TOPWL 270

“It delights me immensely that the emperor of the empire fears me above all others in this world.”

Hiore spoke with a satisfied smile plastered on his face.

“Perhaps I desired that position even more than being emperor…”

Yudit stared blankly at Hiore as he spoke self-deprecatingly, then he abruptly said.

“You will die.”

Hiore snorted at Yudit’s words.

“Did you think I’d act without anticipating that? No matter who became emperor, I was destined to be dealt with. But I never intended to die alone. After all, I have two people to take with me to the afterlife.”

He meant the empress and Reginald. He seemed pleased at the thought of taking them with him. What had made this man this way? For a brief moment, Yudit felt a pang of sadness.

Hiore, still filled with ecstasy, slipped the ring off his middle finger and tossed it to Yudit. Barely catching it, Yudit looked at Hiore with a confused expression.

“Go to a tavern called Fiora in West District 2 and show this to the owner. You’ll get the evidence then.”

Yudit instinctively knew what Hiore had given him was evidence that could bring down Reginald. At the same time, a question arose.

“West District 2? Isn’t that Reginald’s territory?”

“That’s right. Reginald probably never imagined I’d hide evidence in his own district.”

Hiore grinned mischievously. It was a carefree expression, hardly befitting someone facing certain death.

“I gathered all the irrefutable information. I prepared it, knowing it would eventually be pinned on me alone.”

“…Don’t you have any desire to live?”

“Beg for my life? Our prince is far too generous.”

Although he had killed Azil, if he provided information sufficient to bring down Reginald and the empress, he could have been imprisoned for a few years before being released through a special pardon.

“They should be coming up soon.”

Hiore said while running a hand through his hair. The strands falling over his forehead were pure white. He must have been covering it with dye until now.

“Born in the palace, living twenty-eight years, that’s long enough. And I’m not being executed alone. I’m taking two with me for the price of one.”

Hiore crossed one leg and interlaced his fingers.

“And even if the plan involved two, I was the one who carried it out. There’s no way to save me and kill only them. Even if all three of us survived, those two would kill me first. Why should I make such an uncertain choice when I have a chance to kill them both?”

Hiore shrugged his shoulders. Yudit Read onrealized, from the way Hiore treated his own life as if it were someone else’s, that he was a man twisted in some fundamental way.

Yudit suddenly thought this was the first time he’d ever had such a long conversation with him. After a few more brief exchanges, Yudit rose from his seat.

“Well then.”

As he turned to walk away, the door opened naturally. Before it closed, Hiore’s voice came from inside the room.

“…Yudit.”

Yudit turned back to look into the room.

“The things from the past…”

Hiore, still leaning his arms against the back of the chair, gazed at Yudit as he spoke.

“That’s payment enough.”

Hiore pointed to the front pocket where Yudit kept the ring. The door closed shortly after. Facing the closed door, Yudit stood there for a while. It felt like he had apologized to him.

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“Impressive.”

Khalid said as he scanned the dense intelligence report. It was the information obtained through the ring acquired from Hiore.

“With this much evidence, they can’t avoid public execution. They’ve killed quite a few.”

“I don’t plan to go that far.”

“Just saying.”

Khalid had a point. Their crimes were beyond imagination. They were involved in every major incident where someone died or was injured. Most were the emperor’s concubines or mistresses, and they had also frequently killed members of the imperial faction and the moderate faction by staging accidents. Among them were Yudit’s mother and Princess Lilia.

Yudit felt he understood a little of why the emperor didn’t want to pass the throne to Reginald or Hiore. The emperor was practically a puppet and a figurehead for the Crowd family. Had the Crowd family not persistently sent ships claiming to seek a new continent, the emperor’s plan to select a new ruler through a competition would have been impossible.

“I understand they had to kill to survive, but they really killed a lot.”

“Yes.”

“Are you truly fine with that?”

“What?”

“I mean…”

Khalid looked troubled.

“If it’s about my mother, it’s fine. Some things happened long ago, and it’s just seeing things I experienced firsthand again. Of course, seeing it in writing feels a bit different.”

Seeing him troubled, Yudit decided to torment him a little more and tapped a section of the document.

“There was also this incident…”

“……”

Naturally, the report included the incident where Khalid had sneaked into Yudit’s bedroom to kill him. Khalid rubbed the back of his neck. Seeing him this flustered for the first time amused Yudit a little.

“You strangled me.”

“……I’m ashamed.”

Watching Khalid lower his head like a child scolded by his parents, Yudit held the page describing that incident [unauthorized copy]close to the candle flame. The burning paper quickly turned to ash and vanished. Khalid lifted his head, sniffing the burnt smell, and looked at Yudit with a startled expression.

“Yudit…….”

“I was just teasing you for a moment. Forget about it now, this matter on my end. I’ve already forgotten about it.”

Khalid bit his lip and shook his head.

“No, I won’t forget. Because it’s something I mustn’t forget. And… I’m truly sorry.”

Watching Khalid with his head bowed, Yudit quietly hugged him. The distance between them closed instantly. Their gazes met, and without either initiating it, they kissed.

“Mm…”

Their lips touched lightly at first, then deepened. Khalid caressed Yudit’s earlobe, and Yudit’s fingers tugged at Khalid’s hair.

“Waaah!”

Just as Yudit’s body was about to fall, a small cry sounded. Startled, they both jumped up and approached Ru. Though bigger and plumper than when born, the still-tiny baby lay in the cradle, crying until her whole body turned red.

“Is she hungry?”

“We just fed her a little while ago. Maybe her diaper is wet.”

Khalid said as he picked up Ru. He laid her on the bed and unwrapped the diaper. It was soaked through.

“Ah…”

“I’ll do it. Just leave it.”

Khalid brought a fresh diaper and skillfully changed Ru. Feeling refreshed, she stopped crying almost immediately.

“How can she be so docile?”

“Probably takes after you. I was really sensitive as a kid.”

“Really?”

“Even though we were in separate rooms, my parents couldn’t sleep at all because of the crying. Father said I was like a little devil.”

“That’s a bit harsh.”

“Which part?”

“Well…”

The two met eyes and chuckled. It was probably just a newborn’s reflex, but as if understanding their words, Ru gave a little smile. Mesmerized by that angelic sight, they stared at Lu, momentarily lost in thought.

“I want to call the painter quickly. It’s such a shame how [unauthorized copy]her face changes every single day.”

“That’s a good idea. We should bring a musician and a poet too. Just looking at this face should inspire melodies and verses.”

The two men chatted away, with Ru in the middle. They’d recently brought the cradle inside, hoping to at least sleep together since they spent so little time with Ru lately. It seemed like a good decision. Seeing Ru asleep, Kalid yawned, overcome by sleepiness. He looked worriedly at Yudit.

“Get some rest, even if just for a moment. Haven’t you been sleeping terribly lately?”

With tomorrow’s trial approaching, they needed to stay up all night preparing evidence to support the materials Hiore had provided. That’s why Khalid couldn’t bring himself to tell him to sleep, but Yudit shook his head.

“I’m fine. We need to go over everything we can.”

“You’re pushing yourself to the very end. I’ll make some strong tea, so rest.”

“Thank you.”

Khalid kissed Yudit’s forehead before rising. Yudit [unauthorized copy]watched his retreating figure silently, then picked up the documents.