TOPWL 276

Yudit, who had been filling a jar with apricot compote, blinked and looked at Khalid. Backlit by the sun, Khalid looked at him with a charming smile. He took his hand and brought it to his lips. He gently nibbled on the compote-covered tip of his finger, being careful not to hurt him.

“Ah…”

“Now that the busy period is over, I want to see you in a white wedding attire.”

Yudit’s fingertips traced the roof of Khalid’s mouth and between his teeth. At the sensual sensation, Yudit closed his eyes. Feeling as if he might lose consciousness, he managed to say.

“Is this… because I suggested we have a second child?”

Not long ago, Yudit had asked him in bed if they should have a second child. It was because Ru had been begging for a sibling every day, and he also felt it was time the Meyer family had an heir. Since Khalid was drinking contraceptive tea, he needed his cooperation to conceive.

“It’s not just that… well, it is, I suppose. But haven’t we kept all our events so simple? We should have at least one grand celebration. That way, the children of the capital can enjoy some sweets and drinks. And don’t you want to see Ru, dressed in cute clothes, walking toward us while scattering flowers…?”

“I suppose we’ll have to see how things go…”

“It’s also a chance for Your Majesty’s still-quite-handsome husband to dress up as splendidly as a peacock and present himself to the people. And Your Majesty doesn’t have to make ​unauthorized copy​any preparations. Since I have plenty of free time, I’ll take care of everything.”

Khalid pulled out every sweet word he could think of, fearing Yudit might refuse. Flabbergasted, Yudit looked at Khalid and said,

“Listen to me until the end, Khalid.”

“……I understand.”

At Yudit’s words, Khalid wore a pitiful expression, like a puppy caught in the rain. Yudit cleared his throat and spoke.

“Ahem, I suppose we’ll have to see how things go, but I also want to marry you.”

“But this is the one and only marriage of your life…?”

Perhaps expecting a refusal, Khalid, who had been about to try to persuade his, looked at Yudit with a dumbfounded expression. Eventually, Yudit couldn’t hold back his laughter and, he clutched his stomach, and said,

“Let’s get married.”

***

“Has the cutlery arrived yet?”

“It’s already here and being sorted. However, there’s a slight issue with the banners.”

“What is it?”

“We originally planned to use a deep red, which is the symbol of the Emperor, but the color that arrived is much lighter than expected. It might even look pink in the sunlight. I should have double-checked; I’m truly sorry.”

“Can you show me the color?”

“I’ll bring it.”

The two attendants ran down the long corridor to fetch the banners. Yudit watched their energetic figures for a moment before turning away. There were still about seven or eight people surrounding him.

“What’s next?”

“I’ll report on the events related to the passenger ship. First…”

After listening carefully to the attendant’s report, Yudit offered brief, concise solutions. Despite his decisive responses, the pace at which new petitioners arrived outstripped his ability to resolve their issues, and there was no sign that the situation would be resolved anytime soon.

“I’ve brought the banner.”

One of the attendants who had run off returned with a banner. It was red, but as the attendant had said, he thought it might appear pink in the sunlight. Yudit held the banner up to the sunlight, then handed it back to the attendant.

“There should be some leftover red ribbon in the storeroom from a previous event. If you weave that ribbon into the ties when you fasten the banner, it should work just fine.”

“Thank you so much!”

“Your Majesty, I’m afraid I must also speak regarding this matter…”

Another attendant interrupted with a completely unapologetic expression. As Yudit listened to the attendant, a familiar voice came from his side.

“……Your Majesty, what are you doing here?”

He turned to his side and saw Selena, dressed in her formal [visit our site]attire, staring at him with a look of disbelief.

“Just taking care of some wedding arrangements……”

“Isn’t that why I’m here? You told me to rest, so how could you…….”

“Haven’t you been working hard lately? We can’t very well have my aide collapsing right before my wedding.”

“Enough. I came here because I knew this would happen, so please go get some more sleep. Your skin is already beautiful, but if you take a little more care tomorrow at the wedding, you’ll surely have the most radiant skin in the empire!”

I didn’t expect it to go that far… Yudit shrugged his shoulders to say it was fine, but Selena was adamant. Since he was actually tired, Yudit eventually pretended to give in and headed toward the bedroom. The sunlight streaming into the hallway leading to the bedroom cast a shimmering glow.

Khalid must be busy, so maybe I’ll take Ru out to play. Ah, Ru has started studying recently too. She’s still young, so I suppose it’s fine to let him play a little more, but I worry that teaching her things like the art of kingship so early on might wear her out. She’s such a curious child that she enjoys learning anything, though…

Just as Yudit was debating whether to interrupt Ru’s lesson, he turned a corner in the hallway and bumped into someone.

“Oh, dear.”

The person caught Yudit, who had nearly collided with them, with a gentle touch. It was Khalid.

“Khalid, what’s going on?”

“I thought Your Majesty must be working too hard, so I figured it was time to come and fetch you. Seeing you here, I suppose Your Majesty’s aide has given up her half-day leave.”

“That’s right. I have a truly dedicated aide.”

“So, what are Your Majesty’s plans?”

“I was thinking of bringing Ru along.”

“But isn’t she in class right now?”

Yudit glanced at Khalid with a startled expression. His eyes narrowed.

“Ah. You were planning to encourage her to skip class.”

“The weather’s so nice…”

“That’s true. Then why don’t you catch a quick nap while I go get her?”

Khalid motioned to his guard, who nodded and withdrew. Khalid picked up Yudit and entered the bedroom. Now accustomed to this, Yudit leaned against Khalid’s shoulder. The sunlight streaming into the bedroom in broad daylight made it feel even cozier. Once he settled into the blankets that carried the scent of sunlight, Yudit took a deep breath and said,

“Lying here at this hour… makes me feel guilty.”

“Isn’t it nice to feel a little guilty?”

Khalid said as he kissed Yudit’s forehead.

“Or would you like to get a skincare treatment, as befits a bride-to-be?”

“Oh, that… what I did this morning was enough.”

Yudit shook his head. His face turned pale as he recalled the daily beauty treatments that lasted from dawn until mid-morning. Khalid was in a similar situation, so he didn’t press the matter further.

“Did you get some rest, Khalid?”

“Yes, thanks to you, I rested comfortably. I have so much energy left over, it’s almost a problem.”

Khalid said with a mischievous smile. Upon realizing what he meant, Yudit quickly averted his gaze from his legs. But this time, Khalid gently pressed his body against his.

“Ah… Liche will be here soon too…”

Liche, the dressmaker whom Khalid had introduced to Yudit, had played an active role in this wedding preparations as well. She had not only made the formal attire for Yudit and Khalid, including Ru, but also their evening gowns and even the clothes they would wear on their honeymoon. Because Khalid had lost a lot of weight due to the wedding preparations, she had been altering his clothes day and night, and this afternoon she sent word that she would visit with the garments.

“Then, just until she gets here…”

Khalid said as he pressed his lips against Yudit’s neck. Yudit couldn’t possibly resist Khalid, who was skillfully melting him away. Just as the top button of his shirt came undone, the door burst open.

“Dad!”

Thud! Khalid fell onto the carpet. Rudbeckia looked back and forth at the two of them in their comical state and laughed.

“Papa, what are you doing? Is this a game?”

“Mmm. Ru. We were just playing for a bit.”

“I want to play too!”

“You can’t.”

Khalid, who had fallen rather ungracefully, picked up Ru and said. High up in the air, Ru smiled brightly with a look of carefree joy. Yudit fastened his buttons, cleared his throat, and said to Rudbeckia.

“Ru, it’s polite to always knock before entering a room.”

Just then, a knock sounded at the door, and Yudit pointed to it.

“Just like that. Come in.”

With Yudit’s permission, Liche, wearing a dress that looked as if it had been pieced together from all sorts of patterns, entered carrying a box full of items.

“Your Majesty, Your Excellency. unauthorized copy Your Highness. I hope you have been well. The clothes are finally all finished, so I have come to visit.”

“Wow! Clothes!”

Rudbeckia, who had been in Khalid’s arms, ran toward the boxes of clothes. Before leaving, Khalid gave Yudit a kiss on the cheek and whispered,

“We’ll continue this… tomorrow evening.”

Now somewhat accustomed to him, Yudit nodded instead of blushing.