That man, again. Yulania glanced down, wondering if there was something wrong with her attire, but she was wearing a modest, dark green dress.
She calmly faced her husband and said, “Of course not. I was just surprised by the sudden opening of the door.” Yulania stopped herself from pointing out her husband’s sarcastic attitude. It was obvious it would only make him angrier. When she answered listlessly, Santia simply hardened his face and said nothing more.
Every time they had marital relations on the appointed day each month, Santia made it extremely clear how uncomfortable he was. She, too, was not particularly willing, but she was doing it because it was her duty. She didn’t appreciate Santia’s openly frowning and complaining attitude.
They even minimized the awkward displays of affection. Not knowing what he was so dissatisfied with, Yulania spoke to Santia, who was standing blankly and glaring at her. “Are you ready?”
“I am. I’ve been ready for that damn thing for a while now.” He spoke emotionally again. The way he ruffled his dark hair showed his complicated feelings.
“Okay. I know you don’t like it, so let’s finish quickly and go.”
If Santia was ready, there was no need to delay. Yulania slightly lifted her stiff indoor dress and leaned her upper body against the bed, lying face down. The luxurious bed was high enough to reach her waist, so the position wasn’t uncomfortable.
As if it were a solemn ritual, there wasn’t a single bit of warmth in the bedroom. Only one candle illuminated the dark room, providing minimal visibility. As Yulania rested her chin comfortably on the back of her hand, she heard an unintelligible curse and the sound of fabric rustling behind her.
Santia dutifully buried himself behind her back, who was lying like a well-prepared feast. He had only loosened his waist tie and was still wearing his indoor clothes, top and bottom. Yulania narrowed her eyes slightly at the weight she felt, but that was all.
There were no kisses. They didn’t even make eye contact. Only the strictly necessary procedures were carried out. After finishing the task so impassively, Santia neatly withdrew.
Yulania straightened up without a single disarrangement and smoothed out her slightly wrinkled clothes.
To them, it was merely a “task.” But when the task was over, Santia always looked like he was unbearably uncomfortable.
It doesn’t take that long, so why does he hate it so much? Yulania thought he was being unnecessarily fussy.
“Do we really have to do this crap?” Sometimes he was more emotional than usual. Today seemed to be one of those days. He spat out the words as if he were spitting out dirty filth. His face, crumpled like a piece of paper, showed his mood.
“Then do you have any other way to produce an heir?” she asked calmly, as if asking something obvious. Then Santia muttered to himself, inaudibly, and needlessly tore at his hair. It sounded like he said something harsh, but the form was unclear.
“Yulania! You…!”
Santia snatched her arm as she returned to her neat appearance as if nothing had happened. He seemed to have many complaints but couldn’t bring himself to say them.
“Santia. Why are you being like this all of a sudden? You should be used to it by now.”
As she spoke with a sigh, his face contorted in a different way. The candle flickered uneasily, and shadows wavered on his face. Santia stubbornly closed his mouth again and tightened his grip on Yulania’s arm.
Yulania ignored her husband’s silent protest and focused her attention elsewhere. He hadn’t properly fastened his belt yet. She reached out and smoothed the unsightly belt hanging around his waist.
However, the touch was coldly rejected. “…What are you doing?”
What is this, treating someone like this when they’re trying to help? Yulania narrowed her eyes and looked up at him. But something seemed to have upset Santia, and his emotions flared up once again.
“Do you know how hard it is for a man to restrain his desires? If you don’t know, don’t say anything.”
Yulania was dumbfounded. Is it so unpleasant to just loosen a belt once? She didn’t understand how her kindness had anything to do with his desires.
“What did I say? Then you should have dressed properly before you caught my eye.”
Who was it that was just standing there staring blankly, still a mess even after the task was over?
“Ha, you don’t know what’s important. You don’t understand at all. How can people! A married couple! Call this a marriage, damn it.”
Santia couldn’t control his anger and spat out harsh curses. He rubbed his face as if it would calm his emotions.
He was partly right. Yulania couldn’t understand why he was so angry. If he didn’t like this method, he should have agreed before they got married. It was no use acting emotionally after two years. And why was he taking it out on others when he had restrained himself as he pleased?
“Santia, don’t blame me for your frustration. Then why do you hold back? Did I tell you not to meet other women? You made the choice.”
“Is that even something you should say!”
As he shouted, the flickering candlelight illuminated him more harshly. The precarious flickering light suited his expression well.
Yulania couldn’t find anything more to say and closed her mouth. As expected, nothing good came of a long conversation with her husband.
“A noble woman like you will never understand.”
Santia glared at her and stormed out of the room. His eyes were filled with unfair resentment, as if he were looking at the enemy who had ruined his life.
“…What did I do?”
Yulania, left alone, also pouted her lips in frustration.
The next morning, Yulania woke up to the sound of pouring rain. The sky had been unusually dark last night, so it seemed like it had been covered in dark clouds all along.
Counting the days with a hazy mind, it was the time for autumn rain. Every year around this time, the rain would start pouring down fiercely, lasting for as short as ten days or as long as a month. When that tiresome autumn rain stopped, the sky would turn a light blue, and winter would arrive with a sharp drop in temperature.
She ran her fingers through her hair and sluggishly got up. Perhaps because of the weather, she felt a chill, and goosebumps rose as she stepped out of bed. She gently rubbed her arms, which were covered in thin silk pajamas, and got up.
As she rang the bell on the bedside table, a knock was heard immediately.
“Princess, I’m coming in.”
Vanessa came in with a silver washbasin and a towel. As the steam rising from the warm water touched her face, she shivered.
“Oh my, were you cold? I’m sorry. I’ll turn up the heat.”
Vanessa’s eyes widened at the sight as she wet the towel.
“Thank you.”
Yulania first put her hands in the basin that Vanessa offered and washed them gently. As the warmth was transmitted to her bare skin, her stiff body relaxed languidly. Then, she carefully wiped her face with a warm towel.
Vanessa wiped the moisture from her face with a dry towel and applied toner, and only then did the chill subside.
“I feel languid, perhaps because the weather is chilly. It seems like the autumn rain has started.”
“That’s right. It’s been a mess since dawn, putting up screens everywhere. Would you like to have breakfast in your room, Princess?”
“That would be nice. Soup, if possible.”
“Yes, the chef has already made potato soup, saying it will warm you up.”
Yulania smiled faintly and nodded. The thought of warm soup made her feel relaxed.
“Oh, right. It seems like we’ll be going down to the territory soon. The Duke is also preparing to leave the mansion.”
“Is that so? It’s early this year.”
Vanessa delivered the news while tidying up the washbasin. They went down to the Makari territory every winter, but this was early. The autumn rain had only just begun.
“They’re already packing. Won’t they leave when the rain stops?”
Yulania quietly shifted her gaze to the window. The rain was still pouring down. It was rare for such a heavy rain to fall from the first day. It seemed like the autumn rain would be long this year.
They can’t leave in this weather. She also agreed with Vanessa’s opinion and listened to the sound of the rain. If it’s this bad in the capital, there could be landslides in the outskirts.
At this time, Yulania had no idea what would happen in that storm.
