TOPWL 73

“Brother?”

He was about to head straight to the bedroom when an unexpected interruption appeared. While he respected his older brother, he didn’t want to meet him on a day like this.

“Shall I prepare your clothes?”

“No need. I’ll go like this.”

Hiore tightened his bathrobe and headed toward Reginald. The door opened, and he saw Reginald, who was gazing out the window. Under the moonlight, Reginald appeared more emperor-like than the emperor himself. Hiore both admired and disliked this side of his older brother. If only they weren’t brothers, or at least if they hadn’t been born from the same mother, he too would have openly aimed for the throne. That thought always made Hiore feel conflicted whenever he saw him.

“Brother, you called for me?”

“Ah.”

Reginald sighed as he looked at Hiore, clearly displeased with his attire.

“What’s with your clothing?”

“It’s hot.”

Reginald gave Hiore a disappointed look but didn’t comment further.

“So, what’s this about, brother?”

“I was wondering if your district cleanup is going well.”

“It’s going fine.”

“Seems like it’s progressing slower than expected. Can you speed it up?”

Reginald’s district was adjacent to Hiore’s and bordered a slum area. Reginald was tearing down regular shops to build high-end ones, and it seemed the proximity of the slum to these upscale areas didn’t sit well with him.

“I just checked on site. The progress will speed up soon.”

“Alright.”

As he watched Reginald frown, Hiore was suddenly reminded of what he had just experienced. He smiled slyly, and Reginald, noticing, asked in confusion.

“Did something good happen?”

“Yes, something good indeed. Yudit has been wandering around the slums. So, I gave him a lesson.”

“And what happened to him?”

“I left him as is. He had a guard with him, but that guard probably got beaten up too. With me causing a stir in the slums, he’s probably done for. That’ll be a good excuse to stir things up in the slums.”

Hiore smiled proudly, expecting praise. Instead, Reginald’s response was cold.

“You idiot. You should’ve killed him when you had the chance.”

Hiore frowned at Reginald’s words. After the emperor declared they wouldn’t kill each other, touching Yudit could destabilize his position. After all, if he just left him on the streets, the angry rats of the slums would deal with him. There was no need to dirty his hands.

“Is there really a need for me to dirty my hands? A powerless prince thrown into the street is the perfect prey for those rats.”

“You didn’t just throw out prey. You threw out a comrade.”

“What do you mean by that?”

Hiore tilted his head in confusion as Reginald muttered cryptic words. Reginald sighed and spoke.

“That slum… it’s like his home.”

***

Yudit woke up to the cold sensation of winter rain on his cheek. Thin raindrops fell from the sky. Every part of his body hurt. Struggling, he tried to sit up, but something heavy on top of him made it difficult to move.

“…Shane?”

Even while unconscious, Yudit called Shane’s name softly, who refused to let go of him.

“…”

There was no response from Shane. Terrified, Yudit pressed his finger to Shane’s nose. Thankfully, he was still breathing. Yudit sighed in relief, but then, a presence approached from the darkness. Panicking, Yudit hugged Shane. When their bodies touched, Shane groaned faintly. From the dark, a pair of red eyes shone, and a man with glowing red eyes approached, gazing down at Yudit.

“Who’s this?”

The man, revealing his face by removing his hood, spoke in disbelief. His short black hair was exposed. A deep burn scar marred his left cheek, and a long scar ran from his eyebrow to his head. The man’s red eyes glinted as he spoke to Yudit.

“It’s been a while, Yuli. What happened to you?”

“Yeah, I didn’t expect to meet you again like this.”

The man, named Eden, was an old friend of Yudit’s. He smiled faintly at Yudit’s reply.

“Who’s this person?”

“My guard.”

“You’ve got a guard now?”

“He got beaten up.”

“You used to get beaten up without any help.”

Eden’s words made Yudit burst into laughter. The pain from his cracked lips was sharp, but it didn’t stop him.

“Can you help me out?”

“Sure.”

Eden tried to move Shane away from Yudit, but Shane refused to let go. After several attempts, Eden shook his head.

“I can’t do it alone. I’ll call Diego.”

“Ah…”

Before Yudit could stop him, Eden went off to call Diego.

Yudit looked at the weight pressing down on him, then gently patted Shane.

Soon after, Eden returned, leading someone else. Diego, a man with the same black hair and red eyes, but with a much more severe expression, stood beside Eden. Diego’s gaze was cold as he looked down at Yudit and Shane. Yudit spoke first.

“It’s been a while, Diego.”

“I told you not to come back.”

“I had no choice. Sorry.”

Diego glanced between Yudit and Shane before sighing. When [stolen content]he saw Shane wasn’t letting go of Yudit, he asked.

“Is this your lover?”

“No, he’s my guard.”

“That’s strange for a guard.”

Looking at the relatively unscathed Shane, Diego clicked his tongue. Yudit smiled awkwardly, and realizing he couldn’t separate them, Diego lifted both Yudit and Shane effortlessly.

“Let’s get you to my place. I’ll treat you.”

“Thanks.”

Diego walked off, Yudit awkwardly waving his hand as he heard the calls of red-eyed figures in the wind.

“Stay still. It’s unsettling.”

“Okay.”

Yudit, settling down in Diego’s arms, noticed a strange feeling as they walked. A vague familiarity tugged at him.

“You saw me at the market that day, didn’t you?”

It was the day Yudit went to the market with Liet. He had noticed Diego—tall, sturdy, and with a familiar gait.

“No, you must have been mistaken.”

“Stop pretending you don’t know me.”

“People would love to hear that a prince is familiar with a rat.”

“Don’t talk like that.”

Yudit spoke in an angry tone. Diego seemed about to retort but fell silent. They had arrived at Diego’s house.

The house looked neglected, with thin walls slowly crumbling under time’s weight. The wooden door creaked as it barely shut. As Diego stepped inside, the floor groaned under their combined weight. The inside was better than the outside, but it was still sparsely furnished. A bed and a table were about all that was there. Diego unceremoniously dropped Yudit and Shane onto the bed.

“…Ugh.”

The old mattress creaked under the impact. Shane released Yudit as [Read on]a result. Yudit frowned as he rubbed his bottom and glared at Diego. Diego snorted in response before heading to another room. Eden had returned with a warm, wet towel.

“Thanks.”

“Don’t mention it. Use the mirror to help.”

Yudit carefully wiped off the dust and blood from his face. Fortunately, his thick clothing had protected him, leaving only a few bruises, but not many open wounds. As he wiped his face, Diego entered with a box in his hands.

“Put your face here.”

Diego pressed a cotton ball soaked in disinfectant to Yudit’s wounds. Bubbles formed from the wounds, making Yudit wince in pain. Diego smiled faintly at his reaction.

“You can’t hide the pain, can you?”

“It hurts.”

“But you’re taking poison like it’s candy.”

“I have no choice.”

The conversation between Yudit and Diego flowed easily, but [Read on]Diego’s touch became rougher as if irritated.