“Episode 31”
When the afternoon came, the investigators, wizards, and priests emerged from the palace. Yuliana, who was resting in bed, didn’t fully grasp the situation due to her drowsiness. Evan’s nonchalant attitude towards the arrival of the main character, regardless of whether the heroine came or not, helped ease her anxiety.
In the original work, the saint ‘Yoon’ assists in the battle between the Ayahat tribe and the empire, gaining support from the palace and the empire’s people. So, what abilities did she possess to prophesy future battles?
Curious, Yuliana fell asleep with questions in her mind. Upon waking, she learned about the saint’s abilities through Evan.
“She communicates with Ariakne?”
Yuliana frowned as she forced herself to drink the foul-tasting tea Ana made for her weak body. Ariakne: a powerful magic stone used for generations in imperial succession and possessing mystical powers from beyond.
“She can wield that power?” Yuliana, who had left the novel midway, found this concept unfamiliar. Perplexed, she asked Evan.
“The first emperor of the empire sought power from beyond and obtained the magic stone from there. It’s said that the magic stone located deep within the palace can only be accessed by emperors who inherit the powers and memories of their predecessors, but it seems like that woman is connected to it.”
“I did think the light emanating from her body was unusual.”
Yuliana pondered, her thoughts uninterrupted even as the bitter tea stung her tongue.
Eventually, Yuliana set down her cup and spoke up.
“So, they treat her as a saint despite this? Perhaps the emperor, fixated on the throne, is even more frantic at the appearance of a stranger who can wield Ariakne’s power, fearing anyone besides himself possessing it.”
“Yeah, he seemed oblivious so far, but the situation near the palace has been chaotic since they brought that woman here to discuss.”
Evan remarked with a hint of disdain. Then, sensing warmth returning to Yuliana’s hand, he firmly grasped it.
“We should reward your youngest maid a bit.”
“Do I smell bad?”
Yuliana hastily sniffed herself.
Regretting not refusing Ana’s efforts as she busied herself in the kitchen yesterday, Evan shook his head when Yuliana blushed.
“You know I’m an honest person, right?”
Evan chuckled softly and, noticing Yuliana’s energy and color returning, continued.
“Yuliana.”
“Yes?”
Yuliana, who was reluctantly drinking her tea, coughed awkwardly. Glancing suspiciously at the tea Ana made, she then glanced at Evan. Responding to her mood, Evan spoke.
“When you first returned from the mission, I thought you hadn’t changed at all. But looking back now, you seemed anxious and restless since then, as if you wanted to run away quickly.”
Yuliana set down the cup she was holding in one hand. Intentionally avoiding eye contact by focusing on the cup, it was evident she wanted to change the subject. However, Evan gently held her hand again and asked, “I’m worried about you. Where is your anxiety coming from?”
Yuliana glanced sullenly, contemplating how to convincingly explain, “How could I convincingly explain that this is a world from a novel I saw in my past life, and I should have died early as an insignificant extra.” Finally, she decided to say something similar.
“I had a strange dream. It was a dream of dying because of my misdeeds, so of course, I was scared. That’s why. I couldn’t help but think that being with you meant facing death. But now, with this stuffy nose, it’s ridiculous.”
“A strange dream?”
Oddly, Evan seemed particularly tense at her words. Slightly flustered by his serious attitude, Yuliana said, “But it’s just a dream, right? Being apart from me, or you getting hurt, it’s all just a dream.”
“Right.”
With that, Evan smiled smoothly as if to ask when he ever got nervous. Trying to conceal her fluttering heart, Yuliana said with effort, “Then I won’t be anxious.”
“I want to swear even on my soul that what you said is true.”
Evan rose from his seat. Then, he grabbed Yuliana’s shoulders. Watching his wife awkwardly smile back at him, Evan took her hand from his shoulder and held her waist. Yuliana gasped, and Evan, like a rabbit trembling, squeezed her swollen desire tightly.
Impulses towards his wife were one of Evan’s most basic desires. He gently spoke, gazing at her plump lips.
“How can I swear?”
“I, I said enough.”
“I don’t plan to just pass it over casually.”
“I, I do.”
Yuliana glanced nervously.
Evan, who usually confronts her head-on, now pitied his wife who didn’t know what to do at such times. He tilted his head lovingly towards his excited wife, as if wondering if the excessively intimate and close atmosphere was now passing.
“When you fell and lay for a month, do you know how I lived?”
“Um, you said you spent time pestering the poor healers.”
“That’s right.
“Yes.”
“Poor healers,” Yuliana chuckled. As Evan momentarily loosened his grip on her waist, her laughter ceased. Glancing around, she bit her lip. With rolling eyes, she seemed torn between wanting to flee and wanting to stay put.
Evan leaned closer to her. In truth, he had only joked; there was no foul smell emanating from his wife. She smelled like the sacred cedar trees that grew behind the temple.
After gently touching foreheads with her, Evan slowly lifted his chin. Thankfully, there was no reaction from his wife. Listening to her heart pounding, Evan struggled to suppress his discontented desire.
“‘Busy spending nights with other men’? What nonsense.” Evan recalled the rumors surrounding his wife, partly true and partly false. The more he thought about it, the more his anger flared up. His wife, praised and desired by others, hadn’t mixed with them.
Yuliana’s ability to tame the desires of those who desired her, both physically and mentally, was her specialty. And she had wielded that ability flawlessly even on her husband.
Until now.
“Yuliana.”
“Yes?”
Even the slightest trembling around her eyes was visible. Evan was satisfied with that momentary stimulation. He lightly brushed his lips against hers. As her head leaned back, her curly, long hair reached his hand on her waist.
Evan, in his greed, caressed the ends of her hair, then pulled her completely towards him.
Their lips parted, but only their breaths exchanged; nothing more. Yet, Yuliana felt like her heart was about to burst.
Was it because he pulled her in tighter? She finally placed her hand on her husband’s shoulder.
As her body began to weaken, Evan held her tightly. Like relics kissing, the two kissed, then parted their lips. Yet, they maintained the distance to see each other’s trembling eyelids.
Evan murmured his wife’s name softly, as if memorizing it.
“Yuliana…”
Yuliana finally recognized herself as both ‘Isian’ from her past life and ‘Yuliana Ovend’ from her current life, not as two separate entities but as one.
He was calling her.
No matter who she was, she belonged to Yuliana Ovend, his wife.
“……When you fell, I wanted to die. I couldn’t resist the urge unless I did something. But you lived. Tenaciously, on your bed… So, I tried to live. Although I pestered the healers a bit…”
“Heh…”
Yuliana laughed.
Even her laughter, Evan wanted to possess it satisfactorily. He pressed his lips against hers again.
This time, it was quite deep.
As he sought his wife’s trembling tongue, Evan suppressed his restrained groans due to the cold, feeling wrinkles forming on his forehead. Yuliana followed his tongue heavily, sucking.
How could it be more passionate than this? She was curious, and his desire made her heart flutter a little.
Eventually, when their lips parted, Evan began to speak, gently licking her swollen lips, a little later.
“After hearing news about you, there were a few little puppies who wanted to come to the mansion’s gate to see you. I was a little surprised. I had arrogantly assumed they were already as enthusiastic as they were during the fencing competition. However, considering there are exceptions to everything, I dealt with the situation thankfully.”
Ana had mentioned it casually before. ‘The Duke took care of it—.’ There were times when she wanted to ask, ‘How, and in what way?’
“But it didn’t matter to me what fate befell them.
The games I played as Yuliana Ovend in the past are no longer played. Because you get hurt, Evan. Yuliana Ovend, as called by Evan Helcen, doesn’t do such things.
“Do as you wish. If you want to kill, kill. If you want to save, save,” Yuliana whispered, closing her eyes and leaning towards his ear.
Satisfied with her whisper, Evan chuckled. Then, he held her and headed towards the bed. Yuliana didn’t resist. There was no reason to resist.
—
Chirp chirp―.
The next morning, Yuliana stared blankly at the sparrows sitting on the window sill, crying like she did on a morning when she recovered memories of a previous life.
As the winter turned to spring, raindrops from the night before remained on the window sill. The sparrow sitting between the window frames repeated drinking the pooled water.
Continuously watching the sparrow preen itself between wing flaps, Yuliana abruptly threw herself onto the bed as if diving.
Plop―.
The sound made the sparrow startled and disappear beyond the sky. But Yuliana let out a silent scream as she tossed and turned on the bed for a while.
“Hehehe…”
After rolling around on the bed for a while, Yuliana suddenly stretched her limbs and lay flat.
Feeling embarrassed, joyful, and trembling at the thought that something had changed in her busy life, she couldn’t help but get up, feeling like yesterday’s night would come back if she lay on the bed too long. Then, she opened the slightly ajar window wide.
The morning scent was delightful. Watching the traces of the sparrow that had flown away long ago, Yuliana smiled happily.
The days when she followed anything that seemed delightful and fun were over.
Yuliana took a deep breath of the lingering morning air and closed the window. Then, she opened her wardrobe to change into her everyday clothes before Anna arrived.
The dress in a fresh yellow color caught her eye first.
Humming to herself, Yuliana tried the dress on in front of the mirror. The harmony between the blush that rose from the lingering excitement and the dress seemed quite fitting.
“Should I wear this?”
Not too elaborate like a ball gown, it seemed like she didn’t have to worry too much about her attire. Yuliana continued humming as she took off her one-piece pajamas.
As she removed her pajamas, her body was exposed to the morning sunlight without yesterday’s nightwear. Traces from last night were visible on her pale skin. Reflected in the large mirror, her body seemed both familiar and different from before.
Gently touching her slightly sore waist and hips, Yuliana tapped them. Although naturally fair, the inner thighs, unusually white from lack of sun exposure, were tinged with red marks from last night.
“…Well, first, I should put on some underwear.”
Yuliana reassured herself against being consumed by thoughts of last night and put on her underwear.
