TOPWL 137

“Ugh, ah…”

Yudit moaned softly under Khalid. His relaxed inner walls alternated between expansion and contraction, constantly stimulating Khalid. The agonizing sensation of being pierced through the abdomen faded away, leaving only extreme pleasure. As his climax approached, Khalid’s member gradually swelled. Yudit tightened his grip on the bathtub.

“Ah, huff, ahhhhhh…!”

The sound of splashing water was heard, and a warm liquid was splattered onto his back. It was Khalid who had spurted semen on Yudit’s back. Khalid let out a long breath as he recalled his earlier thoughts. He was definitely trying to knot inside Yudit. If he hadn’t regained his senses at the last moment, he would have really done it. Cold sweat trickled down his back. Is this what a heat cycle is like? He thought he had strong self-control, but instincts are not to be underestimated. Only after cumming twice did Khalid regain his senses, thoroughly washed Yudit again, and left the bath.

Yudit’s whole body was flushed red from being in the warm water for too long. Khalid felt a twinge of guilt as he looked at Yudit’s rosy cheeks. Exhausted from their two rounds, Yudit fell asleep almost as soon as he lay down on the bed. Khalid sat by the bedside and tidied Yudit’s hair. When he placed his hand on his forehead, he felt a slight fever, likely from the heat. Yudit smacked his lips, as if he liked the coolness of his hand. Khalid smiled and kissed Yudit’s forehead.

***

“Shall we sleep now?”

“Just a little longer.”

Khalid clicked his tongue as he watched Yudit, who hadn’t budged from the desk in hours. He walked over and placed a hand on Yudit’s shoulder.

“How long are you planning to keep this up?”

“If I don’t at least do this… I don’t think I can bear it.”

Yudit spoke in a despondent voice. The fever from his first heat cycle had lasted longer than expected. It wasn’t until two full days later that Yudit came back to his senses. When he saw the date, he let out the loudest scream of his life.

In the meantime, Khalid had won the swordsmanship tournament. Yudit hadn’t even witnessed it. As for the village’s administration, Selena and the others had helped out.

But Yudit couldn’t forgive himself for having neglected the contest because he was blinded by lust. Even if it had been a heat cycle, he still couldn’t believe he had let the golden opportunity of the tournament slip away.

Still, what was done was done. From that point on, Yudit worked tirelessly, from dawn until late into the night. He needed to check how the new personnel replacing the ones from the slums were working, and he also had to get caught up on how things had gone in his absence. Perhaps it was the desperation that helped—Yudit learned how to control his pheromones in just half a day.

Thankfully, things weren’t as bad as he had feared. The structure was still intact; only the manpower had changed. Though there had been a brief period of confusion due to the sudden loss of personnel, things had already settled down. The village residents hadn’t been taken, so there were many people left to teach the newcomers.

That said, there was still plenty to be done. Fixing the patchwork systems that had been haphazardly managed took quite a bit of time.

The tournament had ended in anticlimax, but the village remained bustling with people. Contestants from the tournament had flocked to the village, thanks to the direbears. There weren’t many beasts as lucrative as a direbear, but the mountains were still full of monsters. The usual route for visitors to District 3 of Bern was to join a subjugation party, hunt monsters, craft gear from the materials, and sell the rest for living expenses and travel costs.

Several days passed in this fashion, and the tournament concluded. Reginald placed first, Yudit second, Azil third, and Hiore forfeited. Unlike fourth place, a forfeit meant Hiore didn’t even get base points, making his future chances at the throne exceedingly slim.

Having placed first in the previous contest and second in this one, Yudit was now a strong contender for the crown. With Reginald in first and Azil in third, it seemed they still intended to keep Azil safely out of the spotlight. Yudit had a feeling the assassination attempt had influenced the rankings in some way.

In addition to his second-place, Yudit received another unexpected reward—a pardon. Hiore had tried to kill him and walked away with only a single forfeit. So Khalid had argued that Yudit deserved a corresponding reward. The emperor had agreed and granted him a pardon.

The next contest was scheduled to be announced in a week. Though Khalid already knew what the third event would be, they didn’t know which fief would be assigned, so they remained in District 3 of Bern.

So now, what Yudit was preparing was a plan for how the village would operate in his absence. Khalid didn’t think it was necessary to go this far for a contest that was already over, but he understood that for Yudit, this was his way of atoning.

Still, everything had its limits. After waiting until 3 a.m., Khalid finally lost his patience and scooped Yudit up without warning. The pen slipped from Yudit’s hand and rolled across the desk.

Khalid hoisted him up as if uprooting a radish, carried him to the bed, and embraced him tightly from behind.

“K-Khalid?”

“Sleep now. You’ll be getting up at dawn again anyway.”

“I’m almost done…”

“Perfect. Finish it tomorrow.”

“But I have to go to the palace tomorrow.”

“Yudit.”

Khalid called his name in a low voice. Yudit looked up at him, slightly tense. Khalid ruffled Yudit’s hair like a bird’s nest.

“It’s already 3 a.m. You need at least some sleep. You’ve still got time. And you need to consider me too—someone who can’t help but worry about you.”

“…Alright.”

Yudit answered in a small voice. He couldn’t say Khalid didn’t have a point. Now that he lay on the bed, the fatigue he hadn’t felt while focused suddenly hit him all at once.

As he lay with Khalid’s arm as his pillow, Khalid stroked his hair. The touch was so soft and slow that it made him drowsier. In the end, Yudit couldn’t resist and fell asleep. Even after he did, Khalid continued to gently run his fingers through his hair for a long time.

***

“All done…”

Yudit muttered to himself as he stood by the desk. His voice couldn’t hide his joy. After days of work, the village management plan was finally complete. He wanted to share it with others right away, but first, he had to go to the palace.

As soon as he dressed and stepped outside, Shane and Huyan fell into step behind him.

“Heading out now?”

“Yeah. Time to get going.”

“Shall we have lunch prepared?”

“No need for me. I’ve got a lunch meeting.”

Today, Yudit was having lunch with Isiah. With Princess Lilia—who had connected the two of them—now dead, he had wondered if their bond would fade. Fortunately, Isiah had responded to his message. Though they couldn’t meet often for fear of being noticed, they had exchanged letters consistently.

With the third contest likely to take him away from the capital, Yudit had set up the lunch to check in on her while he still could.

“In that case, we’re ready to depart.”

The three of them climbed into the waiting carriage and headed for the imperial palace. As befitted the height of spring, a sweet floral scent drifted in through the slightly opened window.

Seated inside, Yudit glanced back at the two behind him. Would they really be alright being here? Some people couldn’t even stay sane when reminded of a traumatic event. Yudit worried they might be forcing themselves for his sake.

“Is something the matter?”

Shane, noticing Yudit’s gaze, asked him. Yudit gave a sheepish smile.

“I was just wondering if you two are really okay.”

“It’s been a while since we recovered. And we weren’t badly hurt to begin with.”

“Huyan? Are you alright too?”

“…Yes. I’m fine as well.”

Hearing their clear answers, Yudit let out a relieved sigh.

“Thank goodness.”

Maybe it was the relief, or maybe the warm spring air, but he soon began to nod off. Seeing his drooping head, Huyan offered his shoulder. Yudit, having found a slightly stiff but decent pillow, quickly drifted off.

***

“…Your Highness. Prince Yudit.”

Yudit woke to someone calling his name. He thought it had only been a short nap, but they had already arrived at the palace.

He took Shane’s hand and stepped out of the carriage. Though he had lived here for over ten years, the palace still made it hard to breathe. He couldn’t help but worry—was Isiah alright, living in such a place?

Led by a lady-in-waiting, Yudit headed to the dining hall. There, seated in a chair like a woman preserved in time, was a stunning beauty who looked straight at him.

Yudit gave a proper greeting.

“It’s been a while, Lady Isiah.”