The Price of Breaching the Contract - Chapter 111

Yulania flipped through the list of talents placed on the tea table, slowly scanning the documents Angela had brought. As she turned the pages, familiar faces came into view one after another. And the moment her gaze landed on one name, her eyes widened slightly.

“Samantha?”

Yulania murmured softly. Angela, noticing the surprise and delight in her voice, smiled and nodded.

“That’s right. That Samantha. The woman who gave His Highness a clue when he was investigating the medicine.”

“She was from Nutswood. I never thought I’d see her name here again.”

Yulania stopped turning the pages and fixed her eyes on Samantha’s resume. She was classified as a simple folk herbal researcher, but the record added that she was also interested in sacred stone-related research and had been running a small herb farm in the southern part of the territory for the past few years. Next to her name, a note in red letters stated that she was a person worth careful consideration.

“She used to work in administration before moving to Makari.”

Yulania smiled faintly. Old memories that suddenly came to mind were sometimes a burden, but now they were worth recalling. She turned the next page and continued to look through the list. Then, suddenly, a familiar face came into view.

“This person.”

Yulania pointed to a picture of a person with her finger. He had deep-set eyes, a neat mouth, and tightly closed lips that seemed somehow familiar. But no matter how hard she tried to remember, she couldn’t recall his name.

“Do you happen to recognize him?”

Angela asked, noticing her reaction. Yulania slowly shook her head.

“I don’t recognize the name. Milo?”

“Yes, Milo. Samantha’s husband.”

Yulania looked at Angela with surprised eyes before shifting her gaze back to the document. A short career was written down, but his experience working in the royal administration stood out.

“Why does he look so familiar?”

Yulania muttered cautiously, pursing her lips. At that moment, Angela raised the corners of her mouth.

“Your Highness, you know Head Maid Merrilyn, right? Milo is her younger brother.”

“Ah.”

Yulania exclaimed without realizing it. Now she saw it. The end of his eyes and the shape of his slightly pursed lips were strikingly similar to Merrilyn’s.

“You have a really good eye. Everyone has a hard time recognizing him at first.”

“Now that I see it, they do look alike. Are their personalities similar too?”

Angela shook her head, her eyes shining.

“Not at all. Merrilyn is very sharp and capable, but she talks a lot, right? Milo, on the other hand, is quiet and cautious. He’s also slow to act and never makes hasty decisions.”

“Hmm, ideal as an administrative aide.”

“That’s right. That’s why I thought it would be good to bring both Samantha and Milo to Makari Castle. Because the sacred stone landfill project will now begin in earnest.”

Yulania nodded and slowly looked around. Small carts carrying sacred stones were still moving around the edge of the garden. The amount of sacred stones brought into the castle was not large, but they were often brought in for inspection or research purposes.

“How is the sacred stone landfill project going these days? I was planning to go there with my husband soon anyway.”

“No news is good news, they say. It seems to be going well.”

Yulania took a small breath, feeling the gentle breeze in the garden. She knew better than anyone how many waves had passed before peace was achieved. The void left by the sacred stone in exchange for driving out the demons was heavy and deep. But now people were gathering there.

“When I first set foot on that land, there was nothing there.”

Yulania murmured in a low voice.

“That’s right. Now people are gathering, things are happening. Some people are even suggesting that we call it the Makari Plain.”

“The Makari Plain.”

Yulania smiled lightly. The name was a testament to a miraculous change.

“We’ll have to manage it well.”

“Yes. Now that the landfill is officially included in the Makari territory, I will also do my best.”

Yulania quietly folded the list with Samantha and Milo’s names on it and put it in her pocket. There was no hesitation in her eyes.

“Then, first of all, the talent.”

Angela nodded heavily. She held several more thick documents in her hands.

“I knew you’d say that, so I’ve prepared a lot of things today. But, Your Highness.”

Yulania raised her head.

“You must be feeling heavy, are you sure you’re, okay?”

“I’m fine. I’m just happy.”

Yulania smiled and raised her glass, clinking it against Angela’s. The clear sound spread throughout the garden on the summer sunshine.

The list that Angela unfolded contained the names of other talented people in addition to Samantha and Milo. However, Yulania’s eyes remained fixed on the names of the Samantha couple. There was something like a premonition.

“This woman, Samantha, used to be in administration?”

Yulania asked, and Angela nodded.

“Yes. She used to work in an administrative department near Nutswood. She was said to have a good reputation for her honest and meticulous work. However, she moved to Makari when she married Milo, and I heard that she quit her job because of the children.”

Yulania placed her fingertips on Samantha’s name once more. She nodded and said quietly.

“And her husband, Milo is a knight?”

“Yes. Actually, he also had administrative experience. He used to be in charge of taxation in the royal administration. Then he became interested in the life of a knight and changed careers, so if the two of them work together, they can be a combination of both literary and military skills.”

Yulania smiled in amazement. There were so many different lives in the world. Two people who had been quietly doing administrative work in the capital were now emerging as important pillars to lead the Makari territory again in this northern end.

“Invite both of them to the castle. Prepare for me to meet Santia within this week.”

Angela nodded willingly and turned to another page of the list.

“And this person is called Veronica, and she is quite knowledgeable in the study of sacred stones. She has been researching alone for a long time.”

“Veronica, where is she from?”

“She’s from the western border region. She has a bit of an eccentric streak, but those people sometimes produce innovative results.”

Yulania nodded quietly.

“Let’s meet this person too.”

In addition, there were various people introduced one by one, such as someone suitable for commercial accounting, someone to assist in maintaining security within the castle, and someone to be in charge of technology management. Most of them were already active or based in the Makari territory, and Angela briefly summarized and introduced each of them.

Among them was Larkin, the Makari librarian who had spent a lot of time with Yulania. He was the best at handling the materials in Makari.

Yulania listened to all the stories and added notes in between.

This territory was no longer a small frontier. Now that it included the sacred stone landfill, its territory had become larger than other duchies and was demanding autonomy at the level of a de facto principality.

“As expected of Angela. How can you pick people so well?”

Angela chuckled and shrugged her shoulders as Yulania said in admiration.

“Oh, you flatter me.”

The two shared a quiet laugh. And soon Yulania made a decision.

“I’ll meet everyone at the castle first and then decide. I want to look into their eyes and choose the people who will walk with us.”

Angela nodded. The sunlight in the garden was now quietly and warmly casting long shadows of the two.

They would silently keep their positions like nameless cornerstones. This new autonomous territory led by Yulania and Santia was beginning to take root slowly but firmly.

Thus, the first working management team of the Makari territory, which would be remembered in history, was formed.

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