TOPWL 219

“Is this all there is?”

“This is the best one. The others don’t need corsets, but they have holes around the stomach. This one draws the eye to the chest and legs, so it’s better.”

“The world is ending.”

Carmen smiled at Yudit’s old-fashioned way of speaking, and he managed to put on the dress. He bent awkwardly to cover his body. He put on the light, transparent shawl like insect wings and earrings, a necklace, bracelets, and even anklets, and turned into a dancer in an instant.

Yudit touched the long brown wig awkwardly. Carmen, who had quickly finished tidying up, came out already dressed in her wig and outfit. Yudit looked at her with envy. Carmen’s exposed stomach was free of a corset. The curly red hair matched her so well that it looked like her real hair.

“It suits you.”

Carmen brushed her long hair aside as if it bothered her.

“I was born a redhead. Your natural hair suits you better, Commander. Platinum blond draws too much attention, so there’s nothing we can do.”

Blond hair marked nobility in the empire, and even among nobles, it was rare. Especially hair as pale as Yudit’s, close to white, easily drew suspicion, so he decided to wear a wig. When they finished all preparations, both pulled robes over themselves. The robes covered them from head to toe, and anyone who saw them would think they were dressed modestly, never imagining they wore dancer’s outfits underneath. After checking each other’s appearance, Yudit and Carmen stepped outside. Shen and Bagon, also cloaked, greeted them.

“Where are Edmond and Garen?”

“They’re in the carriage.”

“I see.”

Because it was midnight, the castle was silent. Stars filled the sky, and the air smelled of burning mixed with the scent of winter. The door opened, a carriage was waiting in the back alley. The shabby vehicle was a freight wagon bought at a cheap price, the kind used by commoners. When Yudit coughed, Shane placed a blanket over his shoulders. The warmth enveloped his body.

Inside, Edmond and Garen sat with gloomy faces. Yudit stopped when he saw them. The robes hid their clothes, but their faces were painted, making them look ridiculous. Yudit bit his lip to stop himself from laughing, but Carmen didn’t care and laughed anyway. Edmond glared at her, then pulled his hood down in embarrassment and lowered his head.

“We’ll depart. Please sit. The ride will shake, so be careful.”

The three sat, and Bagon took the reins. The wheels clattered, and the carriage moved forward. The ride in the freight wagon was awful. Edmond seemed like he wanted to vomit, and Yudit felt just as bad. The uneven road and cheap wheels made the journey nauseating. Shane looked at Yudit’s pale face and spoke in a concern voice.

“You should close your eyes for a while.”

They were supposed to discuss their next steps once they reached Calmor territory, but with the road like this, they couldn’t talk properly. When Yudit turned his head, Carmen calmly sat and with composed expression.

“You seem fine.”

“I don’t get motion sickness.”

Everyone except Shane looked at her with envy. Garen, who was white as a sheet, raised his trembling hand.

“I’m, I’m sorry to interrupt, but could we, stop the carriage for a moment…”

Before he could finish, Garen leaned out of the wagon and retched loudly. A moment later, the noise stopped, and Garen lowered his head again, his face even paler.

“Forgive my, rudeness, urgh…”

“Take it ea….”

The words had barely left Yudit’s mouth when Edmond leaned out the other side and vomited too. Hearing the sounds from both sides, Yudit couldn’t hold it in and bent out the wagon himself. Unpleasant noises filled the carriage for a while.

***

Yudit felt dawn rising and got up. The ground, trees, and forest outside the window turned bluish under the morning light. The road, now leveled, was far less unpleasant than at departure. Thanks to that, he has slept peacefully. He looked at Shane, who sat in his seat, and spoke.

“How long did I sleep?”

“You slept four hours. We must travel two more hours, so you can sleep some more.”

Yudit turned his head to shake off sleep and saw something on the floor.

“No. I’ll get up now. But… when did I take that off?”

A corset lay tossed on the floor. Shane spoke with a calm face.

“You seemed to be struggling while you slept, so I took it off.”

No wonder the nightmares stopped at some point. Yudit sighed and looked down at the corset. Once he realized how uncomfortable it had been, he could not bring himself to wear it again. It felt like cruelty even toward his child. Yudit gave up on the corset. He renewed his vow that if he became emperor, he would ban this cursed thing first. He glared at the corset with an unusually fierce look and realized that thoughts of what he wanted to do as emperor were beginning to grow one by one. A few years ago, he could not even imagine such things, and now he thought of them so naturally that it felt strange. The more it happened, the more he had to stay clear-headed.

“Everyone, wake up. We’re starting the meeting.”

At those words, Garen, half awake, rose and shook Edmond beside him. Edmond, who had suffered for hours before barely falling asleep, rose groggily with his eyes still closed.

“What’s… going on?”

“We have about two hours left before reaching Calmor Castle. Pull yourself together and let’s start the meeting.”

At the word meeting, Edmond rubbed his eyes. Garen tapped him and handed him water from the canteen. Edmond wiped his face and mouth with the cold water, he looked gloomy when he saw makeup stains on his fingers. Before he could wander in thought, Yudit spoke quickly.

“As I said before, the Calmor territory is called the second capital. Unlike the capital, which avoids luxury, it’s grand and large. Calmor is a strategic location for controlling the capital.”

Yudit looked in the direction of their route. They still had to pass several mountains, so Calmor was not yet visible, but since it was a vast territory, it would soon appear.

After carefully reviewing the reports on Calmor and the notebook given by Marquis Kinezia, Yudit concluded that with their current numbers, they could never capture it. Through conquering a few territories and hiring mercenaries from the surrendered, Yudit’s forces had grown, and with his influence and the Marquis’s support, he could recruit more, but even then, his army would remain smaller than Calmor’s.

Calmor had a population of 80,000. The land stretched along the coast and jutted out in a droplet shape close to the neighboring country. Because of that, trade was active, supplies were abundant, and its beautiful sea made it a favored resort for both foreign and domestic nobles. Since it was such a rich land, other nations often coveted it, so it had many troops and their training was excellent.

Calmor’s standing army numbered about three thousand, but since every adult man in the territory underwent military training for a set period, the number could increase by around two thousand in wartime. That meant about five thousand could join the battle, while Yudit’s army, even after gathering every soldier, counted barely 3,000, far fewer. For that reason, Yudit decided to attack from within, a tactic he had used once before.

However, since every nearby territory was at war, Calmor remained cautious. It accepted almost no outsiders, and entry was impossible unless someone had reliable backing. To investigate in advance, they had to get inside, but it was impossible. Several soldiers disguised themselves as merchants and tried entering, but every attempt failed.

While Yudit struggled to think of a way in, Edmond, who had been sitting nearby under the excuse of acting as guard, suddenly made a decent suggestion.

‘Can’t we enter as a traveling troupe? Commander, you’re an omega, so we could use that.’

‘That’s rude,’ Shane spoke while frowning. No one ever spoke openly about Yudit being an omega. Even without an official order, people treated that fact as something forbidden to mention, as though it had to stay hidden. Under Shane’s cold gaze, Edmond grew nervous, but Yudit pointed at him and said,

‘That’s a good idea.’