TOPWL 132

Yasin looked up at Yudit and spoke.

“When I heard my husband had died, I couldn’t believe it. But when I saw the body… strangely, I felt—r-relieved. I wanted to jump up and down, to run. And when I found out he tried to kill Your Highness…”

Yasin’s body tensed. His eyes blazed with fury.

“I felt like… I should’ve been the one to kill him. I should’ve done it myself. Because I didn’t, Your Highness…”

“Yasin, that’s not true. I’m sorry to say it, but there was nothing you could have done. Just following me that day—you already did what you could.”

“You really did, Yasin. You did your best.”

Selena took Yasin’s hand and gave it a gentle pat.

“Once violence starts tainting someone, whether victim or perpetrator, it’s hard to escape. Just the fact that you got out—it means you were lucky. You couldn’t have done more than that.”

Selena spoke with conviction. Tears streamed endlessly from Yasin’s clear eyes. But he didn’t sob—not even once. Perhaps he thought he didn’t deserve to.

***

Yudit awoke at dawn. He hadn’t gone to sleep until past three, and yet sleep no longer came.

Out of habit, he began practicing how to suppress his pheromones. His progress had been astonishing—enough to surprise the physician—but it still wasn’t perfect. Especially when his mind was disturbed, the pheromones would break free again. Yudit opened his eyes with a bitter look.

He walked to the window and gazed at the sky, slowly lightening with the approach of dawn. Today was the day the ship carrying the people from the slums would depart.

Just then, someone knocked softly at the door. Twice. Then three times.

Yudit opened it. The cool dawn breeze swept in, and with it came Selena and Yasin. Yasin still looked pale, but he seemed slightly better than the day before—perhaps because he had finally let out his emotions.

“Your Highness, we got it.”

“Truly?”

“Yes. Look.”

Selena beamed as she pulled a pouch from her pocket. Yudit peeked inside the weighty pouch and smiled brightly.

“Thank you, Selena.”

“Think nothing of it. Let’s go. Before someone catches us.”

“…And who exactly would be catching you, Lady Selena Craven?”

A voice from behind froze all three of them—Selena, Yudit, and Yasin. They turned around to find Khalid leaning against the wall, arms crossed.

“G-Greetings, Duke.”

“Greetings, Your Grace…”

“I rather wish you hadn’t seen me at all.”

Khalid’s voice was laced with sarcasm. Yudit instantly realized—he knew what they were up to.

“So that’s why you insisted on sleeping alone.”

He pointed straight at Yudit. Yudit lowered his head and spoke quietly.

“I know you said no because you were worried about me. But… I couldn’t let them leave without saying goodbye.”

He had known these people for more than ten years—whether he liked them or not. He couldn’t let them go without so much as a glance.

Khalid sighed and turned to Yasin.

“Could you give us a moment?”

“Y-Yes, of course…”

Still unsure what was happening, Yasin backed away to a respectful distance.

Once the space was cleared, Khalid released his pheromones. Yudit was struck head-on by the Alpha pheromones. It wasn’t as oppressive as what he’d suffered under Reginald or Hiore—but it was powerful enough to wipe every thought from his mind.

“Ugh… ngh…”

“Your Highness?”

Selena, a Beta, looked around in confusion, clearly not understanding what was happening.

“I’m… fine…”

“Seems you’ve got plenty of energy. No need to be gentle, then.”

As if everything until now had been a game, Khalid immediately let out a concentrated burst of his pheromones. The pheromones Yudit had so carefully suppressed surged to the surface, reacting to the Alpha’s overwhelming presence.

Yudit clutched his chest, struggling desperately to hold them back. His whole body trembled, from his legs to his fingertips. In the end, he fell to his knees in front of Khalid, gasping for breath—his pheromones bursting forth in all directions.

He tried to suppress them again, but once released, they wouldn’t go back in so easily. Staring in dismay at the aura swirling around him, Yudit looked devastated.

“…No good.”

Khalid sighed and withdrew his pheromones. The air, thick with heat and humidity like a glass greenhouse, snapped back to normal in an instant.

Looking down at the panting Yudit, Khalid closed his eyes tightly and ran a hand through his hair in frustration.

“Here. Take this.”

He helped Yudit up and offered him a small yellow tablet, shaped like a candy.

“What is it?”

“A suppressant. Temporarily nullifies your pheromones. If you take it now, it’ll start working in thirty minutes.”

Yudit stared at him, clearly frustrated.

“If you had this all along, you could’ve given it to me sooner.”

“It’s not good for you. Especially when your pheromones aren’t stabilized yet.”

“…”

“It doesn’t erase them—it just delays them. After that, a pheromone storm might follow. You could get a fever or go into heat. You’ve got an important week ahead of you, so think carefully before you take it.”

At Khalid’s warning, Yudit quietly stared at the pill in his hand. The hesitation didn’t last long. He tossed it into his mouth and swallowed it. Khalid sighed.

***

Morning at the harbor began early. The fishermen had already returned from their work at sea, and even the seagulls were resting along the waves.

Six ships were moored there. Five belonged to House Crowe, and the other to House Meyer. The sailors from House Crowe stood in uniform for the send-off ceremony, while the people from the slums wore their everyday clothes. With such short notice, it was only natural that they hadn’t had time to coordinate their attire.

Festive cannon shots rang out, and flower petals swirled in the wind. People poured wine into the sea, praying for a safe return. Yudit, instead of doing the same, stepped onto one of the ships. He saw familiar faces among the strangers.

Seeing even the elderly and small children aboard darkened Yudit’s expression. It was fortunate they’d be headed to the island a week later. Without Khalid, all of them would’ve been dumped into the sea. A fresh wave of fury surged within him—at Reginald.

As Yudit stepped inside the cabin, Eden and Diego approached him. Eden looked rather deflated—he’d apparently taken quite a beating from the slum folk. Yudit couldn’t help but feel a twinge of pity, even if he thought Eden had it coming.

“Eden, Diego.”

Yudit rushed forward and pulled them into an embrace. Eden let out a choked grunt.

Startled, Yudit quickly pulled away, and Eden gave him an awkward smile.

“My ribs are busted… maybe hug me a bit softer next time.”

“Unless you want the other side of your ribs to go too, shut your mouth.”

Diego’s sharp warning made Eden instantly clam up. Diego turned to Yudit and spoke. Yudit bit his lip, unsure how to respond, but Diego said curtly,

“We’re not going because of you. We’re going for citizenship.”

He gently took Yudit’s arm.

“So don’t look so sad for someone like me. Just step over people like me and keep walking forward.”

Selena approached after handing out the contents of the pouch to the passengers.

“The last one… would you give it to him yourself?”

Yudit reached into the pouch and took out the final item—a commemorative coin minted three years ago. Rumor had it that keeping one brought luck and safety. He’d made sure everyone got one, and after kissing the last coin, he handed it to Diego.

“May luck and safety guide your voyage.”

Diego accepted the coin and clutched it tightly.

“Could you kiss mine too?”

Eden chimed in suddenly. It wasn’t difficult, so Yudit kissed a coin and handed it to him. Eden grinned—then winced, rubbing his bruised cheek.

“Thanks.”

“M-Me too…”

A familiar face held out a coin. Others began timidly approaching as well. It seemed that receiving a blessing from someone who had survived death held some meaning for them.

Yudit kissed the coins of everyone who came forward. The metallic taste lingered on his lips, but as long as they wanted it, he wanted to do it for all of them. When the last kiss was given, it was time to depart. A conch horn echoed through the harbor. The passengers exchanged tense glances.

“You are the first true friends of my life.”

They had been his parents, his family, and his friends. Now Yudit had to send them out into the vast, uncertain sea. He hesitated before speaking.

“Don’t get hurt. Use my name without shame. Even if you must cast aside honor—come back to me.”

He meant it with all his heart. If they just returned alive, Yudit would ask for nothing more.

“That is all I wish for.”