TOPWL 75

“That can’t be true. Who do you think Aldrich died because of?”

“….”

Diego said, emptying his glass in one swift motion. The atmosphere in the room grew cold.

“…I feel like my teeth are going to chatter, the air is so cold.”

Unable to stand the chilly air, Eden grabbed the bottle and drank straight from it. Yudit tried to stop him, but the mood was such that he couldn’t intervene. With a thunk, Eden placed the empty bottle on the table. His cheeks and the scars on his face turned bright red.

“Is he alright?”

“He’s an adult. He knows how much he can handle.”

Yudit looked at Eden with concern. Eden, rubbing his churning stomach noisily, suddenly slammed his head down on the table and collapsed. Diego, without a hint of mercy, dragged Eden to his side and lifted him up. He threw Eden onto his old mattress and came back with fresh alcohol. As Diego was about to pour himself a drink, Yudit grabbed the bottle from him.

“I’ll pour it.”

Diego looked at Yudit, fascinated.

“…Why are you looking at me like that?”

“I never thought I’d see the day you’d pour drinks for me.”

“Yeah, me neither.”

This time, when Yudit tried to pour the drink for himself, Diego took the bottle from him.

“You’ve had enough.”

Shane, who had been abstaining from alcohol, finally spoke up. Diego frowned as if annoyed. Yudit, staring at the sloshing drink in his glass, raised his finger.

“Just one more glass.”

“…Alright.”

Shane, though still looking worried, didn’t try to stop him further. Yudit and Diego’s glasses clinked in the air, making a light sound. As Yudit swallowed the drink, a burning sensation spread from his tongue to his throat. He rubbed his warm stomach and glanced around.

“This house hasn’t changed much.”

“I didn’t see the need to buy new furniture.”

“If you’re going to stay here, it wouldn’t hurt to bring in one or two decent pieces.”

“I don’t know if we’ll even be staying here.”

“…Sorry.”

“You don’t need to apologize. You took a beating too.”

“Still, I’m sorry.”

Diego scowled as if annoyed by Yudit’s repeated apologies.

“You still eat those candies?”

“…Yes.”

Diego knew about the poisoned candy Yudit was eating. The one who had prescribed it was a back-alley doctor, so it was impossible not to know.

“Shouldn’t you leave now?”

“..…”

Diego looked at Yudit sharply.

“Is it because of guilt?”

Yudit looked up, startled. He never expected to hear this from Diego.

“Not exactly. It’s more that I learned from a great master.”

“A great master, huh?”

Diego scoffed. Yudit traced the surface of his empty glass and spoke.

“I’m not a great disciple, so I can’t do things exactly the same, but I’ll try to hang on as long as I can.”

“…You’re an idiot.”

After finishing his last drink, Diego spoke.

“You should go home now.”

“Didn’t you say you’d let me sleep here? I’m not feeling well.”

Yudit said this shamelessly, and Diego looked at him with an exasperated expression.

“Not everyone living here knows who you are. If rumors get out that you brought a prince here, people might come to vent their frustrations.”

Yudit quietly looked around the house. While he could accept a slap, he didn’t think this dilapidated house could withstand the commotion.

“That might happen. Sorry.”

Yudit stood up and spoke. Diego, now wearing his outer garment, spoke as he prepared to leave.

“I’ll escort you.”

“It’s fine.”

“I’m not fine with it.”

Diego pressed an old hat down on Yudit’s head as he spoke. Yudit, looking at the room where Eden was, said,

“Tell Eden I said goodbye.”

Diego didn’t answer but opened the door. The cold air of dawn rushed inside. From deep within the room, Eden’s faint whining could be heard. With a thud, the door was closed, and the three of them started walking. The sharp wind cut through the space between them.

When the cold wind hit the places he’d been struck, it felt both more painful and less so. It was actually worse, but the numbness made it seem less intense. His joints ached. He hoped it wasn’t anything serious. Yudit rubbed his elbow joint and thought.

“Someone’s coming.”

Shane spoke. As Yudit turned to look, Diego placed his hand on Yudit’s shoulder.

“Act natural.”

Diego whispered to them both. The once quiet alley now echoed with footsteps, at least five or more. The sudden tension made Yudit swallow dryly. The footsteps stopped exactly in front of them.

“Isn’t that Diego? What are you doing here at this hour?”

One of the footsteps’ owners spoke to Diego. The others also greeted him.

“Who’s this? I don’t recognize the face.”

Strange looks were cast toward Shane and Yudit. Luckily, Shane was wearing a hood that mostly covered his face. Even if his face were exposed, not many would recognize Shane as a nobleman’s knight.

“He’s a friend.”

Diego said, patting the top of Yudit’s hat as if to show he wasn’t hiding anything, but it was a deliberate act of pressing the hat down deeper.

“That’s a lie. You don’t have friends. Is he your lover?”

“Not at all.”

“When are you going to meet your lover?”

“Yeah. Poor Diego. How many years have you been stuck on that damned prince?”

“Shut up.”

“His brother was planning on killing everyone here. Looks like you’ve got some intense love going on.”

The man’s mocking words made Diego growl.

“I told you to shut up.”

“Relax, it was a joke.”

“…I get it. Sorry.”

The man flinched at Diego’s fierce glare and apologized. Seeing that everyone had quieted down, Diego sighed softly and spoke.

“These two are my friends. They heard rumors that this place is dangerous, so they came to see mee. They’ll be leaving soon.”

“Wow, you’re popular with friends. Alright, whatever. We’re going.”

The man clicked his tongue, and the group walked off. Only after they were gone did the three of them start walking again.

“Ugh…”

Finally, when they passed through the winding alley and reached a larger street, Yudit felt like he could breathe again. Since the slums were near the red-light district, there were still drunks and carriages around even in the early morning. When Diego waved his hand, an old carriage stopped in front of them.

“…Thanks.”

Yudit opened the curtain in the carriage and spoke. Diego’s red eyes glowed dangerously in the dark.

“Forget about today, and don’t come back.”

Before Yudit could respond, the carriage started moving. He looked back. Despite his cold words, Diego stayed in place for a long time, staring after the carriage.

“You should go to the Duke’s house.”

“Why?”

Not long after they got in the carriage, Shane spoke.

“You might have injured your bones or muscles.”

“I’m fine. It’s nothing serious.”

Yudit smiled, his face a mess. Shane frowned.

“If it’s because of me, I’m fine.”

“What do you mean, because of you?”

“I wasn’t able to properly protect His Highness… You’re not going to the palace because you’re afraid you’ll be punished by His Excellency, right? You won’t receive proper treatment at the palace.”

Yudit shrugged.

“I’ve already received most of the treatment I need here. I’ll heal quickly. If you’re hurt, we should go, but if not, it’s better to turn back.”

“I… I’m hurt.”

Shane said.

“Really?”

Yudit looked at Shane with suspicion. Not used to lying, Shane licked his dry lips and nodded.

“Yes. I got hurt.”

“…Then we should go. Let’s go.”

Though it seemed like a lie, if he really was hurt, it was better to go to the Duke’s mansion for treatment. Yudit readily agreed, and Shane, relieved, opened the curtain and spoke to the coachman. Not long after, the carriage turned around and began heading in the opposite direction. The sound of the wheels on the quiet, dark street grew loud, then slowly faded away.