The Price of Breaching the Contract - Chapter 97

From morning, Santia was strange.

He was calmer and quieter than usual. No, perhaps excessively quiet. Normally, he would be working and drinking tea before Yulania even woke up, or exchanging reports with the Knights, but today he was strangely doing nothing, just hovering around her. When Yulania said a few words to him during breakfast, he only nodded, not giving a proper answer.

She found herself increasingly watching Santia’s expression. He seemed lost in thought, but the way he tried to hide his emotions irritated her nerves.

“Are you really going out today?”

Yulania carefully entrusted Shuria to Vanessa’s arms, but kept looking at Santia as she asked.

“Why do you keep holding back when you were the one who suggested we go?”

Instead of answering, Santia gently took Yulania’s hand.

“I wanted to be alone with you for a while.”

“And? Where are we going?”

“You’ll find out soon.”

It was ambiguous, as always, saying just enough to be frustrating. Yulania got into the carriage with a sinking feeling.

The morning sunlight brushed the high towers of the castle, and the autumn breeze swept over her shoulder. The streets were bustling with preparations for the festival, and people were already gathering in the square. The entire city was excited for the Harvest Festival. Piles of fruit stacked by street vendors, ribbon balloons held by children running around, and flower petals scattered everywhere.

A bright and lively scene unfolded, but Yulania’s gaze kept drifting towards Santia.

“It feels strange to be out without the baby.”

It was Yulania who spoke first. Santia nodded, with what seemed like a brief smile.

“It’s not bad to be alone together for once.”

“I guess so.”

Yulania let out a small breath. What is this man thinking right now?

Arriving at the fountain in the center of the square, Santia reached out his hand to her. Yulania took his hand and slowly got out of the carriage. And for a while, a quiet stroll began between the two of them amidst the crowd.

At first, it was enjoyable. They laughed lightly as they walked around the fountain, shared a sweet bread studded with nuts, watched a street performance, and laughed together as they watched a puppet show put on by children. Santia was quiet, but he would occasionally fix Yulania’s hair or place a flower from the roadside in her hand.

But as time passed, the atmosphere gradually changed. Santia became increasingly silent, and his expression hardened. He kept averting his gaze somewhere, paused frequently, and even though he held her hand tightly, his eyes seemed unfocused.

Yulania didn’t miss that look.

“Are you worried about something?”

Santia only shook his head. Silently, very firmly.

That firmness only made Yulania more anxious. Santia always expressed his affection through actions instead of words, but today even those actions felt somehow distant.

‘Could he be hiding something?’

Her mind became increasingly complicated. Had she done something wrong? Or was Santia supposed to meet someone during their outing? Or was there some other plan she didn’t know about?

When they reached a small flower market near the square, Yulania couldn’t help but stop.

“Santia.”

Her voice was lower and quieter than usual.

“Is nothing really wrong?”

Santia looked at her, hesitated for a moment, and then nodded.

But that answer felt like he was trying to hide something.

Yulania’s chest felt heavy. The festive noise of the festival didn’t reach her ears. No matter how much the passersby laughed or the children sang, she was only focused on the distance she couldn’t bridge with the man in front of her.

“Did I do something wrong?”

At those words, Santia seemed flustered and widened his eyes. And soon, he let out a short sigh and shook his head.

“No. It’s not like that. Absolutely not.”

“Then why won’t you talk? I thought we were slowly getting better lately.”

Yulania couldn’t finish her sentence. Her throat felt hot, and she felt tears welling up in her eyes.

Only then did Santia come closer to her and quietly take both of her hands.

“Yulania.”

His voice was low and sincere.

“It’s just that, there was something I wanted to do and I was worried about whether I could do it properly.”

Yulania pondered those words for a moment and slowly nodded. But the anxiety in her heart still didn’t subside. Santia didn’t tell her what he wanted to do, and it wasn’t even clear if she was the one who had to face it.

“Then, from now on, please don’t act like this.”

Yulania said softly.

“When I see you quietly freezing up like that all alone it scares me.”

Santia stroked the back of her hand with his fingertips.

“I understand.”

Yulania seemed a little relieved by that answer alone.

In the middle of the festival, the two stopped for a moment and looked at each other. The difference in temperature between them always existed, but every time they brought out their honest feelings like this, they were slowly narrowing the distance.

And when they started walking again, Santia held Yulania’s hand tightly and didn’t let go. The emotion conveyed from his fingertips, as if he was sorry, was a little clumsy and blunt, but it was clear that it was genuine.

Passing through the street vendors, Yulania forced a smile. Even in the lively festival atmosphere, her eyes continued to watch Santia’s profile.

“Isn’t this beaded necklace pretty?”

Even when she spoke to him, Santia only glanced at it and nodded briefly.

“Yeah.”

His reaction was unusually dry. It felt like he had returned to the cold demeanor he had when he had barely started talking last year. Yulania was a little flustered. His noticeably hardened face and his attitude, as if he was trying not to be found out, made her heart sink.

Then, just as it was getting close to mealtime, one of Makari’s knights secretly approached and whispered something to Santia. It was a short conversation, but Santia’s expression quickly hardened seriously. Yulania was also flustered and stopped walking.

“What’s wrong?”

She asked cautiously.

“I can’t tell you now. Instead, please prepare yourself and follow me.”

At Santia’s firm words, Yulania couldn’t ask any more questions and followed behind him. Avoiding people’s gazes, they entered a quiet alley and soon reached an antique restaurant. Following the servant’s guidance, a door was secretly opened, and inside was a quiet private room.

But the room was not quiet or simple at all.

Candelabras with holy stone decorations were emitting a soft light on the table, and autumn flowers were gorgeously arranged in the center. Small ornaments were placed everywhere, and the atmosphere was as special as the last night of the festival. Yulania suddenly stopped and looked around the room. It was strange.

‘He’s not secretly trying to meet someone, is he?’

Her head became complicated, and she looked back at Santia. His back, silently leading the way, seemed different from usual. His solid shoulder line seemed stiffer than usual, and a hint of tension and hesitation could be seen in each step he took.

“Are you trying to meet someone?”

At that moment, Santia stopped in front of her and took a deep breath. And he knelt down. Then, in a low voice, he carefully pronounced.

“Yulania, I’m really sorry for not being able to do this until now.”

“Huh? What are you talking about?”

Before her, who was looking down at him with eyes mixed with anxiety and confusion, Santia carefully took out a small box from his chest.

The silver Makari crest was engraved on the surface of the box, and Yulania’s heart pounded.

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