The Price of Breaching the Contract - Chapter 23

The woman who suddenly appeared before Joel was a commoner. What connection could this ordinary woman possibly have with the mistress of the estate?

“You obtained this from your hometown?”

“Yes, it’s made by steeping a white flower called Avoly that grows near Nutswood, where I was born and raised. But it’s no longer obtainable.”

“Avoly, you say?”

Joel could hardly believe his ears when the woman uttered that unexpected name. Avoly flowers were well-known to him. However, there was one problem.

‘Avoly only grows in the Devil’s Land.’

The village the woman mentioned was a small village located south of the capital, far from the Makari territory. It was a place where Avoly flowers, which thrived on the blood of demons, could not naturally occur.

Judging by her tone, which suggested she was merely troubled by the lack of medicine, the woman seemed unaware of this fact. This was something Joel, who had been practicing medicine in the Makari territory for decades, knew well.

If the same flower truly grew in the south, there were only two possibilities.

Either demons had appeared in the south of the capital, or someone had deliberately taken Avoly flowers from the Devil’s Land and transplanted them.

The first possibility was impossible. No, it shouldn’t be possible. Demons could not survive in the warm climate of the south, and if even one had appeared, the entire nation would have known about it.

‘Then who.? And for what reason?’

No one had ever considered profiting from the flower. The reason was obvious. It would be imbued with the blood of demons, so who would want to eat it? No one could expect it to have any beneficial effects.

And there was another strange thing.

“What do you mean by ‘not obtainable’?”

“The mountain where Avoly flowers used to grow has become a restricted area. I heard that some high-ranking person bought it as private property.”

“Since when?”

“Well,  it’s the first time I’ve looked for it since I left the village three years ago. It wasn’t like that until then.”

The more they talked, the deeper his suspicions grew. It was extremely rare for a woman from the south to come and live in the Makari territory. And to seek medicine made from a flower that only grew in the Devil’s Land here.

“This medicine,  what is it used for?”

“It’s very effective as a contraceptive. Other medicines are hard on the stomach, but this one has a calming effect without any problems.”

“Good heavens.”

“Is something wrong?”

The woman, who had been answering Joel’s questions readily, belatedly became aware of his expression. Seeing her haggard eyes, Joel recalled her initial reason for coming. Yulania had also suffered from nausea for a while. But her medicine was reacting against the pregnancy?

“No, no. It’s not that, but would you mind if I took your pulse for a moment?”

“Ah, yes.”

Joel took the woman’s thin wrist and focused his mind. It was a very simple diagnosis, but he checked and rechecked it for a long time. As a result, his worst fears were confirmed.

“You are pregnant.”

“What?!”

Joel gave the startled woman the medicines she needed for pregnant women and continued the conversation, giving her various instructions. As it turned out, she had lived in Nutswood for over 30 years and had been taking this medicine as a precaution since she was very young.

Then, three years ago, she had followed her husband, who had joined the Makari Knights, to the northern lands. Since then, she had been taking the same medicine regularly, but she had gradually experienced more discomfort, and eventually, the contraceptive effect had waned.

It was a situation that was too similar to Yulania’s.

‘Could all of this really be a coincidence?’

After sending the woman away after a long conversation, Joel couldn’t sleep and eventually left the house in the early dawn. He hurried along the path as the twilight began to fade.

‘I need to inform the Duke as soon as possible.’

Unfortunately, Santia was away on a long-term expedition.

Joel couldn’t bring himself to approach Yulania, fidgeting with his hands clasped together at the door.

Unable to bear it any longer, Yulania spoke again.

“Judging by the fact that you’ve come at this hour, you must have obtained some very valuable information. Tell me quickly.”

“That is, I didn’t know that the Duke was away. I wonder if I should tell the Princess.”

“Is there information that I shouldn’t know?”

The air in the room turned cold in an instant. Joel, realizing his mistake at Yulania’s reproachful gaze, quickly added.

“Ah! Please don’t misunderstand. It’s my principle to discuss patient information, which can be sensitive, with the guardian first. I was worried that the Princess might be surprised.”

“Enough, just tell me.”

What had he found out that made the experienced Joel hesitate so much? Had he discovered some connection with her father? Santia had instructed Joel to investigate, half-threatening him to keep Yulania’s emotional changes, especially regarding the King, a secret, but she had no way of knowing that.

Santia’s absence for a week at this point was unplanned. Joel had arrived at the castle and, after hearing this, had pondered and pondered.

However, this was not a matter to be concealed for such personal reasons. He took a deep breath and began to speak.

“Actually, a woman who takes the same medicine came to the clinic last night. She said she takes it for contraceptive purposes.”

“I see.”

So her father had really been preventing her and Santia from having children. She had expected it, but she couldn’t help but feel bitter.

“Yes, but I’ve never seen it used by anyone other than the Princess. It’s definitely not a commonly used contraceptive.”

“The one who came to you?”

“That is, she’s also from the south, which is rare here. And the ingredients of the medicine.”

Joel, who had been speaking quietly, suddenly trailed off, looking around. He seemed to be conscious of Vanessa, who was listening with Yulania.

It was understandable, as it was something he had hesitated to tell Yulania herself.

“Vanessa, please excuse us.”

At her signal, the quick-witted maid quietly retreated and closed the door. Finally, when only the two of them were left, Joel took another deep breath and composed himself.

“Princess, do you know a flower called Avoly?”

“I’ve never heard of it. Is it an ingredient in the medicine?”

“Yes, but that flower is a species that only grows in the Devil’s Land beyond the wall. It thrives on the blood of demons.”

“What?”

Yulania, who had been feeling melancholy thinking about her father, widened her eyes at the following words.

“It’s hard to believe, but it’s true. I’ve never heard of that flower being used as medicine either.”

“Is that flower being distributed in the capital?”

“That is, that’s the even stranger thing. I told you that the woman is from the south, right? She said that the flower grows near her hometown. But in recent years, someone bought the land and it’s become impossible to obtain.”

A rare flower found in a deserted place, and the royal family using it as medicine. She could understand why Joel had rushed here.

“I, I dare not judge, but I wondered if perhaps someone of high rank was involved.”

The land that had been turned into private property must have become the property of the royal family. Even from the fragmented story, the conclusion was clear.

Yulania felt a headache coming on from the sudden influx of shocking information. She had only suspected that it was the King’s personal feelings towards the Makari couple, but the matter was bigger than she thought.

But Joel’s story didn’t end there.

“There’s one more strange thing.”

Yulania squeezed her eyes shut, straightened her back, and opened them again. The sleepiness that had been relatively hazy vanished the moment the demon was mentioned, and her mind became clear.

“I’m listening.”

“The woman has been using the same medicine for contraception for over 10 years, but after moving to the north, she started experiencing side effects and eventually became pregnant.”

It was a familiar story. The only difference was that she had believed it was a medicine to help with pregnancy.

“Perhaps, I thought that this place might be affected by being close to the Devil’s Land. That’s why I thought I should inform the Duke as soon as possible.”

Did her father know something? What on earth was he planning? She felt a chill run down her spine from an unknown fear.

“Does anyone else know about this?”

“No, I rushed to the castle as soon as I found out. You’re the first person I’m telling, Princess.”

“Good. Keep this story absolutely secret. Don’t leave any records of it. I’ll tell my husband myself.”

Yulania thought it was fortunate that she had sent Vanessa out. It wasn’t that she couldn’t trust her.

‘This is information that becomes dangerous for anyone who knows it.’

After that, Joel added various minor explanations, and Yulania learned that the side effects of stopping the medicine made it difficult to control emotions. She also understood to some extent why Santia had been keeping quiet and sparing her the details.

And the names of the woman and her husband that Joel had told her sounded somewhat familiar.

‘Milo and Samandara’

If they had recently moved to the Makari territory, her husband must be someone related to the Dukedom. She resolved to find out more about them, as well as the village of Nutswood, as far as she could.

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