TOPWL: 10

“You must take after your mother,” Yudit remarked.

“We don’t look alike at all. I was adopted when I was young,” she replied.

“Ah… I apologize,” Yudit said, realizing his mistake.

“It’s fine,” the woman shook her head nonchalantly. “Let me formally introduce myself. I’m Selena Craven.”

“Nice to meet you. I’m Yudit Friedrich Adenauer.”

“It’s a bit difficult right now since the guests are using it, but once things calm down a bit, I can bring the machine inside and explain how it works.”

“…Thank you for your consideration.”

Yudit smiled faintly, though he didn’t expect to stay long. Seeing Selena’s encouraging smile, she pointed to the drink.

“Would you like to try a glass?”

“Gladly.”

Selena fetched a ladle and served the drink. Yudit carefully tasted it. Unlike before, it had a thicker texture and a subtle sweetness that made him keep drinking.

“It’s delicious.”

“It’s my mother’s special recipe,” Selena said with a smile, her cheeks reddening from the compliment.

“By the way… Your Highness… Are you the Duke’s lover?” Yudit was thankful that he wasn’t still sipping the juice when Selena asked the question. She gazed at him with sparkling eyes, the expression of an excited young woman. Yudit quickly realized that she wasn’t asking for any malicious reason.

“Well…”

Yudit responded with an ambiguous answer, showing a hint of discomfort. Selena understood his hesitation and lowered her head, blushing deeply.

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have asked.”

“It’s fine.”

Yudit, holding his drink, leaned against the wall. He had always stood here at official gatherings, but this time, people were sneaking glances at him. Initially puzzled, Yudit soon realized that the attention stemmed from him entering with Khalid.

“Is there a quiet place to rest?”

Feeling uncomfortable under the curious gazes, Yudit asked Selena, who hadn’t left yet.

“Of course. Follow me.”

Selena answered confidently and led the way. She guided him to a terrace at the far end of the hall. It was dimly lit, and because of that, very few people were around.

“This is a the best place if you want to be alone,” Selena said, her voice growing quieter as they moved.

Yudit sensed that there were other guests in the terrace. His instinct was right as Selena’s expression grew flustered.

“Ah, um…”

Without even needing to look inside, Yudit could tell that an awkward situation was unfolding. Just as he was about to turn around and leave, a voice came from inside.

“Since a guest has arrived, it would be best to stop here for today.”

The voice was low but alluring. The man reluctantly stood up as the woman rejected him. As she stood, a giant basset hound blossomed like a flower.

“Well, next time,” the woman with wavy red hair and a mole by her eye said as she quickly disappeared. Selena stared blankly at her retreating figure when a voice came from the side.

“…Yudit.”

The voice was filled with anger, and Yudit’s expression froze. Despite being an unfavored prince, very few people could call him by his name without a title. It was probably one of his older brothers, since his father isn’t here. A bad feeling crept in.

“…Brother.”

Yudit called out in a soft voice. Reginald stepped out from the terrace, looking disheveled and glaring fiercely at Yudit. Reginald glanced between Yudit and Selena before scoffing.

“This woman couldn’t possibly be an Alpha, and you—an Omega—did you come to confirm you’re a man because you have something between your legs?”

At the crude remark, Selena’s face turned pale. It was clear she wasn’t used to such language.

Yudit, who had always heard far worse, moved Selena behind him and stepped forward.

“That’s not the case.”

“It’s obvious you came here to have some fun,” Reginald said as he fastened the buttons on his shirt. There were traces of lipstick on the side of his lips. Reginald grabbed Yudit’s shirt, lifting it, and using his alpha strength, he froze Yudit in place, making it impossible to move.

“So, how do you plan to pay for getting in my way?”
?”

“I’m sorry.”

“Forget that worthless apology—tell me how you’ll compensate for it!
Reginald bellowed into Yudit’s ear, his shouting so loud it left his ears ringing.

“Y-Your Highness, it really wasn’t like that“

“And who the hell are you? Stay out of this!”

Selena, who had been anxiously shifting from foot to foot in the background, finally gathered her courage and stepped forward. Reginald frowned and glared at her.

Just moments ago, he had looked her up and down, assessing everything she was wearing. It was clear he had been sizing her up, and in that moment, he must have decided she was someone he could treat however he pleased.

“I-I…”

“Reina.”

Yudit looked straight at her and spoke.

“You should go now. It’s all right.”

Yudit didn’t want to repay the kindness Selena had shown him—something he hadn’t received in a long time—with misfortune. That was also why he called her “Reina” instead of her real name. If she got too involved with him, it could ruin her prospects for marriage.

Selena hesitated, but when Yudit signaled her again with his eyes, she quickly left, her steps unsteady with unease.

“Who was that woman? What’s her deal?”

Reginald’s face was flushed—he had clearly been drinking heavily. Yudit let out a sigh of relief. When Reginald was drunk, he often failed to remember what had happened.

“She’s not someone you need to worry about, Brother,” Yudit said politely.

Reginald, without hesitation, threw a wine bottle at Yudit. It struck Yudit’s shoulder and fell to the floor. The bottle shattered, and the red liquid slowly soaked into the carpet.

“Do you even know how much time and money I spent bringing that woman here?”

It seemed that the woman on the terrace was someone Reginald had put a lot of effort into. For Yudit, this was just bad luck. As he wondered how to escape from the drunken Reginald, he heard a familiar voice.

“I heard someone I’ve been looking for is here.”

It was a voice Yudit recognized from the last few days. When he looked up, Khalid had just arrived and was watching the scene.

“Oh, am I interrupting a brotherly conversation?” Khalid asked with a smile, as if he had figured out what was happening after hearing the sound of the wine bottle breaking and the shouting. Behind Khalid, Selena was seen hunched over, clearly nervous. It seemed she had brought Khalid along. As the pieces of information came together, Yudit saw a way out of the situation.

“Yes, I found a place where we can talk privately,” Yudit said.

Khalid raised an eyebrow at Yudit’s unexpected response, as if he hadn’t anticipated it.

“But it looks like there was already a guest here,” Khalid said, looking at Reginald. Now, Reginald had become the intruder, and soon after, the noise from earlier caused people to gather and peek inside.

Reginald glared coldly at Yudit and spoke.

“We’ll continue this conversation later.”

With a deliberate shove, Reginald brushed past Yudit and disappeared. It was a petty move, but effective. The part of Yudit’s shoulder that Reginald had pushed was the same one that had been hit by the wine bottle earlier. Yudit rubbed the spot as he looked back, but Reginald was already gone, swallowed up by the crowd.

“Are you alright?” Selena asked, looking like she might cry.

“Yes, I’m fine,” Yudit replied, looking at Selena with a soft gaze. She seemed filled with guilt, as if blaming herself for what had happened in the place she had guided him to. Selena fidgeted uneasily, and at that moment, Khalid spoke.

“Is your name Selena, Young Lady?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“I’d like to have some time alone with Yudit. Would you mind stepping aside?” Selena, startled, quickly nodded.

“Of course, of course.”

After glancing at Yudit, Selena quickly retreated. As she moved away, the remaining people around them started to surround her. Wondering what they would talk about, Yudit’s head began to ache, and he stopped trying to think about it.