OPDPS 121

“I think you already know.”

The Grand Duke spoke with a hint of a smile.

The moment his breath brushed over Aeryl’s skin, the sensation of their lips touching flashed through Aeryl’s mind, making his head spin. For a second, he completely forgot what the Grand Duke had said.

The tension only worsened. If he would just go through with it…

“…I don’t know.”

Aeryl forced the words out with all his strength. Just suppressing the overwhelming urge had taken everything he had.

“Really?”

The Grand Duke pulled back slightly and stared quietly at Aeryl’s face. Afraid of meeting his eyes, Aeryl kept his gaze lowered, his pupils darting around nervously. Only when the Grand Duke finally pulled away could he breathe again.

Was it over?

Aeryl glanced at him cautiously while swallowing a silent sigh. The Grand Duke wore a triumphant expression. They hadn’t even kissed, so why did he look like he’d won?

“So there is something even Doctor Aeryl doesn’t know? When you were giving me sex education, you looked like you knew everything.”

“…That’s…”

The deliberate use of “doctor” was clearly meant to tease.

Did he say the wrong thing? In hindsight, maybe “I don’t want to” would’ve been a better answer. But it was too late to take it back.

“What a problem. My attending physician doesn’t even know something so important. All theory and no practice—were you just a sheltered scholar after all?”

“No, I—”

Aeryl tried to defend himself, alarm bells ringing in his head—he was getting pulled into the Grand Duke’s pace again. But the Grand Duke was faster.

“You’re fired.”

“What?”

Aeryl gaped.

What was this? Getting fired out of nowhere? When he was being targeted by both the emperor’s knights and Derbas? Fired because he said their relationship should stay professional?

As if just remembering, the Grand Duke added breezily,

“Ah, I suppose a sudden dismissal would be a bit problematic. Especially in winter. Then let’s do this instead.”

“How…?”

“You can stay on as a physician in the inner quarters. You’ve done good work, after all. But in return…”

He spoke as if granting a great favor.

“In return?”

“This time, you need to learn from me.”

“Learn what…?”

“What you don’t know. Practical experience.”

“That’s, um…”

Aeryl froze as the memory of teaching the Grand Duke about sexual matters flashed through his mind.

“You’re not going to refuse, are you? Then I’ll take that as settled.”

The Grand Duke made the decision unilaterally. Aeryl couldn’t utter a single word in protest.

He couldn’t leave the inner quarterscright now.

And now, if he didn’t want to be fired, he had to learn “practical” knowledge.

If he refused? He’d be out.

‘I can’t believe he’d use such a dirty, underhanded tactic…!’

Still, the speed and precision with which the Grand Duke twisted his answer into a dismissal, hit him with shock, then cornered him into the only available option—it was impressive enough to deserve applause. A perfect play.

And it meant he… cared that much.

“You’re really going to do this?”

Aeryl glared at him, furious.

“Learn well. You’ve got plenty of time. Winter nights in the North are long and uneventful.”

The Grand Duke gave him a smug smile and turned away. Aeryl stood speechless, left only to stare after him.

While Aeryl stood like a statue, eyes fixed on the door, the Grand Duke ascended the central staircase from the first-floor corridor.

Though his body could’ve carried him to the third floor in one bound, he climbed slowly, step by step. Then suddenly, his body tilted and he grabbed the railing to steady himself.

“Haa…”

Leaning against it, he let out a deep sigh and pressed his other hand hard against his forehead.

The farther he got from the infirmary, the more his excitement faded—and one thought kept rising to the surface.

“This… isn’t how I wanted to confess.”

This wasn’t the confession he’d imagined.

He’d planned to approach Aeryl slowly, carefully.

He’d intended to earn his affection little by little. Then, when the time was right, reveal his secret—his hidden, fatal flaw.

And then confess that, even with all of that… he couldn’t help but love him.

He was full of flaws and burdened with secrets. Compared to someone like Aeryl—an Omega—he was a woefully lacking Alpha. He’d told himself he should give up.

But the idea of a life without Aeryl? He couldn’t do it.

And if Aeryl truly felt the same way, he couldn’t let go.

Through everything they’d been through, the Grand Duke had come to a clear conclusion:

He wanted Aeryl—enough to abandon everything he’d believed in up until now.

“Maybe my mother was right.”

Maybe he was born selfish and greedy, just like his father. But it was too late—he’d already made up his mind. He was ready to bare every weakness and beg to be chosen.

Not today, of course.

“Today was just about getting closer…”

But when Aeryl suddenly rejected him and dismissed their kiss as a mistake, something in him snapped.

In that moment, he was certain Aeryl had felt the same. It felt like their shared memory had been tainted—and that infuriated him. Since Aeryl was clearly trying to run from what lay between them, the Grand Duke had decided to test him with a provocation.

And it worked.

Aeryl took the bait. And the result? Just as the Grand Duke had suspected—Aeryl’s feelings mirrored his own.

Avoiding eye contact meant nothing. It was obvious in the way his lips trembled, desperate to speak.

Once again, the Grand Duke was sure of it: Aeryl was drawn to him.

“He might not feel the same yet…”

But he was attracted, and that was more than enough. Aeryl’s reactions to him were completely different from how he treated Mason. He was kind to Mason, yes—but plain, distant. He clearly didn’t even consider Mason as a possibility. That was a good sign.

“Good thing I presented as an Alpha.”

The Grand Duke realized just how useful his Alpha status was in drawing Aeryl in. He’d cornered him with a single twist of words and made the situation fall right into his hands.

From now on, he planned to devote himself to forcing Aeryl to confront his buried feelings and desires.

The confession had turned into a full-on challenge—he’d gotten emotional like a child. Pathetic.

He had wanted the moment to be special.

Something Aeryl would remember forever. But somehow, he’d blurted out how he felt during a vague, muddled conversation, before he even realized it.

“This isn’t how I wanted it to go at all.”

He’d had all kinds of beautiful words planned. But now, the words had slipped out with no weight behind them—far too light for a heart this heavy. That was what upset him most.

“Haa…”

The Grand Duke let out a long sigh. What was done was done. He wasn’t the type to dwell on regret—only to plan what came next.

“In that case… I’ll make sure he says it.”

He wouldn’t stop until Aeryl said it—not “I don’t know,” but “I like you.”

He didn’t have much experience with seduction, but as he’d said—long, empty northern winter nights were on his side.

***

The Emperor’s envoys had been assigned a room on the 6th floor of the outer quarter, tucked away in a corner.

The room itself was elegant, but it was clear it had been prepared hastily. Some parts hadn’t been properly cleaned.

Sir Dervan walked in, opened the window, and looked out. The room faced the outer wall, completely blocking the view of the inner quarter.

“The Grand Duke’s being overly cautious,” he muttered irritably.

Meanwhile, Baron Berel sat slumped on the sofa, clutching his head with both hands. In a voice filled with dread, he muttered,

“I’m dead. The Grand Duke definitely has it out for me now. God, if the Baron finds out… What were you thinking, talking to His Grace like that?”

The fire suddenly turned on Dervan.

“We’re acting under the Emperor’s orders. What’s so scary about the Grand Duke?”

“That’s because you don’t know him!”

‘How did I even get roped into this?’

Baron Berel let out a deep sigh.

He couldn’t say no—his family was tied to Dervan’s by marriage. And truthfully, he’d hoped this might get him noticed by the Emperor.

But the thought of getting on the Grand Duke’s bad side? That terrified him. Even if he’d done nothing wrong, the Grand Duke was just that scary.

“People on the Grand Duke’s side will probably approach you. Use that to find out more about someone named Aeryl.”

“What about you?”

“I’ll go after the man himself.”

Despite being rejected, Dervan planned to poke around the Grand Duke’s domain and track down Aeryl directly.

Baron Berel winced—his head throbbed with stress.

“If we get caught, we’re dead. This is his territory.”

“If we find who we’re looking for, the Grand Duke won’t be able to stop us. He’ll be the one in trouble, not us.”

“What are you talking about?”

The Baron’s husband stared at him, bewildered by his confident tone. Dervan glanced around, lowered his voice, and leaned in.

“The one we’re looking for… is His Majesty’s youngest son.”