CH 20

After leaving the prince's palace, Maxwell ran all the way to the port. There, Carus and Babaslov were waiting for him.

Maxwell relayed Yulia's words exactly, and Carus burst out laughing in amazement.

Yulia's information was more accurate than the one he obtained from knocking down a warship, and executing soldiers at sea.

"Let's go."

"To where?"

"Maxwell, find the woman who is his lover, and the others go with me to capture the commander."

Carus got on the horse first, wearing his cloak. His gaze once again turned towards the direction of Ortega palace.

Yulia Arte.

Her green eyes were so deep that it was difficult to distinguish the color when facing each other in the dark. Those eyes came to mind.

Along with her words when she said she was living her ninth life.

*****

Vasily formally requested a visit.

The surprised Lewicia looked at Yulia. Coco also looked at Yulia. The attendant who had come to deliver the news also looked at Yulia.

"Why... is everyone looking at me?"

"Then, who should we look at?"

"They said he formally requested a visit. He may have business with Your Highness."

"Last time, you warned him to follow the etiquette and procedure. You said that if he doesn't, it means he is looking down on you, the maid of honor of a royal member."

When Lewicia pointed it out, Yulia couldn't help but nod her head. He was right. She was the only person in the palace who Vasily would have any business with.

"When did he say he would be coming?"

"He is already waiting in front of the palace."

"So, he was only half polite."

Lewicia said with a sneer. Coco also uttered a curse, agreeing with him.

"Hey, don't meet him alone outside, and tell him to come inside", Coco warned.

"Vasily might be lying on his back and begging you right now, but he will show his teeth once you are cornered. He won't think of harming you if we are close by. Meet him inside the palace."

Yulia did as Coco said. After asking Vasily to enter the palace, she borrowed a drawing room and met him there.

Vasily's face had been haggard for the past few days. However, in the eyes of Yulia which were looking at him, not even a hint of sympathy could be found.

Vasily began to speak with difficulty only after the maid, who had brought the tea, left the drawing room as if running away.

"I heard from the butler. That he really did such a cruel thing to you... I heard it. I want to punish the butler, but I can't because my father is stopping me."

Yet another excuse. She was tired of it. She wanted to scold him, and ask him why he kept coming here and making such excuses, but Yulia chose to just stand still. Instead, she began to observe him cautiously.

"I am sorry. I will do everything I can. I won't marry the princess, and I will take you out of the palace. So, Yulia, can you wait just a bit longer?"

Somehow, she had a strange feeling. The Vasily of the past used to make all kinds of excuses to appease Yulia, but he never betrayed his family or went against the Marquis' orders.

However, in this life, Vasily was a little different. He looked like someone being chased. It seemed that he was scared and anxious about Yulia escaping from his hands.

Is it because she has entered the palace? Or is it because she is holding hands with Prince Lewicia? If not that, was there something else that she wasn't aware of that had affected Vasily?

Yulia quickly pondered over her actions in this life.

"Yulia, are you listening? I told my father that I would not marry the princess." 

Vasily thought that he had done his best. For him, disobeying his father, who was a marquis, required great courage. Just as Marjoram possessed great influence in Ortega, the power of the marquis within the Marjoram family was no different from that of a king.

A weak heir who couldn't even stand up to the butler, let alone the marquis. Vasily Marjoram was such a man.

In the past, he used to think that his weak personality was an innate problem, but now that he looked closely, he thought that it might be because he grew up in an environment where he was bound to become weak.

A father who reigned like a king in the family, and a beautiful and clever younger sister who has been receiving all kinds of attention and love since she was born.

In the midst of all this, Vasily had chosen his own fate.

Since being strong meant that he necessarily would have to fight someone, he prefered to become a man who was weak.

Suspicious, Yulia asked.

"You said you wouldn't marry Her Highness? You? Directly to the Marquis?"

"Yes."

Vasily smiled broadly, and nodded. Actually, he had told the butler to deliver his words, but he thought it was no different from doing it himself.

Yulia, who quickly saw through the poor lie, asked again with squinted eyes.

"Are you saying the truth?"

"Of course. Yulia, I said you were the only one for me. If I break off the engagement with the princess, no one will force me to marry for the time being. It is a problem related to the pride of the royal family."

"Although you already knew it..."

"Because I love you", Vasily said, full of desperation.

Yulia's gaze carefully inspected his pupils, the trembling of his eyebrows, and the movement of his lips. His body tilted slightly forward, the sound of nervous breathing, and the fists which continuously rubbed by squeezing and opening them.

After she had finished observing him, Yulia said.

"Vasily, don't lie. You cannot break off the engagement with Her Highness."

"Why are you saying that?"

"It is impossible that you, who has never even abandoned your family, would stand head on against the honor of the royal family. You must be deluding yourself. You must have talked about it to the butler, or a servant at most."

"Yulia!"

"I don’t know how many times I have to tell you so that you finally understand, but I don't have anything to do with you anymore."

Surprisingly, the moment when you find out that love is over is extremely insignificant.

The other person giving you attention or brushing against you becomes annoying and irritating. You think about how you can see them less, you throw away the good memories, and only recall the bad ones.

Vasily had not yet reached that first stage. Yulia just realized again that the distance between him and her heart was as far as eight deaths.

Yulia found him bothersome. He was annoying and pathetic.

How can she make Vasily understand that even if he lives for her nine times, their relationship will be impossible to restore?

"Wake up. The moment you give up on your marriage with the princess, your family will put you under pressure that will be uncomparably stronger from before. And I, who fled to the palace in order to escape from your father, will be threatened with my life even here."

"Then, why the hell did you ask me to break off the engagement!", Vasily shouted loudly.

He was gradually losing his composure. Yulia, who had changed, was unfamiliar, and he was desperate. However, no matter how desperate he was, the wall that stood between them was so firm that not even a crack could be made.

"Go back. Vasily Marjoram, go to your family and live as an obedient young master. That's all you need to do."

'And watch with your own eyes as your distinguished family slowly crumbles to the ground.'

Yulia turned around. Vasily, who had grown impatient, grabbed her wrist.

"Yulia."

"Let me go."

"Why aren't you wearing the ring?"

With her eyes, Yulia asked whether something like a ring was really important in this situation. But Vasily couldn't move, his eyes fixed on her bare fingers.

"You liked it so much... You said you had never seen such a beautiful ring in your entire life. You said you would treasure it until you die."

"I threw it away."

"Yulia... you."

"Don't be sad. When you become the princess's husband, you will be able to wear much better things anyway."

Yulia firmly shook off Vasily's hand. He stared blankly at his fingers that fell helplessly.

"Go back, young master. Go, and check it yourself. Whether the butler really conveyed your words, or not.

He felt so frustrated that his chest hurt. Yulia's cold laugh entangled Vasily's soul like a net and sank it deeply.

*****

Vasily, who had returned to the mansion powerless, looked for the butler again. Then, he asked him.

"Did you tell my father?"

"About what?"

"I told you to let him know that I would not get married to the princess. Did you tell him!?"

"Young master."

The butler sighed deeply. His tone was like that of a person dealing with a troublesome child.

"Get your act together, please. If the Marquis finds out, you will be in big trouble."

"...You didn't tell him."

Vasily's pride was badly bruised. It had cracked open, and there was a hole. He knew that the butler did not regard him as his master, but he didn't know that he was being ignored to this extent.

"It is a marriage with the royal family. I mean that it is a family affair. It's not something the young master should decide about so recklessly."

"Butler."

"Go back to your room. I will pretend that I didn't hear anything, so don't say those words again."

"Who am I?", Vasily asked.

The butler tried to turn around, but he had no choice but to answer after he was asked the same question three times in a row.

"You're the young master."

"Am I really your master?"

"...Become the marquis. Then, you won't only be my master, but the master of everyone who works in this mansion."

It meant that it wasn't the case now.

"What do you plan to do if the young lady becomes the successor instead? Please come to your senses."

"What? What are... what are you talking about? What does that mean!”

"Doesn't the Marquis have two children? Were you really unaware that Lady Kristin coveted the place of the head of the family?

"Did father say that?"

A cold sweat broke out. His father's face overlapped with the butler's face, and Kristin's face was superimposed on top of it.

In that moment, Yulia's voice, who had told him to go and live as an obedient young master, entered his ears like an auditory hallucination.