OPDPS side story 8

After that, Aeryl remained in the infirmary, looking through documents, but the words barely registered.

He had accepted becoming the Grand Duchess as a natural outcome—because he loved Hiello. But that didn’t mean he had ever thought about giving up being a doctor.

He had worked hard to study medicine and was deeply attached to it. He still dreamed of advancing medical science and contributing to the world through it.

‘After everything I went through to learn…’

But even as he thought about it, he found himself doubtful whether he could continue practicing medicine.

‘It’s not like I can keep working as a doctor inside the inner quarters.’

What kind of employee would feel comfortable seeking medical help from their employer? They’d likely hide their symptoms for fear of being judged.

‘And opening a clinic outside the castle…’

There were options—he could open a private practice or work at a larger hospital.

‘But who would actually want to be treated by me?’

In the duchy, the Grand Duchess was second only to the Grand Duke in rank. When the Grand Duke was absent, the Duchess had the authority to manage the household.

Even if he sat down and asked patients where it hurt, people would just claim they were fine and run off.

A doctor whose patients ran away—how absurd. And he could already imagine people coming to him not for treatment but to curry favor or ask for help through his influence. Just thinking about it gave him a headache.

On top of that, his new status meant he’d be followed around by an entourage. Counting the guards, there’d be anywhere from four to ten people shadowing his every move. Lugging that many people around everywhere would be a nuisance for everyone.

“The more I think about it, the harder it seems.”

His mood kept sinking. He could probably keep doing research as a hobby even as the Grand Duchess—but that wasn’t enough.

“What I want is a bit more… something… concrete…”

He knew what he wanted, but it refused to take shape. The vague, slippery feeling furrowed his brow.

Then suddenly, like a window had opened, a cool scent drifted in and tickled his nose. Hiello’s pheromones.

Aeryl lifted his head at once. Sure enough, Hiello was walking into the infirmary.

“You’re here? Is it that late already?”

He checked the time without thinking—it was still mid-afternoon.

“It just seemed like a good time for tea.”

Hiello held out his hand. He didn’t even particularly like tea. The fact that he brought it up meant this was just an excuse. Raeler didn’t look the least bit surprised either, which meant he’d known Hiello was coming.

“Guess I was more obvious than I thought.”

He hadn’t meant to worry anyone. Now he just felt pathetic.

Aeryl sighed inwardly. Hiello gave his hand a gentle shake, as if asking him to take it. It was a playful gesture meant to lift his mood—one Hiello had copied directly from something Aeryl himself had done once.

‘He tries so hard to be sweet… even with that stoic face.’

A small smile appeared on Aeryl’s lips as he stood and took Hiello’s hand.

“I’ll take him.”

“Yes, Your Grace.”

What else could anyone say when the Grand Duke insisted? Hiello took Aeryl’s hand and slowly led him down the corridor toward the greenhouse.

The greenhouse was full of thriving plants. It wasn’t for decoration—it was used to grow and experiment with various crops to help ease food shortages.

It was the warmest place in the castle, and Hiello had brought him here before. But since it was visible from the outside and not the most private spot, Aeryl hadn’t come back.

Today, though, a lovely table and two chairs had been set up in a quiet corner. Tea and sweets had been prepared, and the location was carefully chosen—it was the prettiest spot in the greenhouse.

“When did you get all this ready?”

“It’s not that hard.”

Aeryl let out a quiet breath of admiration and shrugged off his coat, which had become uncomfortably warm. Even after removing his fur scarf and vest, it still took a moment to feel comfortable. Now dressed more lightly, he matched the mild winters of the southern region.

He handed all his outer layers to a maid and sat down. Hiello pulled the other chair closer and sat beside him.

A maid came over quietly and poured fresh tea into their cups.

“You may leave us.”

At Hiello’s words, everyone stepped back. He had gotten more used to people since spending time with Aeryl, but he still preferred to be alone.

Aeryl wasn’t particularly fond of tea, but the warm, fragrant sip did help lift his mood.

“Here.”

Hiello cut a piece of cake with candied fruit and held it to Aeryl’s mouth with a fork.

It wasn’t the first time he’d fed him. Aeryl accepted the bite without hesitation.

After a few rounds of sweets, the heaviness in his chest began to lighten.

“Thanks for being so thoughtful.”

“Of course.”

Aeryl rested his head on Hiello’s shoulder, and Hiello took his hand. As he gazed at the greenery filling the greenhouse, a quiet calm settled over him, and his mouth opened naturally.

“Do you think it’d be… difficult for the Grand Duchess to have a profession?”

“As a doctor?”

“Yeah. I want to keep working as a doctor.”

“Hm…”

Hiello fell silent in thought for a moment, then spoke again.

“Realistically, it’d be hard to meet patients in person and run around the field like before.”

“Yeah, I figured…”

Aeryl trailed off. It seemed Hiello had thought of the exact same difficulties he had.

He understood it, logically. But still, it made him feel a little let down. Hiello had once said he’d let him do whatever he wanted—so why was he already going back on that, even before they were married?

As he began to rise, feeling dejected, Hiello asked something unexpected.

“There’s something you want to do as a doctor, right?”

Aeryl blinked in surprise, then gave a slow nod.

“What is it?”

“Well, for starters, I’m a secondary-gendered person, so I want to study people like me and uncover more truths. I want people to see that Omegas can contribute just as much as Alphas. I want perceptions to change so that Omegas can live ordinary lives.”

As he spoke, more thoughts surfaced.

“But it’s not like I only want to study secondary genders. I think it’d be fun to develop treatments for incurable diseases or supplements for recovery and stamina. The deeper you get into pharmacology, the more fascinating it becomes.”

“You like research, huh?”

“Yeah. But I don’t think I’d be satisfied just doing research. I want to do something more practical. More concrete… no, more direct. I want to affect people directly—and see it happen.”

“And?”

As Hiello continued listening, Aeryl found himself speaking more and more. The thoughts that had been circling endlessly in his head began to take shape and flow into words.

“I want to meet other doctors, exchange knowledge, and keep learning! Even frost sickness is super interesting. Why do people crave ice? I read a theory that because they’re exposed to the cold of the snowy mountains all year, they start longing for that chill again once they’re shut indoors—it sounded plausible.”

“So you’ve been reading up on frost sickness too.”

“Of course. Even if I can’t meet patients face-to-face, I should at least be informed! I even wondered, what if we just rolled a patient in the snow to test it…? Think there’s anyone we could try that on?”

“You said there’s a patient in the inner quarters.”

“Huh? You think that’s allowed?”

“If you gave the order, even death would be acceptable. You’re the Grand Duchess.”

“Oh… is that so?”

“You’re the most important person in the Grand Duke’s household. Not just to me—but to everyone.”

“Mm.”

“So even if you can’t work the same way you used to, I believe there’s medical work you can do precisely because you’re the Grand Duchess.”

“Things I can do because I’m the Grand Duchess? Like rolling patients in the snow?”

“There’s plenty along those lines you could do.”

Aeryl hadn’t fully realized it yet, but he already held the power of the Grand Duchess and the wealth of the Grand Duke’s household. If he wanted, he could burn through the most expensive medicinal ingredients or run live trials on patients—things ordinary doctors couldn’t even imagine. Of course, Aeryl wasn’t the sort to waste resources on such things.

“Besides that, you could gather patients and test new treatments. You could hire doctors and conduct multiple research projects at once. And in your spare time, you could write a book on secondary genders and distribute it—or hire educators to change public perceptions.”

“All of that’s possible?”

“Of course.”

“But didn’t Lady Merel have to give up performing? Wasn’t she not even allowed to invite musicians?”

“The former Grand Duke had strict standards—he couldn’t understand others.”

“Oh…”

So the former Grand Duke had been another villain. Aeryl felt a pang of sympathy for Lady Merel.

“But being the Grand Duchess is still a job, right? Don’t I have to manage the household, and socialize with nobles and all that?”

“Well, the estate’s been running just fine without a Grand Duchess so far. If the butler and Lady Merel completely step back, things might get more complicated—but try talking them into staying on.”