The Price of Breaching the Contract - Chapter 104

Yuliana stood holding the luxurious stationery, her face uncertain. Winter sunlight streamed through the window, softly illuminating the letter, her slender fingertips carefully pressing down on the paper’s edge.

A short sentence was neatly written on the letter.

[I heard the story from the Chancellor. Even if you relinquish your claim to the throne, as the next King, I will respect you as a legitimate member of the royal family.

-Yurvan Tinriailin -]

It was a short message, but it intensely stirred her heart. It contained no embellishments or strong emotions, but that left even more room for interpretation.

Yuliana’s gaze remained fixed on the words, unmoving for a long time. It seemed to state the obvious, yet it also felt like a declaration that he would never relinquish his throne.

“Respect me as a legitimate member of the royal family.”

She had lived her life without ever hearing such an obvious statement. She knew Yurvan had written it without any particular emotion, but uttering the sentence aloud evoked a strange resonance. Regardless of his intentions, Yuliana was simply pleased by Yurvan’s declaration. A steel gate that had been tightly closed in her heart for a very long time opened, creating a small gap.

It was difficult to guess what a teenager, full of passion, was thinking, but she could tell that Yurvan was starting to care about her, little by little. There was also a very high probability that the sly Chancellor had said something to Yurvan.

Yuliana gave an ambiguous smile. It was so like Yurvan.

His tone was cold yet subtly polite, skillfully navigating the boundary between formality and emotion.

He was a boy at an age when passion was at its peak, yet his tone was overly composed.

Did he really write it himself, or did the Chancellor have a hand in it?

Yuliana shook her head slightly. Duke Jensen had probably anticipated this situation. To send even a piece of organized emotion at the most exquisite timing after completing all his roles was truly masterful.

The sly smile flashed in her mind, and Yuliana unconsciously chuckled softly.

Receiving such a letter from her younger brother made Yuliana feel that a major part of her life had come to an end. The knot in her heart, which had been there for years, no, decades, melted away somewhere.

Yuliana exhaled very slowly.

With a strangely light heart, she slowly looked out the window. Beyond the hazy sky, the wind swept over the frozen ground. Was it because her mindset had changed? The sunlight felt particularly warm today.

Yuliana quietly turned around, carefully folded the letter, and placed it in a drawer. It was a space where she kept her own precious letters, separate from official documents.

It was time to prepare for the coming of a new season.

The warm winter days in the capital passed by in a flash. The winter wind blowing in the capital was not cold at all, but rather felt refreshing, making walks enjoyable. Yuliana felt as if the soft air that permeated the entire capital was embracing her.

And that time was made even more special thanks to Shuria. Shuria grew more and more each day, and deep roots of strong emotion grew between Santia and Yuliana. They held Shuria more often than they held each other’s hands, but their gazes lingered longer than before, and they could understand each other’s thoughts without speaking.

After the meeting with the King, which the Chancellor attended, Yuliana had no contact with her father. The Chancellor seemed to understand their awkward relationship and took on all the necessary tasks in between.

He was a sly and enigmatic person, but not hateful. Since he was Angela’s biological father, she never thought of him as a bad person from the start.

As midwinter approached, snowflakes began to fall in the capital, and Shuria spent more time sitting up than lying in her cradle. It became a common sight for the child to reach out and mischievously grab Yuliana’s hair or hold onto Santia’s fingers and shake them.

As the child began to babble, the emotions exchanged became much deeper, leading to a strong sense of solidarity among the three of them. Whenever she heard the baby’s unique, clear voice, Yuliana felt as if her heart was collapsing. Shuria was the first to make her realize that collapse could be caused by joy, not sadness or despair.

Around the time Santia began to recognize Shuria, who had been just a small lump, as a person and stopped being afraid of her, the couple spent busy nights.

That night, as usual, a soft lamp was lit in the room, and Shuria was quietly asleep in Vanessa’s arms.

Yuliana, having washed away the fatigue of a long day, sat on the bed, drying her hair. Her shoulders gleamed smoothly with moisture that had not yet dried after her bath, and the skin revealed beneath her light indoor clothes retained a heat that made Santia dizzy. Santia sat at the head of the bed, pretending to read a book, but his gaze had long been directed at her, not the words.

Each time she swept her hair back, revealing the round curve of her shoulder, Santia’s gaze deepened.

Then, without any warning, his hand cautiously reached for her waist. It was a secretive and familiar touch.

“Santia! Again!”

Yuliana was startled and leaned back. Her hair fell in disarray over her shoulders, and her eyes were filled with a mixture of suppressed embarrassment and subtle anticipation.

“Why?”

Santia asked back with a very innocent expression, leaning towards her.

“Why? I’m drying my hair.”

“Is that important?”

His hand slowly moved along her waistline. It was not just a gesture for a simple hug. His subtle fingertips contained a desire not to miss even the smallest gap. Yuliana’s body flinched involuntarily at the sensation.

“Skip a day.”

Yuliana said firmly.

“I’m tired. I really am.”

Then Santia smiled indifferently, but dangerously, as he approached.

“Don’t worry. You don’t have to do anything.”

At the same time, his lips lightly touched her cheek with a ‘smack’ sound. Then, his hand gently cupped her face, and the other hand began to caress her hips.

Yuliana’s face flushed red instantly.

“It doesn’t work that way!”

She said the words, but there was no conviction in her voice.

Her body was resisting, but her emotions were being pulled ahead.

Santia knew that gap. He knew her weaknesses all too well.

“I’m doing all the work, so what’s tiring you out?”

“I don’t know. Anyway, let’s rest today.”

Yuliana said, averting her gaze. A hot sensation gathered in her eyes, and even those words became less and less confident. Santia tilted his head and replied briefly.

“We’ll see.”

He no longer tried to persuade her with words. He simply began to caress her most sensitive areas slowly and very precisely. The touch was not persistent, but light and soft, yet it was a sensation filled with confidence.

Yuliana’s breathing became shallower and her shoulders trembled. She tried to avoid it several times, but eventually, when she realized that she was already in his arms, she had no strength left to resist.

Their breaths intertwined, and their lips met again.

She slowly reached out and embraced the nape of his neck.

It was a peaceful and passionate daily routine that continued every day.

No matter what the situation was in the outside world, this bedroom was entirely their own world, and within it, the two shared love, confirmed their feelings, and remembered each other more deeply with their bodies.

And at the end of that heat, Santia’s voice always landed softly in her ear, as if whispering.

“I love you, Yuliana.”

The price of violating the contract was sweet.

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