OPDPS 128

He had grown attached to the people of the inner quarters, and spending time in the infirmary had become a natural part of his daily life. Though it was burdensome to be recognized every time he went to the outer quarters, it was also a source of pride.

In the beginning, he had intended to stay only briefly—like a dandelion seed that lands for a moment before drifting away. But when he came to his senses, he realized he had already taken root in this place.

‘I like it here. I want to settle down.’

Most of all, what bound him was the Grand Duke. Whenever he thought of him, the image from the Great Purge was the first to come to mind—his battered body that could’ve collapsed at any moment, still gripping his sword and leading from the front.

It filled him with admiration, with awe—but also an ache in his heart. A man who had lived like that all his life had placed his trust and reliance solely in Aeryl. How could he just leave? Especially when the man was still recovering.

‘Should I just stay until spring, like we agreed in the beginning?’

He was no longer his attending physician, but there was no one else of the same dynamic to care for him.

When he tried to convince himself it would be fine, another voice would rise up to argue the opposite. He couldn’t settle on anything. His thoughts changed by the second, and it only left him more confused and weighed down.

Even so, his steps never stopped. At last, he emerged from the woods, and familiar faces began to appear in his view. The Central Wing was quiet. Thankfully, it didn’t seem like anyone found his long walk strange.

He’d seen Valbean in the morning, then Lady Merel, then Derbas—it had been a full day of running around. Once he realized it, the fatigue came crashing down. He quickened his pace, eager to return.

“Aeryl!”

The Grand Duke’s voice rang out. He stood suddenly before Aeryl.

Had he been found out—about his trip to the town? With more secrets came more guilt.

“Is something wrong?” Aeryl asked, feigning calm.

“No. I heard you went for a walk, so I was waiting…”

His sentence trailed off, but it carried the unstated truth—that he had come running the moment Aeryl returned, simply because he was glad to see him.

“Your face is red. What kind of walk lasts this long?”

“It just… ended up that way,” Aeryl replied, smiling awkwardly.

As he looked at him, the Grand Duke took off his gloves and cupped Aeryl’s cheeks in both hands.

His hands were rough and calloused, but warm nonetheless. Without meaning to, Aeryl leaned into them. He hadn’t even realized how cold he’d become, too nervous about being found out—until the warmth made him notice the chill in his own body.

“I heard you met with Lady Merel. Did something happen?”

“It wasn’t anything serious…”

“She said you looked deeply troubled. Honestly, I was going to come looking for you right away, but everyone convinced me that you probably just needed time to think.”

“Oh…”

So they had found his long walk strange—they’d just waited out of consideration. The truth was, he had snuck out to meet Derbas. Aeryl lowered his head, guilt tightening in his chest.

More and more, he found himself lying to the Grand Duke. The weight of it all made it hard to lift his head.

“Is something bothering you?” the Grand Duke asked, clearly flustered. “Do you need help with anything? Just say the word. You don’t have to carry things on your own.”

He couldn’t sense Aeryl’s emotions through pheromones, which only made him more desperate to console him.

“I’m here, aren’t I? You can tell me anything. I’ll listen, no matter what it is. So stop lowering your head like that, and talk to me.”

As the Grand Duke grew more anxious, his pheromones stirred gently toward Aeryl. Rather than resist, Aeryl let them wash over him and finally spoke.

“…It’s cold.”

It wasn’t the full truth—but it wasn’t a lie, either.

“Ah, that’s right. You’re sensitive to cold. I’ll send for your coat imme—”

The Grand Duke cut off, frozen mid-motion.

Because Aeryl had wrapped his arms around his waist and slipped under his cloak.

Aeryl leaned his forehead against the Grand Duke’s chest, and could feel his heart thundering beneath it.

“How cold must you have been.”

The Grand Duke wrapped Aeryl fully within his cloak and gently patted his back with one hand. He must’ve sensed something was off—he was too perceptive not to—but he didn’t pry. Even though he was the type who couldn’t rest unless he knew and controlled everything himself.

‘He really does love me.’

The realization hit him anew, filling his chest with warmth—and sorrow.

He was grateful for the Grand Duke’s affection. But he couldn’t accept it.

He knew this. And yet, he couldn’t bring himself to push him away. Pathetic. He’d accomplished everything he’d ever resolved to do—except for anything involving the Grand Duke. In matters of him, he failed again and again.

At this point, he couldn’t help but face the truth. He was—

‘No. No. Absolutely not. I can’t. I won’t.’

Aeryl forcibly cut off his own thoughts.

He had deliberately turned away from his own feelings. If he became fully aware of them, there would be no going back.

He couldn’t continue staying by the Grand Duke’s side while hiding his identity as a prince and lying to him. But neither could he bring himself to reveal it.

‘This freedom—I fought too hard to gain it.’

He had devoted his entire life to living as Aeryl, not as the youngest prince. After enduring suffering that nearly killed him, he had finally earned the life he’d always wanted—and he couldn’t give it up.

‘I don’t want to go back to being a prince.’

He had no idea how the Grand Duke would react once he knew the truth. He might get angry and send him back to the Emperor. Or he might choose to protect him. Perhaps he’d even go so far as to fight the Emperor for his sake.

But one thing was certain: no matter what, Aeryl would become a burden.

He had wanted to be someone who supported the Grand Duke. And now, just imagining being a weight on his shoulders made his chest constrict with self-loathing.

‘Stop thinking. Just stop.’

Aeryl pulled the brakes on his spiraling mind. The more he thought, the deeper he sank.

‘There’s too much to do right now anyway. Lady Merel’s request, Derbas’ matter, the records I need to organize for the new physician, the research… right. I forgot the research.’

He had to write back to his teacher’s letter, check the situation with the imperial knights and make the Grand Duke’s medicine.

It was also time to prepare for Raeler’s independence—he needed to look into that too… Would Raeler want to stay in the inner quarters?

Aeryl deliberately crowded his mind with tasks, sweeping everything else away.

By the time he stepped out of the Grand Duke’s embrace, the waves of emotion had completely receded.

***

Sir Dervan, knight of the Emperor, walked leisurely through the village.

He could feel the Grand Duke’s knights openly tailing him. It was a warning—don’t try anything foolish.

‘So they’re from the Black Knights order. No wonder they’re hard to shake.’

He had already tried to lose them once but failed. Because of that, he had lost track of Aeryl earlier, but it didn’t sour his mood much.

‘I’ll be able to retrieve the prince soon enough.’

Dervan had a secret weapon, one known to no one. He possessed a spell that let him track anyone he’d locked eyes with.

There was a catch—eye contact was required. In Aeryl’s case, the spell wouldn’t work. He wore enchanted glasses, and as a member of the royal family, magic didn’t affect him easily. That resistance had only strengthened Dervan’s conviction.

Instead, during his first pursuit of Aeryl, he had locked eyes with the mage who had intervened. At the time, he wasn’t sure if the mage was Aeryl’s ally or enemy. But when he saw that same mage moving again today—and Aeryl appeared—he was certain.

He had tried to approach Aeryl, but the Grand Duke’s knights were watching too closely. And just like that, the mage had swooped in and whisked Aeryl away. A wasted opportunity—but not without gains. This time, he had clearly seen his face.

That’s the prince’s face.

He was now certain: the physician in the Grand Duke’s castle and the runaway prince were one and the same. And he was equally sure the Grand Duke didn’t know the truth.

A man as calculating as the Grand Duke wouldn’t be protecting the runaway prince if he knew. What’s more, the prince had snuck out of the castle to meet another man. That man was the true accomplice.

Puts on airs, but he’s a sly one.

It was the kind of scandal that would enrage the Emperor. The prince, meant to be a precious political pawn, consorting with some lowborn commoner?

His Majesty wants to draw the Grand Duke in, but…

When Dervan reported that the prince was in the Grand Duke’s castle, the Emperor had shown clear interest in pushing Aeryl onto the Grand Duke.

If the two married and had a child, then eliminated the Grand Duke afterward, the duchy and its lands would naturally fall into imperial hands. It was a calculated move.

It was also under the Emperor’s orders that Baron Berel remained in the castle, quietly gathering information on both Aeryl and the Grand Duke. One way or another, they would be forced into a marriage.

Of course, neither of their wishes mattered.