Forgotten Juliet

Her head was throbbing intolerably.

“Be quiet.”

Juliet whispered to soothe the butterflies.

“…Is that man part of the merchant group as well?”

“Yeah, let me introduce you. Eshel!”

When Helen called, a man named Eshel jumped off the carriage and slowly approached them.

“This is our magician, Eshelrid. He’s a hidden gem.”

When Helen introduced the man, curious olive-green eyes turned toward Juliet.

He politely offered a handshake to Juliet.

“My name is Eshelrid.”

“I’m Juliet.”

It wasn’t strange for a merchant group to have a magician.

Though he looked too young to be a magician, they were in the east, and the Magic Tower was at the end of the east.

For a merchant group that had to traverse the unpredictable forest road, a magician was a great asset.

She’d heard that in the east, instead of hiring mercenaries, they often hired magicians to counter potential thief attacks during their journey.

Of course, the rarity of magicians was about a hundred times that of a typical knight, so Juliet assumed that hiring him wouldn’t be cheap.

Externally, she acted as if it was no big deal, but as Juliet lightly held out her hand to shake Eshel’s, she was a bit tense.

The magicians she had met were all court magicians.

They fit the common image of a ‘magician.’

Court magicians were generally old men who wore fancy robes, grew white beards, and mostly stayed in the underground chambers of the palace.

Their job was mainly to put on a serious firework show during big events like the New Year’s ceremony, once or twice a year.

“Never be alone with a magician. It’s dangerous.”

Despite Lennox’s warning, Juliet didn’t feel much threat.

She often wondered whenever she watched the court magicians putting on a firework show from a distance, ‘Is that the only magic they know how to do?’

“Don’t let your demons be discovered by a magician.”

Lennox added to Juliet.

His explanation was intuitive.

The butterflies basically feed on human emotions, but human emotional energy is actually similar in nature to magic.

Like diluted magic, so to speak.

Therefore, when meeting magicians who have abundant magic, her butterflies would want to have a real feast, as he explained.

But if that’s the case, shouldn’t magicians be afraid of her, not the other way around?

When she asked this, Lennox smiled faintly.

“Those guys would throw a companion as bait in front of you just to have a chance to dissect you.”

In other words, don’t act carelessly if you don’t want to become a rare experimental material.

Indeed, Lennox kept Juliet from even moving in the presence of a magician due to his territory’s affairs several times.

Contrary to worry, Eshel exchanged polite greetings with Juliet and showed no unusual signs.

He didn’t seem to notice anything strange.

He simply greeted her appropriately as the niece of the merchant group leader, and then he returned to his own place.

‘This is different from what I thought.’

She imagined him locked up in a magic tower conducting suspicious research.

But the magician in front of her, that is, Eshelrid, seemed sociable.

‘…Good thing I wore gloves. It’s better to be careful.’

Having ridden this far, Juliet had her hair tied up and was wearing riding clothes.

She also wore leather boots and gloves.

‘I should keep them on, just in case.’

Juliet quietly heightened her alertness.

* * *

The carriage trip was more fun than expected.

The merchant group was always lively, and with a large number of people moving together, there was never a dull moment.

It felt like camping.

She was also delighted to ride a horse after a long time.

“Shall we race to that hill?”

Juliet stopped her horse for a moment to fix her hair, and during that time, Grey approached her with his horse.

Juliet sneakily checked the large pine tree erected on the hill and accepted the challenge.

“Sure.”

Grey, who took a quick glance over Juliet’s shoulder, grinned meaningfully.

“Shall we bet? The last person out of the three of us has to grant a wish to the first one who arrives. How about it?”

Three?

“Why three?”

Juliet asked in confusion. Then Teo’s voice came from behind her.

“I like it! Let’s start!”

“Hey! That’s cheating!”

As Teo quickly answered and took off first, Gray also dashed ahead.

Juliet, who was tying her hair, started last.

However, Juliet didn’t rush and tightly grasped the reins.

The strong horses carrying the two brothers stretched their long legs and moved forward without hesitation.

“Be careful!”

The horse carrying Teo narrowly brushed past a rattling carriage.

Gray’s horse chasing fearfully from behind was blocked by a hair’s breadth.

Teo confirmed this with a side glance and smiled triumphantly.

‘This is too easy, isn’t it?’

Juliet, who was falling behind from the start, didn/t even cast a shadow-like image during the entire race.

The stumbling Gray was no different.

‘If this goes on, I win!’

Soon the large oak tree, which was the target, came into view.

Teo, sensing victory, became arrogant.

At the moment he was considering whether it would be better to leisurely jump and look back when rounding the target.

Suddenly, a golden figure jumped into his sight.

“Huh?”

He was about to collide.

“Darn it!”

Teo reflexively pulled the reins quickly.

Not missing this chance, the suddenly appeared golden horse crossed the oak tree first.

The rider of the golden horse that slightly passed the finish line calmed the horse leisurely and looked back with a triumphant expression.

It was Juliet who took the pose that Teo had imagined.

“No way.”

“This can’t be!”

Gray, who came in next, also had a shocked expression.

Teo, flustered, passed the finish line last by a hair’s breadth.

“What kind of cheating did you use?”

“You were clearly at the very back!”

“Let’s do it again!”

Seeing the shocked expressions of the two brothers, Juliet burst into laughter.

* * *

A little while ago.

Juliet was stroking a gentle mare with smooth golden fur, when Isaac approached.

“Her name is Apple.”

Although Apple, a three-year-old mare, was timid, she didn’t seem to dislike Juliet at first sight.

When Juliet held out the apple she was holding in her hand, she quietly accepted it.

“Do you know how to ride a horse?”

Uncle Isaac asked worriedly. It was clear that he had deliberately chosen the docile Apple.

“Yes, don’t worry.”

Juliet gently stroked Apple’s neck with a smile.

The pack horses of Marigold were all big and sturdy.

In contrast, the small horses seemed to be used to carry performers through narrow places occasionally.

Juliet knew as soon as she saw Apple.

‘She’s of the Armas breed.’

Armas horses are known to be docile and small, but have astonishing jumping ability.

In a straight course, they would inevitably lose to the big horses, but in a complicated course where they had to avoid carriages here and there, and on narrow mountain paths, the big horses were no match.

The northern Karon had the largest racetrack on the continent.

And Juliet had seen a lot of Armas horses that consistently won in obstacle races.

All she had done was use a path advantageous for Apple.

However, Juliet did not explain how she was able to win the bet until the end.