TOPWL 181

“Are you asking if I stopped liking you? Of course not.”

Khalid spoke like it was a ridiculous question. It was a relief, but at the same time, it stung.

“Then why are you avoiding me?”

Khalid fell silent, as if he had no excuse. Seeing him like that made something boil up inside Yudit.

“It’s not like that.”

“Then what is it?”

Again, silence. Yudit bit his lip. Then he reached out and grabbed Khalid’s wrist, pulling him in. Khalid let himself be drawn toward him without resistance. He smelled like soap, freshly washed, mixed with his natural scent. It was intoxicating.

Yudit kissed him with a touch of urgency. Khalid froze. That was all, he didn’t hold Yudit’s shoulders, didn’t cradle his head, didn’t even open his lips. Startled, Yudit tapped gently at his lips with his tongue, but the firmly shut mouth didn’t budge.

“Khalid…?”

“…Sorry.”

Khalid stood up as if something were chasing him. Without a single word of goodnight, he closed the door behind him and left. Alone in the room, Yudit stared blankly at the door.

***

“…”

“Your Highness, are you alright?”

Yudit snapped out of his daze at someone’s voice. Selena was looking at him with concern.

“You look pale. Are you really alright?”

“…I’m fine. Thank you.”

Yudit forced a smile. But Selena had gotten used to his fake smiles. Her expression grew more troubled.

“It’s just the rain. I think it’s making me feel a bit down. Really, I’m fine.”

As Yudit said, summer rain was falling outside. Thanks to that, they were riding a carriage for the first time in a while. Most of the stored food had been eaten, so there was plenty of room. That’s why Selena, Yvonne, and Yudit could sit together. Watching him with worry, Selena spoke again.

“If you’re not feeling well, please let us know. I brought lots of medicine.”

She pulled out a bulging pouch of herbs. Her bag had been stuffed fuller than even a soldier’s, and all throughout the journey from the capital, she had constantly produced snacks and medicines from it.

“I will.”

“And if you ever need to talk, please say so. At the very least, we can think it through together.”

Selena clenched her fists in encouragement. The coldness Khalid had shown hurt more than expected, and Yudit felt tears prick his eyes.

Khalid hadn’t come back since that night. Not the next day either. Seeing him openly avoid him made what had taken Yudit a lifetime’s courage shrink back in fear. He didn’t seem to hate him, so then what was it? Frustrated, Yudit sighed, and instantly felt the gazes of the two women.

Embarrassed at drawing their attention, he hesitated. At the same time, the idea crossed his mind, maybe he really should ask for advice. Even if not Selena, Yvonne had written dozens of romance novels. She probably understood the human heart better than most. But then again, asking for love advice right before heading into battle felt too unserious.

Then a clever thought occurred.

“It’s about a friend of mine…”

The moment he said it, the women’s expressions turned subtly awkward. Wondering if he’d said something wrong, Yudit clammed up, but Selena laughed and continued the conversation.

“Yes, yes, your friend. Go ahead.”

“This friend has… well, a lover. They definitely like each other. I think? But suddenly, the other person started avoiding them. Why… would that be?”

Yudit kept things vague on purpose, afraid they’d figure out it was about him.

“Could you give us a few more details?” Selena asked, looking unsure.

After a pause, Yudit began, laying the groundwork.

“Well, since it’s about a friend, I don’t know everything… but what happened is…”

Despite saying it was about someone else, he ended up spilling everything. He looked anxiously at the two as he finished. Yvonne, who had been listening with interest, responded bluntly.

“He’s cheating.”

“That–there’s no way.”

“Why are you so sure?”

“Because… I know this friend’s partner really well, and he’s not that kind of person.”

“Oh my, you know him that well? Still, men who seem like doting husbands can start cheating the moment they see an opening.”

“Yvonne! That’s too much. You’re going to hurt His Highness’ feelings.”

“It’s about a friend, isn’t it? So why would His Highness be hurt? Isn’t that right, Your Highness?”

Selena tried to stop her, flustered. Yvonne just shrugged and turned to Yudit. He struggled to contain the emotion rising in his chest.

“…Right.”

Selena nudged Yvonne’s side sharply with her elbow. Yvonne winced but bit her lip, trying not to laugh.

It’s not like Khalid even had time to cheat recently…

…Or had he?

Yudit’s mind spun. With all the missions and expeditions, they had been apart often, but he’d never suspected anything. He thought they had a relationship built on trust. Could Khalid have bonded with someone else while they were separated?

When he kissed Khalid, he hadn’t sensed anything like that. But the doubt made his palms sweat. If Khalid really had fallen for someone else… what was he supposed to do?

Yudit rubbed his face with a trembling hand. His head throbbed. His palm was slick with sweat. The image of someone else taking his place by Khalid’s side twisted in his gut.

If love had disappeared from their relationship, what was Khalid willing to give him now? Was it just because they had a contract? Was Khalid just fulfilling his promise to make him a puppet emperor?

He used to think their bond was unbreakable. But now, even a whisper of doubt felt like it could destroy everything.

“Goodness, Your Highness. You’re… you’re really pale…”

At Selena’s voice, Yudit raised his head. And just like that, a tear that had been clinging to his lashes dropped.

“Oh…”

Both Yvonne and Selena froze in alarm. Yudit hadn’t meant to upset them, but the tears wouldn’t stop. Panicked, Selena fumbled for a handkerchief.

“Ah… ugh, hhk…”

He used to cry without making a sound. But not anymore. Because of Khalid, he had changed. And if Khalid left him now, what would he become?

“I’m sorry, Your Highness…”

Yvonne, clearly shocked at how much Yudit was crying, finally looked remorseful.

That’s when Yudit realized, they both knew this wasn’t about a friend. It had always been his story.

He wiped his face and tried to calm his breathing.

“…I’ll wash this and return it.”

“You can keep it. It’s nothing fancy.”

Selena waved a hand dismissively, then shot Yvonne a look. For once, Yvonne looked genuinely awkward and tried to console him.

“Now that I think about it, the Duke doesn’t seem like the type to cheat.”

“…You don’t have to comfort me.”

“I mean it. He even gets jealous just seeing you talk to us.”

“Jealous? Of who?”

“Us, obviously. Right, Selena?”

“Yes. I’ve noticed it too. Sometimes it’s just playful, but occasionally… it’s a little scary.”

Yudit looked at them in astonishment.

“And even when you’re not looking, the Duke’s eyes are always on you. If that’s not love, what is?”

Yudit wasn’t the type to be swayed easily, but hearing that, he wanted to believe it again.

“Do you really think so…?”

“Yes. With everything going on, I think the Duke just got overwhelmed for a bit. Besides, didn’t he give you that horse? That horse is ridiculously expensive! You could buy two houses in the capital with that one horse.”

“It was that expensive?”

He’d figured it was a good horse, but didn’t expect it to be that valuable. At Yudit’s words, Selena nodded. Yudit thought he should thank Khalid again later. If he could.

As his mood sank again, Selena and Yvonne exchanged glances.

“Nope! Nothing will work if you stay down like this!”

Yvonne clapped her hands sharply. Yudit straightened up and looked at her as she spoke with resolve.

“There are many approaches, but I’ll tell you the one that works best.”

“A secret… remedy?”

“Yes, a method that works nine times out of ten. I’ll share it only with Your Highness.”

Selena and Yudit leaned in, intrigued. But as Yvonne explained, their expressions slowly turned to shock.

“D-do you really think that’ll work?”

“We won’t know until you try, but I think it will.”

As Yudit hesitated, Yvonne drove the point home.

“If you don’t do anything, nothing will change.”

That snapped Yudit back to his senses. Right, nothing would change unless he acted. He had no choice but to try.

Clenching his fists, Yudit said firmly,

“I’ll do it.”