TOPWL 150

“Haa…”

Yudit let out a sigh as he collapsed onto the bed. His body felt stiff and sore, probably from sitting too long. The meeting had dragged on for a grueling six hours. Everyone had simply eaten whatever food was brought to the table and stayed focused on the discussion of building a new school. They all seemed deeply committed to the idea of education. Even two teachers who had just finished their regular classes joined the meeting. After reviewing the proposal, they offered some insightful suggestions.

They decided to provide one meal a day to students attending the school. As incentives, students with good attendance would be rewarded with chicks and chickens, while the top-performing student would receive a goat.

They also planned to send the top five students and the five with the best attendance on trips to the capital or other cities during the break. That idea had come from Yvonne.

Once they drafted the budget for the year, the total cost didn’t even amount to the price of a single piece of jewelry. So, Yudit willingly decided to donate one ornament—one that was worth enough to cover the school’s expenses for three years.

As for staffing the vocational school, two local teachers agreed to help. One of them, who had retired young and was living leisurely thanks to his son, was especially delighted by the idea.

Selena would handle promotion for the new vocational school and the revised laws, while Pavron would lead the first special lecture. Yasin and the others would gradually join in the lectures as well.

Planning something with people who had both the will and the capability to act turned out to be unexpectedly enjoyable. Yudit closed his eyes for a moment, recalling the discussions from earlier that day. Just then, someone knocked on the door. When he opened it, he found Yvonne, looking exhausted.

“I came to get my books.”

Yvonne spoke quickly before Yudit could ask anything. He turned his body slightly to let her in.

“They’re here.”

Yvonne paused as she looked at the neatly organized books. The volumes that had once been tossed haphazardly in a bag were now cleanly sorted and arranged.

“Thanks to you, I read them well.”

“Did you… read them?” Yvonne asked again, her hand brushing over the categorized books.

“Which ones did you read?”

“All of them.”

“You don’t have to flatter me.”

Yvonne gave Yudit a half-smile and looked at him. Yudit didn’t argue and simply returned her gaze. A look of surprise spread across Yvonne’s face.

“You really read them all? Every single one?”

“Wasn’t that why you gave them to me?”

“Well, I figured you’d just skim a few. The fun ones, maybe.”

“I read all of them. They were worth reading.”

At Yudit’s words, Yvonne bit her lip and shifted awkwardly.

“What’s the basis for how you categorized them?”

Yudit smiled and pointed to the first group of books.

“Books that could be published right away, ones that need editing, and ones that are risky—but I still want them published.”

Yvonne’s expression changed at the last category. Understandably so—Yudit had pointed to a single book: Yvonne’s prison diary.

“You want to publish this?”

“Not now. If we did, both you and I—and even Khalid—would be imprisoned.”

The reason they were once confined to the tower was for defending Aldrich. Publishing a prison diary like that would be tantamount to defying the Emperor. After thinking for a moment, Yudit spoke again.

“If either Hiore or Reginald becomes Emperor instead of Azil, then we can publish it. They’re the kind who’d want to undermine the current Emperor to justify their own legitimacy.”

Or if I become Emperor, he added with a soft smile. Yvonne opened her mouth as if she wanted to say something, then closed it and bit her lip.

“You really think His Highness would be okay with this book being published?”

“No.”

Yudit shook his head.

“I think it has to be published.”

Yvonne blinked at the resolute tone in Yudit’s voice.

“The other books were good too, of course. But if I could only publish one—it would be this one.”

“…Why?”

“Because it’s the record of one human being’s fierce struggle to live. This is the kind of writing that will still be read in the future. And I say that as someone who’s read tens of thousands of books.”

The place where Yudit had spent the most time in the Imperial Palace wasn’t his bedroom, nor Lilia’s chamber—it was the palace library. From there, he had expanded his inner world. And this diary—this diary had the power to do the same for others. Yudit had the eyes to recognize that.

“…Do you really think people would want to read something like this? Something so miserable and bleak?”

“They will. They won’t be able to help themselves.”

Yvonne stared down at her diary for a long moment.

“To be honest, when I first got here, I planned to burn it. I only handed it over on impulse. So hearing all this… it’s kind of surreal.”

“Then I’m lucky. Lucky to have had the chance to read it.”

After much hesitation, Yvonne finally said,

“The other books—you’re free to publish as many as you like. I love money. If possible, I’d like to make a lot of it. But this diary… I’ll have to think about it a bit more.”

“Of course. You don’t even have to say it’s real. You could frame it as a novel, or publish it posthumously.”

“If it’s going to be published posthumously, what’s the point? I won’t even make any money off of it.”

“Whether it’s published as a novel or not, the moment this writing is released, you’ll be at the center of gossip.”

“I don’t… really care about that. Just… give me a little more time to think.”

With that, Yvonne hurriedly gathered her books and fled the room as if running away. Yudit, who had planned to return to his work, paused for a moment to look at the bed. The bed where Khalid and he had once lain together was neatly made.

Don’t be too hard on yourself. The one you’re hardest on… is the one I wouldn’t trade for anyone else in this world.

***

After making a few simple preparations for the next day, Yudit headed toward the publishing company.

“Wh-what is all this?”

“Books I want to publish.”

Jayna stared, mouth agape, at the mountain of notebooks piled before her.

“How did you even manage to get your hands on this much…?”

“I was lucky.”

As she flipped through the notebooks and saw the densely packed handwriting, Jayna clicked her tongue in disbelief.

“Who’s the author? Is this their first book?”

“Hmm. The author’s name is Bonin. Apparently, they’ve had something published here before.”

At Yudit’s words, Jayna dropped the notebook in shock.

“W-wait, are you saying this is really Bonin’s work? Which ones…?”

“All of it. Every single one of these is by Bonin.”

“All of them!?”

Jayna raised her voice without even realizing how rude she was being.

“You know the author, then?”

“Of course I do! I absolutely love their work. Truly.”

A flush rose to her cheeks. Yudit found himself thinking that she would look good paired up with Selena.

“I thought they’d moved up to the capital, but I guess they’ve come back down. How did you even find them? What’s your relationship?”

“That… is a secret.”

Startled as if waking from a dream, Jayna flinched at Yudit’s reply.

“I-I got too excited and was rude to Your Highness… I apologize.”

“It’s fine. I think all the pieces are great, but the publishing house may have a different view. I’d like you to take your time and read them over.”

“O-of course. I’m thrilled.”

She looked overwhelmed with joy as she stared at the mountain of notebooks. It’s still work… can she really be that happy about it? Yudit watched her in amusement, smiling faintly.

“And if you don’t mind… could you spare a day to come give a special lecture at the school?”

“A s-special lecture? Me? I couldn’t possibly…”

Jayna faltered, unsure. Yudit took a step closer and spoke gently.

“Someone actively working in publishing giving a talk would be incredibly valuable. I think it would be especially meaningful for women who’ve lost their jobs. Could you do it?”

As Yudit looked at her earnestly, she hesitated, then finally squeezed her eyes shut and answered.

“F-fine. I’ll do it, but please don’t come any closer. I have no immunity to handsome men.”

With her promise secured, Yudit nodded and stepped back.

“I’d heard a rumor the school was going through changes. The momentum sounded serious.”

“It was decided just yesterday, and you already heard?”

“One of the teachers who works there lives next door. I went out to eat last night, and he got pretty tipsy and started talking… I overheard a bit.”

“Yeah, that’s right. I won’t be staying here for long, but while I’m here, I want to build a school that’s enjoyable for everyone.”

“If it’s you, Your Highness, I’m sure you’ll make it happen. Good luck!”

Jayna clenched both fists with enthusiasm. Her encouragement made Yudit smile with gratitude, and in response, she looked almost dizzy.

***

After finishing the day’s work and returning home, Yudit noticed that the house was unusually quiet. It wasn’t just because of Khalid’s absence. As he walked down the corridor, he suddenly realized why. Not a single servant was sweeping, cleaning, or doing repairs inside the house today. Yudit glanced at Shane. Shane also looked confused, as if he had no idea what was going on.

“I’ll go ahead and check.”