The Price of Breaching the Contract - Chapter 13

After everyone left at Santiago’s instruction, leaving them alone, he stood leaning against the wall at a distance. Uncharacteristically subdued, he stared at his feet, sparing his words.

“What’s the matter that you’re hesitating like this?”

Yulania, unable to bear it, spoke first. Her husband was one to quickly deliver even the most difficult news and leave. Taking this much time, as if gauging her reaction, was unlike him.

Perhaps her words finally made him decide. His gaze, which had been downcast, finally turned to Yulania. He stared at her for a moment, as if searching for an answer on her face, before finally opening his mouth with difficulty.

“…Don’t be too shocked.”

However, the words that followed were unexpectedly surprising, leaving Yulania feeling even more lost. Seeing him so troubled made her frustrating curiosity gradually turn into a strange sense of unease.

Yulania waited silently for Santiago.

“There… was a child.”

“…?”

His words didn’t immediately register. But deep inside, an irregular beat like a small hammer thump-thump echoed. Her head and heart moved as if they were separate entities.

As Yulania tensed at the unsettling sound of her heart, his calm, low voice continued.

“It was early in the pregnancy, my dear. That’s probably why you had such severe morning sickness.”

“…Why are you talking about it as if it’s in the past?”

Yulania blinked, questioning the unwelcome sense of unease. And upon hearing the next words, the situation finally clicked in her mind.

“We lost the child in your womb, though I don’t know the reason yet. It seems the medicine you’ve been taking is involved. Devon is under house arrest.”

“Ah…”

Perhaps because she had already sensed it, or perhaps because she hadn’t even known there was a child…

Yulania reacted calmly, without much shock. Strangely, she felt a fluttering sensation in her chest, but it wasn’t sadness.

“I see. So that’s why everyone…”

However, regardless of the emotions she felt, understanding the situation made the reactions of others understandable. Yulania’s words trailed off vaguely, creating a silence.

The man and woman who had lost a child fixed their gazes on different places, lost in their own thoughts.

Yulania gently touched her abdomen, where a dull ache still lingered. Was she trying to confirm its existence, even belatedly? Even she didn’t understand her own heart as she blankly continued her train of thought.

Santiago glanced at her for a moment before lowering his gaze back to his feet. How long had it been? Santiago’s soft sigh broke the silence.

At the sound, Yulania turned her attention to him. Seeing her still expressionless face, Santiago frowned as if something displeased him. But he quickly composed himself and opened his mouth.

“So, about that medicine.”

His mention of it reminded her of the words she had missed earlier. Because of the medicine.

The medicine Devon brought was what Yulania had been taking since childhood, following her father’s orders. It had been almost ten years since before her marriage, but it had never been a problem until now.

And the medicine was a gift from her father, the King. Blaming it was a very dangerous thing. As she wondered how far Santiago was guessing and what he was saying, he asked.

“What exactly is that medicine? Have you taken any other medicine recently?”

Certainly, the last time she took it, she felt it was more viscous than usual. But she thought it was just a higher concentration to overcome her tolerance.

“As you know, it’s a medicine to control emotions and help with having children.”

“Are you sure about that? It seems to have done more harm than good.”

“It’s medicine my father gave me.”

Yulania answered firmly to Santiago’s questioning, if not accusation. She said it indirectly, but her meaning was clear. Suspicion of her father should not be made lightly.

“…I know. Why do you even need medicine to control your emotions in the first place? You seem less sensitive than most people to me.”

Santiago, understanding the meaning, continued a beat later. But he seemed to have already gained some conviction.

“Perhaps it’s because I take medicine… that it’s controlled.”

“Haa, anyway, you don’t know anything else about it, do you?”

Even the twisted Santiago had never defied the King. He wasn’t one to act without reason. Yulania tried to deny the growing unease, but the more she did, the more her heart wavered.

“…What are you thinking?”

“I don’t know either. Let’s look into this slowly for now… and you should focus on recovering.”

The precarious conversation ended without much gain. Santiago, looking frustrated, ran a hand through his hair, straightened up, and took a step.

And as he stepped out the door, he half-turned and asked casually.

“Oh, the doctor said he has something to say about aftercare. Would you like to rest a bit before listening?”

“No. I’ll listen now.”

“…Alright. I’ll be right back.”

Perhaps he thought she would refuse. Santiago looked surprised and left the room.

The knock came when Yulania had taken about a dozen deep breaths.

Joel must have been waiting nearby, as he entered as soon as Santiago left. Seeing him keeping his distance from her and bowing his head, she noticed his disheveled appearance, which she hadn’t seen earlier. He was trying to hide it by straightening his posture and clasping his hands together, but it was clear he had rushed over.

“You must have had a hard time rushing up here.”

“Oh, no, Your Highness.”

“You said you had something to tell me?”

Earlier, he had only given the minimum examination and left as if chased out by Santiago. Joel hesitated, glancing at Santiago’s expression, before beginning to speak.

“Yes, well, you will continue to have some bleeding for a few days. You can walk around once the bleeding stops. Until then, it’s best to stay lying down as much as possible.”

“I understand.”

Yulania listened carefully to what the doctor said.

“Yes, it’s best to eat mainly green vegetables and meat. Always keep your body warm. Also… please avoid leaf teas such as black tea and drink fruit or flower teas instead. Eating a lot of nuts is also helpful.”

Once he started talking, Joel poured out advice as if he had been waiting for it. Yulania wore a faint smile, feeling his sincere concern.

“I’d like you to tell this to my maid.”

“Ah! That’s right. Yes, I’ll pass it on.”

Joel, who had been focused on giving advice, forgetting the other person’s status, caught himself and nodded. And after glancing at Santiago, he added one more thing.

“And please refrain from marital relations for about three months so that the womb can recover.”

“Thank you for the detailed advice.”

Yulania conveyed her sincere gratitude.

“Not at all!”

Joel bowed again as if about to prostrate himself. At the same time, Santiago, who had been crossing his arms, unfolded them and asked.

“Is that all?”

“Yes, Your Excellency. After that, you can just have regular checkups.”

“I see.”

Santiago, ending the conversation with a short reply, turned to Yulania and gave a stern order.

“Stay put and take care of yourself for the time being.”

“Well…”

Then, Joel, who had been standing respectfully with his hands clasped, raised his head slightly. The couple’s gazes immediately turned to him, and he flinched for a moment, but he added advice that contradicted Santiago’s words.

“Staying still too much is also bad for your health. Once you can move around, it’s good to take short walks. S-sorry.”

However, Santiago, who had been listening silently, let out a snort and burst into laughter, causing Joel to quickly lower his eyes.

“It’s alright. I rather like it.”

“Yes, yes…”

Santiago found Joel, who was the opposite of the insincere Devon, pleasing. Since Devon could no longer specialize in Yulania anyway, a new specialist was needed. He was lucky that there was talent within the territory.

He decided to observe him carefully for a while and entrusted Joel with Yulania’s care.

“I’m counting on you for the time being.”

“Yes, I will do my best.”

After that, it took less than ten days for Santiago to formally appoint Joel as Yulania’s specialist.

Despite the extraordinary treatment of becoming a close aide to royalty, Joel requested to commute rather than reside, worrying about the people of the territory, and Santiago instead increased his trust in his bold proposal.

Support The Price of Breaching the Contract