he didn't raise him as a lover good lord. so many people grossly misunderstood the events of the timeloop that we see. theo did find alois and take care of him for a couple years in childhood, but from the looks of it alois was sent off at a pretty young age and then returned of his own accord when he was older. theo cleary states he wanted alois to experience the world at a time before he thinks alois has fallen for him to ensure that he has every chance to find love elsewhere and without him. alois coming back is what makes the love story, not the duke, and the duke did not raise him like a father nor with any specific intent on making alois his lover.
But it's the fact that he raised him so how can he ever see this guy as a lover? He's supposed to be a father to him not a romantic partner and it's fkn disgusting that the author made their relationship start off as father and son
The other aspects are still weird ash and the way he felt love for him since he was little
but that's ignoring the whole time loop part of it. i don't think they, at any point, met organically when he was a kid and had the duke fall for him from childhood.
I thought about this a lot. But there is a begining point in the timeline. Someone mentioned that if Alois gets his wish to be w/ the Duke in the original timeline then the loop would stop.
So yes. The beginning of the loop they met organically. But also the Duke didn't fall in love with Alois. He came to appreciate him and is wistful he would leave once he finds someone he loves. It doesn't necessarily mean he wants a romantic and sexual relationship with him. But once Alois has reached adulthood and kept professing his love to the duke that the Duke is like, no, this is just an illusion. And pushed him away. I don't think he ever picked him up with the intention of loving him sexually.
This would've been so fuxking cute but im uncomfortable idk dawg them being together and raising him to have him as a lover later idk dawg made me physically cringe idk its good but still