TOPWL 113

Just as Yudit had sensed, the nanny began to speak to Huyan, albeit faintly.

“Re… Regin… al… guh…”

Her throat was so swollen she could hardly form proper words, but Yudit understood. She meant Prince Reginald.

The nanny tried to say something more, gasping as if to summon breath—but then, like a crushed insect underfoot, she twitched several times before going still. Her death was so pitiful, she couldn’t even close her eyes properly. No one could bring themselves to speak in the wake of such horror.

Huyan unfastened his cloak and laid it gently over her. Yudit, staring at the cloak that now covered her face as well, suddenly wondered if she might feel suffocated. But then he remembered what a foolish thought that was.

She was already dead.

Yudit blankly looked up at the sky. It was dazzlingly clear, not a single cloud in sight. People can die… even on such beautiful days, it seems. In the distance, Shane was running back with a physician. Upon seeing the cloak-covered body, Shane turned to Huyan. Huyan shook his head silently.

Yudit looked down at the cloak. Khalid gripped both his shoulders and spoke firmly.

“Get a hold of yourself. People are returning.”

Yudit turned his head—and sure enough, the townspeople were coming back, ready for their meals. Just that morning, their happy faces would’ve brought him joy. Now, they only filled him with a deep sense of dissonance. His stomach churned. He covered his mouth to hold back the rising nausea.

“It’s okay to throw up. You’ll feel better,” Khalid said gently.

But Yudit shook his head. The people would soon be eating there. He didn’t want to defile that space. Forcing himself to swallow the bile, he finally spoke, voice strained.

“Shane, I’m sorry, but could you move the nanny to the basement of the village chief’s house? Huyan, Khalid and I must take the stage soon. Guard us.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Shane looked like he had something to say, his brow briefly furrowed, but he nodded.

“Understood.”

He lifted the nanny’s body, cloak and all, and carried her toward the village chief’s house. Khalid gave Yudit a concerned look.

“You don’t have to push yourself. I can handle the speech alone.”

Yudit glanced toward the podium set up in the square and shook his head.

“No. We’ll proceed as planned.”

***

“Um… Sophie.”

Yudit looked up at her with a glimmer of hope. Sophie jumped, startled, then looked sharply at him. Gripping the rag in one hand, she clutched his small forearm with the other—so hard it hurt.

“Who told you my name, Your Highness? Who was it?”

“S-Sophie… that hurts…”

Tears welled in Yudit’s wide eyes from the pain, but Sophie didn’t let up.

“I asked you—who told you?!”

“I… I just heard it. Your friends… they called you Sophie…”

Yudit was confused. Her friends had called her by name so easily, so comfortably, laughing and chatting with her. Sophie had called them by name too. So, he’d just… tried it once himself.

No, that wasn’t quite true. He had hoped for something. Maybe—just maybe—if he called her name, she’d smile at him, like she did with her friends. Maybe she’d look at him with even the tiniest bit of warmth.

And if… if she treated him kindly, just once, he thought he might ask her to call him Yudit instead of Your Highness.

Because there was no one left in the palace who called him that anymore.

As that aching sorrow rose up, Yudit could no longer hold back his tears. Even then, he didn’t cry loudly. It was the kind of crying one buried inside themselves.

“Ugh, stop crying already,” Sophie said, sighing. “Now it just looks like I’m the one who made you cry. You cry at the drop of a hat, and the more you do, the harder it is for me to stay here.”

Startled, Yudit gasped sharply—and then burst into hiccups, coughing violently. He clutched her skirt and pleaded.

“I won’t cry. I won’t ever cry again.”

“But you will, won’t you?”

“No. I won’t.”

“Promise me, then. And what if you break that promise?”

“I’ll do anything. Anything.”

Just the thought of Sophie leaving this palace—a place where no one was left to protect him—made it hard for the young prince to breathe. Savoring that desperation, Sophie suppressed a smile and said:

“Then if you cry again, you’ll give me that.”

“…Huh?”

“That ruby brooch. The one Lady Siena left you.”

“Ah…”

Yudit’s face clouded with confusion. That brooch was one of his most treasured possessions. As a concubine, Siena had at least been able to leave behind a small jewelry box for him. Whenever he woke from nightmares, he would open that box, touch each gem one by one, and eventually fall asleep holding it close. Sophie was asking for that.

“Ah, that one… Can’t I give you something else?”

Yudit hesitated, unable to give her a straight answer. Sophie’s expression turned instantly cold.

“What, did Your Highness lie to me? You said you’d do anything.”

“No—no, it’s not a lie. I’ll give it to you. I’ll give you the brooch.”

“I don’t want the brooch, Your Highness. That’s not why I’m doing this. I’m trying to educate you properly. You understand, don’t you? You’ll have to tell people that later too.”

“…Yeah. I understand. It’s all for my sake.”

Only then did Sophie finally smile, satisfied.

“Oh, and forget my name. You mustn’t say it to anyone.”

“Okay… I understand…”

“If you ever do it again, I might just drop dead one day. Just like Lady Siena. Got it?”

“Yes. I won’t. I promise I won’t. I’m sorry.”

Sophie made him promise again and again. And every time, Yudit nodded obediently. It made him a little happy—this was the first time Sophie had ever spoken to him this much.

Once she’d said everything she wanted, Sophie gave a few exaggerated gestures as if to tuck him into bed and left.

“Hiiik…”

Yudit had dozed off for just a moment, only to wake from a nightmare—his mother burning to death.

“Ugh… ngh…”

Though the air was cold enough to signal winter’s approach, his sheets were drenched in sweat, clinging to his curled-up body. Like a habit, he reached for the jewelry box on his bedside table. Picking up a bundle of jewels, Yudit crawled under the covers and obsessively rubbed the smooth surfaces of the gems. Each time his fingers touched the cold stones, his pounding heart began to slow.

After touching every ornament one by one, he realized—the ruby brooch was missing.

Had Sophie taken it already?

But I haven’t cried yet… Would she give it back if I asked? What if she gets angry?

Yudit hesitated for a long while before hugging a pillow as big as himself and climbing down from the bed. He tiptoed toward the door, drawn by the light shining in from the gap beneath it.

Sophie was awake. She was outside the room, laughing and drinking wine with her friends. Thankfully, she seemed to be in a good mood.

“Hey, keep it down. You’re gonna wake the prince.”

At that, Sophie gave a short laugh as she took another swig from the wine bottle.

“So what if he wakes up? You think he’s gonna scold us?”

“Well, still, it’s a bit pitiful. Lady Siena just passed not long ago. He should at least be allowed to sleep peacefully. Maybe we should go somewhere el—”

“Hey. Watch yourself. You trying to give me orders now? What, the prince is noble and I’m nothing?”

The maid flinched and quickly shook her head.

“No, that’s not what I meant…”

“Whatever. You just ruined my mood. Get out. Don’t bring down the vibe.”

At Sophie’s words, the maid bit her lip and left. As if trying to break the tension, the others laughed loudly, exaggerating their reactions.

“She really can’t read the room.”

“Exactly. It’s been forever since Sophie’s been the one in charge, and she’s still fussing over the prince.”

As Sophie stared at the door the maid had exited through, she spat on the floor.

“She’s out. I’m getting rid of her.”

For a moment, the room went quiet—then everyone rushed to flatter her.

“Good call, Sophie.”

“Honestly, I’ve been fed up with how uptight she is.”

One of the maids placed a hand on Sophie’s shoulder, but she slapped it away.

“Hey. You all need to stop calling me Sophie.”

“…Huh?”

The maid rubbed her reddening hand, flustered.

“You call me that, and the prince tries to call me that too.”

“No way. He really called you Sophie?”

Irritated, Sophie didn’t respond. She simply tossed the wine cork into the fireplace. Thunk. The cork bounced off the logs, then began to catch fire like the rest.

“Yeah. So annoying. Once I’m gone, he’ll go around calling my name, looking for me. And if that ever reaches the higher-ups, I’m done for. There’d be no point in sneaking into the palace under a fake name.”

She grimaced.

“Anyway, I need to get out of here soon. This place isn’t meant to be stayed in long.”

“Then why haven’t you left yet?”

“Why do you think? It’s profitable.”

Another maid giggled, making a circle with her thumb and index finger.

“Ever since Lady Siena died, people have been asking about the prince more and more. Used to be they’d ask in whispers—now they don’t even bother hiding it. It’s done wonders for my coin purse.”

“Still, the prince is pitiful, when you think about it.”

“Pitiful? Please. There are kids out there who starve to death within a year of being orphaned. If he’s made it this far with three meals a day, he’s lived long enough.”

“Ugh, whatever. Let’s drink. Bring more wine!”

As more wine arrived, the mood became loud and rowdy again. Yudit, peeking from the shadows, stared blankly at the ruby brooch pinned to Sophie’s chest.

Then, like fleeing something monstrous, he turned and hurried back to bed.