The Price of Breaching the Contract - Chapter 43

Yulania was fretting, imagining the conversations that would take place in the meeting room. Since arriving at Makari Castle, she had attended Santi’s knightly order meetings, but she still felt like a stranger, an outsider. Even with her unique power, Yulania had no martial prowess. Her participation in the knights’ meetings was limited.

The appearance of Mireya, a person with both ability and trust, deepened her sense of alienation.

Before she knew it, she kept picturing Santi and Mireya leading the meeting together. The image of them standing side by side, smiling amicably as they exchanged opinions, and making eye contact as they pointed at maps, played in her mind.

How well those two got along, how well they understood each other… With the healthy-looking Mireya by his side, Santi seemed to shine even brighter. An unknown emotion made her heart feel even heavier.

Just then, a cautious knock sounded on the door.

“Princess, are you busy?”

Unexpectedly, it was the very person who had been filling her thoughts. Yulania hesitated for a moment, then composed herself and opened the door. Mireya, having just finished the meeting, stood there with a bright smile.

“Sir Mireya… Is the meeting already over?”

Time must have passed quickly. Yulania felt ashamed that she had wasted time indulging in strange fantasies. Mireya replied with a friendly smile.

“Yes. I came straight here as soon as it ended. Would you like to have a cup of tea, if I’m not intruding? Just us girls.”

Mireya mimed holding a teacup and laughed heartily. She seemed more like a jovial young man than a knight, but strangely, she didn’t seem frivolous or lightweight at all. Rather, her confidence and honesty felt refreshing to Yulania.

She had been wondering how to bring up the subject of Santi, so this was perfect timing. Yulania hesitated for a moment, then smiled.

“That sounds nice. Come in.”

Mireya entered and settled in comfortably. At Yulania’s direction, warm tea and simple refreshments were quickly prepared. The subtle aroma of tea filled the room, and the tension seemed to ease a little.

But as Mireya settled in so comfortably and looked at her, Yulania hesitated, unsure of what to say. It was her first time talking to such a spirited female knight. Mireya’s demeanor was very different from the other ladies Yulania had met in society.

As she pondered, Mireya broke the silence.

“You’re well-loved, aren’t you?”

Yulania was so startled that she almost dropped her teacup. It was the first time anyone had mentioned her relationship with Santi so directly. She forced a smile and asked,

“Does it seem that way?”

“Yes, it does. It’s the first time I’ve seen His Lordship care for someone so attentively. He couldn’t take his eyes off you. It seemed like he was thinking of you the whole time during the meeting.”

Earlier, she had called Santi by his first name in a friendly manner, but now she was addressing him with formal respect. Yulania felt a subtle discomfort at the way she seemed to be drawing a line. Along with a strange jealousy, she also worried that she might have seemed immature.

“I didn’t realize it was that obvious…”

Yulania smiled awkwardly and lowered her gaze. Mireya stared at her with curious eyes for a long moment. Just as Yulania was wondering if she should look away, Mireya casually dropped a bombshell.

“I’m envious.”

“Huh…?”

Yulania looked at her in astonishment, hardly believing her ears. Mireya wasn’t flustered at all, and continued to speak even more frankly and coolly.

“I’m really envious. Actually, I used to have feelings for Lord Santi.”

Yulania’s lips trembled slightly. Her mind was racing. She felt angry for a moment, and then sad. But Mireya continued to speak with a perfectly calm expression.

“Of course, His Lordship probably doesn’t know. He’s quite oblivious. But now that I see it, he wasn’t oblivious at all.”

“Even now… What does she think now? …Of my husband.”

Yulania blurted out the words. Her voice betrayed her own selfish concern.

As soon as she spoke, she regretted it. She had meant it as a pure gesture of goodwill, but she worried that she might seem petty. She bit her lower lip and tensed up. As her gaze fell, Mireya replied with a smile.

“I still think he’s a very strong and wonderful person. His strength and sense of responsibility are admirable.”

Yulania’s heart was in turmoil again. Mireya’s kind words made her regret her childish outburst even more.

Mireya paused and studied Yulania’s expression, then spoke again gently.

“Don’t worry, Princess. It’s just respect and envy. You two look so good together. I have no intention of interfering, so please forgive me for being envious.”

Mireya winked playfully, trying to lighten the mood, but Yulania was still confused.

After a moment of silence, Yulania asked cautiously,

“How… How did you let go of those feelings so easily?”

Mireya smiled quietly and took a sip of her tea.

“I just realized it. When I saw the way Lord Santi looked at you. I knew he would never look at me that way.”

Yulania’s hand trembled slightly. Mireya noticed and said kindly,

“I don’t think you realize how deeply he cares about you. I was surprised too.”

Yulania’s heart beat a little faster. Could it be true? Could she believe it? Mireya added as she stood up,

“So don’t worry too much. There’s no room for me between you two.”

After Mireya left, Yulania sat alone in the room for a long time, pondering Mireya’s words. In her heart, a tangled mix of anxiety, jealousy, and expectation swirled chaotically.

And slowly, cautiously, a small hope took root in her heart. The hope that perhaps, hidden in the way Santi looked at her, was a sincerity he had never shown.

As the knights gathered at Makari Castle busied themselves with preparations for the expedition, Yulania worked to gather information about the Sacred Stone.

She spent most of her time holed up in the library, and Larkin, who knew everything about Makari’s books, helped her research the Sacred Stone.

Although it had only been recognized as a duchy a few years ago, the name Makari had existed for a very long time. Yulania delved into the records, searching for an ancient origin that even Santi, the current lord of the land, didn’t know.

Naturally, her attention turned to old books rather than neatly bound ones.

“I haven’t looked at these old books in detail either. Information about the Sacred Stone is mostly folk tales passed down orally. These old books are just collections of those stories compiled in later generations.”

Larkin opened an old book on the long table. Unlike the more recent books, the older ones were enormous. Even when Yulania spread both hands, she couldn’t cover even one side of the open book.

She ran her fingertips over the rough paper surface, reading the letters carefully written by an ancient scholar. The musty, nutty scent unique to old paper wafted gently.

The contents, consisting of brief illustrations and text, contained a variety of short but mysterious stories.

In most of the illustrations, the Sacred Stone was shining brightly and was about the size of the person holding it’s head. The picture of someone holding the Sacred Stone, shining like the sun, with both hands was a reverent sight, as if worshiping a god.

It was a distinctly different atmosphere from the fist-sized, faint Sacred Stones that Yulania had seen.

“Are there any this big?”

“Yes, of course. If you go down to the village, many people have them as decorations in their homes. They’re just too heavy to carry around.”

“Are there any in the castle?”

“That… I’m sorry, I don’t know. But I know someone in the village who has one. Shall I have them bring it here?”

Judging from what Larkin said, it didn’t seem to be a rare item. Yulania shook her head, saying there was no need to go to the trouble. There was probably one kept in the castle.

Thinking that she should ask the butler, she quickly scanned the materials.

The love of the Makari residents for their territory, passed down from ancient times, was conveyed through the various stories.

The stories varied some said the Sacred Stone brought miracles, others said it moved and defeated demons, others said it created a shield around the village but none of them were negative. Everyone agreed that the Sacred Stone had protected Makari.

Most of the stories didn’t catch Yulania’s attention, but one thing stood out.

“The Holy Woman appears often.”

“Ah, haha, yes, folk tales are all like that.”

“She didn’t actually exist?”

“There are stories that she existed in ancient times… But no one has actually seen her.”

The Tinley Kingdom had been founded over five hundred years ago. Ancient times must refer to the period before the founding of the kingdom, but Makari had only recently been recognized as a territory of the kingdom.

The Holy Woman…

Judging from the fact that records remained in this way, it was clear that at least a similar being had existed. Not just in a single story, but mentioned in different forms throughout the folk tales passed down over hundreds of years.

“Then what kind of being is the Holy Woman according to the oral tradition?”

“Hmm… There are stories that she defeated demons, and stories that she controlled them. Most of them are heroic figures who protected the people.”

The research in the library, which had continued for several days, gave Yulania a new conviction. No matter how uncertain the folk tales were, there was no way the king wouldn’t know about the stories of the Sacred Stone and the Holy Woman that were so widely spread. It was clear that she herself was somehow related to these things.

Support