OPDPS 150

Aeryl bit his lip. The sight was so pitiful that the Grand Duke thrust faster while stroking Aeryl’s penis up and down.

Aeryl couldn’t suppress a moan at the sudden increase in speed.

“Ha, ah, ah, ha, ha.”

Aeryl’s moans were all swallowed by the Grand Duke’s kisses. The sounds of flesh slapping together and the wet squelching alternated relentlessly.

“Ah, uh, Hiel-, uh, huh!”

Aeryl shook his head, trembling slightly. He was now reaching his limit.

The Grand Duke continued without stopping, stimulating Aeryl’s genitals and thrusting his own in and out between his legs vigorously.

“Ugh, more, ugh!”

Aeryl reached his peak while begging for more stimulation. He trembled uncontrollably as he climaxed. The intensity of Aeryl’s pleasure was fully conveyed to the Grand Duke through his body.

“Haa.”

The Grand Duke was also at his limit.

Aeryl’s pale nape came into view. Instinctively, he bit down on the nape, inhaling the omega pheromones deeply as he climaxed.

Even while climaxing, he didn’t stop thrusting, spilling his seed on Aeryl’s thigh. He marked his omega’s body, just as an alpha should.

“Haa… Haa…”

When the Grand Duke let go, Aeryl leaned against the bedpost. His now spread thighs were covered with the Grand Duke’s semen, which flowed down his long legs.

‘So defenseless….’

Just as he was about to get hard again, he exhibited superhuman patience and pulled the blanket from the bed.

He wiped Aeryl’s body and then quickly wiped himself. After that, he dressed him in his nightgown and found some clothes for himself to wear.

“Do we have to go now?”

Aeryl, having regained his composure, asked. The Grand Duke wanted to touch Aeryl’s hair but refrained because his hands were dirty.

“They are almost here.”

“Ah”

Aeryl had a look on his face as if he was about to cry. What will happen if we break up like this?

“Don’t worry. I have a plan. I just need your opinion…”

The Grand Duke kissed Aeryl’s cheek and explained the plan. As he listened, Aeryl’s eyes widened and his mouth fell open.

“Will that work?”

“If it’s as I expected. But I’m most worried about whether you’ll be okay.”

What the Grand Duke was plotting was something that an ordinary person could not endure, something that would leave a lifelong scar. He was told that it was too much for Aeryl.

However, he believed that if it was the Aeryl he knew, he would choose freedom even if it meant being hurt.

“I like it! I never wanted to be a prince for my whole life. That’s why I ran away, so it’s okay!”

Aeryl answered energetically. The Grand Duke embraced Aeryl.

“Then I’ll proceed, so trust me and wait.”

“Yes.”

There was no time to enjoy a moment of leisure. Baroness Berel reappeared from the secret passage, and almost simultaneously, the sound of Dervan’s footsteps was heard. The Grand Duke and Aeryl quickly exchanged a kiss.

He didn’t want to part ways, but now it was time to say goodbye. The Grand Duke headed towards the secret passage, and Aeryl watched his back for a long time. He suppressed the urge to chase after him.

‘We’ll be able to see each other again.’

Aeryl returned to bed and forced his eyes shut. He needed to sleep and regain his strength. Only then would he be able to endure what was to come.

He trusted the Grand Duke. If it was a brief separation to be together in the future, he could endure it.

***

Dervan departed for the Imperial Palace with Aeryl at the break of dawn. In his haste to arrive as quickly as possible, he discarded exhausted horses again and again, purchasing fresh ones to continue without pause.

Though they rested at villages or inns at night, he never allowed Aeryl to leave the carriage, fearing someone might recognize him. Because of that, Aeryl was confined to the carriage for the entire journey—except for brief moments when he needed to relieve himself.

To call it a carriage was generous. In truth, it jolted and shook like a prison on wheels. Even so, as the chill gradually disappeared and his coat began to feel too hot, he could tell they were getting closer to the palace.

When they finally arrived, Aeryl’s heart was heavy—but the palace looked just as it had when he left. The palace, gaudy to the point of pain with red and gold painted across every surface, was in stark contrast to the Grand Duke’s estate. Even the strangely stifling air put him on edge.

Regardless of how he felt, he was led to a remote wing of the palace.

The room he was taken to had no windows and was locked from the outside.

Has it been almost ten years?

It was the same room he’d been confined in during his rebellious years in the Imperial Palace—when they’d locked him away, claiming he needed to be disciplined. Before that, it had likely been used to detain mentally unstable members of the imperial family.

Inside the room were several of the Empress’s maids, waiting with fresh clothes and grooming supplies.

“What is all this?”

Aeryl asked, and the maids lowered their heads.

“His Majesty is expecting you. We are here to assist with your appearance.”

‘Do I look like someone who has time for grooming right now?’

Still, the palace’s obsession with appearances reminded him—he was truly back. There was no point in wasting energy refusing.

“Just get it over with.”

Once he gave his permission, the handmaidens undressed him. Aeryl stood still, like a lifeless doll, his expression blank and indifferent.

***

Around the same time Aeryl arrived at the palace, the Emperor was in a smaller audience chamber—a place used for more private or secretive conversations rather than formal ones.

His once-blonde hair, typical of the imperial family, had long since turned white, and his golden eyes had grown cloudy with illness. Despite his advanced age, his appetite remained voracious, and the sheer size of his body made his breathing labored even while seated.

Still, he was inwardly pleased—someone unexpected had come to see him.

“Viscount Karoki. You’ve come.”

Viscount Karoki, stationed in the capital, often handled matters on behalf of the Grand Duke and sometimes delivered messages directly to the Emperor. His presence meant the Grand Duke had something important to say.

“I wonder what pressing matter brought you to me so urgently.”

Feigning innocence, the Emperor secretly hoped the Grand Duke had come to request Aeryl’s hand in marriage.

Wasn’t Aeryl staying at the Grand Duke’s estate? He’s a useless youngest son, but with that face of his, maybe he managed to seduce the Duke. All the current suitors only stuck around because of Aeryl’s looks—wasn’t that proof enough?

Sending Aeryl to the Grand Duke will stir up trouble with the other suitors…

But there was much to gain. If Aeryl bore a child, they could use the royal bloodline as a pretext to meddle in the affairs of the Grand Duchy.

And if that child became the Grand Duke? The imperial family might even claim the Duchy itself.

Of course, that distant future was just icing on the cake. What truly pleased the Emperor was the idea of Duke Asirion becoming his son-in-law. No matter how capable that brat was, once he becomes the Emperor’s son-in-law, he’d have to bow before him!

‘The boy always strutted around, proud of being Grand Duke Asirion. I never liked how he talked back so stiffly. But once he’s my son-in-law, I’ll put him in his place.’

The Emperor had never considered marrying off his daughters to the Grand Duke since he kept rejecting them one after another—but who would’ve thought Aeryl could be the connection?

It annoyed him that the Grand Duke hadn’t come in person, but that could be corrected later.

‘Now that it’s come to this, I’ll drag things out by comparing his sincerity to the other suitors’. I’ll squeeze everything I can from him.’

The Emperor’s eyes were already glinting with greed.

“His Grace the Grand Duke of Asirion has sent word regarding a matter involving that person,” Viscount Karoki began.

“Yes, yes. And what is it?”

“His Grace claims that that person declared himself to be a great physician and claimed he could cure His Grace’s illness. He coaxed His Grace with sweet words, fed him unidentifiable medicine, and persuaded him to purchase costly magical medical equipment. He received a regular salary, relied entirely on the Grand Duke’s estate for living expenses, and—”

This isn’t it. The Emperor’s jaw began to drop.

But Viscount Karoki went on, undeterred.

“He even distributed that dubious medicine throughout the Grand Duchy to the point where the estate cannot function without it. Furthermore, he colluded with ruthless pirates and deceived His Grace. The Grand Duke is requesting financial compensation for these offenses.”