been debunked already.’

Not scary at all. Not one bit. Embarrassed at his moment of hesitation, Aeryl deliberately stepped boldly into the hall.

When he reached the central staircase—sure enough, he heard it.

Ooohohohohoho…

It’s just the old plumbing making noise! Nothing to worry about!

Then why did it still feel so creepy?

Aeryl turned his head to look down the opposite corridor. It was as dark as ever—like it could swallow him whole.

‘Why does it feel like there’s something over there…?’

He unconsciously licked his dry lips. Staring, entranced, down the corridor—

A huge shadow suddenly loomed over him.

“AHHH!”

He flinched and jumped in fright, immediately turning to dash back to his room—but the other moved faster, wrapping an arm around Aeryl’s waist.

“What are you doing? Wandering around this late?”

The familiar voice belonged to the Grand Duke.

“What the…”

Aeryl looked up at him with tear-bright eyes.

“Why do you keep scaring me like that?”

“Sorry…?”

The Grand Duke apologized, looking genuinely confused. That only made Aeryl feel more embarrassed, so he quickly turned away and began heading down the central staircase.

“Where are you going?”

“To get something to eat from the kitchen!”

“Should I call for the head chef?”

“No! I can take care of it myself, thank you very much.”

The Grand Duke followed him down.

‘Ugh, never again am I believing ghost stories! I’m not scared at all anymore.’

Though he grumbled inwardly, Aeryl slowed his steps, inching closer until he was walking tightly beside the Grand Duke.

After the two disappeared down the corridor, something stirred in the darkness that had filled the hallway. It stepped softly, soundless as a feather, and emerged onto the central staircase. Under the dim lighting, its form was revealed.

A cat. A long-haired, glossy-coated cat with sharp ears and a tiny, round pink nose. It was the same cat the maid had been secretly feeding, the one Aeryl had discovered earlier, and which the servants had spent the entire day trying to catch—unsuccessfully.

The cat sat still, forepaws together, quietly watching Aeryl’s retreating figure. Strangely enough, its expression looked eerily like a smiling human face.

Heeheeheeheehee.

With a laughter, the air around the cat stirred, rustling its fur like a breeze. It licked its lips with an air of disappointment.

Meow.

The cat turned and walked away, vanishing once again into the darkness.

What was the unidentified presence in the story? A monster? A ghost?

But what if it were just… a cat?

***

While Aeryl wandered through dreams, Grand Duke Asirion had arrested the kidnappers and apprehended Count Iskel as he tried to flee to his own lands. They would be tried and punished under the law for both the incident in the town and the attempted kidnapping.

Compared to the clearly guilty kidnappers, Lady Merel’s involvement was more ambiguous. She hadn’t reported Iskel’s plot to abduct Aeryl, which made her an accomplice in the eyes of the law. Yet, she had persistently tried to stop him, and once the incident occurred, she brought in Count Iskel’s butler herself to testify—something that could be seen as meritorious.

Opinions were divided, but in the end, it was decided she would remain under house arrest in her quarters.

‘Not like she ever goes out anyway,’ thought Aeryl.

It was yet another example of the Grand Duke’s lenient judgments. Aeryl didn’t mind, but he still found it curious. If the Grand Duke truly wished to, he could have swept Lady Merel and her entire faction aside with ease. Was there a reason he hadn’t?

Meanwhile, the search for the mysterious merchant and Derbas continued. Aeryl had claimed consistently that he knew nothing about the merchant, and no one found that strange.

With Derbas, however, he gave a more detailed testimony. He told them he revealed that Valbean was still alive, and that in a frenzy at this new, Derbas had lost control—giving Aeryl the chance to escape.

It wasn’t a flawless lie—any probing would’ve exposed gaps—but neither the Grand Duke nor his knights questioned him. They were planning to spread the rumor of the Valbean’s survival anyway to draw Derbas out, so Aeryl was even praised for his quick thinking, which only made his guilt worse.

In any case, the whole attempted kidnapping was quickly swept aside as a commotion, and Aeryl was returning to his normal routine.

At least, until the imperial delegation suddenly appeared before the gates of the Grand Duke’s castle—without warning.