TOPWL 03

Chapter 03 …

“‘A diplomatic delegation from that country will be staying here for four days.’

‘Each prince will be assigned one day to host a banquet for them. You need to make yours a success.’

‘May I ask what the criteria for success is?’

‘Hmm. How many princes are left now? Four?’

There were originally six royal children in the Imperial Family. However, with the First Prince and the Fourth Princess deceased, only four princes remained: the Second Prince, Reginald; the Third Prince, Hiore, who was Reginald’s full brother; the Fifth Prince, Judite; and the Sixth Prince, Asil.

‘It would be harsh to ask you to take first place right off the bat. Just land within the top two.’

Khalid spoke as if he were being generous, but in reality, it was a daunting task. Judite was a prince who lacked standing in every imaginable way. When it came to throwing a banquet, he was severely short on both assisting noblewomen and serving staff. No one would be surprised if Judite came in fourth place. In fact, people would only be shocked if anyone other than Judite placed fourth. But if Judite could pierce through such overwhelming adversity and secure a spot in the top two, he would prove himself worthy of becoming a piece on the chessboard. That was Khalid’s calculation.

‘I will meet your expectations.’

Even knowing he was placed in a heavily disadvantaged position, Judite quietly accepted the terms. Watching him, a satisfied expression washed over Khalid’s face.”

When Judite stepped out of the bath, his formal attire was already hanging in front of the bathroom door. He put on the suit with practiced ease. While the servants of the other princes would be stressing over what their masters should wear today, Judite’s staff had no such worries, given his meager wardrobe. Especially on a day he was scheduled to see the Emperor, the choice was obvious: he simply wore his single best outfit. Just as he was buttoning his shirt, his nanny walked in holding a jewelry box.

“Are you all dressed, Your Highness?”

“Yes.”

When he was little, the servants used to bathe and dress him, but as he grew older, he took care of it himself. After all, the small staff was busy enough just trying to keep the prince’s residence clean.

“Let’s see… how about this necklace, and… what do you think of this ring?”

“Isn’t that a bit too flashy?”

“The other princes will be dripping with far more jewels, you know.”

Judite was about to agree without giving it much thought when something dawned on him.

“I’ll… pass on the necklace. Just the ring will do.”

“Why…? Ah.”

The nanny, who was looking at Judite with a puzzled expression, narrowed her eyes. She seemed to have spotted the hand-shaped bruises running along his neck. With a look of pity, she spoke up.

“Let’s skip the necklace… and wear a scarf instead.”

“Right. Please.”

The nanny closed the jewelry box and hurried outside. Judite quietly rubbed his throat. Even the faintest touch sent a dull throbbing pain through his skin, bringing home the grim reality that he could have easily died yesterday. Judite thought back to their midnight encounter. Was meeting that man a blessing or a curse? He had put his life on the line to convince him, but the outcome remained entirely uncertain. Adjusting the scarf his nanny brought back, Judite wondered to himself.

How much longer do I get to live?

Judite arrived at the Emperor’s palace just on time. He had learned long ago that there was nothing to gain from arriving early. The last thing he wanted was to get tangled up with the other princes and spark unnecessary trouble.

The hallway in front of the waiting room was lined wall-to-wall with armed guards. They had been posted here a few months ago at the desperate request of Aisa, the Emperor’s imperial concubine, after His Majesty collapsed. Just walking between the helmeted guards felt overwhelming. As he stood before the waiting room, a guard removed his helmet to verify Judite’s identity before swinging the doors open. Creeeak. Sunlight streamed into the dark, red-carpeted corridor. The other princes were already waiting inside.

“Look who decided to show up—right on the dot,” Reginald drawled sarcastically from his seat on the sofa. Hiore, sitting beside him, threw Judite a sour look as well.

“Good afternoon.”

“…….”

Judite offered a polite greeting, but no one bothered to return it. Asil, Judite’s half-brother, was chatting with Aisa a short distance away; even though he knew Judite had entered, he didn’t so much as glance his way. It was a truly heart-touching display of sibling affection.

Fortunately, Judite was well-accustomed to this treatment. Instead of heading for the sofa, he stepped over to the window, closed his eyes, and basked in the sunlight pouring over his cheeks. Though the light was warm, the room carried a strange, lingering chill that smelled of winter. About ten minutes passed before a knock sounded, and an elderly attendant entered the waiting room.

“His Majesty is ready. I will guide you to the audience chamber.”

As if he’d been waiting for those exact words, Reginald pushed himself up from his seat. Hiore stood up right behind him, quickly taking his place at Reginald’s side. When Asil looked anxious, Aisa leaned down and whispered something into his ear. Asil nodded and began walking after the others. Watching the scene unfold, Judite quietly fell in line behind them.

The audience chamber was a long, narrow room. Dark red carpets covered the marble floor, and intricate tapestries symbolizing the Emperor’s majesty hung tightly across the walls. A set of raised steps sat about a third of the way into the room, capped by an extravagantly decorated throne. Sitting there with his chin resting on his hand, the Emperor watched the entering princes with hawkish eyes.

Judite couldn’t bring himself to view the man sitting ahead as a father. After all, they had never once shared a proper one-on-one conversation in all these years. Scanning the princes prostrating themselves before him, the Emperor slowly opened his mouth.

“Come closer. My beloved sons.”

Despite those words, the Emperor’s gaze remained glued entirely to his youngest son—or more accurately, to Aisa and Asil. It was a blatant display of favoritism, yet no one dared to show their displeasure outwardly.

“I lived through a barbaric era,” the Emperor began as the princes approached. “Watching my brothers slaughter one another for the crown, I swore to myself that if I survived to become Emperor, I would never let such bloodshed happen again.”

They were noble words, but not a single soul in the room truly believed them. The Emperor had built his throne on the bloody corpses of his numerous brothers, and he still didn’t think he had done anything wrong. Even when the First Prince and Fourth Princess died, hadn’t he swept it under the rug without a second thought? However, falling in love with his late-acquired concubine, Aisa, and having Asil with her had finally stirred a sense of urgency within him.

“Therefore, I intend to hold a competition to select the next Emperor. In your generation, there will be no bloodshed. You will compete purely on merit, and the one who displays the most exceptional capability shall take the throne.”

It sounded sweet—becoming Emperor without having to kill or be killed. It was a dramatic declaration, yet no one looked surprised. They all seemed to have known beforehand. Leaving Asil aside, even Reginald, Hiore, and the Duke had known about it in advance, while Judite had been kept completely in the dark until Khalid told him last night. Moments like this always made Judite acutely aware of just how powerless he was.

“The first competition will be a banquet.”

After a brief pause, the Emperor continued.

“A diplomatic delegation from Herut will be staying at the imperial palace for four days. Each prince will host a banquet to entertain them.”

The moment the Emperor finished speaking, he broke into a dry, hacking cough. The coughing fit went on for quite some time. Aisa stepped forward, handing him a handkerchief. The Emperor patted her arm as if to say he was alright, then gestured to his attendant that he had said all he needed to say.

“In accordance with His Majesty’s wishes, we will draw lots to determine the date of each banquet. Will the princes please step forward when ready?”

Standing below the Emperor, the attendant holding the slips of paper announced. Reginald was the first to step up, striding forward with supreme confidence.

The attendant presented four folded slips to him. Reginald drew the first one without a moment’s hesitation. After checking the slip, the attendant solemnly declared:

“His Highness Reginald Friedrich Adenauer shall host the banquet on the first day.”

Reginald wore a look of immense satisfaction. Next came Asil. Having turned eleven just last month, Asil looked overwhelmed simply by the strain of audience day; he kept wobbling his head, struggling under the weight of the heavy hair ornaments perched on his head. Pale and frail, Asil drew the slip for the third banquet day. Judite ended up with the fourth day, leaving Hiore with the second.