TOPWL 162

“What are you afraid of?”

“You…”

I’m afraid you’ll die.

Yudit parted his lips as if to speak the next words, but couldn’t bring himself to say them. Still, Khalid seemed to have realized it already and pulled Yudit even tighter into his arms. Yudit closed his eyes in Khalid’s embrace.

War was approaching. Where the reaper’s blade raged most violently. The death rate for commanders wasn’t high, but war was unpredictable. There was no such thing as a war without casualties.

And Khalid was the kind of commander who went to the front lines. In such cases, the chance of death increased drastically. Yudit trembled faintly.

“Don’t worry. I’m not going to die.”

“…How can you be so sure?”

“Because I’ve already crossed the hell of my life.”

Hearing his voice so full of conviction, Yudit found himself wanting to believe it more than questioning its truth.

“Then where are you now?”

“In heaven. Because I’m with you.”

At Khalid’s smooth reply, Yudit gave him a brief sideways glance. Then he grabbed Khalid’s shirt, pulled him in, and kissed him. Khalid responded with a soft smile.

***

“I’ve reviewed all the materials you sent.”

“A-already?”

Rita asked in surprise.

“You organized everything so neatly, it didn’t take long.”

“O-oh. Thank you. I thought it would take at least three days.”

“You left your kids behind, didn’t you? You must be worried, so I wanted to finish quickly.”

Even yesterday, Rita had often voiced her concern for her children without meaning to—as if speaking to herself. Whether they’d eaten, whether they were hurt or sick. Hearing that, Yudit had decided to respond quickly. Thankfully, Khalid had gotten up early and handled the reply.

Yudit opened his mouth.

“To get straight to the point, I’d like to work with you. And of course, I’ll help with the legal side too.”

“R-really?”

Rita asked again with a look of disbelief. Yudit nodded.

“Yes. You’ve already told the publisher you want to terminate the contract, and we’ve confirmed the handwriting is yours. Even if it goes to court, you have a high chance of winning. There’s no need to worry.”

“That’s such a relief… truly a relief…”

Rita let out a sigh of relief, covering her nose and mouth with both hands.

“And you said you’re already planning your fourth work?”

At Yudit’s words, Rita nodded, as if coming back to her senses.

“Yes. All I need to do is write. I can finish it quickly.”

“Hmm, about that. You don’t necessarily have to publish it with our company.”

“…Pardon? Why not?”

“Three books are more than enough. Ah, here—this is a sample contract I drafted. Would you like to take a look?”

Rita accepted the contract, a little dazed, and read it. As she read, her eyes widened in disbelief.

“You’re just giving me… this much money?”

“No, it’s not a gift. It’s payment for the legal expenses concerning the three books.”

“So… am I giving up the copyright?”

“No, of course not. The copyright is yours. If you were a debuting author, I wouldn’t be able to offer this much of an advance, but all three of your books have consistently ranked in the top sales for years. So I can promise this amount.”

“But the other publishers… they didn’t even want to take me…”

Rita looked at the contract in front of her with eyes full of wonder, as if she were dreaming. The advance Yudit offered was more than two years’ living expenses for an average four-person household. It seemed like a lot at a glance, but in noble society, it wasn’t even enough to buy a single dress.

Yudit wanted her to write in a slightly better environment, without having to worry about money.

“For now, just live on this advance and take your time with the next work. If it’s your writing, there’ll be plenty of publishers who’ll want it. And by then, no one will hesitate to sign you.”

The noble lending his name to the previous publisher was Viscount Seckle. He was a close associate of Reginald but not from a particularly powerful family. They said he’d let go with just a little pressure. That assurance was comforting.

“Um… Is it because you don’t like the fourth book?”

Rita asked hesitantly after some thought. Yudit shook his head.

“No. I believe it’ll be just as good as your previous three.”

Among the materials Rita had provided was the fourth book’s outline. Even the proposal alone had an overwhelming strength to it. He had no doubt it would be a great work.

“Then… why won’t you sign it?”

“I just felt like I’d be asking too much in return for what I give. I didn’t want a great work like that to be written under pressure.”

“If there’s nothing wrong with the story… I want to publish it here.”

Rita said firmly, as if making a decision.

“Well, that’s fine with me… but are you sure?”

“Yes, I’m sure. When you said you were worried about me and my kids earlier… that’s when I decided. My previous publisher didn’t treat me well at all. They delayed payments, were slow to respond… In the early days, when I went to collect payment, they’d scold me, asking what I’d do if someone found out I was a woman. I just… I want to work with people who treat me like a person.”

Though shy, Rita made her thoughts clear. Yudit fell briefly into thought, looked slowly around the room, then returned his gaze to her.

“Thank you for trusting me. I’ll do my best to help make it a great book.”

“Thank you…!”

Rita’s face lit up like sunshine had broken through the clouds. Facing her, Yudit spoke.

“Then shall we talk about the next contract?”

After wrapping up things with Rita, Yudit was heading to school after handling his morning work, when he was told a visitor had arrived. Unlike Rita, who came to see Jayna, this one had come specifically to see Yudit. So Yudit canceled the trip to school and headed to the drawing room. There had been a strange tension in the house—and now he knew why.

“It’s been a while, hyung.”

Azil Friedrich Adennauer, his younger brother and the emperor’s most beloved son, was sitting quietly in the parlor of Khalid’s estate.

It felt strange—someone unfamiliar in a familiar place. Maybe that was why Azil seemed oddly unfamiliar. But perhaps that wasn’t the only reason.

“You’ve… grown taller.”

Not just taller—he was bigger overall. He used to come up to Yudit’s chin, and now he nearly reached his nose. They say kids grow up overnight, and maybe that was true. At Yudit’s words, Azil smiled faintly. It was a rather cynical smile, not quite childlike.

“I had to grow fast.”

At those weighty words, Yudit gave a bitter smile.

“Yeah. I suppose you did.”

Yudit poured tea. Azil stared at the tea and sweets placed before him. He clearly wanted to eat them, but held back, as if he’d been strictly trained not to. Watching this, Yudit asked the servant to clear the tea and snacks. Azil’s eyes widened as he looked at Yudit.

“It’s painful having something in front of you that you can’t eat.”

After a moment’s hesitation, Asil asked,

“I brought something of my own. May I have that instead?”

“Of course.”

With Yudit’s permission, Azil brightened and took a cookie from his coat. It was a thick cookie packed with pecans. When he bit into it, crumbs clung to his lips. Yudit debated whether to wipe them off. Sensing this, Azil closed his eyes.

“Please wipe it.”

He seemed to have no doubt that his request would be fulfilled. Yudit picked up a napkin and gently wiped the crumbs from his mouth. His now clean lips curved slightly into a smile.

They continued talking after that. It was surface-level conversation, but enough to get a feel for each other’s personalities.

Azil was polite, but at times arrogant, and surprisingly bright for someone raised in the imperial court. Despite hesitating to eat the snacks, he had no qualms about crossing into others’ space. His conversation jumped from topic to topic, but it was entertaining.

During the exchange, Yudit came to a realization.

Everything about Azil had been carefully shaped to win the emperor’s affection.

His gentle brows, bright eyes, small nose, mischievous smile, neat hair, disarmingly intimate demeanor, teasing words that danced along the line of propriety.

Yudit was certain Azil showed the emperor this same behavior. Or rather, the emperor had trained him to be that way. But what use would such behavior have with Yudit?

As Azil jokingly teased him again, Yudit looked straight at him and asked:

“Azil.”

“Yes, brother?”

“Is there something you want from me?”