OPDPS 131

“You did so well. It must’ve been so hard. All on your own. But you still grew up to be this strong, this admirable.”

As Aeryl poured out everything he wanted to say, he tousled the Grand Duke’s hair messily.

His face was a complete wreck. His brows drooped low, and his brow was so furrowed it looked like it might snap in half. Tears dripped onto his glasses, which only made the whole expression more ridiculous.

Yet the Grand Duke didn’t laugh.

He’d heard people say “well done,” “you’re remarkable” before, but he’d never truly been praised like this.

The messy hands in his hair, the simple words telling him he’d done well—it was all so unfamiliar he didn’t know what to do with himself. At the same time, it felt like something hollow inside him was finally filling up.

He’d woken early to swing a sword before dawn, even after studying late into the night since he was a child.

And suddenly, it came back to him:

He’d started all of that just to hear someone say, “You did well.”

“You’re truly amazing. So admirable. You were just a kid, with no one to lean on. And still, you became such a fine lord. You did so, so well.”

As though stroking his hair wasn’t enough, Aeryl cupped the Grand Duke’s face and kissed his forehead. Then his nose—smack—both cheeks—smooch smooch—and then all over, scattered kisses full of affection. Eventually, he even kissed the Grand Duke’s lips.

The light, playful kisses naturally deepened.

He nipped at his lips, teased them, and slipped in his tongue, tasting the inside of his mouth.

“Nnh…”

Aeryl let out a soft moan.

The Grand Duke continued exploring his mouth as he gently lowered Aeryl onto the floor.

When his tongue grazed the roof of Aeryl’s mouth, Aeryl’s body jerked with a tremble.

Their bodies were so tightly pressed together that even the tiniest reaction transferred between them.

“Haa…”

Aeryl exhaled a short breath.

Before the tingling from their kiss had even faded, the Grand Duke’s lips brushed his neck.

Warm, wet pressure pressed against the sensitive skin there.

It was strange—yet it felt good.

His leg moved on its own, and when it brushed against the Grand Duke’s, the new friction sent a sharper jolt up his spine.

“Hngh…”

Aeryl let out a moan.

Somehow, the Grand Duke had already opened his collar and was now kissing along his collarbone.

‘We have to stop…’

He loved everything the Grand Duke was doing—and that was exactly why it terrified him.

If they didn’t stop here, really…

“Your Grace—h-ha—Your Grace…”

“Hm?”

“Stop…”

Aeryl barely managed the words.

He didn’t even have the strength to push him away, only resting his hand weakly on his shoulder.

But the Grand Duke immediately leaned back, just as Aeryl wished.

“We have to stop.”

“Why? My hands… they’re warm this time.”

The Grand Duke smiled teasingly, slipping his hand under Aeryl’s clothes to touch his stomach.

Just the feel of that rough palm made Aeryl’s lower belly tighten, heat gathering dangerously below.

It was seriously bad.

And yet, the Grand Duke moved his hand without hesitation.

‘His palms… they’re rough.’

Unlike pampered nobles, the Grand Duke had to hold a sword and stand on battlefields.

That was why his hands were always rough—something others might call lacking in refinement, but Aeryl had always respected them for what they symbolized.

And now, those very hands were fully absorbed in touching his body.

‘I’m embarrassed…’

And yet he wanted to feel those hands even more.

He really shouldn’t, but…

His touch was slow, like he was savoring the texture of Aeryl’s skin. That only made Aeryl shiver again and again.

“Your Grace…”

“Yes, Aeryl.”

The Grand Duke answered sweetly—but sealed Aeryl’s lips with another kiss.

Their tongues entwined, rubbed, and as a deep moan rumbled from Aeryl’s throat, it vibrated against the Grand Duke’s lips and drove him wild.

He had no intention of going all the way like this.

His confession had been a mess; their first time couldn’t be just as thoughtless.

‘Still… just a little more…’

He was no better.

The Grand Duke was also reaching the edge of his self-control.

He greedily moved his hand again—and then, his fingers brushed against a small nub on Aeryl’s chest.

“Nnh!”

Aeryl flinched hard and gripped the Grand Duke’s shoulders tightly—this time in earnest.

Having his nipple touched sent a completely different kind of jolt through him—nothing like skin-on-skin.

It was just…

“This really isn’t okay… not like this…”

Aeryl had no choice but to plead.

If the Grand Duke tempted him any further, he knew he wouldn’t be able to stop himself.

At last, the Grand Duke withdrew his hand and clenched it into a fist, exhaling as though the effort pained him.

He backed away.

The Omega’s pheromones were unbearably seductive, and the sight of Aeryl panting beneath him had him burning.

He wanted to touch him more. To feel him more.

But he couldn’t disregard Aeryl’s will just to indulge his own desire.

“…Just for tonight. This is as far as we go.”

At his words, Aeryl let out a sigh of relief.

The Grand Duke knew just how hot that breath had been—and so he couldn’t simply sit still.

“I should open the window.”

He jumped up and threw the windows wide.

Cold wind poured into the room.

It cooled their heated bodies and dispersed the pheromones—but left behind a sharp trace of yearning.

“Your Grace.”

Aeryl approached the Grand Duke with a blanket in hand, already having straightened his clothes and hair.

“Were you cold?”

“No, I’m fine.”

“Then?”

“Just a moment.”

He draped the blanket over the Grand Duke’s shoulders, wrapping it snugly around his upper body and tying it tightly.

“Did it feel so burdensome that you had to tie me up?”

The Grand Duke asked, taken aback.

“The wind is chilly—it’s cold, isn’t it? I tied it so it wouldn’t fall off…”

Aeryl replied with an embarrassed expression, and the Grand Duke suddenly wanted to smack himself hard in the mouth. Tie up, he said? What a ridiculous thing to say to someone so lovely.

“No one’s ever wrapped me up because the night wind was cold…”

The Grand Duke trailed off. No man from the North needed a blanket for just a bit of chill.

“What do you mean never?”

Never been cared for because it was cold?! Aeryl was shocked.

No matter how big, sturdy, and strong the Grand Duke was, he was still human—and yet no one had ever taken care of him? The memories of what the Grand Duke had shared earlier came flooding back, and sorrow welled up within Aeryl.

Once again, on impulse, he threw his arms around the Grand Duke. Though no matter how wide he spread them, he couldn’t fully wrap around the Grand Duke’s broad frame.

“Thank you for telling me something so difficult. You really are an incredible and admirable person.”

Aeryl spoke, pressing down his sincerity into every word. The Grand Duke wanted to pull Aeryl into a tight embrace, but swaddled in the blanket as he was, he couldn’t reach around to hug him back.

Instead, he gently bumped his forehead against Aeryl’s, smiling, and curled his body slightly to lean deeper into Aeryl’s hold.

“You don’t hate me now?”

“Of course not! Why would you even ask that?”

“That was the thing I feared most.”

The Grand Duke had promised to be honest with Aeryl.

Truthfully, he had already been convinced that Aeryl held affection for him. He also knew that having met as patient and healer, Aeryl tended to see him as fragile. He had calculated that even if he confessed, Aeryl wouldn’t be able to turn him away.

Still, he couldn’t stop the worst-case scenarios from playing over and over in his mind.

But Aeryl didn’t just understand him—he had praised him. For the first time, the empty space that had always existed within him felt full of happiness.

“I could never hate you. Please don’t worry about that.”

Aeryl whispered kindly. The Grand Duke curled himself up even more and savored the gentle touch that soothed him.

‘He likes me this much—so why is he hiding it?’

The longer time passed, the more certain the Grand Duke became of Aeryl’s feelings.

Even if all Aeryl had ever done was study, he was sharp. There was no way he didn’t know what his actions were showing. And yet he kept pretending not to see it—kept avoiding, kept stopping himself.

‘That must mean there’s a reason he has to.’

Whatever that obstacle was, the Grand Duke would smash it out of the way.

With that fierce resolve, he settled in deeper into Aeryl’s arms.

***

The next morning, Aeryl had prepared early and was pacing nervously in the first-floor hall.

Last night, after speaking with the Grand Duke, he had returned to his room. He spent the entire night agonizing over his actions—and then suddenly realized something very important. He had waited impatiently for morning, then hurried straight out.

After a short wait, the Grand Duke came down the central staircase.

“Aeryl?”

The moment he spotted him, the Grand Duke hurried over and stood before him.

“Were you waiting for me?”

“Yes.”

A smile began to bloom across the Grand Duke’s face, but Aeryl spoke first, not giving him a chance.

“Yesterday, when you told me not to hold back—your pheromones changed, didn’t they?”

“Pheromones?”

The Grand Duke’s smile faded into disappointment. So it wasn’t because he wanted to see him…

“You definitely released them with intention, didn’t you? I’m sure of it. It felt completely different! So? Did you control them or not?”

“Hard to say.”

“Can you smell your pheromones now? Check. No—actually, we should just go for an examination. Come to think of it, it’s been way too long since the last one!”

Aeryl went on fussing, and the Grand Duke answered sullenly.

“So that’s why you were waiting for me?”

“Yes!”

“I see.”

The Grand Duke gave a light nod, then changed the subject.

“I had something to say too. About speaking with Lady Merel… I think I’d like to try, if you’d help me with it.”