TOPWL 225

“If you are talking about Billian, the one imprisoned in that lord’s dungeon, how?”

“Somehow.”

“You seem to have a plan.”

Yudit smiled silently.

“You said we received invitations from nobles, right?”

“Yes. We received invitations from three or four places.”

“How much did they offer?”

“They didn’t mention a specific amount. They’ll surely reward us well after it’s done.”

“Reject all of them. And spread a rumor that we’ll leave in three days.”

“That’s not difficult.”

“And in two days, accept only one invitation. Say we’ll go to the one that offers the most money.”

Bagon finally understood Yudit’s intention, and he hit his palm with his fist.

“You plan to draw the lord in?”

“Yes.”

“Will he take part in this game?”

Yudit, who knew too well how nobles behaved, was certain the lord would join.

“No matter how it turns out, we’ll end up at his castle, but I’m sure he’ll offer the most money.”

***

Exactly two days later, Yudit received an invitation to the lord’s castle. The sum the lord offered to invite them was thirty gold coins, enough to pay the guards and still have plenty left. Bagon watched Yudit climb into the carriage, his gaze filled with admiration and awe.

“You have incredible skill.”

“It’s nothing. Among nobles who live on luxury and indulgence, there’s never one who’s humble. Most of them can’t stand not showing off their wealth.”

The information Yudit had heard from the bandits about the lord had helped.

“I used to despise such nobles for their nature, but now I use it.”

Yudit spoke with a self-deprecating smile.

“You’ve grown.”

“What?”

“If people hadn’t written that fire is hot, mankind would’ve lived in darkness forever. Just like humanity advanced through the tool called fire, if Your Highness has gone beyond hating the nobles’ nature and learned to use it, isn’t that also growth?”

“…Maybe so. Thank you.”

Yudit’s words made Bagon smile. He could understand why Khalid had assigned him. From afar, the lord’s castle came into view. Yudit unconsciously touched his stomach. The movements he had occasionally felt before had stopped. Maybe the baby was startled because of the corset he had worn too tightly a few days ago. Feeling sorry, Yudit gently stroked his belly.

“Are you anxious?”

Shane, who was next to Yudit, asked in a small voice.

“What?”

“I thought you seemed to do that whenever you’re anxious.”

Shane spoke while looking at Yudit’s hand resting on his belly. Unlike the others who could speak the language of the Gotha Kingdom as fluently as the natives, Shane could barely speak it at all. Since he was always a man of few words, they had decided it would be better if he acted as someone who couldn’t speak. Because of that, they hadn’t talked about anything unrelated to missions in a long time. He even covered his mouth when he slept, worried someone might hear his sleep talk, yet now, while the carriage ran through the forest, Shane finally opened his mouth out of concern for Yudit. Yudit smiled softly and shook his head.

“That’s not it. I’m just a little tense.”

“Your mind can be at peace. I’ll protect Your Highness even at the cost of my life.”

“Thank you. You’ve suffered a lot since the war started.”

Yudit said apologetically. Shane tilted his head, not understanding.

“What do you mean?”

“You keep risking your life because of me. Normally, a royal guard’s duty is safe except for assassination threats.”

If their identities were exposed, they would all be as good as dead. Only Yudit might live a little longer because of his value as a hostage. Shane and Bagon would be executed on the spot. Edmond and Garen too. They all knew it, but they still stayed with him. Yudit could feel that the debt he owed them kept growing.

“It’s my duty, not suffering. So please don’t say that.”

“I’m saying it because I’m grateful. I always have been.”

At Yudit’s heartfelt words, Shane smiled. But as they reached the castle, that smile disappeared completely.

“We’re almost there.”

Garen, who had recently learned from Bagon how to handle a carriage, opened the curtain and spoke. The gates leading to the garden opened, and the castle revealed itself, as magnificent as the imperial palaces famous for their beauty, fitting for the most extravagant city in the Gotha Kingdom. The castle, standing high on the ridge, was built entirely of white marble, and the marble sparkled smoothly like silk under the sunlight.

Yudit clenched his fist. For two days, except for the hours they spent practicing, they had explored the entire territory. From the splendid plaza to the back alleys. Since the bandits guided them, there was little danger. Thanks to that, they came to know every detail of this territory’s true nature.

The people who were worth using as labor were all selected. Those with good looks were drugged and turned into playthings for nobles or used as spectacles in the plaza. The rest were forced to work all day doing hard labor such as farming or repairing castle walls, and the small portion of food they received had drugs mixed into it.

The cheap drugs destroyed their bodies quickly, but there were plenty of replacements, so they were simply switched out. Like all back alleys, Calmor’s alleys were filled with broken people. Women who had once been noblemen’s playthings for their beauty but were cast out after their faces decayed from drugs. Men who had been expelled after their limbs rotted from side effects and could no longer work. There were thousands whose lives had been ruined by those drugs.

How could he be so cruel to his own subjects? Yudit saw the weight of that sin in the hollow eyes of a child who had no strength to cry after starving for days. The thirty gold coins the lord offered to Yudit’s traveling troupe could have fed thousands of people one warm meal. But the gold was not used to fill their stomachs. It was wasted on fleeting pleasures. How would he bear that sin?

“From now on, you must smile.”

Seeing Yudit’s rigid face, Bagon spoke in a worried tone. The guards who kept the gate were approaching. Yudit grasped his skirt hem. Bagon was right. If he didn’t regain his composure, the one who would die would be his companions.

“Sorry, I’ll focus.”

Yudit said while adjusting his veil. In front of the gate, besides the guards, one more person stood waiting. She was a woman with a strict look. She wore a black cotton dress and a white apron starched stiff. The woman looked at each of them, her eyes showing disapproval.

“I’m Lem, head maid. Follow me.”

At her words, the traveling troupe followed her in confusion. As soon as they set down their luggage, they were taken to a bathhouse filled with heat. Inside, servants stood in rows.

“Men use that side, women use this side.”

At her words, the men began to move to their side, but she blocked Yudit’s path.

“Didn’t you hear me say women use this side?”

“I’m a man.”

At Yudit’s answer, the head maid narrowed her eyes and looked him up and down.

“Are you an omega?”

Yudit silently nodded. The wrinkles on her brow deepened.

“I’ll prepare a separate bath for you. You’ll wash there.”

“Thank you.”

The place she led him to was the same room where they had set down their luggage. It must have been prepared for important guests. The spacious bath was made entirely of marble, and gemstones were embedded between the tiles. When Yudit realized the red and green stones were rubies and peridots, he swallowed. Servants poured hot water into the cold bath until it reached a suitable temperature. The tub was filled generously with rose petals, exuding a deep fragrance.

Even after they poured the water, the servants didn’t leave, and Yudit looked at them with a questioning gaze.

“We’ll assist you with your bath.”

“…No, I can wash by myself.”

Yudit answered awkwardly. His belly was quite swollen. It wasn’t noticeable with clothes on, but once undressed, it was obvious. Since Bagon had introduced Carmen and Yudit as innocent young girls raised in a greenhouse, it would cause serious trouble if anyone found out about the pregnancy.

“You just need to stay still.”

One of the servants spoke in an irritated tone. But Yudit did not yield. After several minutes of argument, Yudit finally won. When everyone left, and he locked the door, he finally immersed himself slowly in the bath.

“Haa…”

It had been a long time since he had soaked in such a fine tub. Yudit let out a blissful sigh. As he touched the flower petals freshly picked from the greenhouse and still heavy with moisture, he fell into thought. The lord planned to present them at tonight’s banquet. They would only appear late in the evening, yet he had called them early in the morning to polish and perfect their appearance for the occasion.

After soaking long enough, Yudit scrubbed his body with a sponge full of foam. Suddenly, the door opened. Startled, Yudit lost his footing. With a splash, he fell back into the water. Through the white mist, he looked up at the head maid, who stood in the doorway, her face cold.