OPDPS 75

Grand Duke Asirion was in the middle of handling official duties in the outer quarters’ office.

Most of his work involved approving requests from various departments or issuing instructions, but since each case had to be thoroughly reviewed, it was far from a simple task. Then, he suddenly noticed that the materials he’d requested the night before were missing.

A faint chill crept into the Grand Duke’s usually expressionless face.

‘So the problem with the mages has finally surfaced. Sooner than I expected.’

The new mage, whom he had believed to be ready for the job, had fallen short of expectations. The Grand Duke had already identified the issue. He had even summoned the retired mage in an attempt to resolve it. Still, there was no avoiding the current manpower gap.

Rather than dwell on what had already passed, he focused on what needed to be done.

If processing slows down, then the whole schedule will—

The biggest unknown was when the first snow would fall. Based on past records, he had an approximate idea of the timeframe, but nature had never been something one could control.

‘…Huh?’

The Grand Duke suddenly lifted his head.

‘I thought I caught Aeryl’s scent just now?’

Was it just his imagination again? He felt oddly drained and was about to sit back down in his chair when—someone knocked on the door.

“Come in.”

At his permission, the office door opened, and Feyers entered. Behind him stood Aeryl. The Grand Duke blinked rapidly in surprise.

“Aeryl?”

“Good day, Your Grace,” Aeryl greeted politely. Feyers and Connie greeted him at the same time, but the Grand Duke didn’t even register their presence.

“What brings you here?”

“Sorry for showing up so suddenly. I didn’t mean to leave the inner quarters.”

“It’s fine. There’s no place in this castle you’re not allowed to go.”

Just as the Grand Duke was about to drift into a world where only he and Aeryl existed, an unwelcome voice interrupted.

“Your Grace! Please lend me Aeryl for a while!”

“…What?”

As soon as his eyes met the Grand Duke’s, Feyers felt like he’d come face-to-face with a starving bear. His vision swam.

“Your Grace,” Aeryl’s voice cut in, drawing the Grand Duke’s gaze away. Feyers barely managed to breathe again.

“I happened to run into Mr. Feyers, and he told me there’s trouble with the mages. I think I can help. Would it be alright if I lent a hand?”

The Grand Duke stifled a sigh. He could already guess what had happened.

Feyers was close to Innis. Whether it was through her or of his own accord, he must have approached Aeryl and dragged him all the way here. It was irritating—but at the same time, he was pleased to see Aeryl at such an unexpected moment.

“Please, Your Grace, grant your permission,” Feyers added.

The Grand Duke was reluctant. He didn’t like the idea of Aeryl tending to and looking after anyone besides him. His emotions began to stir again.

‘It’s just Alpha instincts. Think rationally.’

This was a trick of instinct. He calmed himself and suppressed the emotion. Objectively, this was something he had to approve. The winter preparations could only proceed as planned if the mages performed their duties properly.

And most of all… Aeryl wants to do it…

The image of a shattered carriage wheel and an axe flashed briefly in the Grand Duke’s mind, then faded.

“…Very well. I approve.”

He granted permission, albeit grudgingly. As Feyers gushed with praise and gratitude, the Grand Duke half-listened, his eyes fixed on Aeryl. Their eyes met, and Aeryl smiled. It felt like he was being praised, and the Grand Duke’s heart swelled with sudden warmth.

“You may go.”

He quickly gave the dismissal. If his emotions flared up any further, he wasn’t sure he could hold himself back. As Feyers and Aeryl exited the office, he deliberately focused on the documents before him.

To think something like this could be instinct…

The unease in his chest refused to settle.

***

Loly, the new mage of Grand Duke Asirion’s household, felt like she was barely alive these days.

When she first became a mage for the Grand Duke at the beginning of the year, it had felt like she had the world in her hands. Even after the autumn harvest, she’d brimmed with confidence. Though her seniors had warned her just how grueling the winter preparation period would be, she had believed she could handle it.

But reality was very different.

“Please get this done by today.”

An employee from the Treasury Department placed a new stack of documents on top of the already piled paperwork. With a light thud, Loly felt as though her heart would drop. There was already a mountain of unfinished work, and now… more.

She subtly glanced around. The atmosphere in the Treasury was tense. Due to the preparations for winter, work piled up, but manpower and time were limited, and mistakes were not tolerated. Everyone was exhausted, their nerves on edge, and they couldn’t even breathe comfortably.

The Treasury Department dealt with many numbers, making the work inherently difficult. Loly struggled with the workload, but there was no other choice since her senior mage had collapsed.

‘It’s all my fault…’

The senior mage’s collapse had been due to the extra work she had to take on because of her own shortcomings.

The situation was already overwhelming, and with this kind of atmosphere, even the most composed person couldn’t help but feel anxious.

‘I need to get this done…’

Loly looked at the mountain of paperwork. Where should she start? They were all marked as urgent. She decided to just grab the first papers she could reach. It was a simple task of using calculation magic to write down the required numbers.

‘Alright, let’s try this.’

She casted purge spell. By scanning the numbers with her eyes, the desired calculation would appear before her, and she could just write it down on paper. At first, it was fine. She was following what she had learned, but then doubts began to creep in.

‘Am I doing this right?’

Had she made some mistake? The moment she thought that, anxiety surged within her, and her concentration wavered, causing her magic to stop.

‘No, I can’t let this happen. Wait, where was I?’

She tried to continue working quickly, but she was so tense that the numbers blurred in front of her eyes. Her hands began to tremble as her vision turned white.

‘I can’t let this happen. I really can’t.’

In a panic, she tried to use the magic again, but it wasn’t working. She felt like everyone was judging her for being so incompetent. Even though she knew it was her own nervousness, she couldn’t help but become more flustered.

‘What should I do? I need to focus. I need to hurry. Why am I like this?’

The more she tried to do well, the more her thoughts became chaotic. Just then, a savior appeared.

“Excuse me. I’ll take our new recruit with me.”

It was Feyers.

“What? Don’t you see the work piling up? We’re busy right now. We need to report to His Grace tomorrow morning.”

The head of the Treasury Department replied irritably.

“It’s not like anything’s getting done right now. Let the new recruit take a break. I’ll handle it for you.”

“Well, if that’s the case… Alright, take her, and you get back to work quickly.”

“Understood. Come on, newbie, let’s go.”

Feyers called, and Loly had no choice but to follow him.

‘I’m really useless…’

She couldn’t bear how pathetic she felt. How incompetent must she have looked for Feyers to step in like that? Filled with self-loathing, she followed him with her head down.

They arrived at a room prepared for those working late into the night. The bedding was comfortable and cozy, so it was said that one could fall asleep just by lying down. However, Loly had never properly slept there. Recently, no matter how tired she was, she couldn’t sleep.

‘Who’s that?’

A man was sitting in a chair next to the bed. His hair was messy, and his large glasses obscured most of his face, giving him a somewhat untidy appearance at first glance. But when Loly looked closely, she saw that his jawline was sharp and elegant—he was actually very beautiful. Unlike most beautiful people, who tended to have high, intimidating airs, he had a friendly and approachable air despite his striking appearance.

“He’s the doctor from the inner quarters. We brought him in with great difficulty, so get some rest and then come back. I’m leaving now.”

Feyers patted Loly on the shoulder before leaving. Loly, momentarily distracted by Aeryl’s face, was startled and turned around, but Feyers was already gone.

‘What should I do? I’m useless…’

Loly stood awkwardly, and Aeryl spoke to her.

“Hello?”

“Oh, yes… Hello…”

Loly unconsciously bowed and greeted him. His voice was as beautiful as his appearance.

“Would you like to come closer and sit down?”

“Yes, yes… But I’m not sick, though…”

“Please take this first. I heard you’ve been having trouble sleeping, so I prepared it for you.”

Aeryl handed her a bottle of medicine, which was clearly a sleeping pill. Loly had received similar sleeping pills at the medical office in the outer keep before, but they only made her body feel heavy without actually helping her sleep.

“These sleeping pills don’t really work for me…”

“Take them, and just lie down on the bed.”

“But I don’t have time… I need to work…”

“Please do as the doctor says.”

Loly hesitated, but just as she did, a maid appeared behind Aeryl and, with surprising strength, forced Loly to take the pill and lie down in bed. Loly was gently laid down and covered with a blanket.

In an instant, Loly found herself lying in the bed, tightly wrapped in the blanket, and Aeryl stood before her. He couldn’t help but recall his own exhaustion from a few days ago as he looked at her.

‘Hmm. I must have been like that too, lying down…’

The image of the Grand Duke, who had forced him onto the bed, suddenly flashed through his mind.