TOPWL 186

“Do you think… it’s really alright?”

Yudit hesitated, then gently took the baby wrapped in the cloth into his arms.

“Even up close, she’s so small… and so beautiful.”

“She was even smaller at first. I wondered how I was supposed to raise her into a proper person.”

I must’ve been like this once too. Holding something so tiny and fragile, how did my mother survive in the imperial palace? Yudit suddenly realized just how desperately his mother had protected him.

The baby began to fuss, maybe because she was uncomfortable. As Yudit grew flustered, the Marquis of Kinezia calmly explained what to do.

“Support her head and neck with one hand, and her back and bottom with the other.”

“L-like this?”

“Yes, you’re doing fine.”

The marquis smiled warmly. Once more comfortable, the baby opened her eyes wide and looked up at Yudit. Her flawless gray eyes gazed directly at him, and Yudit was struck by an odd feeling.

“She’s looking at me.”

“Strange, her eyesight isn’t good enough to tell people apart yet. Maybe it got better just from seeing Your Highness’s face.”

“Try touching your finger to her fist,” Raphine suggested. When Yudit placed his index finger against her tiny hand, the baby squirmed and wrapped her fingers around his.

“She’s surprisingly strong.”

“Right? I think she’ll be as much of a handful as Fiora.”

While Yudit was still looking down at the baby in wonder, he suddenly felt a piercing gaze. When he turned his head, he saw Fiora glaring at him, her whole body trembling.

Did I do something wrong? As he blinked in confusion, Fiora suddenly sprang up. Her elaborate hair accessories seemed to unbalance her, and her body wobbled slightly. Everyone in the room looked on with nervous eyes.

Fiora quickly regained her balance and walked firmly over to Yudit, taking the seat right next to him.

“Are you jealous, Fiora?” Raphine teased.

Fiora didn’t answer. Instead, she lay down with her head on Yudit’s lap and gripped his pinky finger with both hands. Compared to Layla’s hand, hers was bigger, but still small and delicate.

“Oh my,” Raphine said cheerfully, while the marquis looked slightly conflicted.

With Layla asleep clutching hid hand, Yudit found himself caught between the two girls for quite a while.

He was only released when Raphine offered to let Selena hold the baby.

With one hand finally free, Yudit pulled out something from inside his robe: a small, rectangular wooden box. The Marquis of Kinezia accepted it. When he opened the latch, a finely carved silver spoon was revealed.

“I thought for a long time about what to give Layla as her first gift, and I decided on a silver spoon.”

The silver spoon symbolized abundance and peace. Yudit wished for the child to grow up never knowing hunger, and to live a peaceful, happy life.

The Marquis and Marchioness beamed at him.

“Thank you so much. We’ll treasure it.”

“A meaningful gift from her godfather, isn’t that right, Layla?”

Raphine looked down at Layla, who was now nodding off in Selena’s arms.

“Speaking of the godfather, would it be alright if we postponed the ceremony a bit?”

“Of course. When were you thinking?”

“I’d prefer to hold the official ceremony after the war, when things have settled down.”

Yudit had heard from the butler that godparent ceremonies in noble families were elaborate. They required at least one high-ranking priest, two or more junior priests, and a formal rite at the temple.

But now that he’d met the baby in person, he knew he couldn’t just leave the preparations entirely to the marquis’ household. Nor did he want to.

“It might take a long time. Will that be okay?”

“Many families wait until the child is two or three. Don’t worry about it.”

Fortunately, neither of them objected.

“I have something for you as well.”

The marquis pulled something from his coat and handed it to Yudit: a small notebook, about the size of his palm, and a medal.

“What’s this?”

“There’s a Kinezia merchant guild branch in Deblin. While we were looking for the shortest route to the Kingdom of Gotha, we mapped out several mountain ranges. These are shortcuts and key information we discovered. I think they’d be more useful to Your Highness now than to me.”

Yudit’s eyes widened. When he peeked inside, he saw several maps attached and densely written notes about terrain and routes.

Not just routes through Deblin, but also Gotha’s landscape, paths, and secret trails, invaluable information for preparing for war.

“I can’t accept something like this for free.”

“The silver spoon is more than enough. My wife and I owe Your Highness too much already.”

“But still…”

If sold to the other princes, this information could buy several estates in the capital.

“Your Highness, we’re already on the same ship. Please use this to steer it safely. That’s all we could wish for.”

The marquis spoke solemnly. By siding with Yudit, he had broken a long-standing neutrality.

It meant he was willing to make enemies of the other princes. If Yudit lost this power struggle, the marquis’ best outcome would be demotion. At worst, his entire house could be destroyed.

Yudit felt a sudden weight settle on his shoulders.

“You called me here to give me this, didn’t you?”

The marquis nodded. This was indeed something worth dismissing even the servants for.

Yudit tucked the notebook into his robe and looked the marquis squarely in the eye.

“I’ll do my best to bring back results worthy of your trust.”

The marquis and marchioness smiled brightly at his words.

***

Shane’s sword came slicing for Yudit’s throat, sharp and swift. Yudit parried and stepped back two paces. Then he lunged in turn, his sword sweeping toward Shane’s side, but Shane blocked it with ease.

The force of the clash made Yudit’s hand tingle all the way to the wrist. He used the momentum to spin and reverse the angle of his blade.

But just before his sword could reach Shane’s neck, Shane’s blade lightly tapped the center of Yudit’s chest.

Yudit admitted defeat without hesitation.

“I lost.”

“You hesitated again.”

“You’re just really skilled, Shane.”

Yudit grumbled, and Shane gave him a dumbfounded look.

“This time, Your Highness was faster. You lost because you hesitated.”

“Really? Even so…”

“That moment of hesitation could cost you your life. On the battlefield, life and death are decided in an instant.”

Shane’s voice was more intense than usual. Since Yudit’s deployment had been confirmed, Shane had relentlessly pushed him.

“Sorry. I won’t do it again.”

“Honestly, I think it’d be better if you killed a prisoner or two before heading out.”

Yudit had never killed anyone before. That hesitation made Shane uneasy.

“I’ll… think about it,” Yudit replied, sheathing his sword.

After an hour of sparring, he was drenched in sweat and covered in dust. Shane trailed behind him, still lecturing.

“Even if it’s rare for a commander to join the fight directly, war is unpredictable. You must always strike decisively. And in that moment earlier…”

For someone usually so reserved, Shane sure had a lot to say when it came to swords.

Yudit wondered if his ears were bleeding from all the nagging as he walked back into the mansion.

He’d expected the lecture to continue until he reached his room. But at some point, it abruptly stopped. Curious, Yudit glanced back.

Shane was staring intently at him.

“That’s the last of our training. You’ll have a lot to prepare before deployment. From now on, focus on personal readiness.”

“Huh? What about morning and evening drills?”

“Do them on your own if you want, but I wouldn’t recommend it. The march will be grueling. Better to eat well and rest when you can.”

The sudden end of their training made Yudit uneasy. He had trained without a single day’s rest for months. Was it really okay to stop now?

As if reading his thoughts, Shane offered a rare smile.

“You’ve worked hard, Your Highness. It’d be even better if you struck more decisively, but… I believe you’ll be fine.”

It wasn’t even a farewell, yet Yudit felt a pang of sadness. He gathered his emotions and nodded.

Shane gave a final bow and headed off to wash up.

Yudit stood in the corridor, watching him go for a while.