TOPWL 24

Even if he was told to sleep, there was no way he could in this position.

Besides, wasn’t Khalid the one who had tried to kill him in his sleep?

That thought alone drove away what little drowsiness he had felt.

Instead of closing his eyes, Yudit decided to ask Khalid a question.

“Your Grace, why did you stay until the very end?”

Among those who had remained behind, there was no one Khalid had any particular ties with.

Yudit hadn’t thought him to be the type to prioritize others’ lives over his own in a life-threatening situation—unless it was someone under his protection.

“I don’t know either.”

Through the carriage window, the sight of the collapsing townhouse came into view before quickly vanishing.

“When I came to my senses, I was one of those who left last.”

Yudit let out a small laugh.

“Your Grace is a surprisingly good person.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“You seem like the kind of person who does good things when the opportunity presents itself.”

As Khalid shifted his position, his hand brushed against Yudit’s neck.

Yudit immediately froze.

Khalid also noticed how Yudit’s body tensed beneath his touch.

A strange silence settled in the carriage.

“…You seem like the type to see the best in people. But surely that’s not the only side of me you’ve seen.”

“……”

Suddenly, Khalid lightly grasped Yudit’s wrist.

Looking at the calloused and blistered palm, he let out a quiet sigh.

“I promise I won’t try to kill you for at least a week. So get some sleep.”

“I have no intention of doing so.”

Yudit wasn’t a fool.

He wasn’t fearless enough to sleep soundly in front of someone who had tried to kill him.

“Suit yourself.”

Khalid yawned and leaned back against the seat.

Yudit listened to the sound of the wheels turning, absentmindedly tracing the patterns on the carriage interior with his eyes.

—

Yudit stared at an unfamiliar ceiling and had to admit—maybe his nerves were stronger than he thought.

It was still early morning, so he couldn’t see much, but one thing was certain.

This was definitely not his home.

As he pushed himself up from the bed, he suddenly felt something wrapped around his hand.

Frowning, he carefully touched it with his uninjured hand.

Bandages.

Whoever had done it was clearly a skilled physician.

Most of his wounds had been treated.

Even so, he hadn’t woken up during the process.

At this point, he wouldn’t be surprised if Khalid had knocked him unconscious.

Yudit sat up completely.

After all the exhaustion, sleeping had left his entire body sore.

His muscles screamed in protest—from his neck to his shoulders, arms, abdomen, hips, and thighs.

He’d probably have to spend an entire day in bed to recover properly.

Still, he slowly shuffled toward the fireplace and picked up the clock.

3 AM.

At least there was still time.

He glanced around the room, his back aching.

If he had clothes, he could leave immediately.

But right now, he was still in nothing but his underclothes.

He forced his aching body toward the wardrobe and opened it—only to find a few robes, nothing resembling proper clothes.

As he debated what to do, a voice came from beside him.

“I knew this would happen.”

Startled, Yudit flinched and hunched his shoulders.

Khalid stood by the door, arms crossed, wearing only a robe.

Yudit considered offering a morning greeting but decided against it.

“Could you lend me some clothes?”

“No. I left you like that on purpose.”

“……”

Khalid was more thorough—and knew him better—than Yudit expected.

Yudit stared at him, unsure of what to do.

“Looking at me like that won’t change my mind.”

“…Why not?”

“If I give you clothes, where do you plan to go?”

“I have to return to the palace.”

“Oh? Not the newspaper office?”

Had he spoken about his plans in his sleep?

Flustered, Yudit licked his dry lips.

“Selena, was it? I believe I’ve seen her a couple of times at banquets. Why do you insist on taking responsibility for everything?”

Khalid already knew why Yudit wanted to go to the newspaper.

A fire breaking out during a noble’s party, forcing aristocrats to jump from windows—now that was a story.

And if those aristocrats happened to be noblewomen, dressed only in their underclothes, even more so.

By now, newspaper illustrators were likely already sketching the scene for the front page.

Yudit had hoped to suppress the story as much as possible.

“If I saved someone who was about to die, I should take responsibility for what comes next.”

“And do you have a story big enough to trade for it?”

“I spent eighteen years in the Imperial Palace.”

At that, Khalid’s lips curved into a smirk.

He didn’t seem to like the situation, but he did seem to enjoy their conversation.

“Are you prepared to deal with the consequences of what you reveal?”

“Probably.”

Yudit answered vaguely, mentally sorting through the events that would interest the press the most.

“A prince who crawled between someone’s legs at the last banquet and jumped out of a window in his underclothes at this one—sounds like a good enough headline, doesn’t it?”

Yudit spoke calmly, as if composing a newspaper article title.

Khalid looked at him in disbelief.

“And what do you gain from that?”

“The honor of the people who were willing to burn to death to protect it, I suppose.”

“So you’re fine with your own honor being dragged through the mud?”

If his reputation fell that low, even performing well in the competition might not be enough to become emperor.

Yudit was fully aware of that.

“My honor doesn’t lie there.”

“Then where does it lie?”

At Khalid’s question, Yudit simply smiled.

“I don’t understand you.”

Khalid studied him with a complicated expression.

“Which part of my actions do you find difficult to understand?”

“You said you’d be willing to play the puppet if it meant keeping your life. And yet, you throw yourself into danger for people you barely know.”

From Khalid’s perspective, it was certainly hard to make sense of.

Yudit hesitated before finally speaking.

“My mother… died in a fire.”

Khalid already knew that much.

Even if she had been a commoner, she was still an imperial concubine.

Had it been poison, it might have been overlooked, but the entire palace had burned down—it was impossible not to know.

“…I have nightmares. About once a month.”

“……”

“I dream that I’m trapped in the fire with my mother. In my dream, I’m still a child—too small, too weak to do anything. I can’t save her. I can’t save myself.”

The trauma of his childhood had taken root in his nightmares.

Again and again, he was forced to watch his mother burn.

“When I wake up drenched in sweat, I’m overcome with regret. If only I’d been bigger, stronger—maybe I could have saved her.”

If Yudit had left someone behind in the flames today, it would have become a new trauma.

He wouldn’t have been able to endure it, no matter who that person was.

“At least in today’s fire, there was a lot I could do….In a way, I actually felt relieved.”

“…That’s foolish.”

Even as Khalid scolded him, Yudit simply smiled.

Khalid stared at him in silence before reaching out and placing a hand on his head.

“You’re burning up.”

“It’s because I just came from a warm place.”

Yudit spoke as if he had simply returned from a vacation in the southern lands.

Khalid was left speechless.

“You have injuries all over your body. That’s probably why you have a fever. It’ll take about two weeks for them to fully heal.”

“I hope I recover within two weeks.”

Yudit muttered to himself, clearly worried about the competition.

“If you’d left when I told you to, you wouldn’t have needed to worry.”

“…Are you still unwilling to lend me some clothes?”

“I’m not.”

Khalid rejected him outright.

“Honestly, why are you even awake? That drug I gave you had a strong sedative in it.”

Khalid eyed Yudit with displeasure.

When Yudit looked troubled, Khalid spoke first.

“I already contacted the newspapers. None of the women’s stories will be published.”

It was such an unexpected action that Yudit’s eyes widened in surprise.

“…Really?”

“Yeah. I gave them a couple of other juicy topics. If they have any sense, they’ll take the bait.”

“Thank you.”

“Consider it my payment for your hand.”

Khalid gestured to Yudit’s bandaged hand.

It seemed that he’d been more bothered than he let on about the fact that Yudit had been burned in his place.