The Price of Breaching the Contract - Chapter 107

Yuliana stood there for a while, watching.

Shuria, nestled in her arms, occasionally wriggled, and the wind gently lifted the child’s fine hair.

“This is where I first met you,”

Yuliana whispered quietly, and Shuria looked up at her with uncomprehending eyes. A strangely stable world was reflected in those small eyes.

Meanwhile, Santia became busy as soon as he returned to the territory.

He personally inspected the outposts set up near the border of the demon’s land and organized the supplies that had been delayed during the winter. He also readjusted the communication network with the capital and received reports on the population dynamics of the surrounding villages. After the last large-scale expedition, the Duchy of Makari was recognized as a newly emerging stable zone, and thanks to this, the number of territory residents who had migrated from various regions increased rapidly.

Makari offered them new opportunities, but at the same time, it placed a tremendous administrative burden on Santia.

Yuliana turned her gaze to the living room window.

There, she saw Santia’s back as he headed to the study filled with documents. His back as he worked silently and tirelessly. She watched that shadow for a long time.

When night fell, Santia came into the bedroom looking tired. He spent all day traveling around the territory and digesting long meetings, and he couldn’t hide his fatigue. Perhaps wielding a sword and fighting in battle was a more comfortable task for him.

Yuliana always lay down first and waited for him. Usually, she would fall asleep before he came, but she would wake up briefly when he entered with careful steps. Santia always moved quietly and cautiously by her side. Whether he was lifting the blanket to lie down, or lying next to her and carefully wrapping his arm around her waist, he always lay down with the word “restraint” on his back.

Yuliana liked the feeling of Santia’s presence when her eyes were closed. The warmth added to the blanket and the even breathing, things like that. Every night, she couldn’t help but steal a glance at Santia. Even in the dark room, his elegant facial lines came into view. It was a sorry thing to say to Santia, but his tired face had a different charm.

He would habitually approach subtly, but then stop midway. Whenever that happened, Yuliana would gently reach out and overlap her hand with his.

“Sleep now.”

When Yuliana said quietly, he nodded.

“Yes.”

But there was a lack of energy in his voice. Yuliana slowly covered his hand and said.

“Just bear with it a little longer.”

“Do you know that it’s even harder to bear when you say that?”

“So, just a little longer.”

The two laughed in the dark. They held hands and shared each other’s breath in the warm silence.

One morning, when her lower abdomen began to bulge roundly,

Yuliana witnessed Shuria walking towards her on her own two feet. At first, she unconsciously tried to catch the child, but then hesitated. The small body walking unsteadily with arms outstretched was somewhat unstable, but the way it put its feet on the ground and moved forward was so clear.

“Shuria!”

The moment Yuliana exclaimed in admiration, the child smiled broadly and clung to the hem of her skirt.

Small hands tightly hugging her legs.

Yuliana knelt down on the spot and hugged the child tightly. Her eyes quickly turned red.

“Our baby is walking now,all by herself.”

After that day, Shuria expanded her world day by day.

Walking didn’t just mean moving. The fact that she could move was in itself the beginning of exploration, and Shuria became a little adventurer in the castle. From the bedroom to the hallway, from the hallway to the stairs, from the maids’ food storage to the garden and greenhouse.

“You have to be careful, the stairs are dangerous, so hold my hand tightly— no, you can’t eat that! Lady Shuria!”

Dozens of times a day, the maids’ shouts filled the castle. This small creature was now becoming not just a baby, but a personality. Even with something firmly in her mouth, she rolled her eyes to see her mother’s reaction, and often played pranks on purpose to elicit laughter.

Whenever that happened, Yuliana couldn’t help but laugh, even though she was amazed, wondering, ‘Who did she take after to become so cunning?’

Interaction with the servants also increased noticeably. Shuria looked at people with the clear eyes and curiosity unique to young children and quickly imitated their voices.

At first, Yuliana was surprised to see the child like that, but soon she smiled along with a happy heart. The child’s voice was like magic, filling the entire castle with vitality.

Then one day, Yuliana was handling the sacred stone in a small laboratory set up in the library for sacred stone research. In the early days, she touched it carefully and restrainedly, but now she was quite skilled at breathing light into the sacred stone and adjusting its flow.

She was still exchanging opinions with various scholars and reading related books whenever she had time. There were still many unexplained points about the sacred stone, but Yuliana believed that its power could work more deeply in the direction of protecting and healing life.

That day, as usual, Yuliana placed the sacred stone on her palm and was reading the texture of its power. Light flickered in and out like a small breath, and the surface of the sacred stone rippled softly, when suddenly.

“Iya—!”

Shuria’s exclamation was heard.

Before Yuliana could turn her head, the child grabbed the hem of her skirt and rushed towards the sacred stone. Surprised, Yuliana quickly lifted the sacred stone, and Shuria widened her eyes, put her hands together politely, and babbled.

“Shuria, you startled me.”

Instead of answering, Shuria stretched out her hands. The desire for the shining sacred stone was contained in those small fingertips. Anxious, Yuliana placed the sacred stone in front of Shuria. The child put her hand on it and carefully tapped the sparkling surface. As if an adult were checking a glass, the child frowned as if feeling something, and then smiled brightly again.

Then, for a moment, the sacred stone vibrated slightly and the light swelled. It seemed as if a very brief, small wave had passed through the space.

Yuliana knelt down and looked at the phenomenon at the same eye level as Shuria.

“Really, do you have that power inside you too?”

The child did not answer. She just put the sacred stone on her palm, nodded as if she was happy. The sight was so lovely that Yuliana soon smiled and hugged the child.

“I’m glad you like this power. Someday, let’s find out together how we can use it. Okay?”

Shuria heard her mother’s voice and touched her cheek with her small hand. With a sound that seemed to say “Okay!”

That night, Yuliana told Santia the story.

“Shuria really likes the sacred stone. It’s not just because it’s pretty and sparkling, she definitely knows something.”

Santia was listening quietly to his wife’s words. He didn’t open his mouth for a long time, then put the teacup he was holding on the table.

“So, you and Shuria have the same power, and you can sense it in each other?”

Yuliana nodded.

“To be exact, it’s probably the same root. The power I have doesn’t come from the sacred stone, but it’s possible because I’m a being that resonates with the sacred stone. It’ll be the same for the child.”

Santia quietly looked towards the bedroom where his daughter was sleeping.

“No matter what happens in the world, I’ll be okay if I have Shuria.”

At those words, Yuliana looked at her husband with slightly surprised eyes. It was the first time he had said something like that.

“I’ve been thinking that too.”

And the two looked out the window at the early spring starlight passing by.

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