The Price of Breaching the Contract - Chapter 14

Clink.

When he shook the finger-sized medicine bottle, the cloudy liquid swayed. As if some answer would emerge from watching it, Santia stared intently at the liquid’s movement.

He knew nothing about this medicine. The one thing he knew for sure was that Yulania had always taken this unsettling medicine, as far as he knew.

It had bothered him since he first saw it after their marriage, but it was something he couldn’t interfere with. And then, things blew up properly.

It was fortunate that it happened in the Makari territory, not the capital. Otherwise, he might have overlooked the miscarriage altogether. Santia couldn’t fathom the King’s intentions at all.

‘Why would he give this medicine to his own daughter?’

At dawn, Joel, with Santia’s permission, took a small amount of the medicine down to the residential area. He said he needed to use the tools in the clinic to find out about the medicine.

Yulania, who had seemed resilient last night, had fallen into a deep, almost unconscious sleep again. At dawn, Santia had looked at her sleeping face with a troubled expression before leaving. He had a lot to take care of.

As he continued to think, it was time for Joel to return.

Knock knock.

“Your Excellency, it’s Joel.”

Sure enough. Soon, a knock was heard.

“Come in.”

Joel, entering the office with hurried steps, began his report without any formalities.

“Your Excellency, well because there are several drugs mixed in, it may take a little time but it’s not the kind that helps with conception.”

Santia’s eyebrows furrowed at the unwelcome words.

“Then?”

“With my humble knowledge, I don’t know of any drugs that help with conception. But, but the technology of the royal palace is beyond my knowledge, so it’s hard to say for sure.”

Joel added hesitantly.

“At first glance, it seems to be a mixture of a drug that kills emotions and two or three other things.”

“I know about the emotion-controlling effect.”

Santia stared at the medicine bottle with even darker eyes. At those words, Joel cautiously shook his head.

“Not control  but a drug that completely erases them.”

“I see.”

Perhaps he had a feeling. Santia wasn’t greatly surprised, but rather became expressionless. He was more concerned about the King’s intentions than the medicine’s effects.

Joel broke the brief silence again.

“And there’s something else I need to tell you.”

“Speak.”

“If the Princess stops taking the medicine immediately, there may be a reverse effect. That is, the suppressed emotions may pour out, and it may be difficult to control them for a while.”

“So, should she not stop?”

At Santia’s irritable reply, Joel carefully chose his words.

“No. I am sorry to say. I think it’s dangerous to take medicine whose exact purpose is unknown. How about stopping the medicine for now and watching? If possible, it would be best to avoid anything that could be emotionally shocking.”

“I understand.”

Fortunately, Santia slowly nodded in agreement.

Joel left to conduct further investigations, and Santia conveyed the information he had heard from Joel to Yulania as it was.

However, he omitted the story about her emotional control that he had added at the end.

He wanted to minimize unpredictable situations.

Yulania, after waking up, seemed somewhat confused but accepted it without much agitation. Looking at her alien, apathetic self, Santia recalled the appearance he had seen over the past two years.

Perhaps the complaints he had harbored all along might not really have been her fault, which made him feel strange. On the other hand, he had no idea how far the King was reaching, which sent a chill down his spine.

After listening to Santia’s explanation, Yulania, who had been thinking hard about something, opened her mouth with a question.

“Then what happened to Devon?”

“Under investigation. It’s better not to know the details.”

Unfortunately, it was the kind of question that made Santia uncomfortable.

Yulania’s eyes flickered with dissatisfaction, but Santia turned away resolutely.

Leaving the confused Yulania behind, Santia headed to Devon’s room, which had almost become his cozy personal space for a while. As Santia entered the room, Devon glared at Santia with a listless and haggard look.

“How? how could you! You’re from the land of demons, you’re nothing but a barbarian!”

“Now you’re showing your true colors.”

Santia, leaning crookedly against the door, looked down with eyes full of ridicule.

It had only been a day.

For just one day, Devon had been locked in his room without a drop of water.

But it seemed painful enough for him, who had grown up pampered. Devon’s face turned red as he shouted.

“Even beasts wouldn’t do this! Bring me food immediately!”

“You still have strength left. I’ll come back tomorrow.”

Santia retorted cynically and closed the door. Before being employed by the King, he had always suffered from hunger. Therefore, he knew all too well how desperate a person becomes when they are hungry.

But to lose his mind so quickly.

Devon’s shallow nature was simply laughable.

The next day, Santia, who had eaten a full meal, visited Devon again.

“Have you changed your mind today?”

Devon glared at Santia, trembling with bloodshot eyes. But he had lost strength from starving for two days, and no power was felt from him. Of course, even if he had been healthy, he couldn’t have been a threat to Santia.

Santia looked at Devon, who was leaning weakly against the wall, and took out what he had brought.

“I brought you a gift.”

“…You devil…!”

As Santia leisurely waved the freshly baked bread, Devon’s gaze naturally followed it.

“What do you want?”

As the savory aroma filled the room, Devon asked in a barely audible voice, unable to resist.

“It’s nothing much. Tell me what medicine you gave the Princess. Oh, and it would be nice if you wrote a letter too.”

Santia replied casually, waving the bread.

“I really don’t know about the medicine. I know it as a medicine to control the Princess’s emotions. I just received what His Majesty gave me.”

“Really? Then I guess I’ll come back tomorrow.”

“Really, really! I really don’t know!”

“What about hiding the miscarriage?”

“That, that’s because the Princess is infertile by His Majesty’s order so I naturally didn’t think of it.”

Santia hardened his face at the paltry answer. He was a light and foolish guy who couldn’t be believed to be the King’s aide.

“…Are you even a doctor?”

“Please, let me go now. That’s all I know.”

“Hmm.”

Eventually, Devon started panting and groveling, so Santia tore the fist-sized bread in half and threw only one piece. As soon as the bread touched the floor, Devon rushed to eat it.

The appearance he had been in just a few days ago, holding his head high and confidently stepping forward, was nowhere to be found. Devon, who had eaten the bread in an instant, asked in a trembling voice.

“The, the rest…”

“The letter first.”

Once he tasted the food, Devon obediently listened to him as if he had given up. He rummaged through and took out a piece of stationery and waited for Santia’s instructions.

“Okay, to His Majesty the King. Tell him that it’s difficult to return to the capital due to unexpected bad weather, so I’ll return after winter. And it would be good to tell him not to worry about Yulania because there was a spare medicine bottle.”

“Yes? Aren’t you letting me go?”

“That’s ridiculous. Should I eat this?”

“No! I understand, I’ll write it!”

Santia watched Devon write the letter and felt an extremely unpleasant feeling. Devon was just a delivery man.

“It’s not a lie, is it?”

“Ugh!”

Devon contorted his face as if he was about to cry in order to receive the remaining half. Santia neatly folded the letter he had written and put it in his arms, and gave a brief order to the waiting knight.

“Give him a feast.”

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