TOPWL 143

“May I sit here?”

Their eyes widened in unison as they looked up at him.

“P-please, have a seat.”

Pavron quickly made room beside him. Yudit set down his tray and took the seat.

“Thank you.”

They had at least been talking a little earlier, but the moment Yudit sat down, the table fell into an awkward silence. Unable to bear it, Yudit spoke up first.

“Has the journey been difficult?”

At his question, the three exchanged glances, clearly trying to figure out who should answer. In the end, it was Pavron who opened his mouth again.

“It’s been fine. Not the slightest bit uncomfortable.”

“Truly nothing uncomfortable?”

“Well, there’s this behavior, uh—no, no, nothing at all!”

A dull thud sounded from under the table—someone had kicked Pavron’s shin. His eyes widened, and he quickly shook his head.

“I’m glad to hear it. Have any of you ever been to the North before?”

“N-no, never.”

“Me neither.”

“I’m from the North.”

It was the woman, Yvonne, who raised her hand. Pavron turned to her, dumbfounded.

“You—you never told me that!”

“Would it have made any difference if I had?”

“I could’ve stolen an extra blanket or two!”

“Being from the North doesn’t mean I can survive without blankets. Besides, I left when I was eighteen. I’ve lived in the capital for ten years now.”

Yvonne stared at Pavron with a look of disdain. Pavron shrank back like a mouse cornered by a cat.

“So you’re originally from the North. Don’t you want to see your hometown again?”

“No, not at all.”

Yvonne answered firmly. Yudit looked at her—pale skin, a thin frame, hunched shoulders, and eyes that burned with a cold, blue intensity. While the other three had asked for food the moment they were let out of the tower, Yvonne had asked for bathwater. She had bathed for three hours. What had she been thinking during that time? Yudit found himself wondering.

“I see. Well, if you change your mind, let me know. Is there anything else you’re curious about?”

After a moment of hesitation, Yvonne asked,

“What exactly will we be doing there?”

“You don’t have to do anything. Or you can do anything you like.”

The three of them looked puzzled at his answer.

“You’ll be staying at the Duke’s estate. You can rest in your rooms, write, eat—whatever you want to do.”

“We thought… you brought us because you had something you wanted from us, Your Highness.”

“Me?”

Yudit looked confused. Yvonne and Hans both turned to glare at Pavron.

“You told us if we didn’t come, we’d be thrown back into the tower!”

“I-I never said it like that…”

Pavron wilted. Yudit remembered that he had only spoken to Pavron and told him to explain to the others. No wonder Yvonne looked ready to explode, her pale face flushed with anger.

“The winters in the North chill your bones! Argh, I should just wring that idiot’s neck!”

“B-but…!”

Pavron turned pleading eyes to Yudit, silently asking for rescue. Yudit gave a small, awkward cough.

“Well… it’s not that I don’t need your help.”

“No need to cover for that fool, Your Highness.”

“No, truly. I’m thinking of establishing a school. If you could help teach for an hour or two, that would be more than enough.”

“A… school?”

Pavron’s eyes sparkled.

“There are schools, of course, but in the North, they say teachers are lacking. So I thought while I’m there, I might try offering some supplemental education. After all, education is both the reason a nation exists and the key to its survival.”

At those words, the three of them fell quiet. What Yudit had just said was something Alderich used to say all the time. He had taught children, saying it was the country’s responsibility—but since the state wouldn’t do it, he would. For a moment, all of them recalled him.

“And what makes you think I have anything to teach?”

Yvonne said. Among Aldrich’s s students, she was one of the most well-known for her radical republican views. Hans, who had been listening quietly, was the same. Both of them stood ideologically opposed to Yudit, who was aiming for the throne. But Yudit simply smiled.

“Teach whatever you wish.”

“Are you serious?”

“Though… it would be good if you also taught them how to think for themselves.”

“And if those kids grow up and start a revolution, what then?”

Hans, who had been silent until now, finally spoke. His dark-rimmed eyes and sunken cheeks gave him a gloomy air. Yudit looked at him calmly, then answered with a smile.

“Then it would be a most joyous thing.”

The three of them stared at Yudit with puzzled expressions. Just then, several books came tumbling down onto their table with a thud.

“Ah! I’m sorry!”

Selena quickly gathered the fallen books, but it was too late—everyone had already seen the titles. A Contract Marriage with the Duke, The Prince’s Redemption Diary, Strawberry Field Romance, The Sun Does Not Embrace the Moon. All novels by the writer Bonin. It was only then Yudit remembered she was going to lend him some books.

“Are those the books you were going to lend me?”

“Uh… yes. That’s right.”

Selena lowered her head, blushing. She must’ve intended to lend them to him secretly, since they were romance novels. Yudit accepted the books from her.

“Thank you. I’ll enjoy them.”

“Y-Your Highness… I didn’t think you read novels like these.”

Pavron commented as he skimmed over the titles.

“They’re fun.”

“They are entertaining, but they lack… depth.”

“Oh? So you’ve read them?”

“No, romance novels are for children…”

Pavron trailed off, realizing what he had just said. His face turned pale. Yudit smiled gently.

“It’s not good to judge without even reading.”

He leaned toward Selena and whispered something. She nodded, seemingly unbothered.

“Would you like to borrow one and give it a try?”

“N-no, thank you. I’m sorry.”

“May I borrow one?”

Yvonne raised her hand.

“Of course. Which one would you like?”

“One Your Highness has already read.”

“I’ve read almost all of them… Then take this one. It’s my favorite.”

Yvonne carefully took the book and ran her fingers over the cover with a conflicted expression.

“Thank you.”

***

“What are you looking at?”

Seeing Yudit reading a book by candlelight, Khalid asked. Yudit smiled and showed the cover of the book.

“<Strawberry Field Romance>? The title is quite cute.”

“Selena lent it to me. I read it a while ago, but it was fun to read again after a long time.”

“It’s a book by author Bonin.”

“Do you know this author?”

Khalid, who was skimming through other books, nodded.

“My publishing company has published this author’s book before.”

“Khalid, do you also have a publishing company?”

“The North is a place that needs books more than anywhere else. When the snow piles up, you have to stay home and read books. I started this business quite young, and thanks to that, I was able to publish and read all the books I wanted.”

“Then, is this author also from the North?”

“Probably. An author from the capital or the south wouldn’t go all the way to the north just to publish a book.”

“I thought the description of the cold was really vivid, but it turns out they’re from the North. I think I can enjoy it even more.”

“That’s good. Still, stop reading for today.”

Khalid hugged Yudit and rolled halfway over. Yudit squirmed a bit in his arms.

“Khalid…!”

“From tomorrow, we’ll be homeless. I want to hold you in a warm place.”

“But, here… the walls are thin. Nghh.”

When Khalid pressed his lips to Yudit’s nape, Yudit frowned and let out a moan. The walls were so thin that even the sound of someone coughing in the next room could be heard.

“I know. So we have to do it quietly.”

“That… Ah…!”

The wet tongue licking his spine made all the hair on his body stand on end. Yudith flinched and gripped the sheet tightly.

“Otherwise, we might end up sleeping on the streets, wouldn’t it be better to have at least a thin wall?”

“That’s nonsense, it’s absurd.”

“That’s right. Our prince is really good at debating too.”

Khalid caressed Yudit’s waist, stained pink, and pulled down his pants. He took a big bite out of his plump, well-fed buttocks and looked at the bite mark with satisfaction.

Soon, Khalid parted the crack of his buttocks and peered inside. The tightly closed hole twitched at his gaze. The edges of the hole were already moist with juices.

“I think I’m a bit weak when it comes to pleasure.”

“Ah, Khalid…!”

Khalid, without any hesitation, plunged his tongue into the hole.