OPDPS 71

She whispered something into the child’s ear. Judging by the movements of her lips, it seemed she was saying she was sorry.

‘???’

Lady Merel stood up with Sorel in her arms. Even though Sorel was small, he was still a child and not light, yet her arms didn’t waver in the slightest.

“Doctor.”

“Yes?”

Aeryl instinctively tensed up. He had no idea what she was about to say.

“It seems I may have misunderstood the situation. If you were offended…”

“……”

“I apologize.”

Now that was truly unexpected. To receive an apology from Lady Merel. Honestly, he thought she would either ignore the matter entirely or place the blame on him for acting improperly. After all, the higher the status, the less likely one was to apologize.

Still in a daze, Aeryl belatedly answered, “Yes, I’m sorry for startling you as well.”

Since it was a situation easily misunderstood, he returned the apology neatly. The madam nodded lightly.

“Would you take a look at the young master’s ankle?”

“Pardon? Me?”

Aeryl blinked, surprised. From what he could tell, Lady Merel didn’t seem to acknowledge him as a proper doctor. Even when she gave instructions to prepare medicine, she had refused an examination.

“You’ll allow me to examine him?”

“…The child seems to be in pain.”

Her tone suggested she didn’t have much choice. She still didn’t trust Aeryl and remained cautious, but she seemed to allow it for the child’s sake. It was a sign of genuine concern for her son.

Regardless of the madam, Aeryl had already been concerned about Sorel’s injury, so he nodded.

“Then please excuse me.”

He approached and examined Sorel’s ankle. Just as he suspected, the ankle he had treated last time was swollen all over again. Lady Merel’s eyes widened upon seeing it.

“I’ll use healing magic to reduce the swelling for now.”

He lightly placed his hand on the child’s ankle. With practiced ease, he drew forth his power, and white light surged from his hand, enveloping the ankle.

“Ugh…”

Sorel let out a groan and clung tighter to his mother. Last time, he hadn’t even flinched, but now he was acting spoiled in front of his mom like a true child. Aeryl felt a strange pang in his chest but pushed it aside to focus on the treatment.

The healing didn’t take long.

“Since it flared up again so quickly, he should avoid using the ankle for a while. No running at all, no putting pressure on it… and absolutely no sword practice until it heals.”

“Understood.”

“A brace would help… I’ll make one, so please come pick it up. I’ll also prepare some medicine—just take that and check in once or twice more.”

“That’s fine.”

Lady Merel accepted Aeryl’s recommendations without resistance.

“Well then.”

She turned and walked away. Her ladies-in-waiting scurried after her in a group. Aeryl remained standing, watching her back, still dazed from the unexpected turn of events.

One of the maids held out her hands, offering to carry Sorel, but the madam shook her head. Sorel smiled happily, snuggling deeper into her arms.

‘I really don’t get it.’

Aeryl had assumed Lady Merel had no affection for Lord Sorel. But that didn’t seem to be the case. She had ignored appearances and rushed in because she thought he was harming the boy, and her expression, her actions—all of it stemmed from love.

He’d also thought Sorel was afraid of her, but maybe he actually liked her too.

‘Well, I wouldn’t know.’

To Aeryl, his mother had always been the Empress before she was family. And she probably saw him not as a son, but a subordinate. He didn’t care about that anymore, but watching the two of them just now made his chest feel strangely empty.

‘I should go inside too.’

Aeryl headed into the central hall. Ignoring the people trying to cling to him, he was about to go up the stairs when he felt an overwhelming burst of pheromones.

It was like a snowstorm barreling toward him with terrifying force.

‘That’s the Grand Duke! Something must’ve happened at the palace!’

He froze.

Just then, the front doors swung open and the Grand Duke appeared. With a fearsome aura, as if he was ready to destroy everything in his path, he stormed forward—until he spotted Aeryl and rushed toward him.

“Your Grace.”

Aeryl was about to say something but the Grand Duke was quicker.

He grabbed Aeryl’s chin, turning it side to side to inspect him. That didn’t seem enough, so he grabbed Aeryl’s shoulders and spun him around, checking that his body was unharmed.

‘Why’s he acting like this all of a sudden?’

“Are you hurt anywhere? Are you alright? I heard that woman tried to hit you.”

After spinning him around, the Grand Duke’s face was filled with worry. The pheromones that had been raging with fury had now softened.

“Yes, yes. I’m fine.”

Aeryl replied reflexively.

“…Wait, did you come here because of me?”

“Of course I did! Do you know how shocked I was when I heard? I’m not letting this go. Even if she is my father’s widow.”

The Grand Duke growled darkly. If Lady Merel had been present, he looked ready to tear her throat out.

“Please calm down. I’m alright.”

“I’m not alright!”

The Grand Duke’s reaction was fierce—uncharacteristically so for someone usually composed and emotionally restrained.

“There was just a misunderstanding with the madam. We resolved it properly.”

Aeryl gave a brief explanation, even released some pheromones. He thought that would be enough to calm the Grand Duke down—but it had the opposite effect.

“…I’ll go to the East Wing.”

“No, no! Wait, please!”

As the Grand Duke moved, Aeryl jumped up and clung to his arm. The Grand Duke paused and looked at him.

“Just a moment, Your Grace. Please, let’s calm down and talk for a bit. Okay?”

“Right now?”

“Yes, yes. Over some tea, perhaps. Please spare me a little of your time.”

Aeryl looked up at him with his kindest expression. It was a surefire charm that worked on anyone—but he wasn’t sure if it would work on the Grand Duke. Thankfully, the Grand Duke’s posture softened.

“……”

Blushing slightly, he avoided Aeryl’s gaze.

‘He’s really upset. That was close. Good thing I stopped him.’

“Shall we head to the infirmary?”

Just as Aeryl turned to lead him elsewhere, he locked eyes with dozens of others. The employees of the estate were staring at them.

‘Ah, right. This is the lobby.’

The lobby was the most visible and most frequently used part of the central wing. A crowd had already gathered earlier because of the incident with Lady Merel and Aeryl.

And now, in full view of everyone, the Grand Duke had been storming around while Aeryl threw himself at him to stop him.

‘This is bad.’

To anyone watching, they’d look incredibly close. Master and servant—he’d worked so hard to make it seem like nothing more than that, even running up to the third floor every night to keep appearances.

While Aeryl stood frozen in dismay, Connie entered through the main door and approached the two of them.

‘Did Connie call the Grand Duke?’

She must’ve sensed something was wrong with Lady Merel and gone to get him. But how did a maid even meet the Grand Duke? Aeryl was wondering that when the Grand Duke suddenly grabbed his wrist, making him forget everything.

“Let’s go.”

“Uh, Your Grace?”

This is just making us look even closer! But the Grand Duke didn’t care about Aeryl’s flustered response and headed to the room with him in tow. Connie followed behind them. Once the three had fully disappeared, a silence fell over the lobby.

“…What did I just witness?”

A servant muttered. The words echoed into the stillness.

***

Aeryl’s room, in the sitting area.

While Connie prepared the tea, the two of them sat across from each other on the sofa.

The Grand Duke looked around the room. Perhaps because it belonged to Aeryl, his scent had subtly permeated the space. Thanks to that, the Grand Duke’s head slowly began to cool, and he could finally reflect objectively on his actions.

‘…I’ve lost my mind.’

He judged himself harshly. Just a moment ago, he had completely lost his calm. He’d forgotten all about calculating risks or considering consequences—he’d simply charged in blindly.

Had he not been stopped, even he couldn’t predict what he might’ve done. That surely would’ve affected Aeryl in a negative way.

‘Aeryl.’

He turned to look at Aeryl. Aeryl was observing him in return.

‘Strange… something’s…’

The Grand Duke wasn’t acting like himself. Even when he collapsed from that pheromone depletion disorder (a name Aeryl had come up with recently) or went out to battle, he hadn’t acted this recklessly.

‘Something has definitely changed.’

He had been keeping detailed records of the Grand Duke’s physical condition. Nothing had changed in that regard.

‘If not the body, then maybe… his mental state.’

Aeryl reviewed the Grand Duke’s past behavior. A few things stood out. He should confirm them.