TOPWL 176

Yudit, who had led them to the table, pulled the bell cord to have tea brought in. Seeing the three of them looking around the cluttered room, he gave an awkward smile.

“The room’s a bit messy, isn’t it? Should we go outside for drinks?”

“No, we’re the ones who should apologize for visiting when you’re probably so busy…”

“It’s all right. I actually wanted to see the three of you before I left. Thank you for coming to me first like this.”

They were the ones he had brought here. So instead of heading straight for the capital, he felt it would be better to hear what they wanted.

“As I said this morning, I’ll be leaving for the capital after lunch today. I’ll be taking command of the army and heading to a city called Devlin.”

“That’s the fourth campaign, isn’t it?”

Selena spoke in a low voice. Yudit nodded.

“That’s right. This will be the fourth.”

At his words, the three grew solemn. It wasn’t something they could stop him from doing.

“I wanted to see you because… we all came up here together, but now I’m going to the capital alone. I wanted to hear what each of you planned to do.”

Pavron had been driven out of the village, and Hans had expressed that he wanted to stay on at the school, so that left the three of them.

“I–I’d like to stay here, if that’s okay. I still have a lot left to teach at the school… and I just feel more comfortable here.”

Yasin spoke up hesitantly. Yudit found the decision understandable. If Yasin went to the capital, he would inevitably come across traces of his husband. It seemed better for him to stay in the north until he was more emotionally settled.

“All right. What about you, Yvonne?”

“I’d like to finish the piece I’m working on here, so I’ll probably stay until autumn. Maybe longer, depending.”

“I hope you come up with something good.”

Yvonne gave a confident smile. She didn’t seem like someone Yudit needed to worry about. Lastly, he turned to Selena.

“What about you, Selena?”

“Me? I’ll be going with His Highness, of course.”

She said it as though the question were ridiculous.

“…What?”

At Selena’s sudden declaration, Yudit and Yasin both looked stunned. Yvonne, who must have already known, rubbed her pale cheek irritably.

“I’m His Highness’s aide. It’s only natural I stay by his side.”

“No, Selena. That’s not possible.”

“…Is it because I’m a woman?”

“No, it’s not that.”

Yudit pressed a hand to his forehead, thinking for a moment before speaking.

“It’s because I’ll inevitably worry about you.”

“What do you mean?”

“I’m taking Shane and a few others as my guards. They’re all more skilled than I am. I don’t need to worry about them—I, just have to focus on staying alive myself. But if you come, I’ll be constantly worrying about you. And if you’re ever taken hostage, that would put us in a very difficult situation.”

Selena’s mouth fell open in shock. She clearly hadn’t expected Yudit to be that blunt.

“B-but I’ve already accepted the possibility of dying. I won’t be a burden to you, Your Highness.”

“I’m touched that you’ve made such a big decision for my sake. But I’m going to be leading an army. One wrong decision from me could mean dozens, even hundreds of lives lost. To make calm, rational choices, it’s better if I go alone.”

Yudit’s voice was firm. Selena bit her lip and lowered her head, having nothing more to say. Yvonne let out a quiet sigh of relief. Seeing that Selena still looked conflicted, Yudit added one final remark.

“But I’d still like you to come to the capital with me. If you stay in Devlin, you won’t have direct access to the capital’s situation. I’d like you to stay informed and select useful information to send to me, once a week.”

“O-of course. I’ll send something every day if you want.”

“Once a week is enough.”

Selena, still bowing her head, fidgeted with her fingers. Yudit, without thinking, reached for her hand. Her palm was covered in thick calluses, the kind that only formed after soft hands had blistered and burst countless times.

“You’ve been training with a sword?”

“Uh… yes. I figured the fourth campaign would probably be a war, so I was learning from the knights. I wasn’t very good, so I switched to archery recently.”

Now that he looked closely, there were not only sword calluses, but also the distinctive calluses of someone who used a bow.

“You’ve worked hard.”

Selena had taken on a lot, even beyond this. The only reason Yudit had been able to focus on the school and the publishing company was because Selena had taken on much of his workload. She’d also shadowed Khalid’s former aide to learn the ropes. If you went to the library late at night, you’d often find her there, fast asleep after studying. It had become a familiar sight. How she managed to have a love life on top of all that was a mystery. Yudit thought about teasing her, but let the thought pass.

The four of them chatted happily for a while. But even in the midst of the cheerful conversation, the mood felt ever so slightly heavy. After all, they knew Yudit was going off to war. They pretended not to notice the tension, laughing and joking all the same. Even time to be sad felt too precious to waste.

“We’ve taken up too much of Your Highness’s time. You still need to pack, so we’ll get going.”

At Selena’s cue, Yvonne and Yasin rose from their seats, looking reluctant.

“Oh right–Yasin, didn’t you have something to give His Highness?”

“Ah, r-right!”

Startled, as if he’d completely forgotten, Yasin hurriedly fumbled to take something out.

“It’s… a bag?”

The single-strap bag was surprisingly light yet sturdy. With its tight stitching and artistic patterns, it was obvious at a glance that it had been made by Yasin.

“It-it’s made from monster hide. It’s light, but way tougher and more durable than it looks.”

Yudit examined the bag’s pockets and strap, visibly impressed.

“It really is. I’ll make good use of it, Yasin.”

At Yudit’s words, Yasin blushed. As Yudit adjusted the bag, he soon realized there was something rattling inside. When he opened it, he found a fine leather pouch tucked inside. As he pulled it out, all three of them looked awkward at once.

“What’s this? …Money?”

It was filled with all kinds of coins, platinum, gold, silver, and copper, but the majority were gold and platinum coins.

“Why would you…?”

“I asked a knight, and they said money’s the most important thing on the battlefield… so I gathered a little.”

“A little? This alone could buy a whole mansion in the capital.”

“Honestly, my share isn’t that much. Most of it came from Yvonne, Yasin, and Jayna. Hans contributed too.”

“It’s not like… I don’t have money.”

With the jewelry gifts from Khalid and other funds for maintaining appearances, Yudit’s wealth had grown considerably. Not enough to rival Khalid, of course, but not so little that he needed to accept money from them either.

“I know. But you don’t have much that can be liquidated right away, do you? And time’s short. We started collecting as soon as we heard you were leaving, went as far as the next town this morning.”

“But still…”

“This is the one thing I won’t back down on.”

When Yudit hesitated, overwhelmed by the sheer amount, Selena shot him a glare.

“If it helps, think of it as an investment. It’s not like we can exactly support someone else at this point. Us pitching in is the obvious choice.”

Even Yvonne, who had been silent, joined in. At that point, Yudit had no choice but to yield. He closed the bag again with the money pouch still inside.

“Really… thank you. I’ll put it to good use.”

“Use it freely, and if it runs out, just let us know. We know your account, so we can send more.”

“Please… don’t do that…”

“Oops, I need to pack too. See you later, Your Highness!”

Selena left first, and Yasin followed with a polite bow. Only Yvonne remained at the doorway.

“Yvonne?”

“I wanted to ask you something.”

Yvonne looked at him nervously.

“Do you… still want to publish my journal?”

Yudit blinked at the unexpected question. The journal chronicled the grim and sorrowful events that had happened while she’d been confined in the tower. She had quietly documented everything. Yudit had always thought it was a book that deserved to be published.

“Yes. I still do.”

After a couple of deep breaths, Yvonne slowly opened her mouth.

“I’ll publish it.”

“R-really?”

“But only after you’ve become emperor.”

It came with a heavy condition. Yudit understood immediately that Yvonne had made this decision out of deep concern for him. The journal’s most brutal passages were those about Yvonne herself. Just bringing it up must have taken great courage.

“Now I’ve got one more reason to become emperor.”

As Yudit smiled, Yvonne suddenly threw her arms around him. Taken by surprise, Yudit stiffened.

“Live. Live and become emperor.”

She was trembling. As Yudit wondered what she could be so afraid of, a line from her journal came to mind, how she couldn’t bear to lose anyone else around her. It made him feel strangely warm, as if he’d truly become someone in her world. He gently stroked her thin back and whispered softly,

“I will.”