OPDPS 60

As the tour neared its end, Connie spoke again with a serious expression.

“There are a few rules you must follow in the Grand Duke’s castle.”

“All right.”

“Don’t go outside between ten at night and sunrise. Don’t go down to the basement. And if you hear strange crying, leave the area immediately.”

“…That’s a bit unusual. Is there a reason?”

“I don’t know. If we’re told not to do something, I just don’t do it.”

“Well, that’s true.”

He agreed, but the unease in his chest remained. Strange rules in an old castle—it sounded like something out of a ghost story. He made a mental note to ask the Grand Duke later why such rules existed.

Finally, they arrived at the infirmary.

“I’ll open the door now.”

Connie took a moment before slowly opening it. Since it hadn’t been used in a long time, Aeryl hadn’t expected much. Maybe it’d be clean if it was prepped in advance—that was all he hoped for. But what he saw exceeded all expectations.

‘Wow. This is amazing.’

The infirmary was spacious. Three rooms branched off from a large central examination room. The clinic back in the village was fairly big, but this place was even larger—and fully equipped.

The first room had neatly arranged beds for patients. The second was a compounding room for medicine.

“Whoa, these are all top-tier tools! The diagnostic instruments too!”

Everything was set up with the finest equipment—the kind his master used to call a dream come true. And that wasn’t all. The shelves were full of a variety of herbs, the beds were wide and spotless, and one bookcase was packed with medical texts.

“This! I’ve only ever heard of this one in name!”

Aeryl carefully flipped through the books, savoring each one with a look of adoration, as if hearts might pop from his eyes. Then he turned to look at the empty room.

“What’s this room for?”

“I heard they’re bringing in magical medical devices. Someone will be in charge of them.”

“Ma-magical devices? Those are expensive! Whoa. What kind are they bringing in? Oh, I guess you wouldn’t know. I’ll check it out later! Wow, I didn’t expect this at all!”

Aeryl’s eyes sparkled with excitement. Back in the village, his clinic had only one magical device for blood testing—bought with every bit of his emergency fund after much hesitation.

That fund had come from diverting part of the budget allocated to the prince. Though the budget he received was not small, he couldn’t freely spend it, so building up that fund had been a struggle.

‘Medical magical devices for my clinic! I used to just drool over them at the Royal Academy…!’

The thought of the empty room soon to be filled with such tools made his heart race. He wandered around the infirmary, touching this, admiring that, moving from room to room.

There wasn’t a single thing missing. It was perfect. He could do proper research here!

“Ahh, I’m so glad I came to the Grand Duke’s castle.”

He sighed in awe, face glowing with happiness—it was an expression so dazzling that even Connie, usually impassive, stood in a daze staring at him.

If only the Grand Duke could have seen him just then—but he was currently facing a serious issue.

At that moment, the Grand Duke was in a meeting room at the outer castle, conducting a conference with the heads of each department. The agenda varied day by day, but today’s meeting mainly consisted of updates to fill in the gap caused by his absence during the Great Purge.

“…Therefore, we expect a significant increase in tax revenue this year. The tax collectors are already hard at work.”

“It seems the pirates suppression had a positive effect. Valbean, was it? I heard they cleared the seas in that area.”

One good report followed another. The department heads had been working with the Grand Duke for over ten years, so there was rarely anything to upset him.

But the problem troubling the Grand Duke had nothing to do with the meeting.

The reports, charts, and written materials in front of him failed to register—his mind was filled with Aeryl’s face. Even when he looked at the speaker, all he could see was Aeryl. There was nothing about the middle-aged, bald, pot-bellied official that resembled Aeryl, and yet…

‘He must’ve seen the infirmary by now.’

He had instructed the butler to make sure it was prepared perfectly, without a single deficiency. He’d even said it had to be so ideal that any physician with a passion for research would want to stay. He trusted the butler’s capabilities, but the short preparation time and the fact that he hadn’t checked it himself made him uneasy.

‘I should’ve gone to inspect it at dawn. I hope he likes it.’

To the Grand Duke, the castle didn’t feel like a warm or welcoming place. It was vast, heavy, and rigid. Steeped in the history of the ducal family, the castle itself exuded authority. Though he was born and raised there, he had never found it comfortable—sometimes, he even felt suffocated by it.

So he had hoped there would be at least one corner of the castle Aeryl might grow fond of. Something that would make it hard for him to leave. Something that might make him stay beyond spring.

‘I’m getting distracted again.’

The Grand Duke pulled himself together. But no matter how he tried, he couldn’t stop his thoughts from drifting to Aeryl. This had never happened before. He had always maintained perfect control over himself—so why now?

“…The grain storage is one-third of the target amount delivered to the warehouse. The remaining third is currently being shipped.”

“What happened to the rest? Progress seems slower than usual.”

The Grand Duke sharply pointed out the issue from the presenter’s report. Even though his mind was preoccupied with thoughts of Aeryl, he was listening intently to every word exchanged during the meeting.

“The Gollat territory, which we’ve been contracting with every year, has been delaying the process by raising issues. They’re likely trying to increase the price.”

“The Lord of Gollat doesn’t seem like the type to do something like that.”

The Grand Duke recalled the Lord Gollat. The man would break into a sweat and panic just standing in front of him, without saying a word, and would end up running away. He was not the type to challenge a deal with the Asirion family.

“The Lord Gollat’s son works as the Crown Prince’s secretary. The Crown Prince must be involved.”

“The Crown Prince… Does that mean it’s the Emperor’s will?”

The Imperial family had always been wary of the Asirion family. The Grand Duke’s family had been defending the Empire from the mountains for generations, and while they couldn’t be eliminated, their power was too great to trust completely. The Emperor had often interfered with or obstructed the Grand Duke’s affairs.

“The Emperor wouldn’t interfere with the food supply. He knows it’s a sensitive issue for us. This must be the Crown Prince’s independent action. He probably wants to create a situation where we have to ask for his mediation.”

It was well known that the Crown Prince harbored a sense of rivalry with the Grand Duke. Of course, the Grand Duke had no intention of playing along.

“Send someone to Lord Gollat. Let him know that I’m deeply disappointed. It would be best if the messenger looks intimidating.”

“Yes.”

“We also have someone in the Imperial Palace. Have them send ample funds and offer gifts to the Emperor to smooth things over.”

“Do you think that will work?”

“The Emperor is temperamental. If we hint that the Crown Prince is crossing the line and disregarding the Emperor’s authority, he’ll definitely react.”

“Understood.”

The Grand Duke swiftly came up with a solution. His efficiency was so impressive that it quietly left the officials in awe.

“Once this deal is completed, we’ll sever ties with Gollat. Make sure to stop any magic stones from flowing their way.”

It was necessary to set an example to ensure no one would try such tricks again. The Grand Duke’s family had the perfect weapon: the magic stones mined from the mountains.

Magic stones were essential for mages to perform magic and power magical tools. The southern regions, like Gollat, which depended heavily on large-scale farming, were reliant on these magical tools. If they cut off the distribution of magic stones, it would ruin their farming.

“Has there been any unusual activity in the Imperial Palace?”

“There’s nothing particularly concerning. However, the Emperor’s family gatherings have been more frequent lately. We’re looking into it.”

The Grand Duke nodded.

“Let’s move on to the next agenda. Reports on the canal maintenance.”

The meeting continued. With autumn quickly turning into winter, preparations had to be made in a short period of time. The number of deaths over the winter would be directly affected by how well they were prepared. Even the Grand Duke couldn’t afford to slack off.

But now, his mind wandered back to whether the food at the Grand Duke’s residence would suit Aeryl’s tastes. He had never paid much attention to food, so he had no idea what kind of skills the cook had.

‘I should ask him how it was when I return.’

Again, he found himself lost in thoughts of Aeryl. Even the thought of meeting him made him want to finish the meeting quickly and return to his quarters. His feet, as if on their own, seemed to want to move in that direction, but he forced himself to stay focused.

***

Aeryl, with Connie’s help, finished unloading the things he had brought from the southern village, rearranged a few items, and then entered the herb preparation room.

He began making medicine for the Grand Duke and for the people in need. All the necessary herbs had already been prepared. Anything extra he needed during the journey, he had written down and given to the butler, who had already taken care of it.

‘The butler’s quite competent. I like him.’

Aeryl hummed as he became absorbed in his work. Making medicine was labor-intensive and detailed, but that was exactly what made it enjoyable. He was deeply focused when he heard Connie call out to him.

“Doctor, there’s a guest.”

Connie was calling for him.