TOPWL 167

“Your Highness? So you hadn’t gone home after all.”

Pavron spoke with a slightly surprised look. Yudit was grateful for the past training that had taught him not to show his emotions.

“I was passing by and saw the window open, so I came in for a moment. I heard it’s supposed to rain this evening.”

His tone was flat, but his heart was pounding. Pavron looked quietly at him and gave a friendly smile.

“I see. You really work tirelessly. It’s admirable.”

“Yes. By the way, what is this? I thought I might bring it to the staff room.”

“Ah, that. It’s a diary. Having the kids write consistently helps improve their writing. I actually came to pick it up.”

Pavron lifted the notebook as he spoke. There were a lot of students, and even though it was a thin notebook, it looked fairly heavy.

“Would you like some help?”

“Haha, no need. It’s not enough to trouble you. I’m a bit busy right now, so I’ll be heading off.”

With those words, Pavron left. Yudit watched his retreating back down the corridor for a long time.

***

“……”

Yudit stared at the diary in front of him. It was Luka’s diary, which he had brought with him without thinking. When he heard footsteps back in the classroom, he had instinctively slipped it into his bag. He had read through it again after returning to his room, but there was nothing more than what he’d already seen. If anything stood out, it was the mention of the ‘butterfly game.’

Pavron had repeatedly asked Luka to play the ‘butterfly game,’ but Luka kept saying he didn’t find it fun. Pavron had responded with, “Really? I thought it was fun. That’s a shame. I’ll try to make it fun for you too, Luka.” Yudit wondered what this ‘butterfly game’ was. He thought hard, but couldn’t come up with an answer. As he irritably rubbed his dry cheeks with both hands, a knock from outside startled him to his feet.

“Your Highness, are you there? It’s Yvonne.”

Thankfully, it was a familiar voice. Yudit opened the door. Yvonne stood there awkwardly with a large paper bag.

“I hope I’m not interrupting.”

“It’s fine. I was just resting. What brings you here?”

“I went into town and thought of you, so I picked up a few things.”

“Thank you. May I take a look?”

Yvonne nodded. As she rustled the bag open, all sorts of things tumbled out—dried fruits and nuts, cookies, tea leaves, even candy. Just seeing all the sweet and fragrant things made Yudit feel a little softer inside. A smile crept onto his face.

“It’s like a treasure chest. I’ll eat it slowly. Thank you.”

“Don’t save it. Eat it all up. If you run out, I’ll buy more. I heard you skipped dinner tonight? I know it’s not my place to say, but skipping meals isn’t good.”

Her tone was curt, perhaps embarrassed by the gratitude. Yudit had skipped dinner simply because he didn’t feel like eating without Khalid. But with nagging coming from all directions, he felt he should really eat properly.

“I’ll make sure to eat breakfast too, starting tomorrow.”

“A-and not everything in there was from me. Selena picked some things out too.”

“Ah, that makes sense.”

He’d thought the selection matched his tastes a bit too well—Selena must have chosen those. Something about his words seemed to provoke Yvonne.

“I picked some things too.”

“Pardon?”

“I mean… I chose some things myself. Because…”

Yvonne, uncharacteristically hesitant, trailed off. Yudit waited patiently.

“B-because I’m grateful.”

“Grateful for what?”

“I got my payment. It was… a lot. Thanks to that, I was able to buy what I wanted in town and eat what I wanted too. As I was walking around, I couldn’t believe that just a few months ago I’d been trapped in the tower. I couldn’t believe I was living like this again. So I wanted to thank you. I wanted to give you a gift, but… whatever I tried to give seemed lacking compared to what you usually wear or own. So I decided to go with food instead.”

“Whatever you gave me, I’d have accepted it happily. Thank you for thinking of me.”

Yudit smiled as he spoke. Back in the capital, every outfit and accessory had to be checked meticulously, but here in the territory, especially with how life was now, he just wore whatever he liked.

“And this won’t be the last time I get you something. If you run out, let me know.”

Yvonne emphasized the point, as if embarrassed to give only this. Yudit thought she’d prefer not to be turned down, so he nodded gently instead.

“Alright. I will. Thank you.”

“And if there’s anything else I can help with, please tell me. If it’s writing-related, I can help a bit.”

“I’ll definitely come to you if I need anything.”

Hearing that, Yvonne’s expression eased a little.

“Then I’ll take my leave.”

“Wait a moment, Yvonne.”

As she hurried to leave, seemingly uncomfortable with the thanks or the atmosphere, Yudit stopped her.

“There’s something I wanted to ask.”

“What is it?”

Yudit hesitated. Was it alright to ask her this? Would it reopen old wounds or cause suspicion? But he felt he had to know. After some thought, Yudit finally spoke.

“What kind of person is Pavron?”

“Pavron?”

Yvonne tilted her head at the unexpected question. Just as Yudit was about to clarify, she answered first.

“He’s… pretty straightforward. A bit boring, though.”

“Is that so?”

“He did turn a blind eye to what was happening in the tower, but he never messed with the women or anything like that… Not good, not bad. Why do you ask?”

“Pavron’s working as a teacher now. Another teacher asked what kind of person he was, but I didn’t know much, so I thought I’d ask you.”

“Ah, I see.”

Yvonne didn’t take it too seriously. She thought about it for a bit and added a few more things, but nothing stood out.

“I see. Thanks.”

“Sure. I’m not sure how helpful that was, but if there’s anything else, ask away.”

“No, it was very helpful.”

“Honestly, I only answered because you’re the prince, but things like this, you’re better off talking to the person directly. That’s the fastest way to know someone.”

Yudit nodded thoughtfully at her words.

“You’re right, Yvonne.”

“I didn’t sound too full of myself, did I?”

“Not at all. Could I ask one more thing? It’s about writing.”

“What is it?”

“I wrote a memo and thought it was pointless, so I scratched it out with a pen. But now I want to read it again… and I can’t really see it.”

“That happens sometimes. I usually just write something new, thinking I had a reason for erasing it, but… if you’re curious, maybe try holding the page up to sunlight.”

“…That’s it. Yvonne.”

“Yes?”

“Thank you. Really, truly, thank you!”

Yudit said, unusually excited. Yvonne clearly tried not to show it, but it was obvious she was pleased to have been helpful.

“Well, I’m glad if I was of help. Ask again if you need anything.”

“I will. Yvonne, you’re really, truly smart.”

Flustered, Yvonne gave a half-wave and practically fled. Left alone, Yudit raised his lamp high to examine the diary again, but the light wasn’t strong enough to reveal anything. Just as Yvonne had said, it would be better to use sunlight. And she was right—if you want to understand someone, you’re better off speaking to them directly than relying on what others say.

***

“He’s… not here?”

“No. He usually teaches until the afternoon, but today he rushed out right after lunch. Must’ve been busy with something.”

The thin-faced man nodded as he spoke. As a schoolteacher, he looked pale, perhaps overwhelmed by receiving such polite speech from an imperial prince. But his answers were precise, perhaps thanks to his job of teaching children.

Yudit had tried to time things so he could meet Pavron after regular classes, but his work with the publishing house had run long due to some last-minute checks.

“I see…”

“Um, why are you—no, never mind.”

“I just had something to discuss.”

As they were talking, the office door opened again.

“Your Highness. You came early.”

Yudit turned and saw Pavron standing there with a book in hand. He returned the bow calmly.

“Yes. I had something to take care of.”

“Ah, I see. Actually, I wanted to ask you something too.”

“What is it?”

Pavron asked in a relaxed tone.

“One of the notebooks that was in the classroom yesterday, one of the children’s is missing. It’s a gray notebook. Have you seen it by any chance?”