As if the events of the previous night were nothing more than a dream, the morning routine continued. “Have a good day,” Yulania said to her husband with a picture-perfect smile as she saw him off at the front gate. Following the established procedure, Santia lowered his head and gave her a light peck, smack, on the lips. He, too, immediately pulled away, neatly turning up the corners of his mouth. They were the image of a flawless couple. The servants who watched the lord and lady exchange affectionate greetings every day couldn’t help but feel a twinge of envy. The Duke and Duchess Makari they served were truly role models, maintaining their dignity while also keeping the love alive.
Yulania turned away as she watched the knights in their charcoal-gray armor rush out. The servants who had come to see him off also scattered to do their respective tasks. The dark clouds overhead suggested that a downpour was imminent. Yulania, having wiped away her forced smile, returned to the castle with a faint sneer. The corners of her mouth, devoid of sincerity, twisted upward at an angle. It was a farce she had repeated countless times since marrying Santia, but it was always amusing.
“Wouldn’t want us to look bad in front of others, would we?” She suddenly recalled his words as he made the suggestion. It was a special clause included in the secret contract made between the two of them just before their marriage.
At the time, she had thought he was fussing over something trivial, but seeing that it worked, she developed a deep sense of skepticism about this country. To think that things could be swayed by a mere pretense. ‘Well, it works out for me, anyway.’ Maintaining a good reputation was essential to preserving her current peaceful life. Her husband, Santia Makari, was the kingdom’s finest knight, cherished by the king. A hero of the nation. The Devil Slayer. The one and only Sword Master.
The titles that referred to him were dazzling. He had appeared like a comet from the northernmost outskirts of the kingdom, the land of demons, and immediately caught the king’s attention. Perhaps because he was born and raised in that hellish place, Santia had hunted demons with monstrous skill since he was a boy. For the king, who had to spend a large sum of money every year to send precious troops to the north, there was nothing more welcome. Santia was employed by the king at the tender age of thirteen, amidst much rumor. He wasn’t called a hero from the start. On the contrary, as a boy, Santia was the object of ridicule and pity for everyone in the kingdom.
The King’s Slave Knight. Santia earned that nickname at the same time he became the youngest knight at the age of thirteen. The reason was obvious. Granting a knighthood, which could only be received by making great contributions, to a young boy of unclear origin was solely for the purpose of subjugating demons. Demons, born from an unknown source, had long plagued the kingdom. They appeared north of the Makari Territory, which protected and surrounded the north.
The monsters, with their distorted forms like large shadows, appeared at any time and attacked innocent people. Without a clear form, they were very difficult to defeat, and required precious mana to be completely eliminated. Historically tormented by demons, the kingdom eventually minimized the damage by building a strong wall and sending expeditions every quarter. Fortunately, they never crossed the Makari Territory.
From the day he was knighted, Santia led the expeditions every day. It was better if there was a helpful expedition. Sometimes he would go alone to the harsh north, returning covered in the black blood of demons. Whenever he returned to the royal palace, the king would feed him warm food and put him to sleep in a soft bed.
That alone was enough for Santia to pledge his loyalty to the king and obey him thoroughly. Twelve years as the king’s hunting dog.
He finally mastered the unknown power of mana on his own and became a Sword Master. And he finally succeeded in hunting the king of demons, the Devil. After that, the demons became quiet as if by a lie.
The kingdom was ecstatic. It was the emergence of an unprecedented hero. The king packaged the past, in which he had used Santia like a beast, as “affection” and bestowed upon him the title of Duke of the Makari Territory.
It was a rather nasty disposition, pretending to care for him until the end and entrusting him with the defense line. And the king gave his most cherished knight his most cherished daughter as a gift.
That was two years ago.
“…A gift.”
Yulania’s role was just that. She frowned as she pronounced the word, which carried an unpleasant sensation. Apart from a subtle sense of rejection, she faithfully fulfilled the role of the gift. Yulania, who filled the only thing Santia lacked, a noble lineage, took advantage of her status to dominate high society. When he married the kingdom’s only princess, the gazes of contempt that had remained quickly subsided.
So, Santia Makari was now truly perfect in every way. Yulania, entering her study, shook her head, recalling Santia’s disheveled appearance from yesterday.
A half-finished tapestry lay on the large table in the center of the study. The tapestry that Yulania had started weaving for peace of mind had become an important part of her daily life. Moving her hands without complicated thoughts was surprisingly fun, and she had a knack for it. She walked to the table and examined the colorful, tangled threads. The threads were a little tangled because she had rushed out to see him off.
Yulania skillfully moved her hands to untangle the knots. But soon, her hands stopped again. Santia’s image wouldn’t leave her mind.
“No matter how I look at it, it seems like he’s doing that because he’s lonely.”
Seeing his mocking attitude when she brought up the story of the woman cracked her firm conviction. She thought that was the only thing he lacked, but what if it wasn’t a woman? ‘Could it be…?’
Yulania gently placed her palm on her flat stomach. It was an obligatory marital relationship, but that made the marital duties all the more important. Despite two years of steady effort, there was still no news of a child. Naturally, she was reminded of what her father had said on her wedding day.
[If you have children and have your own family, you will become attached to him.] Her father had repeatedly urged her to hold Santia’s heart tightly when he married her off to him. On her wedding day, she automatically let out a faint sigh as she recalled her father’s face as he grabbed her shoulders, dressed in a pure white dress, and urged her.
[Even beasts take care of their young. As long as his children remain in the kingdom, he will protect this place to the end.] And he had handed her medicine that was said to be good for pregnancy. The medicine, contained in a small, finger-sized glass bottle, was delivered to her every three months.
In fact, Yulania, who had no desire to have children, had thought about secretly throwing away the medicine. However, the servant or doctor in charge of the delivery would not leave until she swallowed the medicine in front of them. She had no intention of going against her father, but she felt frustrated and closed-minded every time this happened.
‘Well, it doesn’t seem to be working, though.’ She herself couldn’t tell whether she was happy or sad. Such diverse emotions had long since faded. The maid’s knock on the door stopped her thoughts, which were increasingly turning to the past.
“Princess, it’s Vanessa.”
“Come in.”
Vanessa was holding a basket full of fabrics and threads of various colors.
“Ah, give it to me here.”
It seemed that the fabric merchant had already visited. She had ordered the materials that were slowly running out. Looking out the window, the outside, where rain was drizzling, had become even darker. She roughly finished the tapestry she was weaving and organized the basket.
It was a gift to be presented to the King on his birthday soon. “It’s just like me.” She felt a sense of kinship with the tapestry, which was woven with care, thread by thread. Yulania felt a subtle emotion as she felt the texture with her fingertips. Because her thoughts were complicated, she couldn’t do much work today. Her concentration was scattered.
“Princess, would you like to go up for today?”
Vanessa, noticing the sign, helped with the cleaning and asked.
“I suppose I should.” It was getting cold.
***
Yulania took a bath in warm water, went up to her bedroom, and drank tea that had a calming effect. Her body was warmed inside and out, and she felt as if she was melting like cream. Swish—
She sat at the tea table by the window and watched the heavy rain. Seeing the cold rain falling like this, it seemed that the end of autumn was near. With the sound of the fireplace crackling in the background as she sipped her tea, the outside world seemed like another world. Yulania slowly blinked her eyes and leaned back in the rocking chair.
Then, as if someone was knocking on her head, there was a rough knock and the door was flung open. Yulania opened her eyes wide in surprise. Santia, who had opened the door, strode in as if something urgent had happened.
“What’s wrong?” At Yulania’s words, Santia frowned fiercely.
She smelled soap and a faint metallic smell from him as he approached her closely. And he leered as he scanned Yulania up and down without hesitation.
“Surely you haven’t forgotten our conjugal night, have you?”
