The Price of Breaching the Contract - Chapter 26

The servants who rushed out to greet the Makarri couple quickly retreated, bowing their heads silently upon seeing Santiago’s grim face and Yulania’s tear-stained one.

The couple strode up the stairs to their bedroom without a word. The servants, surprised by their master’s unexpected early return, sensed the unusual atmosphere and kept their distance. Only Vanessa followed them at a hurried pace.

Santiago roughly opened the bedroom door with his coarse hand, and only after confirming that Yulania had entered did he release her hand. Vanessa, her face filled with worry, followed them into the bedroom and mustered the courage to speak.

“I’ll bring you some warm tea.”

“No.”

“Yes, bring it.”

Different orders came from the couple. Yulania sent a reproachful look at Santiago, who had immediately refused, and said, “Please bring it.”

Vanessa glanced at Santiago, then finally showed her brave willingness to obey Yulania and withdrew.

Yulania had calmed down somewhat on the way back to the castle. Her thoughts, which had seemed to freeze, were also becoming more organized. Santiago, on the other hand, still seemed displeased, glaring at her with a snort.

It didn’t seem like a normal conversation would be possible. Besides, they had never been able to communicate well in the first place. Yulania quietly waited, hoping to borrow the warmth of the tea. Fortunately or unfortunately, Santiago only showed his anger without saying a word.

Soon, Vanessa returned and quietly placed the tea down. As soon as she quietly left and the door closed, Yulania said,

“Drink some tea. Drink it and calm down.”

She spoke and deliberately took a sip of the tea. Thoughtful Vanessa, as always. She had brewed tea leaves that would help calm the mind and body.

As expected, his tone was twisted.

“Is this really the time to be leisurely drinking tea?”

“Yes, sit down. Drink.”

Yulania hid her slightly trembling fingertips with the teacup. And to hide the tremor in her voice, she continued to speak slowly and deliberately.

“First of all, thank you for coming to save me. I was really scared for a moment. I’m glad you came.”

Perhaps because the shock had been so great, the memory of the moment the demon approached was hazy. Only the lingering trembling indicated the fearful emotions of that time. Santiago frowned deeply at her calm demeanor and snapped.

“Yulania, what are you trying to—”

“What happened? You said it would take a week.”

“…….”

“Drink your tea. And answer me properly.”

But Yulania did not yield and responded. She would not allow Santiago to emotionally divert the conversation. Today, she was determined to have a real conversation. She had waited too long, far too long.

It was the first time she had interrupted him. Perhaps that was why he was flustered. Santiago was silent for a moment, then returned to her question.

“There was a problem on the demon’s side. You don’t need to know.”

“Then who needs to know? You seem to be forgetting these days, but we’re a couple. Until you suddenly went astray, we were a perfect ducal couple.”

But, of course, Yulania felt a suffocating feeling, as if someone was squeezing her heart, at his crooked reply.

“What do you think of me? As if I would forget that. You’re the one who doesn’t know what a couple is—”

“Haa… Santiago, this is really hard for me.”

She interrupted him for the second time at his continued sneering. And she looked at her husband with pleading eyes.

“…….”

“Please. Let’s please talk. Huh?”

At Yulania’s pleading request, Santiago pursed his lips and only raised his eyebrows.

As if to say, go ahead and try.

Yulania took a deep breath and steeled her heart. As the afternoon wore on, the sky, filled with dark clouds, became even darker. A fireplace was burning steadily in the room, but the cold air did not dissipate.

She looked at Santiago through the flickering light and began to speak.

“You’re hiding too many things from me. Starting with the Devon incident, No, even before that, you only complained to me and never properly told me anything.”

At Yulania’s words, his face instantly contorted.

“It’s only more dangerous if you know more. You saw it earlier too. Do you know how I felt when I saw you about to be eaten?”

Santiago’s voice came out roughly. Yulania frowned slightly and retorted.

“I don’t know. How would I know if you don’t tell me?”

“Why did you go out there in the first place? Where did you leave your escort?”

He scowled deeply and sneered.

“It’s a busy street right outside the castle. I didn’t think a demon would appear. Bian was nearby.”

“What good is it to have someone nearby when they’re supposed to be escorting you?”

“How could he have predicted something like this? You didn’t know either.”

Yulania tried to maintain a calm tone. She felt a surge of wanting to raise her voice, but she closed her eyes and opened them again each time to hold it back.

“Well, that’s right. It’s all my fault in the end. It’s my fault for letting the demon appear.”

Santiago said, leaning crookedly on his leg. The shadow stretched long as he looked down at her.

Yulania sighed softly and continued.

“I don’t mean to blame you. I told you. That demon didn’t intend to threaten me.”

“I saw it with my own two eyes, so don’t talk nonsense. Are you saying the demon was communicating with you?”

“Exactly. Like a tame wild animal. It seemed like it was trying to convey something to me.”

“Ha! If I hadn’t been there, you would have been eaten right away, what!”

But, as expected, his ridicule followed. Yulania couldn’t understand what she had experienced either. At his words, the large shadow that had tried to engulf her revived in her memory.

“Thank you for that. I was scared too.”

“…….”

“Tell me what happened. I need to know so I can deal with it better. If something has changed,  what I felt today might be related.”

As she spoke sincerely, Santiago stared at her silently for a long time. But in the end, it was his low murmur that broke the silence.

“They’ve started moving as a group.”

At the concise answer, Yulania looked at him with surprised eyes.

“They only follow the order of power and have no social skills. But those guys were forming groups on a scale that was difficult for the Knights to handle.”

At the following explanation, she felt her heart sink. Demons that were difficult for the Makarri Knights, that is, Santiago, to handle. She had never imagined such a thing.

“That means there’s a powerful demon that can control that many of them. It’s similar to the premonitory symptoms when the Devil appeared two years ago.”

“Could it be?”

He spat out the explanation as if chewing on it and clenched his fist tightly.

“I don’t want to believe it either, but we have to consider the worst-case scenario. Now that it’s come to this, I have to report it to His Majesty as well.”

“I see.”

The feeling that she should have felt relieved to hear the explanation of the situation she had been so curious about plummeted to the bottom. Yulania opened her mouth with a heavy heart.

“A few days ago, Joel came to tell me the results of the drug investigation.”

“What? Why are you telling me this now?”

Santiago’s gaze was sharply fixed on her.

“Please, Santiago.”

Yulania pleaded again.

Support The Price of Breaching the Contract