Forgotten Juliet

“I… I didn’t mean it that way, Grand Duchess Ilena.”

“Is that so?”

As the man from earlier sheepishly apologized, Grand Duchess Ilena’s eyebrow twitched upward.

“Come to think of it, aren’t you the son of Baron Austin?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“A while ago, wasn’t Baron Austin caught in the act of having an affair? Didn’t your mother say anything about the peace of the household?”

“… I… I should leave first!”

The man, publicly pointed out for his family’s shame, hastily got up and left the salon.

Winter was a long and quiet season.

While the young nobles held small salons here and there in the capital, for the older noblewomen, there weren’t any significant events after the New Year’s ball.

“I didn’t know there was such a salon.”

“Young people are smart, they come up with fun ideas!”

Countess Labonnet invited two more of her friends, and they in turn invited their friends.

The original intention of the Blooming Salon was this, but the people who actually planned to invite Juliet and mock her couldn’t hide their shocked faces.

Soon, the control of the salon naturally shifted their way.

“The division of the estate…”

“We need concrete evidence…”

By the time the salon was ending, the average age of the guests had risen significantly.

“It’s been a while since I’ve been out like this.”

“We should gather like this more often!”

From then on, until the salon ended, Juliet wasn’t the subject of discussion.

In the midst of prominent social figures chatting, Juliet smiled quietly.

On one hand, it was a show of the intact influence of the Monad family’s connections and a subtle warning.

‘This should be enough for now.’

Juliet smiled slyly.

The hosts of today’s salon were the ones who harassed the servants of the Count’s house. For the time being, they wouldn’t dare to summon Juliet or harass her servants.

If they dare label her as the ‘abandoned woman’ again, they would face the wrath of the noblewomen present.

She exited the venue. On her way out, Juliet encountered someone who had been standing in front earlier.

“You…”

Fatima stood there, glaring at Juliet resentfully.

“Juliet Monad.”

“Your Highness, Princess Fatima.”

“Do you realize what you’ve done? You ruined my first official salon!”

“…Ruined?”

Juliet furrowed her brow.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Juliet pointed to a large window displaying the guests.

“They are all respectable people. Befriending them would help, not harm.”

It was true.

The three noblewomen Juliet invited were the ones everyone would want to have as their patrons.

They weren’t the kind of people her peers could easily meet.

However, Fatima seemed not to understand.

“What are you talking about? So, you did sabotage me!”

“…If I were you, I’d be more careful in choosing friends.”

Juliet responded calmly.

If Fatima truly wanted to build her connections as befitting a princess, she should avoid those who would gossip behind her back. Instead, she should’ve invited influential noblewomen like Grand Duchess Ilena.

Part of Juliet thought Fatima’s choice was typical of her.

“I suppose our perspectives on ‘friends’ are different.”

Juliet gave a sweet smile, greeted Fatima, and walked past her.

“Take care.”

Exiting the salon and walking on, Juliet thought to herself.

She was used to handling everything on her own, just as she had during her time in the North.

Juliet began walking lightly towards the entrance of the imperial palace.

Someone blocked her path as she was strolling through the well-maintained palace gardens.

“…?”

“Are you leaving now, Miss Monad?”

Juliet paused for a moment.

She cautiously looked at the man who addressed her.

It was the second prince, Cloff, the Emperor’s second son and Fatima’s fiance.

Juliet bowed slightly.

“Your Highness the Prince.”

‘What does he want?’

Was he here to retaliate because she didn’t embarrass herself as his fiance had planned?

Juliet thought quickly with a cold smile.

The ambitious prince was known to rival the reputation of Duke Carlyle. Juliet didn’t have a good impression of him because he was openly hostile.

He didn’t dare challenge the formidable Duke directly, but projected his anger on poor Juliet.

But today’s Cloff seemed different.

He looked unusually cheerful, grinning from ear to ear.

“There’s no need to be so formal, Miss Monad.”

“…It’s Countess Monad, Your Highness.”

With a cold smile, Juliet corrected his address.

“It’s not ‘Miss Monad’.”

For most people, Juliet was referred to as Lady of the Count Monad’s family, but in reality, she was the legitimate Countess Monad.

Though she never had a formal succession ceremony, she was indeed the heir to the family.

“Ah, I see. That’s right.”

Cloff didn’t seem very interested.

“But we’re going to be family soon. There’s no need to be formal.”

“Family, you say?”

“You can think of me as your own brother, Juliet.”

What kind of chilling story is this?

Juliet’s expression turned cold, prompting the Second Prince to speak.

“Didn’t Duke Carlyle tell you?”

* * *

The family physician from the North, called to treat the Duke, couldn’t hide his astonishment.

It was a critical situation. Though the Duke’s ability to recover as if a monster awakened from the dead in just a few days was amazing…

“Can’t you still see?”

Even after several days, the Duke’s vision showed no improvement.

“Is that even a question?”

“I’m, I’m sorry.”

The family physician quickly bowed his head.

“Externally, everything seems normal.”

The cornea wasn’t damaged. Externally, there were no symptoms, which made treatment difficult.

“If this continues, he might lose his vision forever.”

The eye, unlike other organs, is a part that can be permanently damaged once hurt.

“Blindness!”

Elliot, who had been silently listening, felt like he would faint.

No wonder the Duke stayed locked in his room. Why didn’t he say he couldn’t see!

“There must be a way, right?”

Forgetting he was speaking to his master, Elliot raised his voice.

Duke Carlyle had many enemies, and if this became known, they would rush in from all directions to take advantage.

‘If anything happens to him…’

Elliot thought anxiously.

The current state of the Duke was kept top secret.

Including Hadin, who was guarding outside, only four people knew: the Duke himself, his personal physician, and Elliot, his secretary.

“…But you said it’s the divine barrier of Lucerne.”

The physician, who had some knowledge about magic and holy curses, carefully said:

“It’s not something even the archbishops could easily resolve. First, we need to know exactly what type of reflective curse it is.”

“This is absurd…”

While Elliot was disheartened, the expression of Lennox Carlyle remained unchanged. He calmly asked:

“If we find out the exact type of curse, can it be lifted?”

“In theory, yes. Or… you could break it, just like you broke the divine barrier.”

Breaking the curse like he broke the divine barrier. After all, both magic and curses can be broken with a greater force.

Lennox’s fingers lightly tapped the armrest.

“But if you forcefully try to break the curse, there might be side effects.”

“Damn it… Figure it out.”

His limited vision made him increasingly irritable.

Lennox sighed and rose from his chair.

Elliot sighed and summed up the situation.

“Anyway… keep this confidential. It must not leak out. You understand?”

However, the family physician seemed not to be listening to Elliot’s words.

“…?”

The physician couldn’t take his eyes off the Duke, who was standing on one side of the bedroom.

Flutter.

After the examination, Duke Carlyle had donned a white shirt over his bare body.

Gazing at the Duke’s well-sculpted body, the physician had a mix of admiration and unrest on his face.

Duke Carlyle particularly disliked anyone touching his body and didn’t even have a personal attendant.

Having a patient who frequently returns with injuries and is hard to handle meant that even the physician hadn’t seen the Duke’s body often.

Elliot was a bit surprised.

Even for another man, it was a sight hard to take one’s eyes off.

But then…

Bang.

“Oh, Miss!”

There was a commotion downstairs.

“What was that noise?”

“I’ll go check.”

Elliot hurriedly went outside. The physician, curious about the commotion, looked out the window.

Someone was rushing into the mansion.

“…Lady Juliet?”

The uninvited guest was a face even the physician recognized.

“Damn it.”

At the same time, Lennox swore.

With only a shirt covering his bare upper body, Duke Carlyle, cursing, crossed the bedroom with a hint of anxiety.

He then gestured toward the direction where there seemed to be a door leading to a small parlor.

“Get out.”

He meant…

“Ah, yes!”

Realizing the intention, the physician quickly hid himself inside the parlor.