Chapter 99
Yulia, who had been listening intently to every word of the Crown Prince, clenched her dress tightly. At that moment, the fragmented memories in her mind, based on the Crown Prince’s words, began to piece together one by one.
Yulia could now feel it for the first time. The fact that she had run away from Fernan.
She had become exhausted by his coldness, and life had felt too heavy to bear.
The cliff she had seen in a dream long ago, with the rushing river flowing below, was not just a mere dream scene.
The sensation of jumping down without hesitation from that cliff remained vivid in her mind.
“Where have you been since you were dragged back? Ah, the Duke once left the castle for several months… Was it then?”
“……”
Yulia, who had been silent, lowered her gaze. She likely referred to the time when she had stayed in a villa for quite a while after being brought there by Fernan.
It had been a villa with a view of a lake. The memory of riding on a white horse with Fernan across the plains was still clear.
She even remembered how pleasant she had felt at that time.
The memories were returning now, along with the sense of reality.
But before she could think any deeper, the Crown Prince muttered another shocking remark.
“The Duke will surely fall if you are used as leverage. If that happens, we can strip him of everything he has, and ensure he never raises his head in front of me again.”
His voice sounded pleased, as though imagining it brought him joy. Yulia clenched her hands tightly and bit her lip.
Fernan had probably foreseen this situation. That’s why he had warned her not to leave the castle.
Yulia furrowed her brow, feeling the weight of her mistake. So, all of this had happened because she hadn’t listened to him.
“That expression of yours tells me that you’re quite fond of him, despite my thoughts,” the Crown Prince said, lowering his eyes with a look of regret, before continuing in a gentle voice.
“Why on earth would you cry over a dullard like him?”
Once again, the Crown Prince reached out and grabbed a lock of Yulia’s hair, starting to play with it.
Yulia, fighting against the pounding headache, reflexively slapped his hand away.
Laughing as if amused, the Crown Prince stood up from his chair.
“Well, we’ve talked enough for now. It must have been exhausting to be dragged all the way here. It’s best you rest for now.”
The Crown Prince muttered these words in a sweet tone as he looked down at her.
Ignoring him, Yulia lowered her head, deep in thought.
She needed to escape from here. She couldn’t allow Fernan to be put in danger because of her.
A day passed.
Since the day before, the Crown Prince hadn’t visited again, and only the maid came to bring food a few times.
The only chance to leave the room would come when the maid opened the door.
But it wasn’t easy to seize that opportunity.
The maid only pushed the food in and immediately left. And there were guards stationed outside.
Even if she managed to escape, she would likely be caught right away.
‘Has the Prince realized by now that I’ve disappeared…?’
Yulia sighed deeply as she leaned against the wall.
She was worried that things might have gone wrong due to her disappearance.
And as the Crown Prince had said, she feared that she was being used as leverage to threaten Fernan. That was the most unsettling thought.
Her mind felt suffocating. No matter how much she thought about it, she couldn’t find an answer.
She hadn’t trusted the letter from an unknown source at first, but the mention of her mother’s name and her hometown had made her fall for it.
‘I should never have left the castle.’
Unable to resist the rising guilt, Yulia slowly sank to the floor.
After a long moment of looking down, Yulia pressed her reddened eyes.
Crying wouldn’t solve the situation. She had to find a way out.
Yulia looked around the room, which had no windows.
It was a solitary confinement cell, with only a bathroom as an adjoining room. The expensive furniture around her only added to the feeling of being trapped, like a prison.
Still, there might be something useful she could find. Perhaps something she could use as a weapon…
Yulia rummaged through the nightstand, the drawer on one side, and beneath the central table.
But all she found was a small vase. Gripping the vase tightly in her hand, Yulia looked toward the door.
‘…Should I break this to make a commotion and take the chance to escape?’
At that moment, she heard the sound of a key turning in the lock.
Quickly, Yulia placed the vase back on the table and nervously stared at the door.
The door opened, and completely unexpected people stepped inside.
It was the Marchioness Elodie and her son, Grayson.
“The Crown Prince is truly gracious. To give you such a nice room,” the Marchioness muttered as she stepped inside.
Yulia froze and stepped backward, watching them approach.
The Marchioness, having been inspecting the room, turned her eyes on Yulia and squinted them slightly.
“You’re standing quite well, I see.”
It seemed she had hoped Yulia would be groaning in pain from torture. Clicking her tongue in disappointment, the Marchioness muttered that the room was far too lavish for Yulia.
Yulia tried to figure out why they had come here, but quickly changed her mind and spoke in a subdued voice.
“After deceiving me and bringing me here, what exactly are you planning to do now?”
Yulia, though still instinctively afraid of the Marchioness, also felt a clear sense of anger.
The Marchioness had always been scheming against her, trying to harm her, and now, she was trying to drag Fernan down through Yulia.
Yulia gripped her trembling hands tightly. The Marchioness approached her with a venomous glare.
“Where do you get the audacity to talk back?” she hissed, her hand raised as if to slap Yulia.
Yulia didn’t flinch and met the Marchioness’s gaze head-on as Grayson stepped forward and blocked her path.
“Maintain your dignity, Mother. There are maids and knights outside,” he said indifferently.
The Marchioness, having heard her son’s words, nodded and retracted her hand.
“Right, of course. I’ve been having trouble keeping my composure lately,” she muttered, suddenly changing her tone.
Yulia couldn’t help but glance at Grayson, realizing after all these years that this man was her half-brother. His slightly lighter brown hair and blue eyes were a clear mix of the Marchioness and her husband.
Grayson soon explained why he had come in place of their mother.
“I’ve come because the Crown Prince asked me to. He said you must be lonely here alone, so he wanted me to spend time with you.”
“…Hah.”
Yulia let out a dry laugh and bit her lip again.
The Crown Prince’s shameless behavior, along with the presence of these two, was causing her mind to spiral with confusion.
Yulia turned her back to them, trying to calm her pounding heart.
“As you can see, I’m locked up quite well. Are you satisfied now that you’ve seen for yourself?”
She muttered in a voice colder than usual, and the Marchioness sharply retorted.
“You don’t seem too pleased with being locked up, huh? Well, if you hadn’t run away, none of this would have happened.”
“……”
“If you had just stayed in your place from the beginning, none of this would have happened, and our family wouldn’t be in such a mess. You should be ashamed, yet here you are, talking back.”
Yulia quietly listened to the Marchioness’s words, her eyes darkening. She clenched her fists tightly.
No matter what, the blame was always placed on her. Whether she ran away or stayed, she was always seen as ungrateful, insolent, and useless.
Yulia looked at them with eyes full of disdain.
“Don’t think you can get anything from using me again. I won’t let you.”
Her voice was firm, and her clenched hands trembled with barely contained rage.
“Talking back again, huh? Should I have you whipped like when you were younger to knock some sense into you?” the Marchioness sneered, raising her hand once more.
At that moment, Grayson swiftly grabbed her arm.
“Enough. Let’s leave.”
“Wait a minute. What do you think you’re doing, blocking our family’s way?” The Marchioness spat, but Grayson forcibly led her to the door.
She glared at him, but as their eyes met with the maids outside, she straightened herself and quickly followed Grayson out.
Yulia watched their figures leave with cold eyes, and then slowly turned her body around.
As she tried to calm her thumping heart, her gaze landed on the key placed on the table.
Next to it was a small dagger.
“……!”
Yulia’s eyes widened, and she immediately turned around.
In that moment, she locked eyes with Grayson, who was closing the door.
He simply blinked slowly but seemed to convey a hidden message in his eyes.
Grayson had come here to give her the key, and perhaps the dagger as a weapon.
The door closed completely, and Yulia pressed the dagger into her chest, gripping the key tightly as she stared at the spot where Grayson had just been.
