TOPWL 131

Yudit’s cheeks flushed red at Khalid’s words.

“And it’s also a matter of decorum. Until you’ve properly stabilized it, don’t even think about going outside.”

“…Alright.”

Among both Alphas and Omegas, regardless of social rank, letting one’s pheromones leak unchecked was considered extremely crude behavior. For Omegas, it was also a dangerous one. An Alpha could lose control and attack. Alphas, too, were expected to restrain themselves—it was common decency, since their pheromones could pressure or overwhelm others.

Yudit wasn’t ignorant of that, and so he nodded obediently. At that moment, someone knocked on the door.

“Come in.”

The butler entered, bowed to Yudit and Khalid, and delivered his message.

“Preparations for departure are complete.”

At the butler’s words, Yudit’s expression turned puzzled.

“Khalid, are you going somewhere?”

“…Ah. Not me.”

Khalid looked somewhat uncomfortable. Yudit had a gut feeling—this was someone connected to him.

“Who’s leaving?”

***

Yudit hadn’t bitten his nails in a long time. But now, anxiety gnawed at him too deeply to resist. He was restless, agitated.

The people from the slums were leaving. And it was because of him—not anyone else. A protest in front of the Imperial Press? He’d known it was risky, something easily used against them, but he hadn’t expected them to respond so viciously. Yudit bit down on his lip.

Khalid had done everything he could. He gave them ships, provisions, personnel—even an island. While Yudit had been unconscious, he’d gone so far as to get imperial approval to change the vessels. But no matter how sturdy a ship, it could still sink. Especially one carrying passengers who’d never worked on the sea a day in their lives.

His mouth tasted bitter. The departure was tomorrow, yet there was nothing he could do. Without learning how to properly contain his pheromones, he wouldn’t be able to leave tomorrow—or the day after.

That meant he had to do what he could do now.

Yudit closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and began drawing the pheromones scattered outside his body back in. With each breath, the pheromones that had spread in radial patterns slowly began to retract. But pheromones that had only just started emerging after decades of dormancy didn’t go back in so easily.

Please… go in. Just go in.

Yudit silently pleaded. It was like trying to force jiggling jelly into a tiny box—smooth out one side, and another would pop out. He coaxed, pushed, and soothed the pheromones inward—but just as he was making progress…

Knock knock.

“…Ah.”

Even the faintest external stimulus made them scatter in all directions again. Yudit covered his face with his hands.

“Your Highness, your friends have arrived. Lady Selena Craven and Lord Yasin.”

Yudit paused to recall their designations. Selena was a Beta, and Yasin an Omega. Would it be alright? Could he let Yasin in?

After a moment’s thought, Yudit spoke.

“Let them in.”

The door opened, and soon Selena and Yasin entered the room.

“Your Highness, are you alright?”

“Selena…”

She looked thinner than before. Yudit gazed at her with concern.

“You’ve lost weight… I’m sorry I put you through all this.”

“Please don’t say that. The only hardship I endured was not being able to see you.”

Selena spoke with sincere affection. Yudit smiled gently, grateful and fond of her. Then he turned to Yasin, who stood quietly at the far end of the room.

“I’m sorry, Yasin. I’m not well right now… I can’t control my pheromones.”

Yasin looked at Yudit in silence. He too had grown thin—so much so that if it weren’t for the dark tone of his skin and the teardrop mark beneath his eye, Yudit might not have recognized him.

Slowly, Yasin knelt to the floor.

“Your Highness… I am truly sorry.”

His voice trembled, boiling up from deep within. Selena glanced at him with pity.

“It’s my fault… My husband dared to harm Your Highness. A sin I’ll never atone for, even in death.”

“Get up, Yasin. This isn’t your fault.”

But Yasin did not rise. Instead, he lowered his forehead to the floor and remained motionless.

The man who had attempted to assassinate Yudit had been Yasin’s husband. Yudit had already heard the full story from Khalid. The man had hired mercenaries to stage a carriage accident—and not only that, he’d attempted to kill Yudit directly with arrows. But his plan had failed. In the end, consumed by despair, the man had taken his own life.

…That was what people believed. But the truth was different.

It wasn’t suicide. It had been murder, carefully staged to look like suicide.

It was true that Yasin’s husband had tried to kill Yudit—but he hadn’t been acting alone. The real mastermind was Reginald. Yudit knew this as well. He didn’t feel much remorse for the man who had chosen to kill him. But Yasin was a different matter. Yudit didn’t want this incident to drive a wedge between them.

“Yasin, raise your head.”

At Yudit’s command, Yasin looked up. His eyes were sunken, ringed with dark shadows.

“You know it too, don’t you? There was someone behind all of this. That’s why you have no reason to blame yourself.”

“No. My husband… still took part in the attempt to kill Your Highness.”

Yasin pulled a journal from his robes and held it out to Yudit.

“It’s my husband’s diary. His plans are written inside.”

Yudit opened the book. The entries stopped midway through. When he reached the final page, his expression hardened.

[Whether I succeed or fail, I’ll end up dead. But it doesn’t matter. Without you, living isn’t living. I’d rather die. I love you. I love you so much I want to crush you in my arms until your bones and flesh burst out. Whether I kill the prince or not, there will be no place left for you to go—not in my arms, and not in his.

You damn bastard. You betray me, even after I dragged you out of the desert? May you wander masterless for the rest of your life and die like the dog you are.

…Even so, I loved you. That part wasn’t a lie.

Now I go to kill the prince. If I succeed, maybe I’ll at least get to see you cry…

Even if I fail… will you cry for me? ]

This wasn’t a diary. It was a letter—meant to reach Yasin after his death.

Yudit skimmed the earlier pages. They were filled with resentment toward Yudit and a twisted obsession with Yasin. The pages dripped with unstable, desperate emotions. Even more shocking—there were detailed accounts of a proposal from Prince Hiore to commit the crime. Yudit’s face paled as he read.

“Where did you get this…?”

“I—I received it in a parcel the day after you were attacked. I think… he had someone send it to me before the incident.”

Yasin spoke with a pale face. Yudit flipped through the entries again, his expression darkening further. The diary also contained explicit descriptions of Yasin being sexually abused by his husband. The language was graphic, revolting. Yudit’s brow furrowed deeply.

“Yasin… did you know what was written in here?”

“…I did. But I didn’t tear it up or damage it, because… I thought it might lose its value as evidence.”

Yasin looked him straight in the eye.

“I—I’m okay. You can submit it as evidence if you want to.”

“If this diary is made public, Yasin, you’ll be the one targeted.”

“I—I don’t care. Even if I get hurt… even if I die, it’s alright.”

His voice began to tremble as his emotions rose. Yudit looked at Yasin with deep sympathy.

There was no doubt this journal was valuable evidence. If Khalid had it, he’d be able to steer the case favorably. But Yasin was a victim. And more than that, he was a friend. Yudit didn’t want him to face hostility—not even from those on his own side.

He appreciated that Yasin had brought this to him. But he couldn’t use it.

“Thank you, Yasin. But I won’t use it.”

Yudit returned the diary to him. Yasin’s face went even paler.

“Wh-why…?”

“I just… don’t want to.”

Yudit drew Yasin into a hug. His thin, fragile body stiffened in his arms.

“To be honest, I’m glad your husband is dead. I’m glad he can’t hit you anymore, that he can’t hurt you again. I know that might sound heartless, but…”

“I—it doesn’t.”