TOPWL 46

Yudit, like every other morning, headed towards the banquet hall. The hall, bathed in sunlight, looked entirely different from the night before. Yudit paused for a moment to gaze at the dust particles floating in the light before picking up the cleaning tools he had brought. Thankfully, the servants had at least tidied up the hall somewhat, so there wasn’t much left for Yudit to do. A quick sweep and wipe would suffice.

The tapestries were rolled up and neatly placed in a corner, and the cloths and sofa cushions had been taken to the laundry room by the servants. After finishing his task, Yudit added a bonus to their wages. The servant who had stained the tapestry with wine was unsure if he would be paid, but Yudit handed him the money without hesitation. The servants, having received more than usual, made sure to clean up more thoroughly before returning home.

After sweeping away the stray crumbs on the floor, Yudit made his way to the storage room. The attendants there, now familiar with him, greeted him.

“Good morning, Your Highness.”

“You’ve worked hard.”

After exchanging pleasantries, Yudit entered. There, he found the table and chairs he had moved earlier. Now that the banquet was over, it was time to return them to their proper place.

“Are you planning to move them? Where are the other servants?”

The storage keeper asked, puzzled. Yudit awkwardly explained.

“I gave them a few days off after all their hard work.”

“Are you moving them all by yourself?”

“I’ll do what I can.”

While it would be impossible for Yudit to move the table alone, the chairs were manageable. However, the storage keeper, who had seen Yudit push himself before, voiced his concern.

“That might be a bit much for you. You could cancel their time off or have the others help after their break.”

Though Yudit had considered this, he felt it would be fine to move them since he had woken up early. He didn’t need to think too much about it, especially since the results of the competition would only be revealed after the envoys had left. Until then, he simply wanted to do something uncomplicated. Carrying two chairs, Yudit left the storage room. The keeper looked at him sympathetically.

As he climbed the stairs with the chairs, he recalled the incident with Hiore. One of the chairs had been shattered because of it. He had almost demanded compensation from Hiore but had hesitated, he didn’t have the courage to do so.

Hurrying toward the banquet hall, Yudit paused as he heard the loud clash of metal from outside. Looking out the window, he saw two men sparring in the backyard. Why were they practicing there instead of in the training hall? Yudit then realized they were Wadiram and Huyan. He couldn’t help but observe them intently.

Wadiram’s sword was light, while Huyan’s was heavy. However, light didn’t mean weak, and heavy didn’t mean slow. Wadiram launched several attacks in a single second, while Huyan blocked them with minimal movement and occasionally counterattacked with heavy strikes. Every time he did, Wadiram’s body swayed. It was clear they had trained under different masters, as their styles were completely different, yet there was a similarity in their essence. Their swords were not meant for sparring. They seemed to be preparing for something much larger, something beyond mere human capability…

“Your Highness?”

Huyan, seemingly noticing him watching, shielded his eyes from the sun and looked up. Yudit, caught staring, panicked and dropped one of the chairs. The thud echoed down the hallway. Far from being annoyed, Wadiram waved his hand leisurely.

“Your Highness, you’re up early!”

Yudit awkwardly waved back.

“What are you doing?”

Wadiram kept asking questions, but Yudit, who wasn’t confident enough to speak loudly in the palace, waved his hand a few more times and then moved on. As he carried the chair, he heard rapid footsteps coming from behind. Looking back, he saw Wadiram charging toward him at an alarming speed.

“Your Highness! Why just leave after you saw us?”

“Wadiram.”

Huyan, who had caught up, scolded him. Yudit, with an awkward smile, spoke up.

“I thought I might have interrupted your sparring. But why were you practicing in the backyard? Didn’t the training hall have space?”

“Ah, well, it’s just that the techniques we use are different from those in Adenawar, and it always feels like we’re being watched. So, I decided to practice here today to stretch a bit.”

“Why were you moving chairs?”

Huyan asked, puzzled.

“I was setting the banquet hall back to normal.”

“Alone, Your Highness?”

“Well, I gave the other servants a break.”

Though Yudit’s response was truthful, they seemed to misunderstand. Both Wadiram and Huyan looked at him sympathetically. Before Yudit could clarify, Huyan snatched the chair from him.

“Let’s do it together. I’ll help.”

“Right. We just need to return it to where it was in the banquet hall, right?”

“It’s fine, but don’t you two have other plans?”

“Ha, we just sparred because we had time. You saw that, didn’t you? It’s fine.”

Wadiram hummed as he walked toward the banquet hall, then suddenly turned to look at Yudit.

“By the way, Your Highness.”

“Yes?”

“Are you… close with that woman, Sonia?”

Wadiram scratched the bridge of his nose awkwardly. Yudit recalled how Wadiram couldn’t take his eyes off Sonia the night before.

“Well, I would like to get closer, but we’re not really that familiar yet.”

Though he could speak more freely about Selena or Yasin, he had hardly spent enough time with Sonia to call themselves close. Wadiram blinked, embarrassed.

“Do you… perhaps have feelings for her?”

“No, no. It’s just that Sonia…”

Yudit was about to explain that rumors surrounded her due to Reginald, but he paused. Sonia was not someone he could be emotionally attached to. Wadiram waited for Yudit to continue.

“I think it’s more about Second Prince. He’s the one she’s closer to.”

Yudit chose to dispel whatever feelings Wadiram might have had. He worried that if Wadiram pursued Sonia, he might incur Reginald’s wrath. Wadiram’s face fell in disappointment.

“Are they… engaged?”

“No, not yet.”

Reginald had been betrothed before coming of age, and upon reaching maturity, they had married. It had been an arranged marriage, so there had been no love between them. The princess, raised in a glasshouse, couldn’t endure the coldness of the palace and had passed away two years ago. Now, talks of remarriage were surfacing, and people speculated that Sonia might be the next choice, though her lower status could be overlooked because she was a dominant Omega capable of producing heirs and solidifying the lineage.

“Not engaged, then?”

“Yes… not yet…”

Wadiram’s previous disappointment seemed to fade as hope filled his expression. Yudit glanced at him uneasily when suddenly Huyan spoke up.

“Your Highness… You refer to Reginald as Second Prince?”

Huyan’s words were sharp, catching Yudit off guard. He chuckled awkwardly.

“Ah, well, he told me not to call him brother, so I just say ‘Second Prince.’ I find it easier that way.”

After a long pause, Huyan finally spoke again.

“…Your Highness, are you not… welcomed in the palace?”

The directness of Huyan’s question made Yudit stop in his tracks. It was the first time someone had been so blunt. Was this how people from Herut spoke? Wadiram looked just as startled, which was unusual for him.

“Hey, Huyan, that’s rude to say to the Prince.”

“We’ve grown close, but that was still a bit impolite.”

“…I’m sorry. I should have said it more tactfully.”

The apology felt a little strange. Yudit stiffened, grabbing the chair Huyan was holding, pulling it away.

“You’re right. I’m not welcomed in the palace. Since you’ve realized that I’m a prince with no power, there’s no need to show me any further kindness.”

He hadn’t been hurt when Hiore stepped on him, but it was too easy for Huyan to wound him. After a tense moment, Huyan firmly gripped the chair. Yudit and Huyan locked eyes for a while.

“Huyan, enough.”

Wadiram lightly nudged Huyan with his elbow.

“…We’re leaving in two days.”

What did that mean? Yudit already knew that.

“Let’s go together.”