Chapter 75
It was the longest night she had ever experienced.
Yulia did not refuse Fernando as he came at her with everything he had. Wherever he touched, a searing heat lingered like a brand on her skin.
‘I’ll give you everything, Yulia.’
‘Everything I have—I’ll place it all in your hands.’
‘So don’t run away again.’
‘I can never let you go…’
The last thing she remembered was Fernando’s voice, whispering pleadingly as he pressed kisses to the corners of her eyes.
By the time Yulia woke up, it was already past noon. Through her half-lidded gaze, she saw Fernando sitting at the table, watching her. He was impeccably dressed, his eyes fixed on her. When she groaned and tried to sit up, he immediately grabbed the robe from the nightstand and approached her. As the tangled sheets slipped down her legs, he draped the robe over her bare shoulders. His face was sharper than the day before as he carefully tied the robe’s sash.
“You should eat first.” His low voice was tender. Yulia didn’t respond, simply setting her feet on the floor—only for her legs to give out. Fernando caught her before she could collapse and lifted her into his arms.
“I can walk on my own,” she murmured weakly, but he ignored her and carried her to the table.
Soon after, a servant knocked, announcing that the meal was ready. Fernando took the tray and set the dishes on the table. When he tried to feed her, Yulia blinked silently.
Was he trying to pretend she had never run away? His demeanor was eerily composed, even gentler than before.
Yulia, still dazed, obediently accepted the food he offered. She didn’t feel like refusing him.
“How’s your body? Should I call the physician?”
She shook her head. Even after the meal, Fernando stayed by her side without leaving. He lingered so excessively that Yulia couldn’t find a moment to think for herself.
‘…Did Cedric return to the temple?’
Worries about Cedric clouded her mind, but every time, Fernando somehow drew all her attention back to him.
Yulia stepped back from the window as his hands pulled her waist toward him. He embraced her from behind, pressing his lips to the nape of her neck.
“…Ah.”
Her body, still sensitive, reacted easily to even the slightest touch. When she flinched, he lifted his lips from her neck and kissed the delicate line of her jaw with a soft sound.
Only now did Yulia realize how easily Fernando revealed his heat. She hadn’t known this side of him—though she didn’t know him in detail, he had always seemed outwardly restrained.
But last night… he had been like a starving beast, craving her again and again.
His rough voice, barely suppressed. His gaze, burning with desire.
The memory of every sensation made her bite her lip hard.
Was this what he wanted? To drain her so thoroughly that she couldn’t think?
If so, he had succeeded perfectly.
At least right now, Yulia couldn’t think of anything at all.
Dawn
“Your Highness, the priest lingered near the estate before finally returning to the Ilion Temple last night. Should we continue surveillance?”
Fernando, leaning against a pillar in the lobby, felt his gaze turn icy. After a pause, he answered.
“Do so. If he shows any sign of coming here, report it immediately.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
As the knight left, Fernando climbed the stairs, replaying the scene from that day.
Yulia, stepping in front of him to protect him. Her tearful voice, begging him to spare the priest in exchange for staying by his side.
Fernando clenched his teeth, pausing mid-step. His heart began to thrash wildly.
Suppressing the storm inside, he headed to Yulia’s bedroom.
It was still early dawn. The world outside was just beginning to brighten.
Entering as quietly as possible, he saw her sleeping deeply. Sitting in the chair beside her bed, he stared at her intently.
Her round, pale forehead. Long, faint lashes. Delicate nose and red lips.
He took in every detail before reaching out to stroke her hair.
Even after indulging himself the day before, he still felt unsatisfied.
Was it because Yulia didn’t feel entirely his?
He could no longer be certain of her heart.
Even if she didn’t refuse him, even if she seemed to accept him, he couldn’t trust her sincerity. Yulia had always disappeared when he least expected it.
The anxiety and impatience wouldn’t fade. Even with her in his grasp, it didn’t feel like he truly held her.
He knew it was greedy to want her to open her heart to him.
He was already blocking her path, using someone she cared about as leverage.
So then… Yulia must be enduring it all against her will.
Hating him to the core but unable to refuse, unable to protest, because she was worried about that priest.
“…Do you love him?”
Fernando asked the sleeping woman, knowing there would be no answer.
If Yulia said yes, he wouldn’t be able to stop himself from killing that priest.
And then, she would never stay by his side—not even by force.
So it was a question he could never ask while she was awake.
Lowering his hand from her hair, he brushed her slightly parted lower lip.
“If I begged you to love me again… what would you say?”
“……”
“Would you lie and say you would?”
Muttering endlessly, his lips twisted bitterly.
Then he withdrew his hand from her lips and bowed his head deeply.
Just before kissing her, he paused, staring at her closed eyelids. Only then did he finally press his lips to hers.
It was a chaste kiss, barely more than a touch—but it carried a faint, undeniable obsession.
The Next Day
Standing at the terrace railing, Yulia blinked at the sky.
Her heart felt hollow. Or perhaps just… calm.
“Yulia.”
A familiar voice called her. Turning, she saw Fernando stepping onto the terrace, approaching her.
Draping a thin cardigan over her shoulders, he asked softly,
“How about going to see the ocean today?”
“……”
“We promised to go together before.”
Only then did Yulia turn to look at the view beyond the terrace. The vast blue sea stretched endlessly before her.
When she didn’t answer, he added,
“Or we could ride horses in the grasslands.”
“……”
“Your white horse was brought here recently.”
Still, Yulia showed no reaction.
Gazing at the distant sea, she finally answered in a quiet voice.
“Do as you wish, Your Highness. I don’t care either way.”
Right now, she had no desire to do anything.
For days, Yulia had simply followed his lead, letting him take her wherever he wanted before returning obediently to her room.
Fernando’s face stiffened for a moment before he stepped closer.
“Tell me what you want. Even something small.”
“There’s nothing. Nothing at all.”
“Then I’ll bring the children here. Or move them nearby so you can see them often—”
“No.”
Yulia turned fully to face him, looking directly into his eyes.
“You don’t have to do this. I won’t run away. So don’t drag the children into it.”
Her expression seemed to ask, Isn’t Cedric enough of a hostage?
Fernando froze, staring at her back as she turned away again.
Then, as if fearing she would never look at him again, he grabbed her arm and spun her around.
Gazing into her indifferent blue eyes, he flinched, unsure what to say.
“If there’s nothing you want to do, then tell me what you want to have.”
“……”
“Mines, estates, riches—I’ll give you everything. Indulge in luxury.”
At his restless words, Yulia averted her gaze, thinking. Was there anything she wanted?
But the answer was still nothing. She already had everything she needed in this mansion.
“Just tell me what you want from me.”
Yulia lowered her eyelids slowly.
“All I have to do is stay quietly locked up here, right?”
She looked up, meeting his eyes as his expression faltered.
“So, just do as you please, like you have been—”
Her mechanical murmur cut off as Fernando closed the distance between them.
Her slightly parted lips swallowed the rest of her words as his mouth covered hers.
Cradling her cheek and the nape of her neck, he bowed his head deeply, kissing her with unrestrained intensity.
