OPDPS 81

“Oh? Then was it Your Grace who gave the order?”

“That’s right. Back then, many opposed it, saying it was unnecessary, but I pushed it through. I was certain it was needed. From here, you can clearly see people scrambling about.”

Aeryl looked at the Grand Duke with admiration. He had thought such things with that cold face that seemed devoid of blood or tears. If it had been when he’d just become the Grand Duke, he would’ve struggled just to manage his own affairs.

“Your Grace is truly impressive.”

“I’m only doing what must be done as the Grand Duke of Asirion.”

Though he spoke as if it were nothing, Aeryl knew it wasn’t an easy feat. He could take a bit more pride in his achievements.

“But if it’s automatic, then there’s no one ringing the bell?”

“Right.”

“That’s amazing.”

Aeryl gaped as he looked up at the bell tower.

“Isn’t it?”

From the Grand Duke’s gently wafting pheromones came a subtle sense of pride. Finding that adorable, Aeryl couldn’t help but smile.

“Why are you smiling?”

“It’s just… Ah, then how do you keep track of the time?”

“They use water somehow. I commissioned the most renowned inventor of the time to make it. It’s served well until recently, but a problem came up.”

“A problem?”

“It was damaged by the heavy snow last winter.”

Apparently, so much snow had piled up that the pillars and walls couldn’t bear the weight and collapsed. The bell tower was an important asset of the Grand Duchy and had been used daily, so they had decided to repair it immediately.

“When we tried to locate the inventor we’d hired back then, we found out he had disappeared about ten years ago. We called in experts to study the remaining records and repair it, but they only managed to keep it from stopping entirely.”

Now, they needed the inventor who had vanished a decade ago. The Grand Duke ordered that he be found.

“They searched for over half a year and finally located him just before the Great Purge. I sent someone to deliver the message and bring him.”

“Then that should’ve solved it, no?”

“He refused my summons.”

“What?”

Someone refused the Grand Duke’s call? Who had such a reckless disregard for their life?

The Grand Duke Asirion was practically an emperor in the North. Moreover, subjects were bound to obey their lord in exchange for protection.

“So what happened?”

“I sent a knight. But even he couldn’t meet the man. They say he’s set up strange traps all around his house.”

The Grand Duke looked exasperated just thinking about it.

“What on earth is wrong with that person?”

“No idea. Ever since the first envoy was sent, he’s locked himself inside and hasn’t come out.”

“Phew…”

At this point, it was beyond bold—it was sheer madness.

“Then what will you do?”

“What else? I’ll go and get him myself.”

“Your Grace will go in person?”

The Grand Duke nodded.

“For that reason, I’ll be away from the castle for three days.”

“Three days… Your Highness’s condition has been stable lately, and the medicine is working well, so I think it should be fine. I’ll make the necessary preparations.”

Aeryl spoke as the attending physician.

“No. You’re coming with me.”

“What? Me?”

Aeryl’s eyes widened.

‘Why would I go there?’

Though he was the Grand Duke’s physician, that was a secret. There were doctors in the outer quarters as well. Besides, this outing didn’t seem to require a physician, so it was odd that Aeryl, who belonged to the inner quarters, would be going along.

“According to what Rynello found out, the inventor had been seeking out doctors before he disappeared. There’s a possibility he’s ill, so someone suggested bringing a physician. The doctor in the outer quarters said he’d prefer you accompany us. Everyone else agreed.”

“What? But how do they even know me?”

“No idea.”

The Grand Duke dodged the question. Of course, he knew that Aeryl had gained fame lately for his fatigue recovery tonic, and that the outer quarters’s physician, worn thin from constant inquiries, had been trying to uncover its formula.

Still, he didn’t answer honestly because he knew Aeryl wished to stay low-profile. What if Aeryl decided to leave the Grand Duchy, saying his newfound fame made him uncomfortable? There was no way to make people forget a name that was already known.

“Mm… Going outside is a bit…”

Aeryl trailed off. Derbas was out there, and there was a high chance his face would become known—he preferred to avoid outings if possible.

“You seem worried.”

The Grand Duke knew well the drawbacks of taking Aeryl with him. Even so, he wanted to bring him. Being apart, not seeing him—it made the Grand Duke unbearably anxious and uneasy. So when the suggestion came up that Aeryl should come along, he didn’t object.

‘Damn alpha instincts.’

The Grand Duke cursed his alpha instincts over and over.

“It won’t be dangerous. I’ll be there, and the knights will accompany us too.”

“Yes…”

“I’ve never gone through a rut and been far from you. I’d like for you to come with me this time too… but I won’t force you if you don’t want to.”

When the Grand Duke revealed a rare uncertain look, Aeryl softened.

‘He still doesn’t know how to control his pheromones.’

He had barely taken his first steps as an alpha—he was practically a newborn! Thinking that way made Aeryl uneasy about sending him off alone.

‘Who knows what might happen? How could I let him go by himself?’

Technically, he wouldn’t be alone since attendants would go with him, but in Aeryl’s mind, it was as good as going alone.

The Grand Duke needed a guardian—someone to look after him!

“…Are you thinking something right now? That expression is… irritating.”

The Grand Duke frowned. Aeryl quickly adjusted his face. He must have unintentionally looked at him like someone watching a child by a riverbank. The Grand Duke really was sharp.

“Anyway, I’ll come along too. I can’t just let Your Grace go alone.”

“You will?”

The Grand Duke was delighted. Not in his face, of course, but in his pheromones. And that made Aeryl happy too. Seeing him so pleased, Aeryl felt silly for hesitating.

“That’s a wise decision. With you there, I’ll be at ease.”

“It’s the price for showing me a beautiful view. Was that your plan all along in bringing me here?”

Aeryl joked, trying to shift the mood by flattering him—typical of Your Grace.

“That wasn’t the intention, I just…”

“?”

“…wanted to take you somewhere nice.”

“Ah…”

“Are you cold? Your body’s stiff. Let’s head down.”

“Yes.”

The Grand Duke led the way, and Aeryl followed. He gazed at the Grand Duke’s back quietly. Truthfully, he hadn’t hesitated because of the cold—it was because he was startled.

‘That reply just now… wasn’t it kind of romantic?’

He said he wanted to take him to a beautiful place. That felt like something someone in love would say. No matter the type of love it was.

‘Could that be instinct… too?’

With that lingering unease, Aeryl descended the stairs.

***

At dawn the next day, when it was still dark with the sun yet to rise, the Black Knights stood in the front courtyard of the outer quarters. They were there to escort the Grand Duke on his journey.

“The ones going with us are… the person in charge of repairing the bell tower, one physician from the outer quarters, His Grace, Doctor Aeryl, and us.”

The lead knight relayed the list. It was a small group due to how busy things were.

“There shouldn’t be any danger with His Grace present, but we’ll need to move fast…”

The knight trailed off, glaring at one of his comrades who had been spacing out for some time. With an important mission ahead, his dreamy smile was incredibly out of place.

“Sir Mason.”

Even when called, Mason didn’t respond—he was lost in thought.

‘I finally get to see the doctor again!’

Mason was too excited to contain himself and kept fidgeting.

He hadn’t seen Aeryl once since the end of the Great Purge. He couldn’t enter the inner quarters, after all.

Later, Innis had written him a letter saying she’d met Aeryl, and he’d been planning to follow suit. But before he could, this opportunity came—and he was overjoyed.

“Sir Mason!”

“Ah, yes!”

“Try focusing.”

“Apologies! I just got carried away at the thought of seeing the doctor again after so long.”

At Mason’s words, the other knights gave him odd looks. One of them glanced around, then lowered his voice and asked,

“You do know… about His Grace and Master, right?”

“…Yes, I do.”

Mason had been devastated when he heard that Aeryl had become the Grand Duke’s lover. He hadn’t even had a chance to confess.

After that, he’d tried hard to forget Aeryl. But hearts didn’t change just because one tried. The moment he heard Aeryl would be joining the trip, he had volunteered to be part of the escort without even thinking.

“You know, and you still haven’t given up?”

“…I’m trying.”

“Forget it. You can’t force feelings to change. Just watch your mouth, and don’t let anything slip through your actions either.”

All the knights who had been part of the purge unit were sure that the Grand Duke and Aeryl were in a relationship, but they never spoke of it to outsiders. It wasn’t a rule—it had simply become the unspoken norm.

After all, this wasn’t just anyone’s love life—it was the Grand Duke’s. And his very first romance at that.