Forgotten Juliet

* * *

Clatter.

Lennox stubbornly shoved a bowl of watery porridge toward Juliet.

[Eat.]

[I don’t want to.]

The attending doctor, who was watching the exchange from outside the door, wore an expression that said, ‘Here we go again.’

Over the last five days, they seemed like people fighting endlessly over how they could hurt each other more cleverly.

He had confined Juliet to his bedroom, not letting her step out at all.

Because of the baby item that a compassionate maid had secretly given to the confined Juliet, he had prohibited even those who were willing to take care of her from entering.

Instead, he tended to Juliet’s trivial needs himself.

Thanks to that, every mealtime had turned into a battlefield. He tried hard to feed her, but Juliet resisted eating.

Sitting in a corner of the bed with her knees drawn up to her chest, Juliet glanced at him reproachfully.

[Was it always like this?]

[Always?]

[Did you take care of the child every time a lower-class lover had a baby?]

[…]

Lennox looked at Juliet with a dry gaze.

[Well, I don’t know.]

He wasn’t unaware that it was a provocation.

[Usually, it wasn’t so easy to have a baby.]

Slap.

A sharp breaking sound cut through the air.

[…I’m sorry.]

Juliet seemed more surprised by her own slap.

Lennox, on the other hand, nonchalantly rubbed his jaw. The sound was loud, but a slap from Juliet, who hadn’t eaten properly for days, didn’t even leave a mark.

[Done venting your anger?]

He smiled sarcastically.

[If you want to starve and lose the baby, I won’t stop you.]

[Don’t pretend to care.]

With tear-swollen eyes, Juliet snapped back.

[You’ll be the happiest if the baby is gone.]

Even if she was being sarcastic like that, it didn’t hurt him at all. For days, he was more bothered by Juliet’s red eyes from crying.

[Why waste time, you never cared anyway…]

[…]

Juliet sulkily turned her back and laid down, and he went out to the hallway where the doctor was waiting.

[I will prescribe sedatives again.]

The waiting doctor took the teacup.

The physician brought the most skilled pharmacist from the continent and immediately had the medicine prepared.

[It will take about another week.]

The pharmacist cautiously advised.

[And for the Silphium flower to work effectively… the lady needs to recover her health.]

[I understand.]

The reason Lennox struggled to feed Juliet was because of that. He was worried about Juliet’s weakened body.

[There really are no other side effects, right?]

[If the lady’s health is stable, of course.]

The pharmacist referred to Juliet as ‘the lady’ every time.

As if sensing his inner thoughts instinctively, like a prey animal sensing danger, Juliet was extremely anxious the entire time she was confined by him.

Even though he had decided to act kindly.

‘You never cared’?

Power flowed into his involuntarily clenched fist.

A snicker of ridicule escaped her. Would it have been so painful if that were the case?

[Whatever you do with the medicine, I don’t care about the child in the womb.]

He reiterated to himself once again.

[Just keep the woman alive.]

* * *

[…Sorry, baby. Sorry.]

Returning to the bedroom with freshly prepared medicine and food, Lennox paused at the sound coming through the slightly opened door.

For some reason, Juliet sat as if she was in a trance.

[It’s not your fault… But please don’t hate me.]

She mumbled incomprehensible words while curling up.

Lennox looked at her agonizing face for a moment, then purposely made a noise to alert her.

Startled by the noise, Juliet looked at him curled up.

[Eat.]

[…]

[Shall I feed you?]

Clatter.

Unexpectedly, Juliet glared at him for a moment then obediently picked up the spoon.

He wondered what was going on, but it wasn’t an illusion.

Juliet emptied the watery porridge, which she couldn’t eat more than a few bites of before, and silently drank the medicinal tea too.

[I’m sorry.]

[For what?]

[For foolishly, without any thought, having a baby.]

A tear drop slid down her cheek and dropped into the teacup.

[I wish our baby could have had a good mother too.]

[…]

He froze on the spot.

Whatever emotional shift had happened, Juliet now seemed serene as if she had given up on everything.

After changing her clothes, Juliet spoke.

[I want to go for a walk.]

Even though he didn’t withdraw his suspicious gaze, he complied with her request.

They went for an evening stroll as if nothing had happened.

Juliet looked at the courtyard she was seeing for the first time in five days with hollow eyes.

[I thought the name Lily would be nice.]

Suddenly, while looking at the backyard full of blooming white lilies, Juliet spoke.

[It might be a boy.]

Juliet gave a faint smile.

[It looks like it’s going to rain.]

Juliet walked around the courtyard where lilies bloomed morning and evening, slowly regaining her strength.

Of course, whenever he was absent, the stern surveillance of the servants and knights followed her like a shadow, but the last time Juliet spoke about the baby was that evening.

For the next few days, she didn’t mention leaving again, or anything about the baby.

Juliet, like a doll that lost its will, struggled to eat what was given to her, drank the medicine he provided, and fell into a deep sleep.

Instead, he couldn’t eat or sleep.

Every night, he stayed awake by Juliet’s side who was asleep, repeating to himself.

Whatever he had to give up, it was better than losing her forever.

[Master.]

It had been several days like this.

In the early dawn, Milan, the vice-captain of the knights, cautiously knocked on the bedroom door, summoning him to the corridor.

[Demonic beasts?]

[Yes, it seems quite unusual…]

It was reported that an unidentified large group of beasts was ravaging the nearby villages and moving quickly.

[They are beasts, but they are invisible.]

Rubbing his tired eyes, Lennox’s face changed color.

There was only one kind of beast with such characteristics.

[Shadow wolves?]

[Nothing else could it be.]

Two troublesome features of the shadow wolf were that they were invisible and their numbers rapidly increased due to their voracious appetite.

It was worrisome that such beasts were sighted near the forest close to the castle.

Despite being violent large beasts, they were invisible, so literally, hunting had to be done by looking at shadows while the sun was up.

Lennox glanced out of the window at the end of the corridor.

It was still dark as dawn hadn’t broken yet.

[If we hurry, we can handle this before it gets dark.]

Milan hurriedly suggested as if reading his thoughts.

Well.

Normally, he wouldn’t have hesitated, but he didn’t feel like leaving the castle so he hesitated for a moment.

The evil spirit that was locked up in the eastern tower along with the belongings had been quiet as it lost its strength.

But there were only two days left until the date the pharmacist had promised.

He quickly glanced through the gap in the bedroom door.

On the wide bed, Juliet, who had taken a sedative, was sleeping peacefully.

Although he planned to get rid of the thorn in his side, Juliet was, after all, pregnant with his child.

The fact that an unidentified beast was lurking close by while a woman with a child was in the castle fanned his instinctive anxiety.

After a moment of conflict, he eventually moved towards the stable.

[Prepare the knights.]

* * *

Grrrrrr!

Unbelievably, as soon as they stepped into the nearby forest outside the castle, they encountered the beasts.

Sigh.

It was a bit annoying that the shadow wolves were not only large but also invisible, however, if one knew the breaking spell, it wasn’t difficult to handle.

The well-trained knights proficiently reduced the number of beasts.

Giaaah!

As befits a herd-living beast, there were young cubs too. Lennox fired an arrow towards a small fleeing shadow.

Kirk!

But a large entity, perhaps the parent, rushed at him.

Damn.

With a practiced motion, he swung his sword down.

Shadow wolves were infamous for horrifically defending their young, unlike other beasts.

Taking advantage of this, the last one, seemingly a young one, managed to escape.

Lennox paused for a moment and lowered his sword.

[It’s better to hurry before the sun sets.]

Milan urged, but he stood there for a while, looking down at the invisible carcass of the beast. Black blood slowly stained the ground.

[…]

For some reason, the sound of his heartbeat echoed in his ears.

He sensed an unusual sense of threat instinctively. Due to their herd-living nature, the number of shadow wolves had declined rapidly and they hadn’t appeared for nearly a hundred years.

An inexplicable eerie instinct was warning him.

His heart beat harshly, to an unsettling degree.

Could it be?

[Master?]

Without giving the puzzled knights behind a chance to hold him, he rushed back on the path he came on horseback.

[Your Highness!]

He had nothing in mind but to reach the castle as quickly as possible.

Driving the horse hard, he managed to cover a long distance in a short time at an astonishing speed.

But just when the turrets of the castle came into view, he could see people frantically running around in the front yard of the castle.

[…]

[…Hurry…!]

Servants were hastily bringing horses, and knights were urgently mounting horses as if forming a pursuit team.

There was only one reason for the knights to be alarmed when the master of the castle, he, was absent.

Juliet.

[Uh, Your Highness?]

[Where is she?]

[I was about to contact…]

[Where did she go!]

His shout was directed at the servant who was hurriedly climbing the watchtower.

Reaching the high watchtower, the servant quickly surveyed the surroundings and pointed in the direction behind the castle.

[There, over there!]

He couldn’t explain it, but he instinctively knew where to go.

With his face gone pale, he raced his horse in the direction the servant pointed.

The remote long trail where Juliet used to stroll with the foal.

Riding madly for about 5 minutes, he found the back he was looking for in one breath.

[Juliet!]

[…!]

The frightened blue eyes of the woman hanging on the hazelnut-colored horse glanced back at him.