The Price of Breaching the Contract - Chapter 33

After their accidental first night together, Santia and Yulania began sleeping in Yulania’s bed every night with unspoken consent.

It was as if they were demonstrating the answer to Yurban’s mischievous question from just yesterday through their actions. Perhaps because she was sleeping much more comfortably and warmly, Yulania spent her days in a noticeably more relaxed mood.

The peaceful time, like the calm before a storm, flew by, and before they knew it, more than a week had passed since Yurban and his entourage had arrived.

Yulania stood in a room where the fireplace blazed, a letter from the King in her hand, her expression hardening. The letter, delivered by Yurban the day after his arrival, seemed to inquire about her well-being but contained a firm command.

The meticulously written script and ornate signature seemed friendly, but the more she read, the colder her fingertips became.

[To my dearest Princess,

I have reviewed Makari’s recent report.

I am deeply concerned by the information that the activities of demons are rapidly increasing.

Cooperate with the royal investigation team sent with this letter to thoroughly investigate the demons’ behavior. Furthermore, Prince Yurban will remain there to assist the investigation team, so take good care of him.

I pray for the peace of the kingdom and your safety.

[ Adisha Tinriailin]

Although packaged in gentle expressions, Yulania could now clearly read the true intentions hidden behind them. Her father was not genuinely concerned about her well-being. The King’s interest was solely focused on the situation inside Makari Castle and her relationship with Santia.

The royal investigation team that came with Yurban began their activities, busily moving around the castle under the guise of sightseeing. On the surface, it was an investigation into the unusual movements of demons, but the purpose of monitoring Makari Castle was evident.

The reason Yurban came with the investigation team was also clear. Her brother had been dispatched to act as the eyes and ears of the royal family, secretly monitoring her and Santia’s every move according to her father’s instructions, and reporting even the slightest abnormality to the King.

Yulania slowly threw the letter into the fireplace. The letter was instantly engulfed in flames and burned black. She silently watched the letter turn to ash, but the unpleasant feeling in her heart did not subside.

Looking outside, she saw an even more violent blizzard raging.

‘This winter will be harsh.’

With only the crackling sound of firewood quietly spreading in the room, Yulania sighed heavily.

For some reason, the approaching snowstorm seemed to foreshadow her future.

The royal investigation team, Yurban, and even her father’s gaze. This place was now in the middle of a storm, and at the center of it were still the faltering Yulania and Santia.

Yulania took a deep breath and steeled her heart. Now was the time to rely on and support each other more than ever.

That evening, an unfortunate incident finally occurred.

Yulania was sitting in her study, taking care of minor tasks. She was in charge of all internal affairs, assisting Santia, who had many external duties. She had a glass of tart apple tea beside her, and slowly unfolded the next document, waiting for the ink to dry.

Today, Santia had been presiding over a knights’ meeting since morning and was personally inspecting the outer defense line. Because the blizzard had intensified, it would take some time for him to return.

Yulania stretched briefly, having been sitting at her desk for a long time. As she took off her work gloves and reached for the teapot next to the door to refill her teacup, the study door quietly opened.

“Yulania?”

It was a familiar voice. Even before she turned around, she was surprised to feel a surge of displeasure.

“Yurban.”

“Oh, you were really here. I was just going to stop by for a moment.”

Yulania frowned before he could finish speaking. Opening the study door without permission was already rude. Moreover, his eyes were darting around the room.

“If it’s just for a moment, what is it?”

“I was just looking around. I was curious about what you’ve been up to lately, as the Duchess, well, I heard you’re busy.”

He said with a smile, but the smile was not friendly at all. Yulania silently put down her teacup and slowly returned to her desk. But at that moment—

She noticed Yurban reaching for the drawer next to her desk.

“Stop.”

A cold voice echoed in the room. Yurban’s hand froze.

“…Why?”

“This is a space for handling the affairs of the Makari territory.”

She didn’t say it directly, but it was a place full of confidential documents. Especially now that she was wary of the royal family’s eyes, she couldn’t let Yurban see anything carelessly.

Yulania took a step towards Yurban with a composed posture. And she said with a chillingly calm gaze.

“Even if you are a prince, it’s difficult if you act so arbitrarily. This is clearly the territory under the Duke of Makari.”

Yurban seemed to freeze for a moment, then forced a smile.

“Sister, Aren’t you being too sensitive? As if I’m monitoring you or something.”

“Sensitive?”

Yulania’s voice trembled slightly. In an instant, suppressed anger surged up. Yurban’s face and her father’s face, which always looked down on her, overlapped.

So she said it, even though she knew it was something she shouldn’t say.

“Can you say you didn’t come here to monitor us?”

“Well.”

And once the words spilled out, they flowed out uncontrollably.

“The King sent you here to monitor us, didn’t he? Isn’t your mission to record and send every word I say, every move I make? Do you even have to find the confidential documents of the territory?”

Yurban stopped smiling now. Yulania felt her fingertips slowly trembling. But she didn’t stop.

“If you don’t show me the minimum courtesy, I won’t stand it either.”

“Sister—”

“Get out.”

It was a firm command. Yurban frowned and stood there for a moment, but soon quietly turned around, opened the study door, and left. At the sound of the door closing, Yulania leaned on the desk as if she had lost her strength.

‘What should I do?’

She felt dizzy at what she had just done. She couldn’t resist her impulse and said something irreversible.

This kind of intrusion had been going on several times since Yurban came to Makari. It was even more of a problem because it wasn’t the first time. Yurban came to her space several times a day and knocked on the door. Whether it was the office where she was looking at documents, the workshop for tapestry work, or her private bedroom, the door was opened without fail. As those days continued, perhaps her patience had worn out inside, and today it was especially difficult to bear.

She slowly straightened her back, holding her head, which was dizzy. She seemed to have a slight fever from the momentary stress. She felt that the warmth in the room was rather stuffy, so she moved to the window where the cold air was coming in.

As her head became complicatedly tangled, she wanted to feel the cold wind. Yulania put her hand on the frozen windowpane and looked down at the snow-covered garden.

Not long after, she heard the sound of the door bursting open again. Yulania, tired of Yurban’s attitude of repeating his rudeness as if he were innocent, frowned and turned around.

“I told you to get out—”

“What happened?”

However, a gentle baritone greeted her instead. Yulania felt her heart drop as she saw Santia.

Seeing Yulania standing by the window, her face starting to turn slightly red, Santia came in with large strides and brought a thin blanket hanging on the coat rack. And he casually put it on her shoulder and continued.

“The prince came out fuming.”

Seeing her husband’s face, Yulania felt like she was going to burst into tears again, absurdly. She blinked, gently holding the edge of the blanket.

And only after the heat had subsided from her eyes did she open her mouth.

“Yurban came in here and tried to open the drawer. I think he was going to sneak in if I wasn’t here.”

“……”

“So I got so excited and cornered him, asking if he came to monitor us. What should I do?”

Santia didn’t say anything. Yulania carefully continued, looking only at her trembling fingertips. She didn’t see that he was raising his eyebrows high.

“He’ll definitely tell the King right away, I’ve done something too big.”

“Yulania.”

So, when he grabbed her shoulders and called her in a calm voice, she stopped talking with a start and raised her head. Contrary to her, who was full of anxiety, Santia’s face was nothing but peaceful.

“Look out the window.”

“……?”

Yulania followed his words without thinking.

“Do you see the snow piling up?”

“Yes!”

“No one can get out of here for the time being. We can’t even use carrier pigeons because of the wind. Our knights are having a terrible time on the walls right now.”

Yulania opened her eyes a little surprised. Santia still had a calm face.

“The blizzard will get worse in the future. But this is my jurisdiction. As long as the prince is in Makari and you are here with me, the King has no way to harm us.”

“……! Santia……!”

This time, she really widened her eyes. Even for Santia, it was the first time he had negatively mentioned the King without honorifics.

“Isn’t that why you married me?”

Santia proudly raised the corners of his mouth.

Support