OPDPS 151

“It’s not… a proposal?”

“Pardon? Why would His Grace the Grand Duke propose to him?”

Viscount Karoki shot back, sounding utterly baffled.

“But the knight said His Grace cherished and protected him greatly—”

“Yes. He trusted and relied on him as his personal physician. He even thought of him as a lover. But that was before he discovered the lies!”

Viscount Karoki stressed the word lies with particular disdain.

“Precisely because he had cared so much, the betrayal cuts even deeper. He understands Your Majesty’s position, which is the only reason he’s willing to tolerate the deception with monetary compensation.”

“Deception, you say?”

“Then what else do you call hiding the fact that he’s a prince and pretending to be a fallen noble? And medical training? When? How?”

“That’s…”

In truth, the Emperor didn’t know. He’d merely received reports that Aeryl was serving as a doctor in the Grand Duke’s estate. Whether he was truly qualified or just a quack—he had never bothered to find out.

“Still, to call a prince a con artist? That borders on treason.”

“Then you may consider it either severance pay or compensation for having looked after him. The Grand Duke’s household has stated they will forget everything if the requested amount is paid.”

“And if we refuse?”

“He will file formal charges.”

“Ghhk…” The Emperor groaned.

If the Grand Duke went public, Aeryl’s disappearance would be exposed far and wide. And on top of that, a prince accused of fraud? It would be a catastrophic embarrassment. The Grand Duke clearly knew this and was trying to milk it for all it was worth.

That damned Grand Duke must be ice cold even where it counts!

It was infuriating, but covering up Aeryl’s runaway incident was the top priority. If word got out, the suitors would revolt. The ones he’d carefully selected were wealthy, but not the sort to be easily handled, even by an emperor. One of them had just discovered a gold mine—he’d have to squeeze the money out of that one.

“How much does he want?”

“Here is the breakdown.”

Viscount Karoki handed a long scroll to a chamberlain, who hurried forward and presented it to the Emperor.

The Emperor skimmed the document. His eyes were no longer sharp enough to catch the fine print, but the final sum at the bottom stood out all too clearly.

“This… this is outrageous! Is this supposed to be a joke?”

“It is the bare minimum compensation for what His Highness did. The bare minimum.”

“And how do you expect me to pay such a sum?!”

“Then the Grand Duke will proceed with the charges.”

“Krgh…!”

His blood pressure surged and he clutched the back of his neck. Face flushing red, the Emperor roared to summon the one at the root of all this trouble.

“Aeryl! Bring Aeryl here!”

Viscount Karoki withdrew silently. Shortly after, Aeryl entered the room.

He had been meticulously groomed by the maids, dressed in extravagant clothes and adorned with dazzling jewels. He looked so resplendent that it hurt to look at him.

The Emperor had been furious, but the moment Aeryl knelt before him and kissed the back of his hand, his rage began to ebb. Humans were weak to beauty—especially when such beauty acted with obedient grace.

“Yes… yes. That face is still worth showing off. We can fetch a high price for you.”

“And you’re saying that out loud?”

Aeryl frowned. He hadn’t expected warm greetings or kind words, but to be appraised like livestock the moment he entered?

“You should be grateful I’m valuing you this highly! What in the world were you doing out there for the Grand Duke to demand such a sum? Is it true, what they say about the fraud?”

“I did act as a doctor… The Grand Duke’s household has plenty of money. It was fun, seeing how freely they spent it.”

Just as the Grand Duke had planned. They were already executing their plan, and Aeryl played along with practiced shamelessness.

“Addicting people with strange medicine?”

“Yes.”

“Good gods… This won’t do. Begin the marriage negotiations at once. The Duke of Valois should pay handsomely. With that much, we’ll still profit after settling with Asirion.”

Aeryl frowned.

The Duke of Valois hadn’t been among the suitors. If memory served, he was nearing fifty and in his third marriage, having failed to produce an heir with any of his wives.

“He’s desperate for an heir. If we offer him an omega, he’ll pay anything.”

“Omegas can’t produce heirs if their partner is sterile. He has no seed—what’s the point?”

“What!?”

The Emperor’s face turned red and blue in turns. In the past, Aeryl would have blushed and giggled at such talk, but now he returned it with a flat, sullen look.

“You’ve picked up all sorts of bad habits out there! We’ll have to purge that filth out of you. Time for a proper reeducation!”

“Was I wrong?”

“You—! You insolent wretch, drag him out!”

The Emperor could no longer hold back and shouted. He was already fuming because of Grand Duke Asirion, and Aeryl’s insolent attitude only added fuel to the fire.

Even that face of his no longer soothed the Emperor’s anger. At his command, the attendants began approaching Aeryl.

“I’ll go myself. Don’t you dare touch me.”

Aeryl shot the attendants a scathing glare and turned to leave on his own.

The Emperor clutched his head and watched him go—but then, suddenly, Aeryl’s body gave out and collapsed like a puppet with its strings cut.

“Your Highness!”

The attendants rushed forward and caught him.

“He seems to have lost consciousness.”

“Take him to his room! Call a physician.”

The Emperor waved a hand, annoyed. One of the attendants carried Aeryl out on his back.

“Tch. Pathetic.”

He clicked his tongue. His long-lost son had just fainted before his eyes, yet he showed not the slightest hint of concern.

His thoughts were consumed only by one thing: how to turn this marriage arrangement into an even bigger profit.

***

At a merchant’s estate, located far from the imperial palace, a tense atmosphere hung heavily in the air.

The unease stemmed from the arrival of a group of men in the early hours before dawn—silent, intimidating figures dressed uniformly in black. Though they barely moved, the pressure they exuded was immense.

Viscount Karoki entered the merchant’s estate.

“You’ve arrived.”

One of the black-clad men, who had been loitering in the lobby, approached.

“Sir Mason. So you came together.”

“This way, please.”

Mason led Karoki to a door and stopped. With a silent warning in his eyes, he opened it.

Once inside, Karoki understood the warning immediately. The very air in the room felt sharp, as if charged with a prickling tension.

It came from Grand Duke Asirion, who stood with his hands behind his back, gazing out the window.

“Your Grace. I’ve returned.”

“You can see the palace from here too.”

At those words, Karoki glanced toward the window. Just the very edge of the imperial palace was visible, about the width of a fingertip.

Was he standing here, seething like that while staring at that speck? Karoki quickly launched into his report.

“I delivered Your Grace’s message to the Emperor. He was taken aback by the sum, but he seemed willing to pay. He ordered a review of the royal finances afterward.”

“Is that so? I listed a rather large amount.”

“It appears one of His Highness’s suitors is a major figure.”

“I see.”

The Grand Duke answered, suppressing his rage. But no matter how he tried to hide it, the fury still leaked through, and Karoki was inwardly startled.

He had served the Grand Duke for years and had never seen him show emotion like this.

“And Aeryl?”

“I wasn’t able to see him.”

“Did we not place someone within the Prince’s Palace?”

“It seems he’s been moved somewhere else. But there’s no need for concern. This was sent by someone of high standing.”

Karoki hadn’t gone to see only the Emperor—he now handed over a letter.

The Grand Duke opened it and began to read.

“Good. Your efforts have borne fruit.”

“Thank you, Your Grace.”

“What of the suitors?”

“We’ve been stoking resentment toward the Emperor. Most of them already knew they were being exploited, but they had been pacified whenever His Highness was paraded before them. Since he’s not been seen for a while, their dissatisfaction has steadily grown.”

The Grand Duke seethed at the thought of Aeryl being dragged around like a puppet for the Emperor’s greed.

“Agitate them further. Let it all explode at once.”

“Yes, Your Grace.”

“If the Emperor reaches out again, reject all other offers. Tell him we’ll only accept the compensation.”

“Yes, understood.”

Karoki bowed his head respectfully.

The Grand Duke turned back to the window.

He couldn’t see Aeryl from there—but still, his gaze lingered in that direction.

‘May he not be suffering too much.’