The Price of Breaching the Contract - Chapter 20

“I should have noticed sooner. It’s all my fault, Princess.”

“Vanessa.”

Yuliana was overjoyed to see Vanessa’s face, but the loyal maid was not. She knelt before her mistress, looking gaunt.

“I am so sorry for not coming to see you sooner. I apologize to the Duke and will gladly accept any punishment.”

“I’m uncomfortable without you. That would be like punishing me, wouldn’t it?”

Yuliana tried to soothe her with a playful tone, but Vanessa looked up at her mistress with a bewildered expression.

“Princess.”

Yuliana smiled to reassure her. It wasn’t as if she had overcome everything. But those who genuinely cared for her were a great comfort.

“Hic, Princess! I’m so sorry. I’m so, so sorry.”

Vanessa finally burst into tears.

Vanessa was the only one who purely grieved for the loss of the child and showed her emotions as they were. Everyone was busy checking on her condition, but not many mourned the loss itself. Seeing Vanessa, Yuliana’s eyes also welled up, and she raised her head.

With Vanessa collapsing and weeping, Yuliana once again realized her loss.

Compared to the small advance party that Santiago and Yuliana had led, the main force arrived with the remaining personnel and baggage wagons, making it a considerable size. The castle became even more bustling as the knights were greeted, and the servants busily unpacked.

Yuliana’s belongings from the capital’s mansion also arrived and were gradually brought into the castle.

The knights were called into an emergency meeting by Santiago without even having a chance to rest from their journey. Yuliana also headed to the office with several servants, including Alban, to discuss matters related to the castle’s management. In the meantime, Vanessa organized Yuliana’s clothes and cosmetics in the bedroom, and Maya helped.

“You’re Maya, right? I heard you took good care of the Princess.”

“Oh, no! It’s just that the Princess is so kind.”

Although they were both maids, there was a difference in status between Vanessa, who had been Yuliana’s direct attendant from the capital for a long time, and Maya, who had been hastily hired from the territory.

“I was so worried because I was so late, but I was so relieved to hear that you were by her side. You’ve been through a lot… Thank you.”

“Th-thank you. I was really lacking, so the Princess must have been uncomfortable. But now that Vanessa is here, it’s all good.”

Maya thought that Vanessa, whom she was meeting for the first time, seemed very mature and aristocratic.

‘So that’s the kind of person who serves the Princess.’

She was very happy to hear words of gratitude from such a person, but at the same time, a sense of regret crept in at the thought of no longer being the Princess’s close aide.

“I look forward to working with you in the future.”

“Huh? In the future too?”

Maya widened her eyes at Vanessa’s words.

“Of course. I was worried because there was only one close maid, but I’m relieved that the Princess likes you.”

“Oh my,  Really…?”

“Yes. Come here and take a look at this.”

Seeing Maya’s eyes shaking as if she was about to cry, Vanessa understood why Yuliana liked her. And she gradually taught her about Yuliana’s belongings.

As they went through the jewelry box, wardrobe, and makeup tools one by one, time flew by, and it was time for Yuliana to return.

“Princess, are you back?”

“Hmm?”

Yuliana, who had returned to the bedroom after a long discussion, narrowed her eyes, noticing that the atmosphere between the two maids had subtly changed.

The way they were sticking together and smiling brightly seemed like they had become very close in the meantime. In particular, Maya’s eyes were sparkling excessively.

Yuliana had been living modestly with only the things in the Makari Castle. Her luggage was full of luxurious accessories and simple but elegant dresses, as if to prove that she was the only princess in the kingdom. Maya was filled with anticipation at the prospect of properly serving the Princess, but Yuliana had no way of knowing.

‘It would be good if the two of them got along.’

More than that, Yuliana noticed something else: a basket full of colorful threads.

“I’m glad I brought it.”

“Are you going to work here?”

“Yes, for now.”

She had brought her tapestry work and materials just in case her time in the territory was extended. From what she had experienced while being confined to the castle for the past few days, there was nothing to do for fun except reading books about demons.

Seeing the colors she used to work with in the capital again made her feel like she was reuniting with a friend.

There was no rocking chair that she used to love in the mansion, but a couch was prepared in the bedroom for her to enjoy reading. Yuliana set up the frame after a long time and slowly sewed the thread. Filling the gray castle with color made it even more fun than before.

Several hours passed, and just as candles were being lit throughout the castle walls, Santiago knocked heavily on the door.

Knock, knock.

“It’s me.”

“Come in.”

It was the first time they had faced each other alone since their loud argument a while ago. Santiago started the conversation with a bland remark.

“The room has gotten smaller.”

“A lot of luggage came in.”

“How are you feeling?”

“Much better.”

Santiago carefully examined Yuliana’s expression as if looking for something on her face. But he couldn’t find any particular change, and she tilted her head at her husband, who had come in and was standing there blankly without saying anything.

He probably didn’t come to continue the last argument. Eventually, Yuliana, unable to wait any longer, asked first.

“What’s wrong?”

“I’m coming from finishing the meeting.”

“Yes.”

Looking out the window, she could see that the sun was already setting. Yuliana had also been in the office for a long time, but it really took Santiago all day.

“…There’s a need to investigate far away, but we don’t have enough time or manpower, so we haven’t been able to make progress so far.”

“Yes.”

“Now that all the knights have returned, we need to organize a proper expedition.”

“Will it take long?”

“I’ll be away for at least a week.”

“I see. Be careful on your trip.”

It was not particularly special news considering the long introduction. Since they had come to the territory, it was natural for him to leave to deal with demons. Yuliana was tired of the superficial conversation with her husband and didn’t want to prolong it.

‘I shouldn’t act emotionally.’

But Santiago, who had been uncharacteristically hesitating for a while, opened his mouth again in a noticeably small voice.

“Once this is done.”

“…?”

“I’ll do it.”

“What did you say?”

He has such a deep voice, yet he’s whispering so quietly that I can’t even hear him. What is he trying to say? Yuliana narrowed her eyes and asked back, dumbfounded.

“No, it’s nothing. And I’ll leave Bian as your escort.”

Santiago, who had been looking at her, answered a beat late and awkwardly changed the subject. Yuliana, who didn’t want to start an argument unnecessarily, pretended not to notice.

Since their marriage, Yuliana had not had a separate escort. That was because Santiago, the strongest in the kingdom, always accompanied her. Since she never went out alone, no one thought about protecting her.

But now that she couldn’t know who had what intentions, Santiago couldn’t leave her alone for several days. To make matters worse, the demons’ behavior was also suspicious. But he couldn’t just lock her in a room.

He had instructed Bian, one of the most skilled knights among his men, known for his calm and taciturn nature, to provide close protection.

“Not just this time, but from now on. Bian is from a noble family, so it won’t be too uncomfortable. You’ll be able to get along well.”

“…? Yes.”

Bian was a rare nobleman among Santiago’s knights. Did he think the other knights would be uncomfortable? Yuliana was puzzled that he had specifically mentioned Bian’s status, but she didn’t mention it separately.

Afterwards, Bian, who had been waiting in the hallway at Santiago’s call, came in and formally greeted her.

And that very evening, Santiago left on an expedition with the knights, leaving the deputy commander, Diego, in charge. The temperature was dropping day by day, so they couldn’t delay any longer. They needed to assess the situation and resolve it before the full winter arrived to ensure the safety of the territory.

Yuliana watched the knights leave the castle in a line and imagined the week after their return.

‘When they come back, I should start preparing for the winter banquet.’

That was the biggest reason and role for her coming to the Makari territory every year.

Only after watching everyone in the expedition leave the castle did Yuliana turn around. And she picked up the sacred stone, which she had been carrying around and fiddling with like her own body lately, and felt the bumpy texture with her fingers.

Perhaps it was because the night sky was dark. The light emitted by the sacred stone seemed clearer tonight. What used to be hard to tell whether it was emitting light or not was now faintly but clearly yellow.

The sacred stone even felt a little warm.

‘Is it because I’ve been holding it in my hand all the time?’

She didn’t think much of it and rolled the round stone around in her hand.

Support The Price of Breaching the Contract