The Price of Breaching the Contract - Chapter 47

Yulania gripped the sacred stone tightly and slowly inhaled. The warm energy emanating from the stone spread through her palm and into her entire body. Her trembling gaze was fixed on the demon in front of her. There was fear, but strangely, another emotion was stirring deep within her heart.

‘Somehow, I feel sorry for it.’

She felt sympathy for the demon, which was clearly harmful to humans and had hurt so many. The demon stood there, growling lowly and seemingly tense, but it was as if it was trying to convey something to her. Perhaps it was just a delusion. But Yulania couldn’t miss that rare possibility.

“Yulania, it’s dangerous.”

Santiago stepped forward, revealing his vigilance. His low voice and the sharp tip of his sword were clearly threatening, but Yulania shook her head and held out her hand.

“Just wait a little longer. It’s, it’s trying to say something.”

Santiago’s face darkened, but he didn’t stop her any further. Instead, he tensed up, not wanting to miss even the smallest movement, ready to attack the demon at any moment.

Yulania slowly extended the sacred stone forward, watching the demon. At that moment, the demon’s face twisted slightly and it let out a painful groan. Her heart sank.

“It’s okay. I won’t hurt you.”

Yulania whispered in a trembling voice without realizing it. As if understanding her words, the demon suddenly began to shake its entire body violently. As the movement grew larger, Santiago immediately gripped his sword.

“Yulania!”

“Please, just a little longer!”

Yulania stopped him with an almost scream. Santiago tightened the muscles in his jaw and shifted his gaze anxiously towards her. But in the end, he didn’t swing his sword. He wrapped one arm around Yulania as if to hold her in his arms, and watched the demon warily.

Yulania focused all her will on the sacred stone and the demon again. Once again, emotions flooded in. Sadness, loneliness, and unbearable despair pierced her heart. In the flood of such desperate emotions, she unknowingly felt her eyes grow hot.

The emotions being conveyed from the demon were clear. She didn’t know what it was, but the demon was suffering because of something.

‘Who are you, really?’

Yulania didn’t wipe away her flowing tears and held the sacred stone closer with her trembling hand. The light of the sacred stone intensified and began to envelop her entire body. A mysterious golden light stretched out from her fingertips, spreading out as if to gently wrap around the demon.

Then, an amazing thing happened. The demon, which had been thrashing violently, suddenly stopped moving and quietly looked at her. All of its previous aggression had disappeared, and it became as docile as a gentle beast.

Yulania’s heart trembled at the miraculous moment that she couldn’t believe.

“What is this?”

As Yulania whispered faintly, the demon slowly took a step towards her. Santiago immediately raised his sword, but Yulania turned her head and stopped him.

“Wait! Not yet, not yet.”

Yulania fixed her gaze back on the demon. The demon slowly lowered its head and approached, then began to rub its face against her palm. It was as if it had found the warmth it had longed for for so long.

At that pure gesture, Yulania felt a sudden joy. The sensation felt on her palm was no different from that of a pure wild animal. She never knew that her heart could be so proud and full.

“Santiago, look! This child is feeling the same emotions as us.”

Yulania turned to her husband with an excited heart. But Santiago’s face was completely different from the reaction she had expected. He frowned as if looking at a strange scene, with a confused expression. In his eyes, there was a deep sense of vigilance and anxiety that she couldn’t understand.

“Santiago?”

As Yulania carefully called out to him, Santiago’s face hardened coldly. At that moment, the demon, which had been leaning on her, sensed Santiago’s murderous intent and began to thrash again, growling uneasily.

At that moment, Santiago leaped forward without the slightest hesitation and swung his sword. The blade, covered in pure white mana, sharply pierced the demon, and the demon melted away into black blood with a short scream.

Yulania froze in place at the unbelievable sight. In an instant, she felt all the strength drain from her body as if all the blood had been drained from her. She shook her head, sobbing, and screamed.

“Santiago! What have you done!”

Santiago didn’t lower his sword and said coldly.

“I already confirmed it. What more did you want?”

Yulania’s eyes shook with anger and shock.

“Just now, you saw it too. We connected!”

“I confirmed it, so that’s enough. Were you going to take it home and raise it?”

Her heart seemed to collapse at his cold words. Tears poured out in an instant.

“How can you be so cold?! That child had some kind of emotion.”

Santiago looked at her with a painful expression. He was just as confused. But there was no wavering in his voice.

“A child? You saw what you wanted to see. This is a demon, Yulania. It’s not a being with human emotions.”

Yulania shook her head in disbelief and shouted.

“No! I felt it! This child was in pain. It was conveying wounded emotions!”

Santiago bit his lip and put away his sword.

“So what are you going to do about it? Is the princess going to go around comforting demons? These beings only harm people.”

Hearing those words, Yulania trembled and looked at him with a betrayed gaze. Unlike his previous kindness, all she felt from him now was distance and betrayal.

“Did you have to trample on my heart like this? You don’t believe a word I say?”

At that moment, Santiago’s heart felt heavy. The betrayal and pain overflowing from her face were so unfamiliar and difficult for him. But in the end, he couldn’t say anything and just stood there, staring at her.

Yulania turned around, crying. She sadly looked at the demon, which had already died coldly, once more, and then slowly moved her steps. Watching her receding figure in silence, Santiago clenched his fist tightly.

He couldn’t even imagine what he had just done, and what would happen in the future because of it. He just felt a heavy weight pressing down on one corner of his heart.

They instinctively realized that it was the biggest crack that had to be filled between him and her.

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