TOPWL 56

“Your Highness, you know how loyal I and the other servants have been, don’t you? Nobles sometimes give their loyal servants clothes they can no longer wear. Since you’re a man, Your Highness, you can’t do that, but wouldn’t it be only right to buy simple clothes for those servants who have been loyal for so long?”

At the servant’s words, Yudit wore a troubled expression. It was partly his fault that the servant had come to this. After hesitating for about three days, Yudit went out and sold the ring that Khalid had given him. The jeweler who recognized Yudit as the prince didn’t reduce the price too much and bought the ring. Yudit used that money to repair the servants’ rooms, buy heating supplies, and prepare winter clothes and warm gear for the servants. Since there were few servants and the repair costs weren’t very high, everything could be handled within 8 million Kes.

However, as soon as the nanny found out that Yudit had some money, she began to get greedy. Yudit, knowing how difficult it had been for her and the servants, couldn’t be too firm. With money in his hands, Yudit softened, and he could endure the disapproving glares of Shen.

“Well… I’ll think about it.”

“Oh my, don’t say that! If you give me a little money, I’ll match some clothes for you while I’m out. Okay?”

The servant said sweetly to Yudit, who looked troubled.

“Your Highness, it’s time for the meeting.”

At that moment, Shane stepped between Yudit and the nanny. Yudit glanced at the clock and sighed briefly.

“I forgot about the meeting. I’ll talk to you after I return.”

“Oh, I understand. You must give it to me when you return.”

Yudit didn’t respond and left the office. As they walked down the corridor, Yudit spoke to Shane.

“Shane, thank you.”

“…It’s nothing.”

When they turned the corner, their steps slowed. There was a meeting, but only in 30 minutes. Once outside, Yudit headed toward the maze garden.

“Shall we sit for a while?”

“It’s cold.”

“But the sunlight is good.”

Unusually for winter, the sun was shining brightly. Once inside the maze garden, the wind had nearly stopped. Shane, who had been trying to stop Yudit, sighed and spread a blanket on the ground. Seeing this, Yudit smiled softly. Though a man of few words and somewhat gruff, his kindness was evident in his actions.

“Don’t be too hard on the nanny. I’ve made her suffer a lot.”

“Your Highness, you’re too soft with the servants.”

“Even if they’re servants, we share the same space. I just want to get along with them.”

“…Understood. I’ll be careful.”

“Still, thanks to you earlier, I was saved. Thank you.”

Yudit’s expression of gratitude seemed to make Shane uncomfortable, and he cleared his throat. Yudit looked up at the clear sky. Like autumn skies, there wasn’t a single cloud. Suddenly, he felt the desire to share this view with others.

Since the announcement of the first competition results, Yudit hadn’t met with Selena or Yasin. There had been rumors that after receiving their help, he had abandoned them once the competition ended. To Yudit, such rumors were somewhat welcome. He didn’t want Reginald to know that he had any connections with them.

However, Selena had continued to send letters. They were filled with stories of her, Yasin, Lyett, and Sonia’s daily lives. Though he hadn’t replied, Yudit anonymously donated many items to the charity event. Anonymous donations had turned out to be a great idea.

Though he had become a little distant from his friends, he wasn’t completely alone.

“Your Highness, what are you doing here?”

At the familiar voice, Yudit turned his head. Wadiram was smiling brightly at him.

“Wadiram. It’s been a while.”

“Yes, I’ve been telling you to come visit, but you haven’t come to my house.”

Wadiram pouted, giving Yudit a playful scolding. Yudit awkwardly smiled.

“Haha…”

“Don’t you get bored just staying in the palace all the time?”

“It’s fine. I’m not bored.”

“I’d hate to come here even once a week.”

“You must have it hard. But why are you here in the maze garden?”

“I arrived early, but didn’t feel like going in, so I thought I’d hang out here for a bit.”

Since Wadiram treated Yudit so casually, Shane shot him a disapproving look. However, Wadiram glanced at him once and then continued without caring.

“What’s the hardest thing for you?”

“Hmm, the meeting is tough, but I feel burdened by how much they’re trying to pair me with Prince Azil…”

Wadiram let out a sigh, an expression not usually seen from him. As exchanges between Adanauer and Herut began, a weekly meeting had been scheduled. Since Herut had specifically chosen Yudit as the Adanauer representative, Yudit had attended alone for several weeks. However, at some point, Azil had started joining the meetings discreetly.

At first, Wadiram had treated Azil like a child and entertained him, but the problem arose when Azil became too fond of him. The still-young Azil wasn’t accustomed to the meetings, and during them, he would ask Wadiram to tell him stories about the desert or complain about being thirsty. As a result, the meetings couldn’t proceed properly. Compared to the pleasant few weeks before, the recent meetings had felt clouded. It wasn’t hard to understand Wadiram’s frustration.

“By the way, do you know what’s going on with Yasin lately?”

“Huh? I haven’t met him recently… Why do you ask?”

Wadiram tilted his head and spoke.

“I used to meet with him often before his husband arrived. We’d talk about how to weave tapestries, share stories about our hometowns, but ever since his husband came, I haven’t heard from him at all.”

“His husband came back after a long time, didn’t he? I’m sure they want to spend some time alone after so long.”

“Well, that’s true, but I can’t help but feel a bit disappointed.”

Wadiram scratched his cheek, looking a bit lonely. Living in a foreign country, Yasin was the only person from Herut that he knew, and he seemed hurt by the lack of communication lately.

“How about Sonia? How’s she doing?”

“I’m diligently stamping my attendance card.”

Wadiram said cheerfully. By “stamping his attendance,” he meant attending Sonia’s performances. The cost must not have been small, and Yudit wondered if Wadiram was managing fine.

“Is the money alright? Her performances must be pretty expensive.”

“Oh, that? I became friends with a few people from the performance crew after having drinks with them a few times, so now I just go in for free.”

It was just like Wadiram to become friends with everyone after a few rounds of drinks.

“That’s great. It’s almost time, shall we head into the meeting?”

Yudit pointed toward the clock tower, visible from anywhere in the palace. Wadiram’s face darkened, perhaps thinking of Azil.

As they walked, Yudit pulled something from his pocket as if remembering something.

“Here you go, Wadiram.”

“What’s this? A ticket?”

“It’s a ticket for a charity event. My friend is hosting it. Sonia will perform, and Yasin will probably come too.”

“Did I ever tell you how much I really like you, Your Highness?”

Wadiram kept kissing the ticket as he spoke. His previously sluggish steps turned lively, like a dog wagging its tail. Yudit couldn’t help but laugh at the sight. The minute hand of the clock tower pointed to 55 minutes. The three of them quickened their pace toward the meeting room.

***

“I can’t eat this.”

Isiah set down her spoon. Yudit looked up and met her gaze.

“I’m eating just fine. I’m just a bit slow.”

“Well, eating with an old lady must be tiresome.”

“If you knew how long I’ve been waiting for today, you wouldn’t say that.”

Today was the day Yudit had been eagerly waiting for his meal with Isiah.

“You, Lady Isiah, seem to be the one who can hardly eat anything.”

“I noticed you seemed to like Herut-style food, so I tried to make some… but it doesn’t seem to suit my taste.”

Isiah wiped her mouth with a napkin. Everything on the table seemed to be Herut-style food. Recently, Herut-style cuisine and banquets had become quite the trend, and since Yudit had started the trend, it seemed Isiah had asked to prepare a Herut-inspired meal.

Yudit had some thoughts on the current trend. Though the banquet that day had been Herut-style, the ingredients and recipes used were heavily inspired by Adanauer cuisine. However, people had chosen to pour Herut spices and seasonings generously, which was the case with Isiah’s table as well.

“Naturally, I prefer Adanauer food. Trying Herut cuisine is fine, but when it’s a meal that only happens once a month, I’d rather focus more on conversation than the food itself… Is that alright?”

“Ah, I see. I’ve made a mistake.”

“No, it was kind. You were thinking of me, Isiah.”

Yudit spoke with a sincere smile. Isiah, who had been staring at him, gazed at him with a slightly nostalgic look. Yudit, knowing who she was thinking of, lowered his eyes quietly to give her space to reminisce.