Forgotten Juliet

It had already been a week since he rushed back to the Duke’s castle.

Lennox stared down at his hand, which had turned black, or where his hand used to be.

With blurred vision, he slowly examined his hand for a long time. Only upon seeing his familiar skin tone and its return to its original shape did he drape a robe over his naked body.

The children of the Carlyle family are born with magic from the moment they are conceived in their mother’s womb.

“Like a dirt.”

Some were even born in non-human forms.

When sacred power was forcibly injected into a body born with magic, a violent rejection reaction occurred.

The two powers were completely different and couldn’t be mixed.

As he tied his robe, Lennox thought it was fortunate that Juliet didn’t see him like this.

Even for a calm woman who fears nothing, she might have been terrified seeing this. The scene of the skin morphing, even temporarily, wasn’t a pleasant sight.

Seeing it directly might have evoked pity or guilt, maybe even tears.

‘Juliet.’

He occasionally recalled the sound of her voice, suppressing a cry of shock or fear.

“I’ll go back.”

He wondered what expression she wore when she said that.

All the while since his return to the palace, Lennox was curious about Juliet’s expression, about what she might be thinking.

According to reports he heard on the way up from the capital, Juliet had been staying at the Count Monad’s residence.

Would Juliet have been relieved not to be ensnared by such a man? Or maybe…

Lennox lightly clenched his hand, which had returned to its normal shape.

His vision was slowly returning.

However, at the same time, he was experiencing something strange.

He rarely dreamed.

‘A side effect of the treatment?’

But recently, specifically since he started the forced injection of holy power, he began to have a peculiar recurring dream.

Rather than a dream, it felt more like glimpsing someone’s memories.

The dream was always the same.

In it, he would walk somewhere and stop in front of a door. Inside the open room sat a woman.

But before he could see her face, the strange dream ended.

‘Was she crying?’

He never heard crying, but for some reason, he thought she might have been.

Waking from the dream, he couldn’t shake off a strange feeling…

Lennox glanced outside the window.

The place in his dream was this place, Duke Carlyle’s residence in the North. Familiar surroundings, a familiar bedroom.

Lennox became curious about the identity of the crying woman inside.

At first, he thought it might be Juliet, but he couldn’t recall any such memory.

Knock knock.

“Your Highness, these are letters from the capital.”

Elliot laid several letters in front of the Duke.

The one with the imperial seal from the palace caught his eye first.

The Emperor often sent him an invitation for fox hunting season.

Of course, Duke Carlyle never once accepted the invitation. He wasn’t the type to enjoy hunting without a purpose. If anything, he was more accustomed to slaying monsters than hunting foxes.

Lennox didn’t pay much attention and moved on.

However, the Duke’s secretary picked one letter and pushed it to him, accompanied by a small box.

“What’s this?”

“I think you should see for yourself.”

Elliot prompted with an expectant look.

What was revealed with a rustling sound was a familiar object. It was the Soulstone he saw in Lucerne.

“…Huh.”

Lennox seemed to know who sent it without seeing the name.

“…Her sense of responsibility is indeed commendable.”

Lennox thought, perhaps if he had pretended to be blind, he might have been able to monopolize Juliet forever.

Lennox looked down at the Soulstone with mixed feelings. It had been a long time since Juliet sent him something.

“There’s also a note,” Elliot pointed out subtly.

There was a short letter inside the box. Elliot watched with suppressed pleasure as the Duke of Carlyle read the letter.

The Duke’s demeanor while checking the mail from the capital had recently been the most relaxed.

Elliot was naturally curious about the contents of Juliet’s letter and lingered around. However, after reading the short letter in one go, the Duke’s expression turned grim.

“…Your Highness?”

“Damn it. Who’s worrying about whom now?”

Lennox exclaimed with a curse and stood up abruptly.

* * *

“The Emperor and Empress have invited you for the sabbath.”

It referred to the occasion when the Emperor, who loved hunting, invited the nobles for fox hunting.

“Even though it was a holiday, all that happened during the day was the Emperor going fox hunting, and in the evening, a small banquet hosted by the Empress.

But what the imperial couple sent to Juliet was not just an elegant invitation.

There was also a small box.

“What’s this?”

Inside the box was an antique hand mirror with a lid.

Juliet thought it was a graceful message, very fitting of the Empress.

There was a long-standing custom for mothers to personally prepare four gifts for their daughters about to be married: something old, something borrowed, something new, and something blue.

The mirror was one of the typical gifts, but by sending it, the Empress indirectly signaled that the issue with the adoption wasn’t resolved.

Juliet closely examined the mirror with a blue sapphire engraved on the lid and spoke.

“It’s not an old item.”

The mirror looked shiny, as if it had been crafted recently.

Juliet sighed and put the mirror back.

“I think I need to return this in person.”

She had declined through Lennox, but it would probably be polite to return it in person.

However, she would first need to find the Empress and explain that she had parted ways with the Duke.

While Juliet was wondering how much she should explain, Roy suddenly said:

“Shall I go with you?”

“To the imperial palace?”

“Yes, you can use me. I’ll help you.”

Roy offered his hand with a meaningful expression.

Juliet realized what he meant by ‘use him’. If she accepted his invitation, they would appear as an unmistakable couple in front of everyone.

Seeing Juliet’s expression, Roy added:

“Isn’t it okay if we’re just friends?”

“That would be nice, but…”

For a moment, Juliet was tempted.

After all, to convince the Empress, she needed to say she had ended her relationship with Duke Carlyle.

If she went with Roy, she wouldn’t need to go into detail about ending her relationship with the Duke. Appearing with a splendid man would be much more effective than making a hundred excuses.

But she didn’t want to put Roy in a difficult position.

On the other hand, she knew that if she attended the banquet with Roy just after breaking up, the aristocrats would have their own tales to tell.

“No, it’s okay. I’ll go alone. You’ve been tired lately.”

Roy seemed busy recently.

Although he didn’t show it, he seemed very tense. There were disputes in his family about his father’s health and the succession.

He could just not come if he’s busy, but Roy always visited to check on Juliet.

“Don’t worry too much, Roy. You will find your brother soon.”

Juliet comforted him.

She remembered Elsa mentioning in passing that a few of Roy’s siblings had disappeared.

“…Thank you, Juliet.”

Roy rested his head on her shoulder with a light sigh.

She was a bit surprised but gently patted his back.

When they first met on the train, he was just a kid who had a fight with his brother and left home. Juliet admired Roy for trying to reconcile with his family.

“Promise me, next time we’ll go together. Okay?”

Roy looked up with a slightly regretful expression. She had heard that Lycanthropes were introverted, but Roy had always been proactive with her.

“I want to be introduced to Juliet’s close friends. Definitely.”

Close friends… not really.

Juliet remembered the cold glances and whispers but replied with a smile:

“Okay, next time we’ll go together.”

Even those who disliked her would want to be friends with this sweet and handsome young man.

“I’ll be back soon. Juliet, take care.”

Roy left for Katia’s forest with a regretful farewell. He had offered to accompany her, but he seemed genuinely busy.

Juliet also prepared to go to the palace.

“Where are you going, Juliet?”

Just as Juliet was about to leave the mansion, Elsa peeked her head out from the kitchen.

“To the palace. I’ll be back in a day.”

“Hmm, okay.”

Elsa followed Juliet with a piece of pie in her mouth and quickly climbed into the carriage.

With a smile, Juliet asked:

“Why, Elsa?”

“Roy told me not to leave Juliet alone.”

Roy did?

Juliet tilted her head.

Elsa’s appearance was dazzling, and even in simple clothes, she looked perfect for the palace.

‘There was no mention of not bringing a companion, so it should be okay to go with Elsa.’

“Okay, then let’s go together, Elsa.”