TOPWL 274

“Thank you for giving me this opportunity. I will protect the princess with my life.”

“Alright, I’ll be counting on you.”

Yudit smiled brightly and patted Edmond’s back.

* * *

“Ah, it’s so hot and humid…”

“Not yet.”

The servant stated firmly. Yudit was currently coated from head to toe in grain paste, honey, eggs, and milk. The sweet, creamy scent emanating from his entire body was almost suffocating.

“We should have been preparing for days now. It’s our mistake.”

The servant introduced by Selena was extremely capable and quick at her work, but her very competence made Yudit feel a bit overwhelmed at times. However, it was Yudit himself who had been too busy to manage things, putting it off again and again, so he obediently followed the servant’s instructions.

“I’ll wash you now.”

The moment the servant finished speaking, warm water poured into the bathtub.

“Phew…”

With the thick layer of grain paste covering his face gone, he felt he could breathe a little easier. Next, the servants latched onto Yudit’s arms and began peeling off the grain paste. He hesitated, wondering if he could do it himself, but feeling incapable, he surrendered his body to them. After using plenty of water to thoroughly wash off the paste, Yudit rose from his seat.

“Where are you going?”

“Isn’t it over?”

“It’s just beginning. You need only stay put.”

The servant said this while pouring water into the now-clean tub. Yudit sat back down in the tub, his face twisted in a pout.

* * *

He escaped their clutches a little past midnight. After a full four hours of treatment, Yudit opened his bedroom door. He intended to confess his exhaustion to Khalid, but the bedroom was empty. Peering into the cradle, he found the child gone too.

“Where are Ru and Khalid?”

“The princess couldn’t sleep, perhaps the bed was uncomfortable. His Grace said he’d take a stroll in the back garden for a while.”

“I see.”

During the treatment, all he could think about was his bed, but now that it was over, his mind felt clear. After a moment’s hesitation, Yudit quickly threw on some clothes and headed for the backyard.

He had worried it might be dark, but a full moon hung in the sky, stolen contentmaking the night bright. It appeared even brighter because lights were lit throughout the palace in preparation for tomorrow’s coronation.

“Khalid?”

Yudit called out to Khalid as he fastened his gown. After walking for about three minutes, he sensed movement and turned his head. Khalid was sitting on a bench in front of bare, withered branches, holding Ru. Spotting Yudit, Khalid pressed his index finger to his lips.

“She just fell asleep.”

Ru, wrapped tightly and fast asleep, looked different now. Yudit thought he must bring in a court painter as soon as possible.

“Hold her for a moment.”

Khalid handed Ru to Yudit, then took off his own coat and draped it over his shoulders.

“Why are you dressed so lightly?”

“The weather has warmed up quite a bit…”

“The nights are cold. Dress properly.”

Khalid said as he took the child back. At that moment, perhaps uncomfortable from being moved so much, Ru whimpered. Both of them stopped talking and moving. Fortunately, it seemed to be just a sleep fuss, and Ru fell back asleep immediately.

“She usually sleeps well at night, but I guess she didn’t tonight.”

“She must have sensed the atmosphere. The entire imperial household is in turmoil.”

“Yes. I just received word of the death notice. The former empress… took her own life.”

Yudit said as he gazed down at the sleeping Ru with a subdued expression.

Reginald and Hiore were made to drink a poisoned cup less than three hours after the trial ended. It was a poison that allowed them to depart as peacefully as falling asleep. Originally, they had planned to carry it out over several days, but the nobles’ insistent urging, mixed with coercion, to handle it as quickly as possible and solidify the new imperial authority led to its execution sooner than scheduled. Their crimes must have been considerable indeed.

Hiore accepted the poisoned cup without resistance, but Reginald threw it away repeatedly, forcing them to feed it to him. The empress, devastated by the news of her two children, or [stolen content]rather Reginald’s death, bit her tongue and killed herself before she could even be imprisoned.

“……”

She believed she had done nothing wrong, but her position had not been easily attained. Hadn’t it been gained only after devouring every parent and sibling? Though the three were executed as examples, the remaining Crowd family and all deeply involved in the affair had to be dealt with as well. He now knew why the years following an emperor’s ascension were marked by a storm of bloodshed.

“Will this child also have to endure such things…?”

“We must strive to ensure she endure as little as possible.”

“It doesn’t seem likely the empire and imperial authority will remain solid until this child grows up to be emperor.”

Imperial power remained strong, but its value was shifting. The educated sought equality, and even nobles who claimed they didn’t work were gradually taking up labor. A new value was entering the empire: money, not honor.

“Perhaps we might be the last imperial house. Even if it continues, it might become nothing more than a ceremonial title. But I wish this child could live a better life, doing what she truly desires.”

“What if the people wish for the imperial throne to continue?”

Yudit rolled his eyes at Khalid’s provocative question.

“Then so be it. Their taxes are what sustain us.”

Whoosh. The wind blew, ruffling Yudit’s long hair. Though it was a spring breeze, the early dawn made it chilly.

“I dozed off briefly while being tended to… and I had a dream.”

“What kind of dream?”

“A dream where my mother… said her last words in the flames.”

‘Yudit, you must live.’

“Originally, she couldn’t say anything before it ended, but this time, for some r​visit our site​eason, she could speak.”

“What did she say?”

“That I survived. That she didn’t need to worry anymore. Then, for the first time, she smiled and hugged me. Even in the dream, I felt like I wouldn’t have this dream anymore. Maybe she kept appearing in my dreams because she was worried about me.”

The prince, whose very existence had been a shackle forcing him to survive without dying, would become the emperor ruling the empire tomorrow.

“Suddenly… I felt glad to be alive. Thank you for making me feel that way. And I love you, Khalid.”

Yudit gently pressed his forehead against Khalid’s.

“With all that’s been happening lately, I’ve been wondering when to give this to you… Now seems the right moment.”

“…?”

Khalid knelt on one knee, holding Ru in his arms, and pulled something from within his embrace. He opened the palm-sized velvet box, revealing two rings that sparkled even in the night.

“Your Highness is brilliant. You possess skills that surpass military might, the centripetal force to unite nobles, and excel in diplomacy and politics. Now you’ve even seized the throne. I dare to be greedy… I wish to spend my entire life by your side.”

Yudit suddenly recalled the day he first saw him. Khalid’s grip on his throat, their first deal sealed in the dark night.

“Will you choose me? I will be your loyal sword for life.”

He felt both confident and slightly nervous. Yudit nodded.

“Gladly… I accept your heart.”

Khalid took Yudit’s hand and slipped a ring onto his finger. Yudit likewise placed a ring on Khalid’s finger. The rings fit their hands perfectly, neither too small nor too loose.

Yudit looked at the rings on their hands, then took hold of Khalid’s shirt collar and kissed him. Behind them, new buds sprouted on the trees that had weathered the winter. Spring had finally arrived, after a long journey.

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The Omega Prince Wants to Live – End.