OPDPS 138

Aeryl watched nervously. Last time, the Grand Duke had fallen into intense turmoil just from seeing the scene in the exhibition room.

“Your Grace.”

Aeryl released a small wave of pheromones as he grabbed the Grand Duke’s arm. When the Grand Duke turned to look at him, he nodded to reassure him he was all right. He seemed a bit tense—but thankfully, he looked fine.

The exhibition room had changed a lot. The place had once been filled with taxidermy, but now it was all gone, and the entrance to the basement was clearly visible.

“I called in the inventor a little while ago to disarm the traps. Took the chance to have everything cleared out too.”

“I see.”

Aeryl hadn’t noticed a thing. They must have done the work while he was out or occupied with something else.

Come to think of it, there had been a time when Raeler was away helping his father. Was it then?

Knowing just how much resolve it must have taken the Grand Duke to face something he’d ignored for over a decade, Aeryl gently took his hand.

“Don’t push yourself. Try slowly. If it gets too hard, we’ll come right back up, okay?”

“Okay.”

Hand in hand, the two of them walked toward the basement entrance.

Last time, it had been pitch dark—impossible to see the stairs. But this time, wall-mounted lights had been installed, making it far easier to descend. The ominous feeling born from the darkness was gone.

“I’ll go first. You follow behind me. That way, if anything feels wrong, we can turn back immediately.”

Aeryl spoke so reassuringly that the Grand Duke could only nod.

There was nothing dangerous down there—but still, the stronger one should be in front. And yet, whenever Aeryl acted as if it were natural for him to protect him, it always caught the Grand Duke off guard—and made his heart race.

If it had been anyone else, he might’ve called it insolence. But Aeryl was different. He could show him all his weaknesses and flaws, and still feel certain that everything would be okay.

‘This time, too…’

He would tell Aeryl a secret he’d never spoken to anyone.

Before long, they reached the basement door.

There was no lock on it, so they simply exchanged a glance—and opened it.

To be honest, Aeryl was incredibly tense. He’d heard the ghost stories about the basement, and the Grand Duke’s reaction before had been anything but normal. He’d imagined it as some kind of epic, terrifying place.

But when the door opened—

What the? There’s… nothing here?

What greeted them was a completely empty room. Nothing at all.

Come to think of it, Lady Merel had said there was nothing down here.

The anticlimax was almost disappointing—until Aeryl noticed something strange.

Why is it so small?

From the outside, the basement had looked at least twice this size. What was going on?

“This way.”

The Grand Duke tugged Aeryl’s hand. He walked over to a wall and pressed down on a brick with his shoe.

The seemingly solid wall shifted, revealing a hidden wooden door.

A secret room within a secret room.

Aeryl stared in surprise, and at the same time, he felt the Grand Duke tighten his grip on his hand.

“Should we head back?”

Aeryl asked gently.

The Grand Duke’s expression had hardened, and he looked… off. He was breathing fine, but there was a clear tension in his entire body.

“…No. If I leave now, I don’t think I’ll ever be able to come back.”

“Then just leave it for now. You don’t have to force yourself.”

“I’ve kept avoiding it all this time…”

He could have compromised with himself. But that wasn’t who the Grand Duke was.

It was something Aeryl loved about him—but it also made him ache with sympathy.

Aeryl reached up and cupped the Grand Duke’s cheek.

The Grand Duke grasped Aeryl’s wrist and gently leaned into the touch.

Aeryl waited patiently, holding him quietly as the Grand Duke took deep breaths, calming himself again and again.

After a moment—

“I’m all right now.”

The Grand Duke opened his eyes.

His breathing and complexion were much steadier now. Though Aeryl was still worried, he chose to respect his decision.

They turned again toward the entrance of the hidden space.

The wooden door waited for them.

“I’ll open it.”

“Would you? There’s nothing dangerous. It’s not even locked.”

“All right.”

Aeryl grasped the handle and pushed the door open—

And what he saw was completely unexpected.

It’s just… a room.

Beyond the door was a truly ordinary room.

There was a bed, a vanity, a small wardrobe, and even a bathroom—perfectly livable. What was strange, though, was how clearly it looked lived-in. A brush set down mid-use, a knitting basket paused mid-project… the traces of daily life were still there.

It was as if someone had simply stepped out for a moment—only for more than ten years to pass.

A room like this in a basement? Was someone imprisoned here?

Aeryl turned in surprise to look at the Grand Duke.

The Grand Duke was staring quietly into the room, eyes distant, as if dredging up an old memory.

“Nothing’s changed at all… Then again, no one’s come down here, so I guess that’s only natural.”

“Then… the person who was here…”

“When I found this place, the person who used to live here was already gone. But I figured out who the room belonged to right away. That painting of a window on the wall.”

The Grand Duke pointed at one wall, where an old-fashioned painted window was depicted.

The view through the painted window resembled the inner quarters garden.

“It’s exactly the same as the window in my mother’s room. The window itself. The scenery outside it.”

“Your mother…?”

Aeryl echoed, stunned.

There was only one person the Grand Duke would call his mother—his birth mother, the first wife of the previous Grand Duke.

“It’s a terrible story… Will you hear it?”

The Grand Duke asked, and his expression was twisted with grief, painfully so.

Aeryl nodded. Whatever the story was, he would listen—and comfort him.

“My father wanted a perfect heir more than anything.”

“Then…”

“Yes. My mother was an omega.”

“I see.”

Aeryl accepted the truth calmly.

The moment he heard that the Grand Duke’s mother had been locked in this room, he had suspected she might have been an omega.

And what followed was much as he had guessed.

“They married, and she gave birth to me. But after that, she couldn’t have any more children. Probably because of all the medication.”

Among dynamics, there’s a period known as heat, during which omegas are more likely to become pregnant. That eventually warped into a belief that an alpha child was more likely to be conceived during heat—

And so, some people forced omegas to take drugs that induced heat unnaturally.

In truth, heat cycles vary by individual. The body naturally limits how often they occur, because they take a toll.

But if you induce them with drugs, and do it frequently, it’s extremely hard on the body.

“My father couldn’t let go. But at some point, he started leaving her alone even during heat cycles… and she just fell apart.”

It was horrible. Excessive heat inducers, and then neglecting her with suppressants when the heat came.

Her body would have broken down quickly, and with it, her mind too.

“A duchess who’d lost her sanity, and an heir who failed to become an alpha. I suppose we looked like a total failure. He locked her away, and pushed me toward death… and then one day, I found this room.”

The Grand Duke closed his eyes tightly, lost in the memory.

Aeryl gently stroked the back of his hand.

“The rest… you already know.”

The Grand Duke slowly opened his eyes and looked at Aeryl.

He was trying to stay composed—but his face was full of sorrow.

“When I was young… I didn’t know any of this. I was just scared of my mother. She clung to me obsessively.”

He’d turned toward his father, and avoided his mother.

Back then, he hadn’t known who was truly at fault—hadn’t been able to tell victim from perpetrator.

After learning the truth, he’d lived every day with deep guilt.

He should have endured the discomfort and held her.

Should have visited more often.

Should have discovered this basement sooner.

“If I’d awakened in time, maybe she wouldn’t have had to be locked away.”

He murmured bitterly.

Aeryl’s chest ached sharply.

“You know none of this was your fault, don’t you?”

“I do. But still… watching her, I swore I’d never become someone with a dynamic. I still can’t bring myself to love her…”

His voice trailed off.

He looked at Aeryl, this time with emotion in his eyes, and reached out.

His hand gently stroked Aeryl’s cheek.

“I’m sorry for speaking so harshly about omegas before. The truth is… it’s because she came to mind.”