TOPWL 36

“We greet His Highness the prince.”

They bowed their heads to Yudit, in accordance with the etiquette of the Adanauer Empire. The man who had arrived late glanced up at Yudit while still bowing. Seeing Yudit rubbing his neck, the man slapped the back of Huyan’s head with his palm.

“I am truly sorry. I have no idea what this madman has done. I sincerely apologize, Your Highness.”

It was a grave offense to threaten a prince with a sword, one deserving of execution. But that would only be the case if Yudit were truly a prince. When Huyan tried to lift his head, the man yelled at him.

“What are you doing lifting your head like you’ve done something right! Stay down!”

“Wadiram, let go.”

“It’s fine. Let go.”

At Yudit’s words, the man hesitated before removing his hand from Huyan’s neck. Slowly, Huyan lifted his head and looked at Yudit.

“I apologize. I became sensitive after several attacks before coming here. I would be grateful if you could show mercy and end my life here.”

After saying this, Huyan handed his dagger to Yudit without hesitation. It was Wadiram who appeared to be more flustered beside him.

“No, I know this is a serious crime. I didn’t know you were the prince, Your Highness. I understand this doesn’t make it excusable, but still…”

Suddenly, Wadiram kneeled in front of Yudit.

“Huyan is an important asset to Herut. Please, spare his life.”

Yudit sighed as he alternated his gaze between Wadiram and Huyan.

“I have no intention of taking a life or causing harm.”

Huyan looked at Yudit with an unfamiliar expression. Wadiram seemed to want a definite answer, so he asked again.

“Are you really sure? You could at least give him a slap!”

“I’m serious. It’s heavy, so please take it back.” Yudit handed the dagger back to Huyan. Huyan accepted it and sheathed it.

“Your Highness, not only do you have the appearance of a noble, but your heart is as vast as the desert. I’m truly grateful. Huyan also appreciates it… Hey, where are you going?”

As Huyan walked down the corridor, he bent slightly in the darkness. When he returned, he was holding Yudit’s notebook. The unfortunate thing was that the notebook was wide open.

Because of that, they all got a good look at the contents inside.

“Ha, Your Highness, you’re also skilled at drawing. This one looks just like me!”

It was indeed a drawing of him.

“…”

“…”

“…”

An awkward silence passed between the three. Yudit took the notebook and tucked it into his chest.

“It’s a drawing of you.”

“Eh? Why, why…?”

Wadiram stammered in surprise. Yudit felt that at least a simple explanation was in order.

“I was tasked with organizing the final day’s banquet, and while I was wondering how to properly entertain, I ended up here.”

At Yudit’s words, Wadiram looked like he was trying to understand but wasn’t quite getting it.

“Ah, I see. But why are you here and not inside?”

“It’s none of our concern.” Huyan interrupted Wadiram’s question.

“I’m not close to the prince who is hosting the banquet today.”

Yudit gave a sheepish smile, and only then did Wadiram seem to understand the situation.

“I was amazed that the princes will host banquets for four days. I guess something good is at stake.”

“Something like that.”

If the throne could be considered a good thing, then it wasn’t a lie. Curiosity seemed to sparkle in Wadiram’s eyes as he spoke.

“Could it be…”

“Excuse us for the intrusion. We’ll be taking our leave now.”

Huyan grabbed Wadiram’s wrist and led him away. Wadiram gave a displeased expression but didn’t resist. Without caring, Huyan sent Wadiram off before bowing to Yudit.

“I thank you for showing mercy and sparing the life that could have been taken today. Should I be needed in the future, please call upon me. I will fulfill it with my life.”

“Hey, why are you making such vows so recklessly…!”

Wadiram, flustered, tried to stop Huyan, but Huyan was quicker. Yudit stared intently at the man bowing before him.

“Then may I ask just one thing?”

Thinking that Yudit would ask about Herut’s internal matters, Huyan’s expression became serious. However, it was already too late to take back the words he had spoken.

“…Yes.”

“Are there any foods that the emissaries cannot eat?”

“…Foods we cannot eat?”

Huyan’s expression grew uncertain, as he hadn’t expected such a question. Yudit nodded.

“Oh, and it would also be helpful if you could tell me about your favorite foods. I can settle my debt with that.”

“….”

“…Would it be alright if I asked two questions?”

Yudit asked, glancing at Huyan. With a look of annoyance, Huyan rubbed his temple.

“My life is worth more than that… I’ll just tell you that information.”

Could there be anything better? Yudit smiled brightly as he spoke.

“Thank you.”

…

Back in his room, Yudit jumped onto the bed after changing his clothes. The old mattress creaked, but he didn’t mind. Yudit hugged the notebook tightly and rolled across the bed. Inside the notebook was information about the emissaries. At first, Huyan had only answered briefly, but because Wadiram had taken an interest, he had provided more detailed information, allowing Yudit to gather much more.

Thanks to Huyan holding a knife to his neck, Yudit had learned some important facts. Two out of the seven emissaries were vegetarians, influenced by the religion they followed. If such valuable information kept flowing whenever the knife touched his neck, Yudit wouldn’t mind a few more attempts.

Yudit opened the second compartment of the nightstand beside the bed. He pulled out the top drawer, revealing a small space inside. There were some candies and notebooks scattered around. Yudit took one of the notebooks from the drawer. The notebook, which had been new when the competition began, now looked worn as if it had been used for years. It was filled with writing and notes. Yudit flipped through the parts he had memorized by heart and began editing.

By the time he finished, it was already dawn. Once again, he had spent the entire night working. Yudit hid the notebook back in the drawer and turned off the lights. The light of day was already creeping in, despite the darkness. Perhaps because of his excitement, sleep didn’t come. Tossing and turning, Yudit eventually got out of bed.

In the dewy morning, Yudit made his way to the princess’s grave. He had brought flowers that she liked. When Yudit placed the flowers before Lilia’s grave, the world had already fully brightened. After pulling the weeds growing beside the grave, Yudit sat next to the tombstone.

“Sister, I’m going taking part in the competition.”

There was no reply. Yudit continued speaking.

“I don’t know if I’ll succeed.”

Yudit traced the engraving on the stone with his fingertips.

“Thanks to you watching over me, I’ve safely grown into an adult and am able to participate in the competition.” Yudit looked down at the flowers swaying in the morning breeze.

“So, I’ll do my best and give it my all.”

Yudit hugged the tombstone. The cold stone felt warmer than any of the people in the imperial palace. Yudit stayed there for a while, embracing the tombstone, before getting up. The sun was rising over the horizon. Yudit stood for a long time, staring at the tombstone, which was now tinted orange, before finally getting up.

…

On the second day, Hiore’s banquet was held. Surprisingly, it was hosted in the same place as the previous day’s banquet, the one where Reginald had hosted his. Yudit had thought that Hiore had a separate banquet hall, but it seemed that he had received special permission from the emperor.

The banquet was more ordinary than expected. There was no flowing water, and there were fewer musicians compared to yesterday. The variety of food was also lacking. While yesterday’s food had mostly consisted of lean meats and premium dishes, today’s dishes featured less desirable cuts and offal as the main ingredients. The freshness of the fruits also seemed a bit lacking compared to yesterday.

It seemed that their strategy was to pool their resources. Hiore had likely paid most of the costs for the Hall, while Reginald used the remaining funds to cover the food and labor expenses. It was a bit of a show, but with the empress’s influence, this might be possible. The empress had been displeased from the start with the very idea of such competition.