TOPWL 152

By the time Yudit finished his work at the publishing house, it was nearly lunchtime. He handed Jayna two packets of cookies—one for her and one for her children.

“Thank you, really… you didn’t have to…”

“You always work so hard.”

Jayna had mentioned she wanted to publish two of Bonin’s books first. Since they were also works Yudit had wanted to publish, he gladly agreed.

“You’re leaving early today?”

Jayna looked surprised as Yudit reached for his coat.

“I’ve got something to take care of before heading to the school.”

“You really have so much on your plate, Your Highness. Don’t forget to take care of yourself.”

“Thanks. I appreciate your concern. Oh, one more thing—I have a question.”

“Yes, of course. Ask anything.”

“Where do children in this town usually go to play?”

Caught off guard by the unexpected question, Jayna’s eyes went wide.

Yudit stopped at the final corner before the school. It was because of what Jayna had told him:

“My son always plays on Riobel Street No. 3. I keep telling him not to because it’s dangerous, but he never listens.”

Riobel Street No. 3 had originally been planned as a luxury shopping district, but construction had stopped due to various complications. With exhibition halls, toy stores, and plenty of other things to attract a child’s curiosity—and no adults in sight—it had become the perfect hideout for kids.

There were leftover construction materials—glass shards, metal wires—that posed clear dangers, which is why parents constantly warned their children to stay away. But naturally, once they were old enough to be defiant, those warnings lost their effect.

….

“Magic stones for sale! Mysterious fruit too!”

A child’s clear voice made Yudit turn his head. There, a grubby-faced kid had laid out a mat and was selling stones, twigs, and berries. Apparently some of the items were interesting enough that other kids had gathered around to check them out.

One child picked up a smooth, round stone and asked,

“How much is this?”

“Ten million Kes.”

A staggering price.

“That’s way too much. Give me a discount.”

“Okay, then—one thousand Kes.”

“That’s still too much. Come on, cheaper.”

“Not for sale.”

Negotiations broke down. The little seller waved his hands over his display, clearly annoyed. The would-be buyer, disappointed, stared down longingly at the stone in his hand.

“Do you want it that badly?”

A deep voice interrupted. Startled, the kids turned toward the sound. The man who had spoken was a familiar face—Alderich’s student, the man once imprisoned in the tower: Pavron.

“Hm? You want it?”

Pavron squatted down to meet the boy at eye level. He looked gentle and kind—and the sight of it gave Yudit a sudden sense of dissonance.

“…Pavron?”

“Your Highness! What brings you here…?”

Pavron seemed just as surprised to see Yudit there.

“I had some business. What about you?”

“Ah, well, I’m a teacher now, remember?”

He stood and leaned in to whisper in Yudit’s ear.

“But… there aren’t as many students as I expected, so I came here hoping to gather a few more promising ones.”

“I see. I had a similar thought myself.”

“Oh, is that so? And those are cookies, aren’t they?”

“Yes. I brought them for the kids.”

Yudit opened the packet, and the sweet smell of cookies wafted into the alley. One by one, the children began drifting toward him, drawn by the aroma.

“I like those cookies.”

“What are they?”

“Is he really the prince?”

The children flocked around Yudit, eyeing the cookies eagerly. He took a bite. Thick, sweet red jam peeked out from the crumbly dough.

“Jam cookies!”

He handed the half-eaten cookie to the child who had spoken.

“Here. It’s a gift.”

The boy devoured it in an instant, his face lighting up in bliss.

“This is… so good…”

They were cookies baked with plenty of butter and jam—impossible not to love. The other kids rushed forward, hands outstretched.

“Line up, everyone. I’ll only give them to those who wait their turn.”

At Yudit’s words, the children quickly formed a line. As they did, Yudit began to speak.

“Do you all know where your school is?”

“I do! It’s over there!”

One child raised his hand and pointed down the alley toward the school. Yudit smiled gently.

“Right. You all look about the right age to be attending that school. Is there a reason you’re not going?”

“My dad says everything they teach there is useless!”

“Yeah! And he said there’s no point in girls learning anything anyway!”

“You don’t need to learn that stuff. My dad says you only need to know how to plant seeds and water them!”

“Well, I suppose some might think that way. But did you know? The school’s changed recently.”

“It has?”

The child at the front tilted his head curiously.

“Yep. It’s become a much more practical school. So, if you’ve got the time, why don’t you come by and check it out? Oh, and if you attend the classes, they’ll even give you meals and snacks.”

“Meals and snacks?!”

“Do you get them no matter what?”

“Can I bring my little brother?”

The questions poured out like a chorus of baby birds chirping all at once. Yudit answered each one with patience.

“Can we go now?”

“If you go now, there won’t be any food,” Yudit replied with a sheepish look. “But starting tomorrow, there will be.”

“Then where are you going, Your Highness?”

“I’m heading to the school. I’ve got to prepare what you’ll be learning tomorrow.”

“Then I want to go too!”

“Me too!”

Startled by their excitement, Yudit blinked in surprise. Before he could say anything else, a small child—maybe three years old—latched onto his leg, dangling from it. Yudit glanced down to find the kid smearing snot on his pants and smiling brightly. He probably wasn’t just there to play—he seemed to have come along with an older sibling.

“Oh dear…”

Shane looked down at the child with a troubled expression. Perhaps frightened by Shane’s stern face, the child suddenly burst into tears. Without hesitation, Shane scooped the kid up, clearly used to dealing with little ones. The child blinked in surprise, then let out a delighted giggle.

Seeing that, the older children grew interested too and began crowding around Shane, arms raised.

“Me too!”

“Lift me too!”

The line they had been standing in quickly fell into chaos. One after another, Shane lifted the children up in his arms. Meanwhile, Yudit finished handing out all the cookies.

The kids ate them in all kinds of ways: some stuffed the whole thing in their mouth at once, others nibbled at the edges as if trying to make it last, some licked the jam part clean, and one even ate almost the entire thing and left only the crumbs for a younger sibling.

The cookies were gone in no time. Yudit clapped the crumbs off his hands and said,

“I’ll bring something even tastier tomorrow. Where are you supposed to go?”

“To the school!”

“Right. Then I’ll see you at school tomorrow.”

Yudit stood up and waved. The children immediately began following after him.

“…?”

As he started walking, the kids followed. When he turned around with a puzzled look, they stopped in their tracks. Their dazed expressions made him wonder if there had been something strange in the cookies. He leaned over and whispered to Shane.

“Why are they following me? I didn’t promise them anything else today…”

He’d expected they would only come if there was a reward. The fact that they were tagging along now was entirely unexpected. Shane glanced between the children and Yudit before speaking.

“Your Highness… I believe it’s because of you.”

“Me? Why?”

“Obviously because you’re handsome.”

That comment came from Pavron, who had sidled up unnoticed.

“…Me?”

“Even if you weren’t good-looking, they’d still be curious since you’re a prince. But on top of that, you’re kind and gentle. You carry yourself well, too. Of course they’d be taken with you.”

Yudit turned to Shane in disbelief. Shane nodded solemnly.

“That’s probably the reason.”

Yudit looked behind him again. The children were still following him with that dazed look in their eyes. He scratched his cheek, feeling like the Pied Piper. Pavron commented with a grin,

“That alley’s dangerous anyway. You might as well take them along and let them play in the schoolyard.”

“That’s a good idea.”

And so, Yudit headed toward the school with over ten children trailing behind him. Passersby looked on with amused smiles, as if they were watching a scene straight out of a fairy tale.

He’d expected the kids to follow him all the way to the teacher’s office, but they gave up sooner than he thought. Pavron had managed to tempt them away with a ball he somehow found on the playground. He turned out to be quite good at playing with the kids.

Just as Yudit, reassured, turned to go inside, someone called out to him.

“Y-Your Highness!”