Forgotten Juliet

Juliet was greatly taken aback.

“What did I say then?”

“Yes.”

Roy continued with a calm expression.

“Dahlia was supposed to appear as the saintess of Lucerne, but you wonder why she hasn’t shown up yet…”

Juliet bit her tongue. It felt like she was holding her breath.

“You said that.”

However, Roy’s words didn’t end there.

“And you cried and apologized to that man, Juliet.”

Roy smirked.

“You begged in his hands, saying you didn’t want to die again and to please not kill you.”

For a moment, Juliet felt the urge to run away.

Why did she say that?

Everything went dark before her eyes. Not only did she need to check Lennox’s condition immediately, but she also had another concern.

‘Could the disappearance of the butterfly be related to this?’

Soon, Juliet realized she was watching Roy’s reaction.

Of course, she wouldn’t blame anyone if they thought she was crazy.

However, it felt a bit hurtful thinking those transparent pumpkin-colored eyes looked cold at her.

She couldn’t even remember what she had said so far. After that, she even lost the butterflies.

“Pff.”

“…?”

Hearing a sound as if someone was holding back laughter, Juliet cautiously raised her head.

“Juliet.”

Roy, who was sitting on the opposite seat of the shaking carriage, leaned forward.

He rested his hand right next to where Juliet sat.

The carriage of the Count Monad’s house wasn’t very large, so with Roy doing so, it felt crowded.

“I told you. I don’t care who you are or what you say.”

“Roy. I… why did I say that…”

“I’d rather you didn’t answer.”

“Yes.”

Juliet nodded slightly.

“Okay. Let’s pretend I didn’t hear anything. Let’s just say I lost my mind for a moment.”

Roy smirked.

* * *

The sound of the carriage wheels rolling over the gravel rang out.

The residence of Duke Carlyle in the capital was eerily quiet. This was because the master of the mansion declined visitors due to health reasons.

So, the sudden appearance of a carriage drew unfavorable glances.

“What’s this? A visitor?”

“Do we have an appointment or not?”

Already filled with discontent due to the deteriorating condition of Lennox Carlyle over the past month, the Duke’s secretaries weren’t pleased.

“I’ll check.”

With a stern look, Elliot approached the carriage.

‘…Which family’s carriage is that?’

He felt the emblem was familiar, but for some reason, Elliot couldn’t recall it immediately.

While he pondered, the carriage door opened, and someone jumped out.

Jumping out without any attendants, and without even stepping on the footboard, the movement felt familiar.

The elegant attire mismatched with the familiar gesture…

Scratching the back of his head, Elliot froze as he recognized the face.

“Hello, Elliot. How have you been?”

A dress adorned with pearl buttons reaching up to the neck, black lace gloves, and familiar shoes.

The owner was…

“Miss Monad?”

Elliot doubted his eyes.

How long has it been?

It felt like years since he had seen Juliet Monad in this mansion.

Instead of heading straight into the mansion, Juliet who alighted from the carriage stood before Elliot.

“I…”

Seeing Juliet hesitate, uncharacteristically, Elliot quickly regained his composure.

Right now, she was a visitor, not a member of the Duke’s household.

“Ah! Come this way.”

He thought to chase away the unexpected visitor.

The chief secretary, who had been eager to leave, came back guiding a guest. The people who were watching from the entrance wore a puzzled expression.

“What’s going on?”

“Why did you bring her in?”

“You said you’d send her away!”

Their faces, previously curious like a group of meerkats, brightened upon recognizing the visitor.

“Miss Monad!”

She had disappeared a month ago, bringing them a hellish time, but her presence was now overwhelmingly welcome.

“Here, over here!”

As Juliet passed through the entrance, the staircase, and the hallway, more and more people began following her, using the excuse of guiding her. It was as if they didn’t know Juliet was more familiar with the Duke’s residence than anyone.

However, when Juliet arrived at Lennox’s bedroom door, they encountered an unexpected obstacle.

“I have something to tell His Highness.”

“He said not to let anyone in.”

A tall man silently approached and blocked Juliet’s path. It was Hadin, the Duke’s trusted aide.

“It’ll only take a moment.”

“No.”

Despite Juliet’s plea, Hadin remained unmoved.

“Just let me see his face. To see if he’s okay, at least…”

“No outsiders allowed.”

“Outsiders?!”

Elliot, standing behind Juliet, was silently shocked. His face reddened with frustration.

During Juliet’s month-long absence, the Duke’s secretaries, who had to endure all sorts of hardships, conveyed various threatening gestures towards Hadin as if to say, ‘Are you out of your mind?’

Yet, Hadin, standing in front of the door, didn’t budge.

That was his duty, after all.

Hadin stood there, unyielding, like a statue.

In front of him, Juliet’s tense shoulders drooped.

Seeing Juliet’s bowed head evoked sympathy from everyone present.

Except for Hadin, everyone worried she would just leave.

“Has he really lost his mind?”

Juliet glanced up and calmly asked:

“Is he… very unwell?”

At that, Hadin’s eyebrows twitched. An indescribable expression appeared on his stony face.

The shadowy knight escorting her glanced over the group and then stepped aside, allowing Juliet to pass.

“…You should see for yourself.”

* * *

The room was quite dark, perhaps because of the heavy curtains.

Juliet cautiously entered. The familiar layout of the room wasn’t a problem even in the dark.

Until she entered the room, her mind was in turmoil.

She worried about the conversation she had in Lucerne and how Lennox might have interpreted it.

However, upon seeing the man lying lengthwise on the couch, ignoring the perfectly good bed, her first emotion was relief.

She sighed deeply.

‘What on earth…’

What did this man think was the purpose of a bed?

Dressed as always, Lennox was quietly asleep. At a glance, he seemed uninjured, which relieved Juliet.

Due to the position of his head, even in the dim room, she could faintly see his face. The shadows deepened the contrasts, giving him a mysterious aura.

Juliet approached the couch, knelt beside it, and looked closely at his face.

From his defined jawline, prominent neck, and the revealed chest due to his opened shirt, his physique was not slender, but oddly seductive.

Juliet hesitated for a moment.

‘Even if he looks fine, there might be injuries somewhere on his body.’

But touching him felt like it might wake him up.

While pondering, Juliet noticed his slightly grown hair. The dark strands were spread across his forehead.

When he slept like this, he resembled a painting composed solely of black and white.

It wasn’t empty words when Juliet said she loved his face.

It was predestined.

From the moment she first saw him in a previous life, she was bound to love his face.