TOPWL 22

The hand that had touched the burning wood was already peeling, with blisters forming one by one. Khalid bit his lip hard.

“You would have died early even without me trying to kill you. The fact that you’re still alive is a miracle.”

He took off his damp jacket and wrapped it around Yudit’s hand. The cool fabric against his palm eased the pain slightly.

“You’ve done enough. Get out before the whole place collapses.”

Yudit looked up at the ceiling. It seemed like he could hold out a little longer. Spotting Selena through the smoke, he hurried toward her.

“Selena, help me!”

“Your Highness?”

“I need to remove Sonia’s bustle, but I can’t find the seams.”

“I’ll be right there.”

Yudit took Selena’s hand and pushed through the smoke. Fortunately, Sonia wasn’t far. Selena bent down to examine her bustle.

“These are often attached to the corset. If we undo the corset completely, it’ll take too long…”

“Can’t we cut through the seams?”

Selena’s expression darkened as she checked the seams. Shaking her head, she replied,

“You’d have to use a lot of force, but it’s too close to her skin. She could get seriously injured.”

“What a nuisance.”

A voice came from behind, and moments later, Khalid swung his sword at Sonia—more precisely, at the outer structure of her bustle. The frame split apart in one clean strike.

“Stay still.”

With those words, Khalid slashed the other side of the bustle, this time with even more precision.

“Now go. And you, come this way!”

It seemed he intended to help after all. Sonia quickly moved toward the window. Stepping onto the windowsill, she turned back before jumping. Selena smiled reassuringly.

“Come right after me.”

“I will.”

Sonia released her grip on the window frame. Her body hovered for a moment before landing safely on something soft below. From the sounds outside, Yudit confirmed that she was unharmed and immediately resumed helping the other women remove their dresses and bustles.

He approached a middle-aged woman and drew his dagger.

“I’ll help you remove your dress.”

“I—I’m fine…”

The woman shook her head in flustered refusal. Suddenly, with a tearing sound, the charred ceiling began to collapse, and screams filled the air.

“Hurry! There’s no time!”

While the middle-aged woman panicked, Yudit used his dagger to cut through her dress. Nearby, Khalid had already cut through Lyett’s bustle and now approached Yudit.

“Hold her.”

As Yudit steadied the woman, Khalid accurately struck the bustle, cutting it apart. In less than thirty seconds, both the dress and bustle were completely removed.

“Go down now!”

The woman, looking terrified, stepped hesitantly toward the window. Outside, Lyett was being helped down safely, without any visible injuries.

“I—I can’t go down!”

Did she have a fear of heights? Just as Yudit was about to approach her, the woman pointed at the people below.

“Look down! There are so many people! If I go down like this, the whole world will see me in my undergarments!”

She shrieked hysterically.

“If you don’t go down now, you’ll die!”

“I—I’d rather die!”

What nonsense. Yudit froze momentarily at her words. He was about to step forward to persuade her when Khalid grabbed his arm.

“Forget it. We’re wasting time. If you want to live, come this way!”

“P-Please, save me!”

Another woman hurried toward Khalid. Yudit sliced through her dress, and Khalid smashed her bustle apart. But when she reached the window, she hesitated, trembling slightly. Khalid gave her a firm shove from behind.

With a short scream, she tumbled out of the window. Fortunately, the scream didn’t continue—she must have landed safely.

“…What are you looking at?”

Khalid snapped at Yudit, who was staring at him. Yudit noticed that Khalid’s breathing had become heavier than before. Considering the toxic fumes and the effort it took to cut through multiple whalebone bustles, it was no surprise that he was exhausted.

“I’ll handle the rest. You go down first.”

“How do you know how to do that?”

“A dagger isn’t ideal, but if you lend me a sword…”

“What kind of swordsman hands his sword to another? Forget it. Just bring the next person.”

Khalid spoke as if it were nothing, but the fact that he was staying behind was reassuring.

Yudit scanned the remaining people. Only three women were left: the middle-aged woman in her undergarments, Selena, and another woman who appeared to be in her mid-thirties.

The last one looked oddly familiar—someone he had often seen at official gatherings. She was the Marchioness of the Kinezia family, famous for being part of the neutral faction. Raphine Kinezia, was it? Her skin was pale as pearls, and her neck was as long as a deer’s—memorable features. He had heard that many noblewomen and young ladies admired her elegance.

“Madam, this way.”

“I’m fine.”

Raphine spoke in a clear voice. Yudit looked at her in confusion.

“I’m not going.”

“This is insane.”

Khalid ran a hand through his sweat-drenched hair. As Yudit approached with his dagger, Raphine stepped back. Even in a place where debris occasionally fell, she seemed more afraid of Yudit with a dagger than the collapsing building.

“Is there a reason?”

She hesitated at Yudit’s question, then bit her lip and murmured in a small voice.

“…I’m not wearing anything underneath.”

It wasn’t unheard of in the summer, but he hadn’t expected it in autumn as well. It was understandable why she hesitated. But if that was the problem, there was a solution.

“As long as there’s clothing, that won’t be an issue.”

Without hesitation, Yudit began removing his own clothes. Raphine stared at him in bewilderment as he undressed before her. Even in this scorching heat, she somehow exuded a strangely cool aura.

Once he had stripped down to his undergarments, the ceiling shook, and debris rained down. Khalid barely managed to deflect it with his sword. Yudit handed Raphine his shirt and pants.

“There’s no time. Turn around. I’m cutting the dress and bustle now.”

As she held the clothes in a daze, the ceiling above them made a deafening noise, as if it would collapse at any moment.

“For God’s sake, hurry!”

Raphine hesitated but finally turned around. Yudit raised his dagger and sliced through the upper part of her dress. The moment she slipped into his shirt, Khalid stepped forward with his sword.

“Stay still.”

With a single, precise strike, the bustle broke apart. Selena quickly grabbed a piece of the dress and draped it over Raphine like a cloak. Now dressed in Yudit’s clothes, she looked boyish.

“There’s no time—go!”

This time, Raphine did not hesitate. She climbed onto the window and leapt out. The moment she landed, journalists and onlookers swarmed around her. It was their usual reaction whenever someone jumped, but watching from above, it was a tiresome sight.

Now, only the middle-aged woman and Selena remained.

“Selena, it’s your turn now.”

Selena, who had been helping evacuate the injured from the hall, was completely exhausted. She looked at the middle-aged woman and shook her head.

“No, not yet.”

“You’ve done enough.”

“I’ll be the last to go.”

Selena was stubborn. To make matters worse, the middle-aged woman was too full-figured to fit into Khalid’s clothes—not that he looked eager to offer them. The woman shut her eyes tightly, her face filled with shame.

Just then, Yudit spotted something and suddenly dashed away.

Khalid looked at him in disbelief as he sprinted through the flames, wearing nothing but undergarments and a jacket. Yudit leapt over obstacles, heading toward the windows. He grabbed onto a curtain that had yet to catch fire and yanked it down. The curtain rod crashed to the floor with a loud clang.

Though the fabric had been singed in places by stray embers, the deep red curtain was still large enough to wrap around a person.