TOPWL 251

Yudit awoke to a hand shaking him. The sunset was beginning, and Shane’s silhouette was tinged crimson.

“Shane, are you hurt?”

“No.”

Shane shook his head without a hint of surprise at Yudit’s question. Realizing it was just the sunset, Yudit stretched. Yudit handed the documents to Garen as he approached.

“I’ve approved everything. Make sure it gets delivered properly.”

“Understood.”

Garen took the documents and walked briskly, his heavy frame belied by his quick pace. The village at the edge of the capital, hardly worthy of the name, couldn’t shake its tension at the sudden arrival of a large army. That was probably for the best. Too much welcome would have raised suspicion.

Yudit struggled to step out of the carriage. Jostled this way and that inside, his body felt stiff and knotted, making movement difficult, not just his stomach but everywhere. Shane, concerned for Yudit’s condition, spoke with a worried expression.

“Shall I carry you?”

“No, I’m fine.”

It wasn’t that he didn’t want support, but it wouldn’t do for a leader who couldn’t even walk properly to be carried around. As Yudit entered, he saw the empty inn. It seemed the messenger who had gone ahead had made a reservation. An employee bowed to Yudit and said.

“I’ll show you to your room.”

Yudit’s room was on the second floor, but since the ground and first floors were separate, it was effectively closer to the third floor. Ignoring the anxious looks from his guards, Yudit resolutely climbed to the third floor.

“We hope you have a pleasant stay. Your bath water will be brought up shortly. Would you like your meal brought up as well?”

“Hmm, I’ll take you up on that.”

Yudit handed a coin as a tip and spoke. The attendant smiled brightly, bowed, and exited.

The escort sharing his room today was Shane. The other escorts were staying in the adjacent rooms. While Shane was meticulously inspecting the room, attendants filed in one after another, each carrying a jar filled with hot bathwater. The bathtub seemed rather large.

Opening the valve above the tub, cold water poured out. After pouring hot water into the cold water and adjusting the temperature, the attendant floated dried flowers on the surface and sprinkled fragrant oil. Thanks to this, the bathroom was filled with a rich, deep rose scent.

“Dinner will be served shortly.”

“Thank you.”

The attendants exited like an ebbing tide, and Shane approached Yudit. After removing Yudit’s armor, Shane left the bath. As the door closed, steam slowly began to fill the entire bathroom. Yudit carefully stepped into the water and leaned against the tub. He felt the tension in his body gradually release, his stiff shoulders and neck softening.

“Haa…”

The soap left by the attendant was quite luxurious. It had depth without an overpowering scent, refreshingly clean. He marveled at the details of this inn, so sophisticated it seemed surprising such a place existed on the outskirts of the capital.

Only two days of travel remained until the capital. At their current pace, it would take about a day and a half, meaning they should arrive the afternoon after tomorrow. Khalid, who had left ahead of them, hadn’t sent any word. He told himself no news was good news, but the prolonged silence was honestly making him worry.

“I hope nothing’s happened…”

Yudit muttered, clearly troubled. Even during what might be his last leisurely bath, he couldn’t relax, his mind filled with worries. He dipped his face into the lukewarm water.Was it the uncomfortable bed? He kept having nightmares.

The nightmares varied, but most ended with Khalid dying. The worst of them was the one where Khalid was captured by Reginald and had his throat slit. He rode his horse desperately to save Khalid from Reginald, but no matter how fast he rode, he could never reach them. In the end, Khalid lost his life at Reginald’s hands before he could arrive.

The pungent smell of blood and Reginald’s mocking laughter at Yudit – everything felt so vivid. On days he had such dreams, his entire body, back and stomach alike, would be drenched in sweat.

Finally, unable to rest properly, Yudit rose from his seat. Unusually, the bathroom had a full-length mirror. It wasn’t a perfectly clear mirror, but it was sufficient to see his silhouette. Yudit carefully observed his reflection while drying off. Then he let out a hollow sigh.

He had avoided strenuous exercise since the middle of his pregnancy, and perhaps because of that, most of his visible muscle had disappeared. Yudit’s body, with only core muscles remaining, looked lean rather than toned. If only he had gained some weight instead. His limbs were thin, but his belly jutted out prominently, making his figure look unbalanced no matter how he looked at it. He understood why people worried so much just about his climbing stairs.

The thought that he had lost all the muscles he had worked so hard to build with Shane made him feel a little sad. 

They say the body remembers, so he consoled himself that if he trained hard again after giving birth, he’d be fine. With that thought, Yudit stepped out of the bathroom.

“Shane, did you wash?”

Seeing Shane with wet hair, Yudit blinked.

“I swapped places with the guard who washed first and just finished.”

“Good. The water’s nice here, you should soak a bit longer.”

“It’s fine.”

Shane answered briefly and handed Yudit the food tray. It mostly contained dishes that tasted good even cold: bread with butter, a salad with shrimp, and sliced fruit.

“I’m done with the preparations.”

“Alright, you must be hungry. Eat first. Let’s eat together.”

“Yes.”

Opening the ceramic lid revealed the chicken stew, still steaming. Filled with chicken, potatoes, onions, and mushrooms, it had a hearty flavor. After chewing and swallowing a spoonful, Yudit asked Shane.

“Shane, what are you going to do when the war ends?”

“……”

Shane looked puzzled at Yudit’s question.

“Why? Everyone says what they’ll do when the war ends, right? Like drinking until your nose gets crooked.”

“I’ll continue to serve His Highness.”

It was a dull but typical Shane answer.

“What if I don’t survive, and only Shane does?”

“That will not happen.”

His light question drew a heavy reply. Just as Yudit awkwardly tried to continue, a knock sounded.

“Commander, urgent message.”

At Edmond’s voice, Shane opened the door. The messenger, now a familiar face, bowed toward Yudit. Taking the note the messenger handed him, Yudit unfolded it. His face, flushed from the bath, paled in an instant.

“What’s wrong?”

Yudit staggered and collapsed to the floor. Sensing this was no ordinary matter, Shane took the note Yudit offered without asking further questions. After reading it, Shane’s face also stiffened.

[ Duke Khalid missing during reconnaissance near the imperial palace. ]

Everything spun before his eyes. It said missing, not dead, but if he vanished near the Imperial Palace, the probability of his death was not low. Killing the duke on top of potentially having to kill the emperor was a significant risk factor for them. So, it was entirely possible they had killed him and were now playing dumb. 

Yudit, his mouth covered, ran to the bathroom. Soon, the sound of dry heaving followed. Yudit, having vomited up everything he’d eaten just moments before, collapsed weakly.

His vision spun as if he hadn’t eaten in days.

“The floor is cold.”

Even though he reached out, Yudit struggled to rise. Shane slipped his hand under his armpit and lifted him up. Before they even reached the bed, Yudit struggled.

“Put me down.”

Yudit returned to the bathroom, closed the door, and vomited. Having already expelled all the food, only stomach acid came up. The highly acidic fluid burned his esophagus as it rose, causing pain. After splashing water on his face, Yudit leaned against the bathtub and rubbed his face impatiently. The thin skin around his eyes quickly turned red, but he didn’t notice.

It said he was missing. Not dead. Nothing is certain.

Yudit repeated to himself. But he also knew that the direct line between him and Khalid only relayed confirmed information. Yudit forced down the rising nausea once more. Perhaps startled by his sudden emotional shift, the baby began to movr violently in his womb. Responding to the stronger-than-usual movements, Yudit began to soothe the baby.

“It’s fine, it’s fine. It’s nothing. Shh, good baby.”

As he kept repeating that it was fine, the baby seemed to understand his words and slowed down a little. Yudit stroked his belly, quietly calming the baby. But his expression was distorted.