Forgotten Juliet - Chapter 213: Epilogue 3

[Lady Ursula was worried about the reputation of the Master.]

Ursula was one of the spies he had planted in the capital.

[They interfere in everything.]

[Yes, but you didn’t attend the New Year’s ball. There’s a rumor in the capital that Duke Carlyle is infatuated with a mistress.]

[…]

Lennox was momentarily puzzled. A mistress?

[Well, anyway.]

Teer, who was teasing his nephew, returned with a serious face.

[There was no ‘Dahlia’ among the collectibles of Marquis Guinness.]

Over a long period, Lennox was looking for something.

[That artifact.]

‘Dahlia’ was the name of a jewel crown with a rare purple sapphire, a treasure of the Dukedom.

Within the Dukedom, only a few knew about the existence of Dahlia.

And only Duke Carlyle and Teer, who had been loyal to the family for a long time, knew all the secrets entwined with its storage.

[If Marquis Guinness was obsessed with the artifact, he surely would have bought it.]

The ancient relic possessed by an evil spirit would unleash great power if it fell into the hands of a person with suitable talent.

Few people knew this fact, and one of them, Marquis Guinness, fanatically collected the artifacts even if they were unusable.

[It seems like he even experimented to artificially create contractors.]

There were only a few artifacts in the world, but what they were looking for was only Dahlia.

After a long pursuit, Teer narrowed down the location of Dahlia to southern Marquis Guinness and eastern Lucerne.

The territorial dispute between Marquis Guinness and the Dukedom was known to be due to long-standing vested interests, but in reality, it was because of this.

[If the snake is not in the south, it will be in Lucerne.]

Teer was confident.

The evil spirit of the snake dwelling in the Duke’s treasure was different from the other artifact spirits.

With its ability to charm and deceive, this snake could hypnotize people, manipulate memories, and take on a human form.

The snake trapped in storage would escape amidst chaos every few decades only to be caught and returned to the Dukedom.

[A few generations ago it was called the Curse of the Firstborn.]

The arrogant heads of the Carlyle family persistently pursued the snake every time it escaped, due to this curse.

The family had a curse of the firstborn, dating back to the first Duke, that caused the firstborn child to inherit strong traits, but also to suck away the mother’s magic leading to death.

Whether killing the first child, or losing the wife, the people of Carlyle were forced to choose, harboring resentment, they seemed to have pursued the snake.

Of course, Lennox Carlyle had no particular interest in the curse itself. He had no plans to marry or have children.

But the fact that an entity harboring malice towards the Dukedom roamed freely induced a natural aversion in him.

[If it wasn’t in the south, the only place left-]

[Lucerne.]

[Yes.]

Long ago, there was a girl in Lucerne who performed amazing miracles.

The Imperial Court praised her as ‘the power of healing,’ but in reality, it was a miracle caused by a girl named ‘Genovia,’ who was a mere candidate for priesthood.

Genovia heard strange voices, wielded demonic powers, and at some point, disappeared as if intentionally murdered.

It wouldn’t be surprising if that snake was in Lucerne, God’s territory.

[I heard rumors that an artifact existed in Count Monad’s house.]

Teer frowned slightly.

[Of course, it’s not ‘Dahlia’, but… perhaps Marquis Guinness was convinced that the lady was a spirit summoner because of that.]

Lennox hesitated.

[What are you trying to say?]

[I have met the late Count and Countess Monad. They were simple but genuine nobles.]

Teer momentarily had a bitter expression. It was speculation, but he was implying that the tragedy of that family might have been due to the artifact.

[They were good people.]

Lennox had been aware of the presence outside the door for some time now.

The familiar small footsteps lingering in the hallway stopped in front of the door and bothered him.

[…Find Dahlia.]

He said forcefully, then swung the door open.

In front of the door was Juliet, who was about to knock while holding a tea tray.

[Yes, I will definitely find it.]

Teer smiled slightly at the surprised Juliet.

* * *

The next evening, for some reason Juliet, who had been observing him, cautiously asked.

[Who is Dahlia?]

She must have overheard.

His eyes narrowed.

Apparently, she didn’t hear everything.

Dahlia was not a person, but the name of an artifact, so it should be ‘what’ not ‘who.’

But to explain that, he would have to explain about the artifact, the curse of the firstborn, and so on.

[It seems like you are searching for it desperately… ]

[So you’re going to search for it on my behalf?]

Lennox smiled slightly.

As usual, his teasing tone slipped out. Juliet was taken aback, and lowered her eyes.

[…Sorry if that was overboard.]

Juliet touched the ends of her sleeves habitually.

Though the room was hot, Juliet always insisted on wearing clothes that covered her up to the neck and down to her sleeves.

She also disliked bright lighting, tilting her head back, and touching her bare shoulders.

She disliked many things.

Even the ordinary man, and closing the door when alone in a narrow room.

‘It wasn’t dislike, but fear.’

Realizing belatedly that it was because of the scars on her body, he somehow felt uncomfortable.

[That’s not something you need to know.]

It wasn’t a newfound conscience or anything.

[They were good people.]

After Teer left, he ruminated on how much hell Juliet Monad had gone through.

And how arrogant and foolish he had been, he was furious with himself.

It wasn’t strange at all that a woman with nowhere to lean on seemed to be smitten with him at first sight.

Lennox gazed at the squirming woman for a long time with dry eyes.

He needed something to immerse himself in throughout the winter.

And so did Juliet Monad.

Having lost her family and status, and nowhere to go. Anyone who could pull her out of that hell would have been welcomed.

‘…It wouldn’t have mattered who it was.’

Cunningly, his insides twisted.

Just as he needed amusement to pass the tedious winter, Juliet smiled at him only as necessary.

Even though there was no reason to get angry, he felt twisted inside.

He waited for Juliet to fall asleep, then quietly slipped out of the room.

And headed straight to the library to instruct his secretary.

[Elliot.]

[Yes?]

[Look into a mansion in the capital.]

* * *

As the severe coldness peaked and began to subside.

Lennox Carlyle abandoned his frivolous ways and returned to being a diligent lord.

Startled.

Lying at length on the couch reviewing the budget, Lennox lifted his head.

[What’s this?]

The vice-captain of the knights, placing a tea tray on the table, politely replied.

[This is an item known as a teacup, Your Highness.]

[I know that.]

As his expression turned cold, Milan hastily bowed his head.

[Miss Monad inquired if you would have time for tea in the afternoon.]

[Tell her I’m busy.]

He replied insincerely and redirected his attention back to the budget.

[Isn’t the same excuse for a week getting stale?]

[Then tell her I’m not available. Quit bothering me.]

For a week, he had been overtly distancing himself from Juliet. Not just avoiding being drawn into the bedroom, but also avoiding accidental encounters.

[Miss Monad thinks she did something wrong.]

Juliet was quick to notice. For a while, she hovered around his vicinity, and now seemed to be locked in the annex, occasionally inquiring about him.

The calm Milan, glaring silently at his cold master, suddenly spoke.

[It’s a shame. If you were my younger brother, I could have given you a good beating.]

The gentle vice-captain genuinely looked regretful.

[…How ridiculous.]

Lennox stood up.

It was utterly absurd.

When he first brought Juliet Monad from the south, the nobles of the Dukedom unanimously opposed.

[She’s a sinister woman.]

[Who knows what curse she might have brought from Marquis Guinness.]

Who said that?

And yet in just a few months, they changed their tune and acted as if they were her advocates.

How on earth did Juliet Monad manage to turn around the arrogant northern knights?

It was frustrating to dodge her with various excuses within his own castle.

As he changed clothes, he gave a brief order.

[Prepare the hunting dogs.]

Then he led the knights toward the forest.

It was about time for the beasts to be active as the weather had warmed up slightly.

After chasing monsters for a while, time flew by, and they returned to the castle five days later.

As drizzle had been falling since morning, the people in the castle came to welcome the knights with rain shelters as soon as they arrived, and they headed toward the bridge.

The atmosphere was chaotic while taking the excited hounds and horses back to the stable on the road.

Lennox, who was moving towards the castle, briefly scanned the people.

[…]

[Master? What’s wrong?]

[Nothing.]

It felt strange, for the silhouette of the woman he had become familiar with over the past few months was nowhere to be seen.

Whenever she came running to him with joy.

It was only natural for anyone to be angry as he had been avoiding her noticeably for several weeks, and even left the castle without a word.

Even though he thought so in his head, he couldn’t help but feel disappointed.

[Master, I am talking about the mansion in the capital that you mentioned last time.]

His secretary, who quickly approached him, hurriedly reported.

The prestigious mansion of Count Monad family, which was bestowed by the founding Emperor, had been sold in pieces and demolished after Count Monad and his wife had died, and now another building stood in its place.

[We acquired that mansion. It bled more resources than anticipated.]

Elliot said, expressing how exhausting it was to hastily purchase the mansion.

Lennox suddenly thought it was a relief that Juliet was angry with him.

He had intended not to see her throughout the remaining time until spring.

When spring came, he planned to send her to the prepared mansion in the capital, and he would return to his original routine.

There would be no chance of running into each other again.

…Never again.

Squeak.

He heard the whimpering of a young beast. Regaining his senses, Lennox realized that he had unwittingly come to the backyard of the castle.

This is crazy.

He gritted his teeth. It was frightening that he had formed this habit in just a few months.

But when he turned the corner, the woman he expected to run into was not there.

Kyung!

Two young beasts, hiding in the corner of the grass, joyfully poked their heads out at the human presence.

But upon seeing him, they were surprised and ran away.

[…]

Something’s strange.

Suddenly such a hunch struck him.

Without even knowing what he was doing, he strode towards the annex.

However, in the bedroom, library, or reception room,

He couldn’t find the woman he was looking for anywhere.

[Where is she?]

It was well into the afternoon when he realized Juliet wasn’t in the castle.

The chilly and cloudy weather was miserably drizzling.

[Well, that…]

The maids were noticeably flustered.

[She went out for a walk in the morning…]

Since then, no one had seen her, nor had they looked for her, they said.

His gaze turned fierce.

[You lost a woman just because I left the castle for a few days?]