CH 8

"Pardon?"

Lewicia opened his eyes wide in bewilderment. Then, he rolled his eyes as he looked at something on Yulia’s left somewhere. Rather than looking, it was more like he was aiming at someone with his eyes.

Yulia knew who that someone was. Vasily Marjoram.

Vasily, who had discovered Yulia, approached quickly in her direction with hasty and irregular steps.

Amongst all these people, solely his presence was like a thorn annoyingly pricking her.

"Yulia!"

Vasily called out her name. His anger and anxiety could be clearly felt from his impatient steps and shaky voice.

‘Thank you for appearing just in time.’

With the corners of her lips raised in a sneer, she spoke in a clear voice to Lewicia.

"I want to become the maid of His Highness Lewicia."

Vasily’s steps stopped abruptly.

Yulia leaned closer to the prince, who was looking at her with questioning eyes, and whispered to him in a small voice.

"You won’t regret it."

"Why is that?"

"Because if you take me as a maid, you will be able to see Vasily Marjoram regretting, begging and collapsing from up close."

"Is that right?"

Lewicia immediately showed interest.

"Will you abandon him, insult him and taunt him?"

"Yes."

"Good."

Lewicia smiled brightly. It was a malicious and wicked smile.

It was not an issue to bring a maid who was a commoner in the royal palace. If needed, he could throw her out at any time.

However, the opportunity to see the ruin of Marjoram’s successor in the best seat did not come often.

Lewicia didn’t look at Yulia, who had told her wish, but stared at Vasily, who was looking over here with a shocked expression, and declared.

"Yulia Arte. You will become my maid of honor."

It was as she had expected. Lewicia was someone who was willing to take these kind of risks if it meant that he could screw Vasily over.

"Thank you."

Yulia straightened her bent knees.

‘Waaaa!’

The students cheered.

The woman who had been abandoned by the young master of the Marquis family, but overcame it proudly and earned a medal with her own abilities, and became the Prince’s maid of honor.

It was very likely that Yulia Arte would be the most famous commoner in Ortega for a while.

*****

After the graduation ceremony, Yulia was trying to leave the academy by going through the crowd.

At that moment, Vasily approached at a rapid pace and called her.

"Yulia!"

He looked as if he was going to run to her. Surprisingly, feelings of joy and relief could be seen on his neat face which made Yulia feel disgusted.

"I am relieved that you are alive. My Lady, do you know how much I’ve been looking for you? Why didn’t you come find me?"

Would you look at that. I knew he was going to say that. Yulia had an indifferent expression as if watching a boring theater play.

Carus, who was walking behind, laughed briefly.

"Come here, My Lady."

Vasily raised his arms and tried to hug Yulia’s shoulders. His actions were so natural that in people’s eyes, the two still seemed to be in a lovey-dovey relationship.

However, Yulia took a large step away from him.

Vasily tried hard to smile and swept his hands through his hair roughly.

"You’re angry. Yes, of course. I understand. But I was about to go to you on that day. I was being watched but I really tried my best to go meet you. A little longer… I wish you would have waited for me just a little longer."

"Vasily."

Vasily, who was embarrassed that Yulia avoided him, quickly explained himself. However, she couldn’t feel any sincerity in his words.

"I’m telling the truth, believe me. How could I leave you alone. That’s impossible. I didn’t betray you, I swear. I really tried to go to you. The title, the family, I was going to throw it all away… Because I wanted to live happily with you."

"Didn’t you want me to die so you could live happily on your own?"

Yulia rolled her eyes and looked around her once.

A forbidden love between the Marquis of Marjoram’s noble heir and a commoner. The people who had gathered to see the end of the ill-fated couple had their eyes and ears wide open in their direction. 

Yulia said coldly.

"If you had just left me to die on my own, I would have frozen to death eventually, but you even went through the effort of hiring hyenas. But that’s too bad, isn’t it? That I came back alive."

"Yulia…"

"You said you loved me before abandoning me and you told me to wait for you but sent assassins to kill me. Now, what’s next? Are you going to kill me yourself?"

Yulia’s words were as sharp and emotionless as the blade of a sword. Although the one who spoke looked indifferent and bored, it was a dreadful and exciting story to the ones who heard it.

People stared at Vasily with a shocked expression. Their gazes seemed to be asking if it was true. There was a woman who swallowed a scream while covering her mouth, and also a man who jeered while spouting out curses.

"Yulia! What are you talking about. You’re wrong, completely wrong. How could… How could you say something like that."

"Brother, stop."

Kristin, who had been nowhere to be seen until now, pulled Vasily’s arm from behind. Yulia thought she wouldn’t show up after her pride had been hurt, but it seemed that she had attended the graduation ceremony after all. 

"Yulia, you too."

"You must be upset, Lady Kristin."

Kristin greeted her teeth and looked at Yulia.

"You must have wanted to get this."

Yulia took out the medal and fiddled with it nonchalantly.

"Yulia, why are you like that, huh? As if you’re a completely different person… What should I do? I’ll do anything. Please, My Lady. Don’t be like that and listen to me…"

The longer his words got and the more people’s attention was drawn to them. At the same time, Kristin’s expression was on the verge of cracking.

Yulia whispered with a smile on her lips.

"You will do anything?"

"Yes, anything."

"Then, try dying as well, Young Master."

Only Vasily, Kristin and Carus, who was standing behind her, could hear her voice.

"Yulia!"

"Try to be trapped alone in the mountains in the middle of a snowstorm, shivering, feeling your hands and feet freezing, crying in despair while waiting for someone who won’t come, then die at the hands of assassins."

‘About three or four times? Then, you never know. The lowly commoner that I am might forgive the precious young master.’

Yulia didn’t get emotional after seeing Vasily. She didn’t scream, spout insults at him or throw a fit. She had nothing but endless contempt for him.

It was a relief that the past where she loved him didn’t just remain as memories.

Her eight pasts in which she was trampled on, betrayed and even died, had piled up neatly and became a solid land on which her soul stood tall. She had become a castle that wouldn’t collapse.

"Move. Don’t block the way."

As Yulia started walking away, the people who were gathered around them in a circle slowly made way for her.

"Yulia, wait!"

Vasily shook off Kristin, who was holding him back, and tried to follow Yulia. Although it was despicable, it seemed as though he had been hurt by Yulia’s words.

But Carus stopped him. He slipped in behind Yulia and blocked Vasily from approaching her with his wide back.

It wasn’t just Carus. Many people in their surroundings blocked Vasily for the sake of Yulia. Trapped in the crowd, Vasily had no choice but to look at Yulia as she disappeared from his sight.

*****

That evening, Kristin, who had returned to the mansion, ran to her room and threw everything that she could hold in her hand.

The Marquis couple, who was surprised to see their daughter screaming, crying and making a fuss, came running but failed to soothe her.

"All this time, why did you make her take the exam in my place? Why! Because it’s obvious that she would do better than me? Is that why you did it? For four years straight, you’ve trampled on my pride by making me take the exam in someone else’s name, and look at what happened! Do you know how much I wanted that medal!"

"Kristin, my dear."

"All of this is your fault! If I had done it with my own ability from the start, I could have beat her! Then at least, I wouldn’t have had to hear people murmuring that Yulia was second place because of me!"

As she said that, Kristin couldn’t stand how hateful she had become.

Yulia had just taken the honor that she rightfully deserved, but to think that it made her angry to this point. She was disgusted and sick of herself.

"Do you know what brother had to put up with earlier? In front of so many people, she said that mom and dad hired assassins and she exposed him as a shameless aristocrat who tried to kill the commoner woman he had been playing with!"

"What? Is that true?"

The marquis’s face contorted heavily. The marquis, who looked endlessly caring while comforting his daughter, resembled a monster in an instant.

"While trying to uphold the prestige of a distinguished noble… I was humiliated, and brother won’t be able to raise his face wherever he goes. Are you satisfied now? Are you satisfied!" 

"Don’t worry, my dear. People will quickly forget whatever nonsense that commoner has said. In the end, they will take the side of the aristocrat."

"Will the princess think the same?"

Kristin asked.

The marquis groaned and swept his face with one hand.

His son, Vasily Marjoram, was about to have an engagement ceremony with the king’s daughter. Things might go wrong if this story were to reach the prideful princess’s ears.

"Leave. I want to be alone. And tell brother to get it together. Yulia hates brother now… But he seems to still be in love with her."

Like an idiot.

Kristin lay face down on her bed and burst into tears.