Even the Devil Regrets it - Chapter 53

After touring the west wing with Braeden, Juliana returned to her room.
The Grand Castle was far too large to explore in a single day. They had agreed to meet again in the evening, and Braeden had gone back to the main building to attend to his postponed duties.

Juliana walked to the window and pulled the curtain aside to look outside. A small smile formed on her lips as she remembered Braeden’s face when he had seen the greenhouse.

It was the first time she had seen him genuinely caught off guard.
She wondered how long the greenhouse had been left untouched for it to reach that wild, tangled state.
She had always imagined Braeden as someone perfectly composed and capable of anything, but seeing him surprised like that made him feel more human. In an odd way, it was charming.

Just as she let out another quiet laugh, she heard something.

A sharp sound of wind rose up, not like a typical breeze but one that felt eerie, almost like a distant cry.

The northern region was already heading into summer.
Though the summers here were much shorter than in the capital, it was still warm enough that hearing such a wind felt completely out of place.

“What is that?”

Juliana opened the door to the balcony and stepped outside.

Again, the sound of wind returned.

But her hair didn’t move and her clothes stayed still.
The weather was gentle and warm, and the light of the setting sun stretched across the sky, adding to the peaceful feeling.
To hear something that resembled a winter storm in such soft weather felt unsettling.

With a growing sense of unease, Juliana went to find Atlante.

Since that unexpected meeting between Braeden and Atlante at the townhouse, Juliana had made sure the two of them wouldn’t cross paths again.
She had prepared a private room for Atlante, and the maids brought her food and took care of the space.

“Atlante, did you hear a strange wind just now?”

Juliana asked as she entered the room directly. Atlante tilted her head, puzzled by the sudden question.

“A strange wind? Not that I noticed.”

Atlante had not heard anything like that.
But she did mention a certain strange and heavy feeling that had been present since they arrived at the Grand Castle.
To her, it had been lingering for so long that it didn’t stand out as unusual anymore.

“I didn’t hear any wind, but the energy around the castle does feel strange. I heard that during a past war in the North, the Grand Castle became like a tomb. Maybe it has something to do with that. Or it could just be the age of the building.”

“You’re the Tear of God. If something was really wrong, you would know, wouldn’t you?”

Juliana looked directly at her. Atlante nodded with confidence.

“Of course. Unless one of the great archdemons, the ones with power equal to the divine, went out of their way to hide something, I would definitely be able to sense if something was truly wrong.”

There were only a few archdemons who could rival divine power. Meeting one of them was highly unlikely.
Hearing Atlante speak with such certainty gave Juliana some comfort. Maybe she had just been overreacting.

“Actually, I think your divine energy has grown a little lately. That could be why you feel more sensitive than usual.”

Atlante tilted her head thoughtfully as she observed Juliana more closely.

“My divine energy increased?”
Juliana repeated and gave a small, awkward cough.

Braeden had said he would make her a true Floreseco.
And the method he had chosen involved stimulating their bond through rather intimate means.

The thought of it made Juliana’s mind fill with hazy images of their nights together.
Considering how many times he had kissed her so intensely, it would have been more surprising if there had been no change in the bond at all.

She flinched slightly and quickly pushed the memory away, trying not to let it show on her face.

“Anyway, if you ever feel something strange, please promise to tell me right away.”

Atlante noticed the faint pink in Juliana’s cheeks and found it a little odd, but still answered sincerely.

“I will.”

Because of the retainers who wouldn’t stop clinging to him with reports and questions, Braeden was only able to return to their chambers late in the evening.

After washing up, he stepped into the shared bedroom and saw Juliana sitting at a small table, focused on something in front of her.
She hadn’t even noticed he had come in.

He considered walking over silently to surprise her, but then decided against it, worried she might be startled.
Instead, he made his presence known.

Her deep green eyes immediately widened and turned to him.

“When did you get here? I didn’t hear you come in.”

That made sense. Braeden hadn’t used the door at all. It was too much trouble, so he had simply shifted space.
He had only moved from the next room, and he already knew she was alone before he did it.
The Grand Castle had been his domain for so long that he could move freely within it whenever he wished.

“Maybe you were too focused to hear me. What were you working on?”

He changed the subject smoothly and approached the table.
There, a pile of invitations was stacked high.

“I was going through invitations from northern nobles. I think I’ll need to attend a few of them, but it’s not easy deciding which.”

Juliana was familiar with the nobility in the capital, but the northern lords were still new to her.
It seemed they were all curious about the Grand Castle’s new mistress and eager to win her favor.

This was exactly when one needed to be careful.
They might seem polite on the surface, but she knew too well that anyone could hide dangerous intentions behind a smile.
Her previous life had taught her not to be fooled by appearances.

That was why the sweetly worded invitations felt empty to her, even irritating.

“If you have questions about northern nobility, you can ask Albert. He’ll give you accurate answers.”

Braeden said this as he placed something down on the table.
Juliana’s eyes paused when she noticed the red color of the wine.

“You don’t drink?”

Braeden asked, watching her expression.
Come to think of it, he had only ever seen her sip champagne at formal events. He couldn’t remember a time she drank anything stronger.

“It’s not that I can’t drink. I just haven’t had many chances.”

Juliana replied as she pushed the stack of invitations to the side.
In her past life, she often drank before bed because of insomnia. But in this life, that hadn’t happened yet, so technically, she wasn’t lying.
In fact, she realized she hadn’t needed alcohol to fall asleep in this life, which felt oddly refreshing.

“I brought something light on purpose. You should be fine.”

Braeden poured the wine into a glass.
Juliana watched as the red liquid swirled and rose with gentle bubbles.

In the North, wine with a low alcohol level wasn’t even considered real liquor, which meant Braeden had clearly chosen it for her sake.

He would never know she used to drink strong liquor every night just to fall asleep.
Juliana smiled faintly, her amusement hidden.

She had joked once about needing to learn how to drink just to try the famously strong northern mead, not because she was unfamiliar with alcohol.

“Thank you.”

Juliana didn’t show much on her face as she took a sip.
The wine was sweet with a slight bitterness, and it slid down her throat smoothly.

“This is delicious.”

“Is it?”

When Juliana finished her glass with a smile, Braeden refilled it without hesitation.

Lately, he had developed a strange habit.
Whenever she ate or drank something well, he felt a quiet happiness and would automatically offer her more.

They sat together and shared two, maybe three more glasses.
Before long, warmth began to spread through her body and a flush rose in her cheeks.

Juliana brought her hands to her face to cool her warm skin.

“You’re not drunk, are you?”

Braeden narrowed his eyes slightly and touched her forehead with one hand.

“Of course not.”

She let out a soft laugh, and Braeden’s brow twitched.
The smile she just showed was different from usual.

She always smiled like a proper lady, graceful and reserved, but this time there was something open and unguarded about it.

“Ah yes, you did say you’re not someone who can’t drink.”

Though he teased her, his touch was gentle.
His hand slid down from her forehead and cupped her cheek. Her skin was soft and warm under his palm.

“I’ve only had a little. I won’t get drunk that easily.”

Juliana smiled again and leaned into his hand.
His cool palm felt comforting, and she did it without thinking.

Her body had been trained to handle strong drinks in her previous life.
But in this one, she hadn’t been drinking at all, so her tolerance was much lower than she realized.
She thought she wasn’t drunk at all, but in truth, a soft haze had already settled over her.

Braeden let out a low chuckle as he watched her smile again for no clear reason.
She really was adorable. The more he got to know her, the more charming she became.

“If you’re not drunk, then you must still remember the promise you made earlier today.”

Promise?

Juliana blinked slowly as she tried to recall what he meant. Then she let out a short breath.
She remembered it clearly now.

Earlier, when they had kissed in the empty ballroom, the mood had shifted suddenly.
She had awkwardly suggested finishing things later, at night.

For a moment, she thought about pretending not to remember.
But that hesitation was all Braeden needed to know she remembered everything.

“Too late,” he whispered with a pleased grin.

It was obvious from her face that she remembered.
Braeden leaned in and captured her lips without warning.

Even if she had insisted, she didn’t remember because of the wine, the result would have been the same.
He had no intention of letting the night pass quietly.

There was no need to tell her that.
And in truth, there was no time to explain anyway.

Braeden smiled like a satisfied predator as he wrapped himself around Juliana and claimed the warmth of her soft skin without holding back.

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