The Price of Breaching the Contract - Chapter 95

The royal palace was still a luxurious and perfectly organized space. Santi deliberately walked slowly as he entered the palace. It was the opposite of when he had visited the palace after receiving a summons. His new mindset was revealed in his actions.

It was partly because he was concerned about leaving Yulania and Shuria behind, and partly because he didn’t intend to stay long. There was no reason to arrive early at a meaningless banquet hall. He could assure himself that there wasn’t a single face he wanted to see inside the banquet hall.

But the moment he stepped into the banquet hall, more eyes than expected poured out at once. Santi had been the center of attention since he was appointed as a boy knight. The fierce attention that poured in as he gained the title of Duke finally surged like a storm when he completely defeated the Devil for the second time.

“It’s Duke Makari.”

“He came alone.”

“It seems the Duchess didn’t come.”

Whispers filled the banquet hall. The eyes of those who raised their heads were mixed with curiosity, caution, and a strange sense of awe. A legendary figure spoken of in the North, the head of the Makari Duchy who defeated the devil.

The nobles whispered quietly in each other’s ears, but they couldn’t escape Santi’s senses. Ignoring the voices of those gossiping about him and Yulania, he strode confidently across the banquet hall.

And he ignored their gazes and walked straight towards the platform. The King was sitting on the luxurious throne placed on the platform. He wore a flawlessly tailored golden robe and held a jewel-encrusted glass in his hand. When Santi approached, the King slowly raised his glass.

“Duke Makari.”

“I sincerely congratulate Your Majesty on your birthday.”

Santi lowered his waist in a perfect posture and greeted him. Now that his old feelings for the King had subsided, it was easy to be coldly polite. The King looked at him for a moment, then nodded briefly.

“Yulania didn’t come with you.”

The King hadn’t changed. He still pointed out Yulania’s absence first.

“She has a place to be with the baby, so I came in her stead today.”

“I see. Is the child healthy?”

“Yes, very healthy.”

That was all the conversation there was.

The King didn’t say anything more to Santi, and Santi had nothing more to add. To some, it was a simple and dignified greeting, and to others, it might have felt like a subtle distance. Santi bowed his head and stepped back.

As he returned to his seat, several nobles spoke to him from time to time. On the surface, it was congratulations and praise, but the inside was obvious.

“I heard Makari is very busy these days.”

“I heard the garden decorated with holy stones was very beautiful.”

“The fact that your wife is a saintess is truly an honor.”

Santi answered those words as politely as possible, but his heart was not there. Then, a familiar tone came to his ears.

“Researching holy stones, consolidating power in the North. Isn’t Duke Makari acting as he pleases?”

“Seeing that he didn’t even send his wife to the banquet, I guess he intends to distance himself from the royal family.”

Each word contained a subtly sarcastic nuance. On the surface, it was a polite tone, but the inside was obvious.

Santi sensed that the words were directed at him. They didn’t even try to hide it and talked so that he could clearly hear them. He quietly stopped walking and turned his gaze towards the group of nobles. There were three people who had touched his nerves, all middle-aged or older men, and one of them was someone he recognized.

‘Wasn’t he the Count who failed to become the commander of the Knights first?’

Seeing their transparent intentions, he was almost amused. Santi approached them with a polite smile.

“What were you talking about?”

At his words, the faces of the nobles who had been talking stiffened. The hand holding the glass stopped, and breaths disguised as coughs followed.

“Ah, Duke! Well, it wasn’t anything special. Hehe! How is the North these days?”

The first person to speak changed his attitude quickly, but he couldn’t hide the shallow caution and sense of superiority flowing within his tone. Santi replied briefly in an indifferent tone.

“There are many eyes. And many enemies.”

“The North is still rough. You must be suffering a lot. We just live comfortably in the capital, haha.”

Another person added as if agreeing. The corners of Santi’s lips stretched longer and more arrogantly.

“Makari is part of the kingdom. We do not deny the royal family. However, we only prioritize fighting against those who threaten the kingdom. It will remain the same in the future.”

It was a firm and calm voice. No one could refute it. The King was glancing at the situation. He didn’t intervene noticeably, but a subtle interest flashed in his eyes.

“Duke, I think you misunderstood. Everyone was joking. There’s no need to take it so sensitively, is there? Haha.”

The noble who added the last words smiled shallowly and left the spot. Then, one by one, the others followed him and scattered here and there in the banquet hall.

Santi soon sat down. A glass filled with fragrant wine was placed in front of him, but he didn’t reach for it. Neither the fragrant wine nor the lavishly decorated banquet hall that filled his vision could gain his attention. People were still looking at him, but it didn’t matter what their gazes meant. His heart was not in this place.

After sitting like that for a while, a face suddenly came to mind. Golden, soft hair, and soft skin.

Yulania. And Shuria.

As time went on, the banquet became more lively. Music flowed, and champagne was exchanged. The dresses of the noble ladies swayed like waves, and laughter and whispers bloomed everywhere. But Santi just fiddled with his glass. He held expensive wine in his hand, but he wasn’t thirsty.

‘What is this?’

This feeling of being alone.

Being in the most splendid center of the banquet, but feeling an emptiness as if a corner of his heart had been emptied.

The castle of Makari kept coming to his mind.

By now, the two of them would have finished dinner, and Yulania would be holding the baby in her arms and singing a lullaby. The baby would babble and grab his finger, and Yulania would be looking at the baby’s face with a tired but warm smile.

None of the luxury or praise in this banquet hall could fill him as much as their warm breaths.

“Duke, may I have this dance?”

A strange noble lady held out her hand. She had a neat appearance and an elegant attitude, but Santi smiled briefly as he looked at her hand.

“I’m sorry. I haven’t even danced with my wife yet.”

She nodded and turned away, seemingly disappointed. Santi quietly sat down and picked up his glass. The light of the chandelier was reflected in the wine in the glass, sparkling beautifully, but even that was meaningless.

He slowly got up from his seat.

Neither the King nor anyone else stopped him. Who could blame the Duke of Makari for leaving the banquet early? At least the current him was someone who deserved to leave the banquet.

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