TOPWL: 7

“Thank you for the offer. I will join you.”

Yudit replied without hesitation. Khalid burst into laughter at Yudit’s response.

“Anyone who hears this would think we’re starting a business, not becoming partners.”

“Ah…”

“Then stay alert. I’ll come to pick you up in three days.”

Before Yudit could reply, Khalid patted his head lightly and disappeared. Yudit, holding the lantern in front of the bookshelf, quietly watched his retreating figure before shaking his head.

…

“I’m sorry, teacher.”

“No, it’s alright.”

Yudit bowed deeply in front of Bashur. Bashur waved his hand, signaling that it was fine and asked him not to worry.

“The appointment with you came first…”

Yudit rarely became flustered, but cold sweat ran down his face. Somehow, Bashur’s meal appointment had coincided with the banquet date. However, the Craven Count’s banquet was so appealing that after much deliberation, Yudit had decided to decline Bashur’s offer. But Bashur seemed to have made things worse by mentioning it and apologizing for making Yudit’s mind messy, leaving him feeling even more flustered.

“May I ask you one thing?”

“Yes, of course.”

“Your Highness… do you want to become the sun of this country?”

Yudit, after thinking for a moment, slowly opened his mouth.

“To be honest, I’m not sure yet.”

“That’s probably the case.”

“But it’s true that I want to try my best, whether it’s the competition or something else.” Originally, the prince’s competition hadn’t been held in previous generations. Competitions usually took place when an emperor was near death.

The current emperor had been suffering from a chronic illness since his ascension, and it worsened over time to the point where he couldn’t properly manage his duties. Rumors circulated in the capital that the king had already passed away, and the atmosphere in the palace had become tense. However, fortunately, the medicine sent by the emperor’s favored concubine’s family had worked well, and the emperor had recovered. As soon as he had regained his health, he suddenly summoned the princes and declared a competition.

“I see.”

Bashur, after thinking for a moment, carefully asked again.

“Do you know why the emperor held this competition?”

“Yes, I do. It’s because of His Majesty’s concubine”

“…That’s right.”

The reason the emperor took this action had much to do with his favored concubine, who had helped him recover. The concubine, who had borne the sixth prince, Azil, came from a family with a weak influence. She feared that when the emperor died, her family would be the first to be sacrificed. This was not just a vague worry; the probability of it happening was high.

Therefore, Aisa thought that Azil had to be enthroned as emperor while the current emperor was still alive. He couldn’t be a mere puppet emperor who would be immediately executed and replaced as soon as he ascended the throne. Instead, he had to be an emperor whose death would provoke an uprising from both the people and the nobility—someone whom no one would dare to assassinate recklessly.

“She plans to instill a kind of myth among the nobles and the people. The upcoming competitions will certainly be thoroughly prepared to support Prince Azil.”

“I’m prepared.”

“Prince Reginald and Prince Hiore have powerful relatives, while Prince Azil has his mother, Concubine Aisa, and The Emperor, both strong allies. What do you have?”

Bashur’s direct question caught Yudit off guard. He might have thought it was a suggestion to give up. However, Yudit knew Bashur wasn’t that kind of person.

Yudit considered briefly whether he should reveal his conversation with Khalid from the previous night, but decided against it. It didn’t seem like that was the answer Bashur was looking for. After thinking carefully, Yudit cautiously responded.

“You asked what I have. What I have… is the desire to survive.”

“Desire to survive?”

“I’ve been thinking about multiple options to survive since I was young. What is the best way to stay alive for a long time? What method allows me to give up flesh and keep the bones? That’s how I’ve survived until now.”

“…”

Bashur, seeming to empathize with Yudit’s words, clasped his hands together and leaned his head towards him. Yudit licked his dry lips and continued speaking.

“And I believe the competition is the best solution I’ve thought of.”

Yudit wasn’t a fool. If he believed failure was imminent, he had a way to escape. But that wasn’t the case right now.

“I know you’ve managed to survive well, Your Highness, but now you must understand that survival alone is not enough.”

“I understand. I knew there would come a day when just surviving wouldn’t be enough, which is why I sought your teachings.”

Bashur, who had been stiff throughout the conversation, finally relaxed at Yudit’s smooth answer.

“I know that because I’ve been watching from the sidelines.”

Bashur said, suddenly reminiscing about the time he first started teaching Yudit. It was the spring of the year when Yudit was seven years old.

Bashur had graduated and become the Emperor’s personal secretary. However, due to his blunt and always-right way of speaking, he made enemies and was unexpectedly reassigned as Yudit’s teacher. It was no different from a demotion.

Recently, with the birth of his second son and increased cost of living, Bashur’s role as Yudit’s teacher became somewhat unsatisfactory. However, he couldn’t formally object, so he just passed time and waited for a better opportunity.

At that time, Yudit was an earnest student, but sometimes distracted by the butterflies outside the window or the shape of the clouds. Yudit’s devotion to studying only deepened after his mother, Siena, died.

“Your Highness, studying is good, but you should take a break now and then.”

Seeing Yudit study while holding back his nosebleed with a handkerchief, Bashur asked worriedly. Even on the day of his mother’s funeral, Yudit had attended lessons. After that, it wasn’t clear if he even slept, as his eyes had dark circles beneath them.

“No.”

“…What?”

“My mother… told me to live.”

“…”

“But I don’t know how to live. So, until I can figure it out, I have to study.”

At that time, Yudit was so small that his feet didn’t reach the ground when sitting in a chair. He would stack books taller than himself and wrestle with them every day. Bashur’s heart felt like it was breaking as he watched. Perhaps it was because Yudit’s age was similar to his eldest son’s, but Bashur made a decision then: he would teach Yudit until he no longer wished to learn.

Yudit’s financial situation was not good, but fortunately, the Emperor provided a fixed stipend for the prince’s education. Though it wasn’t a large amount, it was enough to take care of his two children.

Bashur’s academy classmates often advised him, saying it was a waste of effort to teach a prince who would die soon. They suggested he request a transfer before it was too late. But Bashur stubbornly continued teaching Yudit. And now, as time passed, Bashur didn’t regret it.

Yudit wasn’t a genius with an extraordinary memory, nor was he exceptionally quick to understand. But he was diligent and hardworking. Outside of lessons with Bashur, Yudit read any book he could get his hands on. He had read almost every book in the Imperial Library. He woke up earlier and went to bed later than the other princes. Bashur came to realize how precious effort was by watching Yudit.

Upon reaching adulthood, Yudit had become a person who could hold his own anywhere. The only issue might be that there was nowhere to place him.

Anyone with a keen eye would know how vast and deep Yudit’s world was.

And soon, they would feel regret. Regret over the talent that would fade away without ever shining.

Most of the nobles thought so. They believed he would die soon. In the war-like Imperial Palace, a poor Omega prince had no support, no mother to sacrifice herself for him, and no emperor’s love to protect him. That was his fate.

But Yudit didn’t give up. He quietly stayed on the sidelines and waited for the right moment. And eventually, today came.

“Actually, I was planning to smuggle you out of the country today.”

Yudit’s eyes widened in surprise at this unexpected statement. Bashur smiled faintly after seeing Yudit’s reaction.

“It was a lie about the banquet. I had planned to put you in a carriage and cross the border.”

“…I see.”

Yudit had found it strange because Bashur had never requested a private meeting before, but now it seemed that was his intention all along.