Episode 25

As the surveillance around her increased, Julia quietly stayed in her place for a while.

As the time alone increased, her heart sank endlessly.

At dawn, not knowing how many days had passed, Yulia stood in front of the door, unable to sleep.

After a short hesitation, I opened the door and saw a dark and desolate hallway. Fortunately, there seemed to be no one in the hallway.

While she was taking such careful steps, someone suddenly stopped in front of her.

"I see you, Rain."

When Julia raised her head in shock, I saw an article that kept silent about where she had appeared.

"It is late in the morning, my lord. May I ask where you are going?"

"… I just want to go for a walk."

When Julia responded calmly, the knight bowed his head and continued.

"I will accompany you."

"no. I want to go alone, so it's okay if you don't follow me."

She let out her voice as innocent as possible, killing her embarrassment. Fortunately, her knight steered clear of her path that had stood in her way.

"Yes, you will."

Julia, who was quietly relieved by the unexpected and compliant answer, immediately walked past the knight.

That way, I left the castle and headed for the garden. As she walked along her long garden path, she soon stopped in front of a large fountain.

In her hand was a pendant.

Holding the pendant close to her heart, Julia recalled the quiet voice of Matthew.

'The reason I gave you this pendant is because I wanted you to have peace of mind.'

On the day he had visited the temple the other day, Matthews said while infusing the pendant with a stronger and denser power.

'But now that circumstances have arisen, I will help you to use my holy powers within it.'

That day, Matthew said something unbelievable. It means that she can use her own sexual power.

It was said that it was thanks to the sexual power that had been in her heart since birth.

'If you bring the pendant close to the heart and resonate, you will be able to exert its power for a short time.'

In other words, it meant that the power of the heart could be used for a short time using the pendant as a medium.

He added that the use of sexual force in such a way must come with a price.

Her body was not in a stable state to use her sexual power, so she said that her body wouldn't be able to handle it if she used random power.

'Please consider this power as a last resort.'

After finishing the recollection at the end of Mateus's request, Julia put the blue pendant back into her arms.

Then I looked around for a long time. It was early morning and no one was passing by.

With her robes pressed tightly, Yulia hurriedly took her steps away.

So I walked and walked and walked.

The gates must be guarded by knights, so Julia headed to the side where there was no circuit for the knights to pass.

Looking up at the distantly high fortress wall, Julia showed a determined face.

'If you hide your presence with your strength, you may be able to escape safely.'

There was no way to escape unless it was dawn like now.

Just as she was about to take the pendant out of her arms, someone grabbed her wrist.

The body that had returned quickly slammed into someone's arms.

"… … !"

When he raised his head in that state, to his surprise, Fernan was standing there.

Messy black hair. Below her, her ferocious gleaming golden eyes turned to her.

While Julia froze for a moment, Fernando opened her mouth with a terrifyingly cool voice for an instant.

"What are you doing here?"

When Julia did not answer, biting her trembling lips, he asked again.

"Where were you going this morning?"

"… … ."

"Tell me. Did you even try to run away?"

Yulia, who had a hardened expression on her face, tried to push him away, but the strong hand that held his wrist gave him strength.

I was afraid of the gazes staring at me as if they would swallow me all. Julia lowered her shaking eyes.

Obviously, the knight who was guarding the front of the place let me go. But maybe he secretly followed me?

if not… I didn't even know that there was a gaze watching me from somewhere other than where I was.

While Yulia was silent with a dark face, her body was suddenly lifted up by a rough hand.

"… ah!"

Fernan, who was holding her snugly, began to slowly separate her steps.

Yulia couldn't hide her embarrassment as she looked at his face that got closer.

When he looked down, he noticed that the collar of his shirt was loose. He seemed to have jumped right out when he heard the news, perhaps while he was resting.

His hand gripped his knees and waist, and tenacious strength was placed on him.

Without even looking at Julia once, he stepped forward without hesitation.

Julia was obediently embraced by him without rebelling. But his mind began to tangle with fifty thousand thoughts.

Meanwhile, he reached the castle in an instant.

Perhaps there was a commotion while Julia left the castle to escape, and the users were gathering in the lobby.

As soon as he entered, the users who saw him bowed their heads.

"… My, take it down."

In the midst of this, Yulia muttered a little, not wanting to see her hugged by him.

But Fernando didn't listen and just went up the stairs.

The place he headed was not the hallway where Julia's bedroom was. The other side was the hallway where his bedroom was.

He opened the door as if in a bit of a hurry and entered the room. He immediately put Julia down on the bed.

When Julia suddenly tried to get herself up, Fernando put her back on the bed easily with just a little force.

"I am here in the future."

"What… ."

"Stay here, in my bedroom. Don't go anywhere."

At the cold words, Yulia shrugged without realizing it.

Again, just like then, because I thought he was showing me a fever.

However, Fernando turned around without touching her.

And he just sat on the sofa a little farther away and stared at her.

Yulia, who was staring blankly at him, slowly straightened her body. Grasping her blanket tightly, she asked quietly.

"… Why are you doing this?"

"… … ."

"Tell me, what do you want?"

I even thought that I wanted to find out the reason, do everything I could, and get a divorce comfortably.

Fernan's eyebrows gradually became distorted on her face, where such inner feelings were exposed.

He parted his lips as if to say something, then closed it back. In the end, he never got an answer back.

There was only silence between them for a long time.

Julia felt a distant feeling and clasped her hands. Her head was dizzy.

Julia, who had been sitting still, eventually buried her head with her knees up.

Fernan still watched her. She didn't take her eyes off her for a second.

While I was crouching for a long time with an uncomfortable heart, time passed without delay.

It was around the morning when the sun had fully risen when Julia woke up.

As I got up, a thick blanket fell under my body.

'When did you fall asleep? .'

I remember she was clearly sitting, but at some point she was lying neatly on the bed and sleeping.

When I hurriedly checked the surroundings, Fernan was nowhere to be seen. With a small sigh of relief, Julia got out of bed.

As they crossed the room, the door to the dressing room on one wall suddenly burst open.

Fernando stood in front of the door and looked at her quietly.

"Where are you going?"

A low-pitched voice turned to Julia. Yulia replied while hesitating, not avoiding his gaze.

"I'm going back to my bedroom."

"Whoever wants."

Julia bit her lip at the cold voice that immediately responded.

In the morning, I thought that he would change his mind about staying in this bedroom alone.

But it seems that wasn't the case at all. Julia grabbed the hem of her dress.

"Are you planning on locking me up?"

"If you keep trying to run away, you have no choice but to do it."

At the answer that flowed without hesitation, Yulia looked up at him who was approaching him for a moment, lost for words.

As always, an expressionless face with nothing in it. A man who just gave orders without any explanation.

Julia lowered her head, releasing the strength from the hand holding the dress. Her pale eyes gradually began to turn red.

Seeing that, Fernando wrinkled his hand without realizing it, but that was all.

What came out was a calm voice that swallowed all emotions.

"Tell me that you will be by my side. Don't even talk about the damn divorce anymore."

"… … ."

"Then I will no longer be imprisoned or monitored."

With a face that looked like she was about to cry, Julia smiled a little.

It was clear what he wanted of me. He wants to live as the Grand Duchess, who is nothing but an imaginary figure like before.

Even if you are despised and despised, even if this place is hell, by his side, as always, be quiet.

Yulia let out a voice that had no depth through her dry lips.

"How, to the end… ."

"… … ."

"… Until the end, are you just being harsh on me?"

The faint glimmer of light remaining in Julia's eyes completely faded.

This man, who had said with all his eyes that he hated her, now suddenly tells me to stay by my side. He didn't even give a compelling reason.

As if your heart is nothing, you are just giving orders.

Julia's breathing gradually became more urgent. The embankment of emotions that I had barely endured fell completely.

I don't want to understand this man anymore.