OPDPS 86

“That you’re an omega isn’t the problem. I just spoke in a way that led you to misunderstand me.”

“Then what did you mean by it?”

“Well… In any case, I had no intention of belittling you as a doctor.”

Rynello knew it wasn’t an answer Aeryl could accept, but it was the best he could offer at the moment. After all, it was true that he thought an omega couldn’t be the Grand Duke’s lover.

‘Being an omega isn’t the problem—but it is the reason it can’t happen.’

It would sound like wordplay. But in truth, Rynello held no prejudice against omegas, nor did he think they were inferior beings. Over his long life, he’d met several omegas and knew they were no different from anyone else.

‘But a union between a beta and an omega is a tragedy. His Grace has already suffered enough.’

Rynello wanted a union that would make the Grand Duke happy. Besides, he genuinely liked Aeryl.

He was a remarkably decent young man. A youth with such a bright future shouldn’t be left to walk into a predetermined tragedy.

He had to separate the two. No matter what it took.

“I’m sorry. For everything. But I still oppose the relationship between you and His Grace.”

“His Grace and me?”

What kind of relationship did he think they had? Aeryl tilted his head.

They were just doctor and patient. If anything, he was a sort of teacher, someone who explained things about dynamics. For a moment, he didn’t understand where the conversation was headed—but Aeryl’s quick mind filled in the blanks and pieced it together.

‘So that’s what he meant by “too bad you’re an omega!”’

It was true that it was better for a person with a secondary gender to have a doctor of the same type. Being an omega himself, Aeryl couldn’t help but become awkwardly aware of the Grand Duke in a sexual way.

It was the same from a patient’s perspective. If the doctor had bad intentions, it would be entirely possible to seduce a patient using pheromones.

‘He must be talking about the Grand Duke manifesting as an alpha? Well, he knows I’m an omega, so maybe he felt he had to tell someone close to him.’

Aeryl accepted it easily. He’d just heard from Mason about what kind of person Rynello was, so it all made more sense now.

“I see. I don’t know how you found out… but I understand how you feel. You’re worried.”

“You do understand! Then please, keep your distance from His Grace.”

“But His Grace already trusts me. As long as he relies on me, I want to do my best for him.”

He wanted to respond to the patient’s trust—as a doctor! Besides, the Grand Duke’s castle and infirmary were the ideal environment for his research, and it would be a shame to give it up.

‘I’ve come this far—I will make progress here!’

Aeryl’s resolve burned bright.

‘Yes. The love of the young… it’s not something words alone can stop.’

Rynello felt both disheartened and proud. At least His Grace is truly loved…

“Then prepare yourself. I’ll use every means at my disposal.”

“Fine. I didn’t come all the way to the Grand Duke’s castle without a plan!”

The two locked eyes, each burning with fierce resolve. Neither had the faintest idea that they were under a huge misunderstanding.

If only they had talked a little longer, they might have realized it. But perhaps fate had other plans. They couldn’t continue the conversation.

“Huh?”

Aeryl suddenly caught a strange scent and turned his head toward the forest. At the same moment, Rynello heard someone calling out for them.

“Sir! Sir Aeryl!”

Mason was searching for Aeryl.

“We’re over here! Hey, could you help me get up?”

Rynello called, looking up at Aeryl—who was staring in the exact opposite direction.

“What are you looking at? Mason is over that way—”

“Go ahead first. Mason! Please take care of Lord Rynello!”

“What? Where are you going?!”

Aeryl, who had been gazing intently in a certain direction, suddenly dashed off into the forest.

“Wha—Sir?!”

By the time Mason reached Rynello after hearing his voice, Aeryl was already far away.

“What happened, Lord Rynello?”

“I hurt my back, so I was receiving treatment and having a chat.”

“So that’s why he left you in my care.”

Mason desperately wanted to chase after Aeryl, but he couldn’t just leave an injured old man alone in the forest. He’d have to get Rynello back quickly—and then go after Aeryl.

“I’ll take you that way. I just hope the doctor doesn’t go too far…”

Mason murmured anxiously.

Aeryl ran through the forest. A figure in a black hood appeared briefly beyond the brush, then vanished again.

“Hey! Wait a moment!”

Aeryl shouted countless times, but the other person kept fleeing. He knew he was getting farther and farther from the others, but he couldn’t stop.

‘This scent—it’s definitely pheromones.’

At first, he thought he was mistaken. He had released a small amount of pheromones while tending to Rynello’s body. It was his usual method, and the treatment had gone well.

There had been a brief misunderstanding that almost turned into a fight, but they cleared it up, and Aeryl had relaxed.

Then, a scent—strange yet familiar—had reached his nose.

A scent clearly distinguishable from normal ones. It was omega pheromones.

Once he recognized it, he could sense it more clearly.

Someone had been hiding behind a tree, watching him, and letting out omega pheromones uncontrollably, as if they didn’t know how to suppress them.

That was why he gave chase.

‘If they run into the Grand Duke, it’ll be a disaster!’

If an alpha and an omega who couldn’t control or defend themselves ran into each other, anything could happen. Their pheromones would provoke each other and lead to a bad outcome—for both the Grand Duke and this omega.

“Hey, I’m calling you!”

Aeryl finally caught the person by the shoulder. They tried to twist away, but couldn’t shake him off and simply panted heavily.

“You were the one running, but you’re totally out of breath.”

Aeryl joked lightly. The person still didn’t look like they had the strength to speak.

“You okay? I’m not some weirdo. I work at the Grand Duke’s castle. I’m a doctor.”

Aeryl identified himself first. The figure flinched and then slowly turned around.

“A… doctor?”

The person was tall, lanky, and pale—likely from a life without sunlight. He looked at Aeryl with confused, trembling eyes.

“B-but… you’re… you’re an omega, right? How can an omega be a doctor?”

He spoke as if he’d just seen something impossible. But unlike when Rynello had said something similar, Aeryl didn’t feel angry this time.

He felt sorry for him.

“Why? Did someone tell you that omegas can’t do anything?”

Aeryl clicked his tongue. Even without hearing the full story, he could already guess.

‘He manifested as an omega, and they locked him up without teaching him anything. Just abandoned him. Tsk.’

When Aeryl manifested as an omega, he’d been relatively lucky. The emperor had wanted a pawn for political marriage, and Aeryl had both fine blood and looks.

He hated calling that luck—but it was.

Especially for those born into commoner families, most parents reacted with shock when their child manifested as an omega. They would call a doctor, hoping it could be cured.

Once they learned it couldn’t be, they’d involve a priest to teach the basics.

Then they simply abandoned them.

They couldn’t afford to give extra care or protection, so omegas had to fend for themselves.

‘Most end up getting introduced around and married off, just like that.’

What about those who were even less fortunate?

Whether alpha or omega, manifestation came with an intense first heat or rut. If a parent witnessed that… they would be broken by it.

They’d deny their child was an omega, or feel such shame they’d lock them in the house.

They’d tell no one, and teach them nothing.

‘This guy… he’s the textbook case of someone who had bad luck.’

Aeryl pitied him deeply.

And at the same time, he was beginning to suspect who this person was, and where he’d come from.

The inventor who had hidden away in a fortress-like house in the middle of the lake.

An omega in his mid-twenties, spotted near that lake.

The inventor disappeared ten years ago—right when this young man would’ve undergone his manifestation.

“Are you… the son of the inventor, Mr. Vale?”

The man gasped sharply. That was all the answer Aeryl needed.

‘So what the inventor was hiding in his house wasn’t some treasure—it was his son.’