TOPWL 117

“Haha, Yuli. I heard you’ve been learning self-defense lately—you’ve gotten a lot quicker. But, uh… I’ve got something urgent to take care of, so I think I’ll be going now…”

“You wouldn’t be able to go anywhere if you were still locked up, would you?”

“True. But you’re the one who let me out.”

Eden’s eyes darted about as he schemed a way to escape. Yudit furrowed his brow and stepped closer to him.

“You’re not seriously thinking of running after starting all this, are you? You do realize I could talk for three days and nights straight about the crimes you’ve committed, and it still wouldn’t be enough?”

“Of course I do! Yuli, I know I was wrong—a hundred times over!”

And then, suddenly, Eden grabbed Yudit’s face.

“But I really have to go right now! I’ll listen to the scolding later!”

With that, he planted a loud kiss on Yudit’s cheek. The unexpected kiss left Yudit stunned for just a moment—just long enough for Eden to slip from his grasp, throw open the carriage door, and bolt outside. Yudit quickly shot up, realizing what had just happened, but Eden was already far off, darting away with that signature, light-footed stride of his.

“Eden! Get back here right now!”

“Nooo, I’m scared!”

“Then why do you keep doing things that make you scared?!”

“I’ll come find you when you’ve calmed down! Love you!”

Eden blew him a kiss as he vanished in a flash.

“Get back here this instant—!”

Just as Yudit was about to chase after him and leap from the carriage, he bumped nose-first into someone’s chest. Clutching his aching nose, he looked up to see Khalid, who wore an uncharacteristically sour expression. It was a look Yudit had never seen on him before. As he wondered what was behind that expression, the memory of Eden kissing him came flooding back.

“You’re quite the popular one.”

“That’s a misunderstanding.”

“Do you often kiss others like that too?”

“I said it’s a misunderstanding!”

“That’s rather upsetting.”

Khalid’s shoulders slumped as he said it. Caught off guard by this unfamiliar side of Khalid, Yudit didn’t even know how to react. Just then, someone hesitantly approached them.

For a second, Yudit thought Eden had come back out of guilt, but when he turned, it was Hess—looking a little nervous. As both Yudit and Khalid turned to her, Hess gave a respectful bow.

“Hello, Your Highness. Hello, Your Grace.”

“Hess? What is it?”

“I… I have something I wanted to say…”

Even after spending so much time with Yudit, Hess still found him intimidating—especially when Khalid was beside him. Still, she had mustered up the courage to speak, so it couldn’t be something trivial.

“Go ahead.”

Hess hesitated for a long moment before finally speaking up.

“You said it was dangerous, Your Highness… but we didn’t head to the capital without thinking. Lord Eden warned us several times that it could get dangerous.”

“…”

“But if you say we shouldn’t act because it’s dangerous… then who’s going to protect you, Your Highness?”

She looked up at Yudit, her eyes filled with concern. Her gaze pierced straight through him, touching something soft and vulnerable inside. Yudit didn’t respond right away, so Hess pressed on, drawing more courage from within.

“O-our lives have changed so much. The inn that barely had ten guests a week is now full every day. The streets smell like real food now. And Kennan… he can go to school now. All of that changed because of you, Your Highness.”

“I didn’t do it alone.”

Hess smiled gently at Yudit.

“And that’s exactly why we follow you—because you say things like that.”

“…”

“Even a beast will follow the one who shows it kindness. So how could we stand by while people insulted you?”

Yudit hesitated for a moment before speaking.

“It’s not that I’m not grateful you stood up for me. I just mean… you shouldn’t go to such lengths.”

“But you go to such lengths for us, Your Highness.”

“No, I…”

Yudit started to protest, but the pure, unwavering light in Hess’s eyes made his conscience sting. Blaming it all on the competition felt wrong now.

“Whatever the reason, Your Highness is our hero. But… even heroes need allies too, don’t they?”

Yudit fell silent. Truthfully, her words made him happy. It warmed something deep inside to know they cared so deeply. But at the same time, he was afraid—afraid someone would get hurt because of him. The thought of losing someone precious because of his own actions was unbearable.

After a moment of thought, he spoke honestly.

“You’re right.”

At Yudit’s agreement, Hess beamed with joy.

“But I do think you need to better understand just how dangerous what you did was.”

Hess’s expression darkened immediately. She must have sensed a lecture coming.

“I-I just remembered how much work piled up at the inn… I should really get going!”

She began edging away. Yudit could tell she was trying to escape, but he let her go—after all, they’d see each other again at the inn soon enough.

“Alright, I understand.”

“Okay, then I’ll be off now…!”

The moment she got permission, Hess dashed away at top speed—but just before she disappeared from view, she turned around and called out to Yudit, cupping her hands around her mouth.

“If Your Highness is free this evening, please come eat at the inn! I’ll make something delicious!”

When Yudit gave a small nod, Hess’s steps grew lighter as she disappeared over the hill. Khalid, who had been listening in on their exchange with amusement, smiled and said,

“You’ve certainly bewitched them all.”

“It’s not like that…”

Flustered by Khalid’s praise, Yudit averted his gaze. Khalid slipped an arm around his shoulders and kissed his temple.

“Even if it’s embarrassing, you’ll have to get used to it. With your personality, things like this will keep happening.”

“…Alright.”

Khalid looked at him for a moment, then leaned in and began kissing Yudit’s left cheek over and over. With every peck, Yudit’s cheek squished under the attention. Only after more than ten kisses did Khalid finally stop. Yudit, cheeks now flushed red, looked up at him with a puzzled expression.

“If someone hurts your friends, you’d be sad.”

“…Ah.”

Only then did Yudit realize that Khalid had kissed the very spot Eden had teasingly kissed earlier.

“You were going to punish him just for a kiss on the cheek?”

“I’d be upset even if someone kissed your hand.”

Yudit gave Khalid an incredulous look. Khalid pulled him close and began walking.

“I didn’t expect… people to stand up for me so fiercely.”

“Why not? It’s only natural.”

“It’s just… for a long time, I didn’t have anyone I could truly call ‘ally.’ So… honestly, I was kind of happy.”

On the day the nanny had come to the inn and scolded him, it wasn’t her words that hurt the most—it was the people’s gazes. Maybe that was why the ones who ended up in the holding cells for defending him felt both pitiful and precious in Yudit’s eyes.

“I want to do my best, all the way to the end—so I can live up to the trust they’ve placed in me. Even after the contest is over, I want to make sure they can stand on their own.”

Khalid’s lips curved into a smile at the bright light shining in Yudit’s eyes.

“Then go as far as you want to go.”

“Will you come with me?”

Yudit looked up at him and asked. Khalid nodded without hesitation.

“If you want me to, I’ll go anywhere.”

Only then did Yudit finally smile, reassured. The two of them began walking toward the village. The warm spring sunlight had crept up without them noticing and now shone gently down on their heads.

***

Time flowed like a river. Every day was busy beyond belief. Yudit’s greatest enemy during that time wasn’t Reginald or Hiore—it was the people constantly trying to feed him and make him rest more. All because he had collapsed once during his rounds through the village.

As a result, Yudit, who needed every extra minute of sleep, was forced to turn out the lights and go to bed at midnight sharp. No matter how many times he insisted he wouldn’t collapse again, it didn’t matter. Eventually, he had to give up trying to cut down on sleep.

Instead, he learned how to delegate. Unsurprisingly, Khalid was the greatest help—but Selena proved to be just as invaluable. Under capable hands, the village steadily improved, and though not perfect, it was ready to host the fencing tournament in its most ideal form yet.

As soon as he woke up, Yudit stepped out of the inn with a list of tasks to review.

“Your Highness, have some juice while you work!”

Selena came up and held a glass to his lips. The sweet taste of cherry and the tang of grapefruit spread through his mouth, washing away a bit of his exhaustion. After draining it in one go, Yudit spoke.

“Thank you.”

“You stayed up late again, didn’t you? Don’t push yourself too hard. If you collapse again, it’ll be serious.”

Selena looked at the dark shadows under his eyes with concern. Yudit rubbed his eyelids and nodded.

“I’ll be careful.”

“Well, I can’t say I don’t understand. A little effort makes such a big difference in the village…”

Selena glanced around at the now-lively scenery. The village had changed dramatically over the past few months. The market, which used to carry only basic necessities, now overflowed with fruit, vegetables, and trinkets. Around the corner was the blacksmiths’ area. Though they had a separate workshop, this part of the market focused on selling and repairing armor and weapons. And just past that, there was one rather peculiar shop.