Forgotten Juliet

* * *

Anyone who has played with dolls as a child would have recognized it.

Furniture with subtly off proportions compared to reality. Clothes that are overly flamboyant and uncomfortable to wear and move in.

Among the toys Juliet played with when she was little, there were such things.

From the tight corsets to the prickly touch of her undergarments, they didn’t seem like things meant for humans to wear.

And then there were the fake teacups that showed no signs of use.

Juliet turned over an empty teapot and glanced at the fake food displayed on the table.

Though they looked real, they were intricately crafted imitations.

She didn’t understand the principle, but it was clear that the space was created using a divine power.

The exit door was merely a decorative painting on the wall, and the windows she found wouldn’t open.

It was absurd.

That such a space existed within the temple.

More importantly, the Pope was the one who imprisoned her here.

Her butterflies couldn’t be summoned either.

Was it because of the missing key?

Sebastian, that strange man, had taken not only Juliet’s clothes and belongings but also the necklace with the key.

No, that’s not it.

The butterflies would always appear whenever she called, whether she had the key or not.

‘It must be because of the divine power barrier.’

Juliet guessed as much.

She recalled the words of the high priest who boasted about the ninety-eight layers of the divine barrier.

“So this must be Lucerne.”

At least she was relieved that she hadn’t been moved somewhere far away.

After thoroughly exploring the mansion, Juliet slumped down in a corner of the hallway on the first floor.

She wasn’t sure how much time had passed since she entered, but the only thing she had eaten was an apple a while ago.

It was strange she still had energy.

“I got it wrong.”

Juliet sat with her back against the wall and her knees raised, trying to sort out her thoughts.

The fake doors and windows were just decorative.

It seems this place is designed so she couldn’t leave on her own.

Sebastian had appeared from the bedroom, descending on what looked like a spiral staircase. That was probably the only entrance and exit to this place.

“So, this is a space inside the temple created with divine power…”

It was like some kind of barrier.

Once they realized Juliet was missing, her companions would surely start searching for her.

“…Will they come looking for me?”

She wasn’t very confident, maybe because of exhaustion or the overwhelming situation.

‘Lennox…’

He might be angry because of what happened yesterday and may have already headed North.

As for Roy… she really didn’t understand his kind, as they appeared and disappeared abruptly.

That left Teo and Eshelrid.

She didn’t feel too optimistic.

Pope Sebastian, or rather that madman, why did he kidnap her? What is his motive?

Creak. Creak. Creak.

Again.

Juliet froze, hearing that sound.

She heard something rolling but had no idea what made that eerie sound.

If she had to compare, it was like an under-oiled machine moving.

‘When did I first hear that noise?’

But her instincts warned her not to confront whatever was making that sound.

Swiftly and silently, Juliet reached for the nearest door handle.

Thankfully, the door was unlocked.

Opening it cautiously, Juliet found a staircase leading downwards.

‘A basement?’

Unlike the upper floor, this dark staircase had no end in sight.

Where does this staircase lead to? Would the floor suddenly give way?

Hesitating with her hand on the door handle,

Creak. Creak. Creak.

That sound was getting closer.

She had no choice.

Juliet went down the stairs and quietly shut the door behind her.

* * *

Creak. Creak. Creak.

‘Has it gone?’

Trying to hear any sound from behind the door, Juliet then decided to explore the lower floor after a while.

At first, she was scared of the noise constantly coming from the floor above, and secondly, she felt the basement wasn’t there for no reason.

Initially, Juliet had to carefully descend the stairs, leaning on the walls. But once her eyes got used to the darkness, it was better than she thought.

And it wasn’t as dark as it seemed from outside.

It seemed as if there was a light source somewhere underground.

‘Is the light seeping in from below?’

No way.

With a mix of belief and doubt, Juliet reached the end of the staircase and found a large, old lamp at the entrance to the basement.

It was the source of light.

Following the lamplight, Juliet turned her head and hastily covered her mouth in shock.

“…!”

She almost screamed.

All over, there were flesh-colored objects that looked like human arms and legs scattered haphazardly.

‘Dolls?’

Or should she say mannequins?

Thankfully, they weren’t actual human body parts.

Juliet suddenly remembered.

“You should be careful. That guy. The rumors about him are not good.”

Eshel had said so.

The awkward rumors surrounding the new Pope. Stories of people mysteriously disappearing, and the recent unexplained missing cases in Lucerne.

Is this an underground dungeon?

Juliet wondered how extensive this underground prison was.

If this is indeed Lucerne and roughly the underground prison that supposedly exists beneath the terrarium…

Perhaps there might be a way to escape through this prison?

Juliet, holding onto a sliver of hope, raised the lamp and examined it.

No matter how high she held the lamp, she couldn’t see how far it extended.

“It’s no use, miss.”

“…!”

Startled, Juliet instinctively covered her mouth. She never imagined someone would be there.

“Who are you…?”

In a dimly lit corner, an emaciated elderly woman with white hair sat leaning against iron bars.

“This is a special prison designed by the inquisitors of the past. It was created so no one could escape.”

She spoke in a strange tone and wore extravagant clothes that seemed out of place.

“You are…”

Juliet recognized the clothes she was wearing.

Only one person in a generation could wear a crimson emblem on white.

“You must be Hildegard VIII.”

Juliet murmured, strangely calm.

She was the previous pope, believed to have passed away 3 years ago.

The elderly woman with white hair faintly smiled in the dim light.

“That’s right.”

* * *

After confirming the eerie noise had ceased, Juliet, after searching the dollhouse, found a water bottle and glass.

There wasn’t a scrap of edible food.

For Hildegard, water was sufficient.

“Drinking clean water… I can’t remember the last time I did. Thank you.”

In the dungeon, Hildegard gracefully expressed her gratitude.

“Was it Sebastian who imprisoned you here?”

Juliet asked as she took the glass of water from her hand.

“Yes.”

“For three years?”

“…Only three years have passed?”

Hildegard seemed a bit surprised.

“When you’re in a place like this, you lose track of time. I thought at least 10 years had passed.”

Juliet felt the same. She couldn’t tell if she had been trapped in this dollhouse for a day or two.

With no clocks and no windows.

Or perhaps even a month had passed.

Juliet asked Hildegard various questions.

Where is this place, why does Sebastian have such a space, is there any way to escape, and so on.

Hildegard answered as much as she knew.

Juliet also somewhat expected the facts she learned, so there was no particularly new information.

However, as they continued their conversation, Juliet felt something was amiss.

Hildegard didn’t ask Juliet anything. Not out of politeness, but as if she wasn’t curious about Juliet at all.

As if implying that she, too, would be trapped here forever.