Forgotten Juliet

“I didn’t do that on purpose just now. It’s just that, seeing you again like this, I was so happy…”

Juliet, who was clutching her head and moaning, barely came to her senses.

Happy?

Today she saw his face for the first time.

She didn’t understand what could make someone happy about it.

It was still a face she didn’t recognize.

Juliet couldn’t possibly forget such a handsome man.

If he happened to brush past on the street, he would be a beauty that would be hard to forget for at least ten years.

Even by Juliet’s strict standards, which had become higher since she became Lennox Carlyle’s lover, he was undeniably handsome.

…But she would like him to stop soon.

Juliet glanced around carefully.

The skirmish on the train seemed to have been somewhat resolved.

“Roy!”

“You’re safe. Thank goodness!”

Most of the people who had come to rescue him, including the big middle-aged man, had gathered around him.

And most of them were glaring at Juliet with displeasure.

It seemed that the person they came to find, ‘Roy,’ was this man.

And they didn’t seem pleased with the situation where their rescuer was kneeling before a strange woman and apologizing. Then what was that wolf from earlier?

‘That wolf wasn’t Roy?’

That was what she thought for sure.

Juliet looked around briefly. However, the wolf was nowhere to be seen or heard.

Strange. Even though it’s a train with ten cars, if a wolf of that size, that presence, had gone to another car, it wouldn’t be this quiet.

Juliet raised her head with a puzzled expression.

“I’m sorry. Did you get hurt anywhere…?”

As soon as the man’s eyes met Juliet’s, he immediately apologized reflexively.

If she didn’t respond appropriately, he seemed like he would continue like this all day.

Moreover, with a face that didn’t match his size, he was handsome and kind, so he was someone difficult to get angry with.

Juliet didn’t know where to look, so she quietly sighed.

“…Okay, now put some clothes on.”

“Pardon?”

“Cough.”

The middle-aged man standing behind them cleared his throat and draped a long coat over the man’s shoulders.

The middle-aged man was the same burly man whom Juliet had glimpsed with admiration in the restaurant booth.

The silver-grey haired young man seemed unsure of what the problem was and tilted his head, but as Juliet pointed out, he accepted the coat and draped it over his shoulders.

His gentle golden eyes turned towards Juliet once again.

Before an apology could escape his lips once again, Juliet quickly cut in.

“Do you know me?”

“Yes?”

“You said you were happy to see me earlier.”

“Oh, that… um…”

The man blinked his eyes, slightly flustered.

“But I don’t think I know someone like you.”

“Oh.”

The man blinked his eyes a few times and suddenly smiled. It was a surprising and charming smile, as if he was amazed by her presence.

“I apologize for the late introduction, miss.”

With one knee on the ground, the man naturally held Juliet’s fingertips and lightly kissed the back of her hand.

Juliet was slightly taken aback by the smooth and natural gesture.

But in the next moment, when she heard the man’s name, Juliet couldn’t help but be stunned.

“My name is Romeo Romulus Pascal. Just call me Roy.”

A moment later.

Laughter echoed through the quiet train.

Juliet found herself laughing uncontrollably.

Romeo and Juliet. Weren’t those the names of the characters from the romantic novel her nanny used to tell her about?

“It’s an old-fashioned name that doesn’t suit me. I know that too.”

Roy, who had been looking puzzled, smiled softly.

“But if you laugh so openly like that, I feel quite embarrassed.”

“No, I’m sorry. It’s just that…”

Juliet bit her lip and held back her laughter.

The people standing behind him glared at her with hostile expressions, but once the laughter erupted, it was hard to suppress.

She wondered how long it had been since she laughed so joyfully.

‘What on earth should I say to explain?’

However, no matter what explanation she gave, they wouldn’t understand. So after a while, she simply smiled brightly, ceasing her laughter.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Juliet.”

* * *

In the early morning, before the sun had risen, a man hurriedly walked towards the Emperor’s palace.

The young man with blond hair was Prince Cloff, the second prince.

The Emperor had three sons, and Cloff was considered the most capable of the three.

Some people said he had the highest possibility of becoming the Crown Prince.

Cloff’s steps were somewhat excited.

As the second prince, there was a good reason for him to visit his father, the Emperor, at such an early hour.

‘At last…’

Duke Carlyle, who was like a thorn in his side with his disdain for the royal family, was not easy to approach. The Duke only allowed those he trusted to come close, and his loyal followers were so devoted that they couldn’t be bought with money.

However, Cloff tried his best to find any information that could be a weakness for Duke Carlyle.

And last night.

He finally succeeded in catching Duke Carlyle’s suspicious movement.

The previous night, Lennox Carlyle left the venue with his partner before the official event even started.

It was incredibly audacious not to offer any explanation or apology to the Emperor. But what happened next was even more significant.

“Duke Carlyle infiltrated the temple and stole the relic.”

One of Cloff’s subordinates barely managed to track the Duke’s whereabouts.

For Cloff, who was desperate for any leads, this couldn’t be a better opportunity.

Since Duke Carlyle already had a bad relationship with the temple, if things went well, this incident could weaken the Duke’s power in the aristocracy.

Cloff went to see his father, the Emperor, as soon as dawn broke to deliver this joyful news.

However, Cloff had to stop in front of the Emperor’s throne room.

In an irritated voice, he exclaimed to the guard blocking his path.

“Step aside. I must see His Majesty immediately.”

But the guard didn’t move.

“The important guest is present, Your Highness.”

Important guest?

Clof furrowed his brow. Who could have seen the Emperor before him on such a morning?

However, the answer to his question appeared behind him.

Upon hearing footsteps from behind, Cloff casually turned around.

Then he froze in place upon seeing the man walking leisurely.

“…Duke?”

Cloff’s pulse quickened.

It was because the man standing before him was the same person about whom he brought the news.

Lennox Carlyle.

He had an appearance that was far from flashy, to the point of looking modest, with no jewelry to prove his status. But he was undoubtedly a man who couldn’t be underestimated.

The gaze of Duke Carlyle, who spotted Cloff standing in front of the throne room, held no eye contact and lacked even a hint of respect.

He was the only Duke without any blood relation to the royal family.

However, the Carlyle family, with a longer history than the royal family, had secured autonomy in the North as a price for an inviolable treaty with the former Emperor.

Despite being Dukes, they didn’t bow their heads to the royal family and were addressed as ‘Your Highness’ imperial family.

The man, whose gait even resembled that of a predatory beast, stood in front of the throne room just as Cloff had done a moment ago.

“Open it.”

However, unlike before, the door to the Emperor’s throne room slid open smoothly.

Thud.

As the sound of the door closing echoed, Cloff, left outside the throne room, gritted his teeth.

* * *

Before the aftermath of the New Year’s ball had fully settled, a tense atmosphere enveloped the palace.

Uninvited guests armed with weapons had come to the palace. The man who dared to challenge the Emperor was the Duke from the North.

“…Duke Carlyle, what did you just say?”

“I’m getting married.”

Emperor Maximilian II was a suspicious man who knew how to weigh his interests.

The Carlyle family was like a double-edged sword to the Empire and the royal family.

While the powerful army led by the Duke could be intimidating, as long as they didn’t threaten the royal family or leave the northern territories, they could be a reliable weapon.

As soon as the lake turned red, a sign of impending disaster, Duke Carlyle was the first to be summoned for that very reason.

If the upcoming catastrophe involved an invasion of their lands, the military power of the Duke would be needed.

However, contrary to the Emperor’s expectations, Lennox Carlyle’s visit to the palace was not in response to the Emperor’s summons.

The Emperor stared sharply at Lennox Carlyle, who was sitting across from him.

This time, the Duke of the North was a young man, even younger than his youngest son, with a vibrant, pale complexion.

“Congratulations. Which noble family does the bride come from?”

The Emperor grew tense.

As soon as he heard the purpose of the Duke’s visit, his concerns about omens were pushed far away.

Duke Carlyle standing before him right now was a more fearsome presence than the uncertain future disasters that could strike at any time.

The Emperor quickly recalled the names of the high noble families who could be potential marriage partners for Duke Carlyle.

If the Duke were to form a marital alliance with foreign royalty or a powerful influential family, it would be troublesome.

Of course, the list of candidate families didn’t include the name of Lady Monad, who was currently known as his lover.

The Duke was famous for his beautiful lovers.

And it was widely known that the Duke didn’t take those relationships seriously.

The Emperor, too, was one of those who didn’t believe that Juliet Monad would become the Duchess.

The imperial family and its close aides secretly frowned upon the Duke’s casual and unpredictable relationships.

But suddenly, marriage? And that too, overnight?

However, for some reason, Lennox Carlyle stared at the Emperor with an expressionless and cold gaze.

And then he answered abruptly.

“She is Your Majesty’s adopted daughter.”

“…?”

The Emperor was momentarily taken aback by the overly nonchalant attitude of Duke Carlyle, to the point where he questioned if he really had a daughter.

But the truth was that the Emperor didn’t have a daughter, let alone any daughters. He was known to have only three sons.

“No, where could I have a daughter…?”

“From today, Juliet Monad is Your Majesty’s daughter.”

The Emperor was dumbfounded, his mouth hanging open.

He realized the audacity of this guy’s scheme.

Lennox Carlyle had caused a stir in the northern temples, causing them to be closed down. As a result, he was in a state of conflict with the temples.

Therefore, he couldn’t have a formal wedding ceremony conducted in the temple.

Even if he was to marry and have a child, that child wouldn’t be officially recognized as the heir.

However, if the marriage partner was a representative of the imperial religion, it would change the situation.

The temples had an implicit obligation to solemnly bless any wedding ceremony conducted by the imperial family.

So, this audacious young Duke had planned to use the imperial family to orchestrate a flawless and impeccable wedding ceremony.

‘…Have you ever seen such an arrogant guy?’

Not only that, but he also intended to elevate his lover, who had become an abandoned orphan, to an impeccable status.

No matter how prestigious the position of Duke Carlyle may be, to openly exploit the imperial family for the sake of a mere woman was audacious and beyond conceited.

The Emperor thought it was the perfect time to express his anger.

It would be strange if he didn’t get furious.

But…

“Please sign.”

Before the Emperor could say anything, Lennox Carlyle nonchalantly pushed a prepared document in front of him.

As a result, the Emperor missed the timing to express his anger.

In a moment of surprise, the Emperor glanced at the document before him and was astonished.

[Juliet Rosemary Monad, the sole heir of the loyal Count Monad and the Monad family, enters the imperial family, considering the friendship and loyalty between the imperial family and the Monad family.]

The perfect document began with such a crazy sentence and ended with the content that the Duke Carlyle would present the imperial family with the sapphire mine he owned as an engagement gift.

The Emperor was completely dumbfounded.