OPDPS 72

Just then, Connie brought the tea. She set the cups down and quickly exited the room. Aeryl lifted his cup, took a sip, and naturally opened the conversation.

“It feels like it’s been a while since we’ve sat down like this. I’m sorry about earlier—I ended up falling asleep.”

“You look much better than you did then.”

“Haha. Is it that obvious?”

Aeryl laughed and threw in a light joke. As they exchanged casual remarks, he slowly shifted to the real topic.

“How have you been lately? Have you noticed anything different about yourself? Anything that feels… off?”

“Hmm.”

The Grand Duke also took a sip of tea. His expression was perfectly composed, but his pheromones were in great turmoil.

‘You can’t fool my nose. So he did have something in mind.’

“Even the smallest things are fine. Like getting irritated more easily, or getting angry over trivial matters.”

“Mm…”

“You might feel nervous often, or become strongly fixated on something.”

“You speak as if you know it well.”

“Did I hit the mark?”

Aeryl met the Grand Duke’s gaze steadily. The Grand Duke let out a breath, a hollow sigh.

“I can’t win with you. It’s exactly as you said. And…”

His voice caught slightly as he took another sip of tea. Uncharacteristically, he hesitated—it wasn’t something easy to say.

“At the center of it all… it’s always you.”

As soon as the words left his mouth, he felt a tingling tremor in his chest. At the same time, he wondered how Aeryl would react.

Would he be shocked? Disgusted?

It was neither. Aeryl smiled, as if he already understood everything. That was unexpected.

‘He’s surprised.’

Truthfully, Aeryl was surprised. A refined alpha like the Grand Duke suddenly saying something that was practically a confession—it was bound to elicit a reaction. A physiological one, even.

But he calmed himself quickly. After all, this was a consultation, and he had a guess as to what was going on.

“First of all… I want to assure you that what you’re experiencing is completely natural.”

“Is it? I’m not so sure…”

“Yes. It’s because of your alpha instincts.”

“……”

“After manifestation, a lot changes. Alphas and omegas alike are swept up in their instincts.”

Those instincts didn’t exist before, so it wasn’t surprising that people didn’t understand them—nor could they control them even if they did. When Aeryl first manifested as an omega, he had found baby animals, even seedlings, heartbreakingly dear and had felt the urge to care for them.

“You obsessing over me, or acting strangely only when it involves me—that’s all instinct, too.”

“That’s how you see it?”

“I do. I’ve explained alpha instincts to you before.”

“You have.”

Alphas were naturally territorial and possessive. That applied to relationships, too—when they identified someone as ‘theirs,’ they became deeply attached and fiercely protective. It was an instinct imprinted in the alpha species.

“There are many reasons I ended up being the object of that instinct.”

They had shared secrets. He was the only doctor the Grand Duke could rely on. It wasn’t unusual for patients to develop romantic or even more intense feelings for the doctor during treatment. It was proof of a deep emotional bond.

And on top of that, Aeryl was an omega. His very existence could trigger an alpha’s instincts. Even Aeryl had sometimes felt flustered just because the Grand Duke was an alpha.

‘Which means I need to stay even more grounded.’

Guiding the Grand Duke in the right direction was his duty—as a doctor, and as the senior secondary-gendered person. Seeing the Grand Duke so confused, Aeryl only strengthened his resolve. If he let himself be swept up, the outcome could be disastrous.

“It’s absolutely not a bad thing.”

Aeryl said it firmly. The Grand Duke had a tendency to view dynamics negatively, which meant he could easily spiral into self-loathing. Aeryl was cutting that off before it could start.

Alpha and Omega dynamics made life difficult, yes—but it wasn’t inherently bad.

“But still… isn’t it too much?”

The Grand Duke raised a doubt. All the chaos he’d gone through was caused by alpha instincts? That didn’t quite sit right.

“There’s individual variation, and the timing of your manifestation could also play a role. But I think a recent event had a particularly big impact.”

“Derbas?”

“Yes.”

Not only had his territory been violated, he’d almost lost someone he was deeply attached to—all in a single moment. It was the worst-case scenario for an alpha. The Grand Duke probably wasn’t even aware of how deeply it had scarred him.

“Because of that, I think your instincts have been acting out even more strongly.”

Aeryl explained his reasoning calmly and clearly.

“I see… So that’s what it was.”

The Grand Duke accepted Aeryl’s explanation. He wasn’t completely convinced, but he hoped Aeryl was right. If it was just his instincts running wild, it would pass with time. He could learn to control it.

That it was merely instinct… was far preferable to it being something else.

“Then what should I do? Do I need to take medicine?”

“There’s no such medicine. You’ll just have to consciously regulate yourself. Every time your emotions boil over or you feel a surge of impulse, remind yourself—it’s the alpha instinct. Just being aware of it helps.”

Aeryl paused for a moment, then added more. The Grand Duke had a tendency to push himself too hard, so he needed to give him some room to breathe.

“But if you push too hard, it could backfire. So try to strike a reasonable balance, too.”

“Understood. I’ll be mindful of it.”

“Yes. Let’s take it step by step. And in that same vein, I’d appreciate it if you shared even the small things from now on.”

The Grand Duke nodded without resistance. Aeryl took a sip of tea, his heart a little lighter. It had been a satisfying tea time for both of them.

The Grand Duke stepped out of Aeryl’s room. Just then, a few servants walking down the hall spotted him.

“Ah—Your Grace.”

“Greetings, Your Grace.”

They offered awkward bows. The Grand Duke looked at them. His sharp gaze made them freeze, unable to lift their heads.

“Go on.”

As soon as the Grand Duke spoke, they hurried off as if fleeing.

The Grand Duke watched them leave, displeased.

‘Too many eyes on us.’

It was getting tiresome to meet Aeryl while constantly watching for others.

He was the one who had decided to act as he did during the purge in order to hide his alpha manifestation. But his frustration was growing.

When he brought Aeryl to the castle, he thought it would be enough to see him every night. But now, he wanted to meet him in broad daylight, to talk with him anywhere, to be with him freely. If he took Aeryl to some of the nice places within the castle, perhaps Aeryl would grow more attached to this place.

‘But there are too many obstacles to meeting him freely.’

The inner quarters housed many people. Among them were spies and informants. Instead of purging them all, he let them think they weren’t caught and kept them under control. It was more efficient. He had never been that interested in the inner quarters to begin with.

But just imagining Aeryl becoming entangled with them—being exposed, turned into prey for his political enemies—made his blood boil.

It had been over a decade since he became Grand Duke. He was widely acknowledged as the rightful master of this land, but many still tried to restrain him. That was his fate—but he refused to let Aeryl get caught up in it.

‘Is this instinct too?’

It was hard to tell. If it was, was he supposed to endure it?

The Grand Duke considered it briefly.

‘…Aeryl did say not to push myself too hard. Then it should be fine to do as I wish.’

Having made up his mind, the Grand Duke continued down the corridor. Someone quietly began to follow behind.

“Connie.”

He called.

“Yes, Your Grace.”

Connie stepped ahead with disciplined grace and knelt before him.

Aeryl thought she was just an ordinary maid, but in truth, Coni was specially trained to serve the future Duchess. By day, she acted like any other maid—but when danger arose, she would draw a sword to protect her charge. It was a role born of the harsh northern lands.

The Grand Duke had deliberately assigned her to Aeryl.

“If something like this happens again, step in. Don’t hold back, no matter who it is.”

“Will that be all right?”

Of course there would be consequences, but letting Aeryl get hurt was worse.

“I’ll handle what comes after.”

“Yes.”

“Don’t leave his side.”

“Yes.”

“Go.”

Connie stood, bowed respectfully, and returned to Aeryl. He wished he could be the one following instead. But Aeryl would find it odd, and there was still much to do.

He couldn’t neglect his duties as Grand Duke. That was the reason he existed.

‘It’ll be night soon, anyway.’

With that, he headed toward the outer keep. His steps were heavy, burdened with lingering regret.