Santiago, who had uttered unexpectedly flirtatious words, got up as if nothing had happened.
Yulania, dumbfounded, couldn’t say a word, so he spoke again.
“Shall we sleep together too?”
“…Huh.”
Eventually, she let out a dumbfounded laugh. As if holding a drinking party in front of a sick person wasn’t enough, what was this? He seemed fine during the trip, so she didn’t expect him to act like this as soon as they arrived.
Yulania didn’t know the exact reason, but she seemed to have vaguely thought he would get better once he came to the territory.
“I told you not to become insensible.”
She frowned slightly and spoke sharply. She was already feeling unwell, and his behavior only made her irritability rise.
Of course, no matter how much she frowned, it wouldn’t be a threat to Santiago.
“There are so many things tormenting me. Do you know that?”
Without any particular intention, Santiago quickly backed away. He paced around the bed, dangling a glass precariously between his fingers.
“Do you mean I’m tormenting you?”
“Maybe. Maybe not.”
He uttered meaningless words. Yulania squeezed her eyes shut, then opened them and struggled to get up. Every muscle in her body screamed, but whether it was from sleeping all day or because of Santiago, sleep had fled far away.
“Why are you getting up? Are you going to be my drinking buddy?”
Then Santiago said something absurd again. Lately, her feelings about her husband were changing day by day.
“No. It seems like you’re not listening to me at all.”
“What do you mean? Who’s more loyal than me?”
Santiago answered, then chuckled as if his own words were funny. Seeing that, Yulania firmly resolved to figure out his true intentions today. She straightened her head, looked at Santiago, and said clearly.
“If you have complaints about me, say them directly. Don’t be sarcastic.”
“……”
Then, unexpectedly, his face hardened instantly, and he closed his mouth. Only the glass swaying between his fingers made a small noise. He stood askew, staring intently at Yulania, so she spoke again.
“I’m living faithfully according to our contract. Isn’t it what you wanted? If you keep acting like this and damage the prestige of the Duke’s family, it’s a strict violation of the contract.”
Speaking at length made her head throb. Yulania gently touched her temple with her fingertips. Following that movement, Santiago rolled his eyes and opened his mouth with a distant look.
“That contract… I’m regretting it quite a bit these days.”
His gaze towards Yulania seemed to be looking somewhere far beyond her.
“…Regretting it?”
She couldn’t believe his words and quickly moved her head. Yulania pressed her temples with force as a headache rushed in. Why did he have to make her talk when she was in this state? She resented her husband for not even letting her be comfortable at times like this.
Santiago hadn’t lost anything from their marriage. Did Santiago think the same? He raised one corner of his mouth and spoke with a weary tone.
“I guess I’m a spoiled brat who doesn’t know satisfaction.”
“So, why are you telling me that now—”
Yulania tried to protest again, but Santiago didn’t listen. He cut off her words with a loud sigh.
“Haa, Princess. No matter how much I say, you won’t understand. You just don’t understand.”
His sarcastic tone remained the same. Yulania pressed her throbbing head and glared at him silently.
Eventually, Santiago clicked his tongue with a tch sound and ended the fruitless conversation.
“Sorry for waking you up when you’re sick. Rest.”
The overflowing dark blue energy had been neatly contained.
On the first night after arriving at the territory, Yulania was bedridden for five days straight, despite having regained some consciousness.
She decided to blame it on Santiago for coming and irritating her. Even for her, who was emotionally dry and had the best patience, her tolerance was running out.
Since that sharp conversation, Santiago hadn’t visited her. Yulania was half-unconscious, but whenever she woke up, he bothered her nerves. Her vision was hazy, and her thoughts were paralyzed, but her mind was filled with him. She resented and felt frustrated with her husband, whom she couldn’t control and couldn’t have a proper conversation with.
As she slowly recovered, ten more knights arrived at the territory. Yulania watched Santiago greet them by opening the window.
The knights scattered according to his instructions. The sound of hard military boots stomping through the castle echoed, creating a chaotic atmosphere.
As most of the knights found their places and left, someone hidden among them was revealed. Royal physician Devon, holding a brown leather bag tightly in both hands, looked visibly unwell. He was exhausted from trying to keep up with the knights’ pace.
Santiago coldly ordered him, who was pale and on the verge of fainting.
“Examine the Princess immediately.”
“Yes, y-yes…”
His firm voice clearly reached the second floor. At that moment, Santiago glanced up at Yulania’s side.
Did he know she was watching? It was such a brief moment that it was hardly eye contact, but their eyes met for a moment. While Yulania stood awkwardly frozen by the window, Santiago led the staggering Devon into the castle.
As they disappeared from view, Yulania sat on the couch, waiting for the doctor to come in soon. Just as she settled in and straightened her back, a knock sounded.
“Yulania. I’ve brought the doctor.”
“Come in.”
It was a familiar procedure. Devon gave a brief greeting and approached.
She wondered what good it would do to be examined now that she had recovered, but it was the strict order of His Majesty the King. Yulania quietly answered Devon’s questions. Santiago stood beside her, watching the Q&A as if monitoring.
Honestly, Yulania had some expectations. She felt bloated, nauseous at the sight of water, and incredibly sleepy. She had heard that these were symptoms of pregnancy. However, Devon never mentioned anything related to it.
“There are no major problems, but it seems your body has weakened. This is medicine to boost your energy. Take it.”
He handed over a medicine bottle she had never seen before without any particular change in expression and casually finished the examination. Yulania quietly swallowed the medicine in one gulp. The liquid, which had a more transparent light than the original medicine, passed down with a rather bitter taste.
However, since there was no mention of a baby until the end, she couldn’t help but ask.
“Perhaps… am I not pregnant?”
“No, you are not.”
“…I see.”
A firm answer came back immediately. Inevitably, disappointment crept in. Devon seemed somehow displeased with the mention of pregnancy itself.
‘It must be my imagination.’
Yulania didn’t show it and lowered her eyes slightly.
As the examination was finished, Santiago, who had arrived unnoticed, chased Devon out of the room. And as he followed, he left a casual greeting to Yulania at the door.
“Then, rest.”
It was an anticlimactic ending considering the suffering she had gone through for over half a month.
‘Should I start exercising?’
Yulania sighed as she looked at her weak body. The disappointing feeling from a moment ago subsided as the medicine began to take effect. She leaned her head back and sank deeply into the sofa.
The feeling of fatigue pressing her body to the floor. After lying listlessly for a while, she lifted her heavy body and moved to the bed. Hearing that there was nothing wrong with her body made her feel even more drained.
However, the moment she took a step, a sharp pain, as if a blade was tearing through her stomach, struck her.
Next, a terrible pain, as if her abdomen was being ripped apart, overwhelmed her.
“……!”
The extreme pain caused her to break out in a cold sweat instantly, and her breath caught in her throat. Yulania couldn’t even scream properly and collapsed to the floor, clutching her stomach.
Horrifyingly red blood flowed between her legs, soaking the carpet. Feeling that ominous sensation, Yulania felt a sticky fear that was worse than the pain.
Something was terribly wrong.
“P, Princess?!”
Maya, who had come with refreshments at that moment, dropped the tray in horror. The sharp noise of shattering glass seemed to foreshadow the coming future.
“Eek, oh, what should I do!”
As she felt the faint sensation of the maid’s shrill scream fading away, Yulania fainted.
