The Price of Breaching the Contract - Chapter 30

“Alban.”

“What is it? Are you getting shy?”

Yulania sighed and called her brother, but he just widened his eyes, unfazed.

“……”

“Oh, never mind, never mind. I just asked because I thought there was something strange between you two, but you’re treating me like a weirdo. I don’t really want to know anyway. I’m tired, so I’ll go in.”

With those words, Alban breezed into his assigned room. Only the two of them remained in the hallway, awkwardly meeting each other’s eyes again. And as if by agreement, they quietly began to walk.

As they left the detached palace, Yulania breathed a sigh of relief. It had been a long time since she felt comfortable being alone with Santia. She was reminded of what made her decide to marry him.

And she realized there was one thing she had to do to minimize friction while the prince was staying.

“Santia.”

He turned to her without a word.

“It’s a bother, but please be especially careful with your words while Alban is here.”

“I know.”

Santia’s concise answer made Yulania feel like she was nagging unnecessarily. Feeling somewhat apologetic, she smiled awkwardly and added,

“He’s a sensitive kidand think of it as my father is listening.”

“Then I’ll be careful even when you’re not around, just in case.”

They used honorifics in public settings like banquets, but not in private. Santia’s polite tone felt strangely awkward.

“You don’t have to do that with me.”

“Don’t worry about that. I haven’t forgotten the essence of our contract.”

“Yes.”

It was the first time she had spent so long, so close to the prince. As the king’s alter ego, he was a constant source of concern. Yulania decided to be careful in every little action to avoid giving him any reason to find fault.

It didn’t even take a day for her to realize that this resolution was meaningless.

The banquet prepared in the largest central hall of Makari Estate was a feast that made one forget the winter.

At the front of the hall, on the raised platform, were the seats of honor for Alban and the Duke and Duchess, and tables for the knights participating in the expedition filled the hall.

The banquet began in a relaxed atmosphere, meant to promote camaraderie before the arduous expedition. Although the Royal Knights and the Makari Knights came from very different backgrounds and experiences, the hall was soon filled with lively chatter as the meal progressed.

Of course, the conversation revolved around Alban on the platform. After a warm bath and a good night’s sleep, he seemed to have completely forgotten his complaints about the rough journey.

“Hahaha! Don’t you think so too, Sister?”

Yulania sipped her warm fruit juice and nodded vaguely.

He was laughing heartily as he talked about how many knights had slipped on the snowy road to the estate.

“It was so funny to see those so-called elite royal knights falling on their butts. I was worried they’d all slip and die before they even got to fight the demons! Ahahaha!”

Glancing to the side, Santia was quietly continuing his meal without a change in expression. After watching him for a moment, she could see his eyebrows twitching slightly, as if he was holding something back.

Alban continued to talk on his own, even without a response.

“Let’s see. Where did Sir Jensen go? Oh! Sir Jensen! Come over here!”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“You know, when you stepped on the ice wrong and fell. Do that again. Let my sister see it too.”

The brown-haired knight called Sir Jensen made a reluctant face but immediately accepted.

“Ah! Yes.”

Was this a common occurrence? Yulania sighed inwardly and stepped in.

“No. Don’t do that.”

Alban widened his eyes innocently, as if genuinely curious.

“Why, Sister?”

“You could get hurt. I don’t want to see that.”

She chose her words carefully so as not to offend Alban. She was uncomfortable with the way he was toying with people, but she tried to ignore it and move on.

“Aww, tsk. I was just trying to give my sister something good to watch. How boring.”

Fortunately, he didn’t press the knight any further. He waved his hand at the knight, telling him to go away quickly. The knight looked at Yulania with surprised eyes, then bowed his head and quickly left the platform.

Alban, who had already lost interest in him, returned to the story of the icy road.

“For guys who use swords, they sure have no sense of balance. I didn’t slip once.”

Santia counted how many times he had caught Yulania on the way up to the estate. He tried not to let his emotions get the better of him with a boy more than ten years younger than him.

As he continued with his nonchalant thoughts, he suddenly met Alban’s eyes. The topic quickly shifted to him.

“Speaking of which, I hear the Duke is very good with a sword?”

“Yes, I’m not lacking.”

Santia replied with appropriate modesty. Everyone knew that he was the best swordsman in the kingdom.

“I’m quite talented with a sword myself, and I get a lot of praise.”

Alban knew that, but he grinned and said confidently. A look of worry flashed across Yulania’s face.

“How about it? Want to spar with me?”

Sure enough. Alban suggested lightly with a smile. Santia immediately felt a surge of annoyance. He barely managed to suppress his darkening expression and only raised his eyebrows.

This was a situation that could not be more difficult for him.

Of course, there was no way the prince could win if they fought seriously. But if he did, Alban, his pride wounded, would find fault with anything and harass him for a long time.

But deliberately losing was too much of a blow to his own pride.

The noise in the hall had subsided. They were perceptive knights. They were all listening to the conversation on the platform.

It wasn’t just a matter of Santia’s pride alone. Santia Makari was the only Sword Master in the kingdom and the lord of this estate. Even if it was intentional, if he lost to a sixteen-year-old boy, it would affect the morale of the knights, and who knew how Alban, emboldened, would exaggerate the rumors.

Above all, Santia was not a kind person to begin with. He was already fed up with the prince’s behavior, which had been getting on his nerves all day.

But unnecessary conflict would harm Yulania. He cursed the immature prince in his mind for making him worry about this and steeled himself. It seemed like the best option to refuse cleanly, even if he had to endure a few jeers.

Alban laughed when his answer was delayed. And that laughter shattered Santia’s hardening heart.

“What’s wrong, Duke? Are you worried you might lose to me? Well, even if you’re good at using mana to kill demons, swordsmanship is a different matter. I might have the advantage, since I use traditional royal swordsmanship.”

At this point, the Makari knights attending the banquet concluded that the prince was clearly out of his mind. The prince, who had grown up pampered in the warm and peaceful capital, was very mistaken.

The knights shrank back, moving away from the eerie energy emanating from somewhere.

Soon, a painted smile appeared on Santia’s face.

“Very well. I will guide you to our training grounds.”

He decided that he needed to set the hierarchy straight with this opportunity.

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