TOPWL 53

Yudit slept through the entire morning and only woke up in the afternoon. By the time he woke, the delegation had already left.

Wadiram had also mentioned that he would accompany them only to the border. Yudit wondered if he would stay at the imperial palace in Adanauer, but that was not the case.

He had rented a house separately and would stay there. He mentioned that he had to rent a warehouse anyway, given how many things Azil had given him, and invited Yudit to visit once everything was sorted out.

“Your Highness, are you ready?”

The nanny entered and asked. Yudit nodded.

“I’m ready.”

The nanny, seeing how much Yudit had grown, spoke.

“You must tell His Majesty. You have no interest in the throne, and whatever the marriage—whether it’s a political one or not—You just want to get married.”

“I’ll think about it.”

“Your Highness—!”

The nanny called after him, but Yudit pretended not to hear and stepped out the door. After the delegation had left, the Emperor immediately summoned the princes. This was to announce their rankings. Yudit realized that some unfamiliar people were walking with him towards the hall. They kept glancing at him. Yudit met their gaze with a puzzled expression.

“Are you Prince Yudit?”

“That’s right.”

“We are from the Adan newspaper. What rank do you expect today?”

It turned out they were reporters.

“I’m not sure.”

“Please, just one word…!”

Yudit quickened his pace to get away from them.

“…”

He thought he had escaped, but as soon as he entered the hall, the reporters were all lined up inside. They began bombarding him with questions.

“What kind of banquet did Your Highness host?”

“What do you expect the results of the competition to be?”

“How do you feel right now?”

Overwhelmed by the barrage of questions, Yudit stepped back. He wasn’t used to this kind of attention. From across the hall, Hiore, who was with Reginald, flashed a smirk at Yudit. At that moment, a servant raised his voice.

“His Majesty Emperor Victor Friedrich Adanauer enters!”

At those words, the reporters’ gazes shifted to the door where the Emperor entered. When he stepped inside, everyone stood up to pay their respects to him.

“Everyone, raise your heads.”

The Emperor appeared to be in better condition than expected. Supported by Aisa, he ascended the podium alone without assistance.

It was the first time so many reporters had gathered for an official event like this. Yudit, Hiore, and Azil all seemed a bit tense.

“I am truly delighted that my sons have successfully completed their first competition.”

The Emperor’s speech continued, and the reporters furiously jotted down notes while the painters sketched the Emperor’s figure from the podium. Most of the painters were not court artists but reporters’ assigned illustrators.

It was clear that the Emperor wanted to widely publicize the results of this competition. If that was the case, Azil would probably be first. Second place could go to Reginald or Hiore, but with some luck, Yudit might also be in the running. Yudit glanced at the seats where the nobles sat. It didn’t take long before he found Khalid. He was hard to miss with his tall stature and upright posture. He was engaged in a cheerful conversation with the noble next to him, and the sight of it made Yudit’s palms sweat in anxiety. The pressure caused his nails to leave deep impressions on his palms.

“This ranking will not be reversed and will be recorded for posterity. First, I will announce second place.”

A servant handed the second of four scrolls to the Emperor, who unfurled it and announced:

“Second place, Hiore Friedrich Adanauer.”

People began to murmur at the Emperor’s declaration. Not only the reporters but also the nobles and princes reacted. Hiore, seemingly shocked by not being in first place, wore a blank expression. Reginald, perhaps assuming he would be first, congratulated Hiore with a friendly smile.

“Congratulations, Hiore.”

“T-thank you, brother.”

Yudit could not bring himself to congratulate him. The fact that Hiore was in second place meant Yudit had to be in first. But he wasn’t confident even about second place, let alone first. His mind reluctantly turned to Huyan’s suggestion. Had he made the right choice? Despite being warmly dressed, he felt a chill. When the Emperor pulled out the next scroll, the previously noisy hall fell into silence. The Emperor spoke in a calm voice.

“Third place, Azil Friedrich Adanauer.”

An unexpected turn of events. Azil had placed third. Azil, perhaps already knowing this, calmly stepped forward to accept the scroll. If he was third, why had the Emperor called the reporters? Yudit’s mind was in turmoil. Was the Emperor planning to make Azil the successor? Other princes seemed to be having similar thoughts, their confusion evident. At that moment, the Emperor raised two scrolls.

“I will announce first and fourth place together.”

After unfurling the scrolls, the Emperor spoke in his usual calm tone.

“Fourth place, Reginald Friedrich Adanauer. First place, Yudit Friedrich Adanauer.”

The room erupted into chaos, far more than when Hiore placed second or Ashil placed third. Even Reginald, who had assumed he would be first, looked stunned. But the one most shocked by this result was Yudit himself. Most of the judges were pro-imperial, meaning their votes were likely what the Emperor wanted. It didn’t make sense for the Emperor to want Yudit to be in first place.

His mind was racing with thoughts, but his body was already moving forward. The Emperor handed each of them a scroll with an indifferent gaze. Yudit opened his scroll.

First Competition

Banquet

First place

Yudit Friedrich Adanauer

It clearly said that. Even after seeing it with his own eyes, Yudit couldn’t believe it. He wasn’t sure how he ended up back at his seat. The Emperor continued speaking, but Yudit couldn’t hear a word.

He slowly scanned the room. Reporters were scribbling down notes while painters sketched his image. The nobles also glanced at him, and Reginald was glaring at him as though he wanted to kill him. Amid the many gazes, Yudit noticed one gaze directed solely at him.

Khalid Baldwin Meyer.

He seemed to be saying something to Yudit. Yudit unconsciously read his lips. Though it was hard to make out from the distance, it seemed like he was saying:

“Congratulations.”

A cold breeze swept through the hall, calming the tense atmosphere and disappearing through the windows. Yudit’s platinum hair fluttered in the wind, revealing his sweaty, round forehead.

“…This concludes the first competition. All the princes did well.”

“Your Majesty, I have a question.”

Unable to hold it in any longer, Reginald raised his hand. Such behavior in an official setting was highly disrespectful. The Emperor’s brow furrowed, clearly displeased.

“Are you dissatisfied with the ranking, my son?”

With a voice laced with anger, the Emperor’s words made Reginald flinch. However, not willing to back down, Reginald did not correct himself. The Emperor gestured to the servant. The servant stepped forward to explain.

“The rankings are based on scores for each category, and the person with the highest total score ranks first. Categories include votes from the judges, the delegation’s votes, whether the banquet represented Adanauer’s dignity, and whether the budget was properly managed.”

The servant unfolded a piece of paper next to the scroll and read from it.

“Prince Reginald received high marks for representing Adanauer’s dignity in the banquet, but his scores from the delegation and the judges were low, and he exceeded the allocated budget, resulting in a penalty. This caused his lower overall score…”

Before the servant could finish, Reginald snatched the paper away. He read it through, his jaw muscles twitching.

“Cheating is unacceptable in this competition, both now and in the future. Not only did you exceed the budget, but you also tried to deceive me using your brother Hiore. Do you think I didn’t know?”

The Emperor’s voice was icy. Before Azil was born, Reginald had been the Emperor’s most beloved son. Although their relationship hadn’t been fully estranged, the Emperor’s treatment of Reginald now was as cold as that of someone he hated. Reginald, shocked by the Emperor’s reaction, turned pale.