The Price of Breaching the Contract - Chapter 68

Santiago pushed the castle gates open himself. It seemed the King had given a separate order. Not a single soldier was in sight as Santiago left. Such petty behavior until the very end brought a scoff to his lips. Santiago leisurely surveyed the brightly sunlit palace as he walked away.

He felt relieved to have finally spoken his mind, which he had kept bottled up for almost his entire life. It felt like he had shaken off a heavy sandbag tied to his feet. As he took a light breath and was about to leave, he spotted someone lingering nearby.

A boy with familiar blonde hair, Yurvan. The golden hue that had been stuck in his mind since leaving Makari made him feel a sense of joy, even though he knew it was someone else. Santiago chuckled at his own obsession with Yulania, as if he were suffering from a serious illness.

Yurvan, who looked so much like her with his blonde hair, paced anxiously, stopping and starting, circling around as if drawing a small circle. His face showed that he was suppressing something. He seemed to have guessed what had happened in the audience chamber earlier.

Santiago watched him indifferently for a moment. A selfish and immature boy, barely sixteen. He felt mostly annoyed and displeased, but he suddenly saw Yulania’s face in the nervous Yurvan.

Thinking that, a very slight, unexpected emotion rose within him.

‘It’s not exactly welcoming.’

Santiago took a short breath and approached him directly. Yurvan flinched when he recognized him, but he didn’t leave. Was it because of his pride, wanting to stand on his own, or because he didn’t want to lose to Santiago?

Santiago nodded naturally, as if nothing had happened.

“Your Highness, good morning.”

Yurvan’s eyes widened in confusion at the calm greeting. He probably didn’t expect such a friendly greeting.

“Wh-what?”

Yurvan’s voice trembled like a child’s. He shrugged awkwardly and continued in a barely audible voice.

“Why are you smiling?”

Santiago didn’t reply specifically, only slightly raising the corners of his lips. In fact, he hadn’t even realized he was smiling until Yurvan pointed it out. It seemed his face had softened without him knowing, seeing Yulania’s face in him.

It was clearly a smile, but it was neither mocking nor contemptuous. It was just a nonchalant, almost playful smile.

Yurvan was even more flustered. His eyes darted around incessantly. Inside the palace, Santiago had always shown a cold, expressionless face. A perfect human being, like a machine that allowed no openings.

But now, he was smiling as if he were relaxed, as if a burden had been lifted from his heart.

“…!”

Yurvan clenched his fists tightly. But he couldn’t say anything. He had vaguely heard the conversation between the King and Santiago earlier. That Santiago had openly threatened the Tinley Kingdom, and that he had stood up to the King for Yulania’s sake.

He knew. He knew that if he spoke carelessly to Santiago in this situation, he would only be easily defeated.

Santiago was well aware of Yurvan’s state of mind. He didn’t take a single step closer, but simply stood there and said,

“Your Highness. I hope you are well.”

The short, simple greeting sounded unexpectedly sincere. Yurvan froze, unable to reply. His face turned red and then pale, as all sorts of emotions flashed across it.

Even as he watched him, Santiago strangely didn’t feel annoyed. Was it because he had relieved a great burden from his heart? Or perhaps it was because he was reminded of Yulania.

He was a young man full of flaws and vanity, but he was still related to her by blood. He vaguely wondered if he might change someday, in the distant future.

Thinking that, Santiago indifferently turned his gaze away. He walked towards the carriage with unwavering steps.

Yurvan still stood there, frozen. And even as he trembled with clenched fists, he couldn’t bring himself to follow Santiago’s retreating figure.

After leaving the palace, Santiago took the carriage straight back to his mansion in the capital. The carriage was silent. The sound of the horses’ hooves drumming against the ground echoed in his ears.

Seeing Yulania’s family made him miss her even more. He couldn’t get the image of his wife’s recently smiling face out of his head. He wondered if he had become accustomed to her warmth, as the capital, where he had lived for so long, felt so unfamiliar and distant.

No, the place didn’t matter. The capital felt foreign because he wasn’t with Yulania. She was even left alone in the Makari Duchy, more than ten days away.

‘How anxious must she be?’

He was worried about leaving her alone. Thinking of Yulania carrying their child, even this short period felt unbearable.

Just a little sooner, a little less lonely.

That was all he could think about.

The mansion in the capital gradually came into view. The gray walls and the antique gate, and beyond them, the garden and the building. It was once an unfamiliar space, but now it was a place where he wanted to plant her traces, even in just one corner.

The carriage stopped, and the gatekeeper rushed out to open the door. Santiago entered the mansion, and the servants saluted, but he only nodded and didn’t stop. He had an idea that had come to him on the way to the mansion.

He went straight to the room where Yulania had stayed. Of course, it was empty now, but when he opened the door, he could faintly smell a familiar scent. The light herbal scent she used, the unique smell of women’s cosmetics. And if he turned his head slightly, he could see a small vase.

It was the vase that Yulania had often filled with flowers while staying in the capital. It was empty now, but even that felt precious. Santiago slowly entered the room and sat by the window.

And he sat there for a long time. The late afternoon sunlight streamed in through the window, casting long shadows.

No one’s orders, no power could stop him.

“Wait for me. I’ll be there soon.”

He wanted to see her clear face.

The sunlight filtering through the branches was warm.

Yulania took off her gardening gloves and looked up at the clear sky. The temperature had risen enough that she could be outside for an hour or two without feeling cold.

The southern regions must already be in full bloom with flowers. The frozen land of Makari had also melted so gently.

In the Makari Duchy, where spring was just beginning, flowers were starting to bloom instead of snow. To be precise, the ground hadn’t completely thawed yet, so they weren’t quite flowers, but the gardeners and castle staff were bustling and lively as if a flower garden was in full bloom. It was the first time they were creating a proper garden, so everyone was excited, and at the center of it all stood Yulania, carefully cradling her swollen belly.

“This side is marigolds, right? Don’t plant them too close together. They might steal each other’s sunlight.”

“Ah, yes, Princess!”

The servants scurried around whenever Yulania opened her mouth. In fact, her tone was softer and gentler than ever, but everyone was moving carefully to avoid upsetting her in any way during her pregnancy.

Yulania took slow, deep breaths every few steps as she looked around the garden. Joel had said that regular exercise was helpful for an easy delivery, and more than anything, this garden had a meaning for her that went beyond a simple hobby.

The garden of Makari Castle or rather, the empty lot that went by the name of garden had been nothing more than a barren patch of dirt. Even after the snow stopped and the ground thawed, not a single wildflower would grow. But now it was different. This garden was being filled with seedlings that she had personally supervised and chosen, and it would be the first colors and scents that her future child would see.

‘By the time the baby is born. I hope this child can run around in the garden.’

Yulania slowly stroked her belly. Her belly was quite swollen, and she couldn’t move as freely as before, but the life inside her lifted her up every day. The small, delicate being, like a flower bud, gave her the courage to want to become a stronger person.

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