OPDPS 68

He’d told him there was no need to try so hard, but he hadn’t listened.

Lady Merel had also come to see Aeryl—but her reason was different from the Grand Duke’s.

‘I’ve gone out of my way to torment him, so why isn’t he reacting?’

Whether Aeryl collapsed from the pressure or tattled to the Grand Duke—either outcome would’ve worked.

Her scheme was to provoke the Grand Duke by harassing Aeryl and stir up conflict. And Aeryl had guessed it almost perfectly. He had read her intentions exactly.

There was just one thing he’d gotten wrong. Lady Merel didn’t intend to expose the Grand Duke’s illness—she wanted to expose his lover.

‘My plan was to push him into attacking me in public, blow it out of proportion, and then reveal that it’s all because of his male lover.’

Up to now, the Grand Duke hadn’t taken a consort or a spouse, but since he was young and healthy, people hadn’t made much of it. If, however, it came to light that he had a male lover, unease would quickly spread. The calls for him to marry would come fast and loud.

Even if the Grand Duke claimed he didn’t want to marry because of his lover, that would serve her purposes—and if he did agree to marry, she’d put a stop to it anyway. Either way, she planned to steer public opinion toward naming an heir, pushing to have Young Lord Sorel appointed.

She had already started putting pieces in place. She was doing all she could.

But the problem was Aeryl. The one who was supposed to be the spark of conflict was holding out far too well. She kept trying to find fault with him, but he was so meticulous there was nothing to latch onto.

‘Do I need to make a bolder move?’

Fortunately, the Grand Duke was also here. With the right provocation, she could stir things up. Smiling, Lady Merel turned to Aeryl.

“Would you show us around the infirmary?”

“Pardon? Oh—yes!”

Aeryl startled as he replied. He’d been standing frozen between the Grand Duke and Lady Merel, caught in their clash, and hadn’t expected to be addressed.

“You’re burdening a busy man with a needless request. You don’t even have business on this side of the palace.”

“Oh my, was it too much to ask? His Grace must care very deeply for the doctor.”

A chill passed between the Grand Duke and Lady Merel.

‘Please, leave me out of this…’

Aeryl looked around. At least he was still standing—everyone else looked frozen, barely breathing. He had no choice but to step up.

“Well then, let me guide you through the infirmary!”

Summoning what energy he could, he led the way, continuing with an immediate, uninterrupted explanation.

“This room is the consultation area. I spend most of my time here. Next…”

The infirmary was large for what it was, but it only had three or four rooms, so the tour was brief. Last, he brought them to the room with the artifacts.

“This is where the medical artifacts are now set up.”

Even seeing it again, his chest swelled with emotion. Ah—his heart might actually stop from the excitement.

“Isn’t it amazing? You can’t find setups like this just anywhere. Not even the Imperial Medical Center in the capital has all of this.”

“You’ve been to the Imperial Medical Center?” Madam Merel asked, sounding surprised. It wasn’t the kind of place just anyone could enter.

‘So she really has underestimated me. No eye for people at all.’

Aeryl gave a soft snort internally, but outwardly he smiled warmly.

“Of course. I learned a great deal there. It was a wonderful place.”

“The medical center supported by the Grand Duchy is just as fine as the Imperial one,” the Grand Duke added—uncharacteristically bragging. There was a subtle appeal in his tone, as if to say there’s a lot you’ll like in the North too. Lady Merel gave him a sideways glance like she was wondering what on earth he’d eaten.

“Anyway, with this equipment, we can run complete diagnostics. Isn’t it exciting to think about all the possibilities?”

Aeryl’s head was already bursting with research ideas. Most were purely for satisfying his own intellectual curiosity. He’d be using the Grand Duke’s resources for personal projects, but surely some selfishness was allowed.

‘Hehe. I really have become a bit worldly.’

He felt strangely proud. Like he’d just leveled up.

“Complete diagnostics, you say? Even if someone isn’t sick, can they still get checked?”

“Yes, exactly. It’s good for identifying hidden conditions and treating them early.”

“Hmm, I see.”

Lady Merel smiled—a meaningful smile. Her beautifully upturned lips somehow sent a chill down his spine.

‘What…?’

Aeryl had a bad feeling. And unfortunately, his instincts were usually right.

“His Grace must’ve put a lot of thought into this. It’s for the people of the inner quarters, isn’t it?”

This time, her gaze turned to the Grand Duke.

“How nice. Since His Grace is looking after the people here so well, I suppose I can’t just sit back and do nothing.”

“Then…?”

“Let’s run a full diagnostic on everyone in the inner quarters. I’ll cover the costs. If we find anything, I’ll pay for treatment too.”

Using personal funds to support the health of the servants—now that was the kind of story that would spread and earn praise. People would love it.

‘Everyone but me.’

There had to be at least a hundred people to check, minimum—and the only physician here was Aeryl. He was the only one who could operate the medical artifacts. Which meant he’d be the one running the machines, interpreting the results, and administering the treatments—all of it.

‘She’s really spending money just to torment me…?’

What a pointless waste. Aeryl stifled a sigh. But in that moment, a thought flashed through his mind.

‘Wait. This might actually be good?’

If he examined everyone in the inner quarters m, he’d collect a huge amount of data. His main research focused on dynamics, but he needed betas data for comparison.

‘And I’ll get better at using the artifacts and analyzing the results too!’

Skill naturally improved with repetition.

‘And I’m doing it all with someone else’s money? There’s no reason to say no!’

Sure, he’d be busier than ever—but he could handle it, right? Maybe it was the exhaustion talking, but the future looked like a flower-filled meadow. Normally, he would’ve put the brakes on himself. But in this moment, Aeryl didn’t have the energy for that.

“Ha ha, that sounds wonderful! I’m all for it!”

Aeryl agreed cheerfully. The Grand Duke, about to explode in anger at Lady Merel, was so stunned he turned to stare at Aeryl. Lady Merel was just as taken aback.

“You truly agree?”

“Of course! Absolutely! I was deeply moved by your concern for the inner quarters servants, My Lady. Please, let me take charge of the plan!”

Aeryl shouted. His complexion was pale, and his eyes shadowed with fatigue, but his gaze burned with passion. There was a madness there that even his natural beauty couldn’t conceal.

‘What is wrong with this man?’

She’d been harassing him for days without even bothering to hide it. As if that weren’t enough, now she’d dumped more work on him. At this point, even a saint would’ve snapped.

But Aeryl was smiling. He didn’t seem sane.

“What about you, My Lasy? Wouldn’t you like to be examined as well?”

It was just a suggestion. But Aeryl, with that insane smile on his eerily beautiful face, looked so unsettling that goosebumps ran down her spine. She instinctively pressed a hand to her chest—she was that startled.

“I’m fine. I’ve seen enough—I’ll be going.”

She didn’t want to admit it, but she was rattled by Aeryl’s madness. Hurrying to avoid being caught by him, she fled the infirmary. She was gone in the blink of an eye.

“Aww. I bet her data would’ve been valuable.”

Aeryl muttered in regret.

“Haa…”

The Grand Duke let out a long breath and furrowed his brow. Aeryl had fallen apart in just a few days. No matter how many times he’d said it was okay not to overwork himself, Aeryl hadn’t listened—and now look at him. He couldn’t just stand by anymore.

“That’s enough for today. The infirmary is closed.”

“Huh? Why?”

“We need to discuss how the infirmary is being run.”

“But it’s running just fine, isn’t it?”

Aeryl protested, but the Grand Duke ignored him. At his command, Connie and everyone else left the infirmary.

“Come with me.”

The Grand Duke walked toward the ward.

“Why are we going there to talk about management?”

“That’s just an excuse. Normally, you’d have picked up on that. You really are a mess.”

“Ah, it is about time for a checkup.”

Aeryl followed him—and was promptly scooped up and laid down on a bed.

“Why am I lying down? You’re the one who should be.”

“Be still.”

The Grand Duke’s hand held him down as Aeryl tried to get up.