Chapter 116
Chapter 116
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 116
Chapter Title: The Silver Key
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The banquet held a few days later in the evening was the wedding's eve celebration. As such, the guests in attendance were a dazzling array of notables.
"Countess!"
Over the past few days, Dolores had been unusually friendly toward Juliet.
"I'm a commoner, so the other noblewomen keep their distance from me."
With pleas like that to win Juliet's sympathy...
"You're a countess and a woman? Can women become counts too?"
"That necklace is so pretty."
"I heard Count Monad is a spiritist."
And so on, showering Juliet with attention.
While her escort, Duke Carlisle, had been summoned by the emperor, Dolores approached her without hesitation and offered her a glass of champagne.
"Miss Juliet, you look tired."
"Yes, I feel a bit drowsy."
Juliet let out a small yawn.
Dolores's eyes sparkled as she watched her.
"You're not feeling ill, are you?"
"No, just sleepy."
"Then why don't you come to the lounge with me?"
Dolores suggested kindly.
A few noblewomen were already seated in the lounge. After glancing at them, Juliet asked casually as they passed.
"Have you ever been there, Dolores?"
"Pardon?"
"To the Guinness Marquis's mana stone mine. I hear it's enormous..."
Juliet smiled brightly.
"Oh, Dolores..."
Dolores, who had nearly blurted out that she'd never been, fell silent.
The moment the hot topic of the southern mine came up, every noblewoman in the lounge turned her attention to them.
In that atmosphere, Juliet asked leisurely.
"I suppose that was a silly question. It would be strange if you hadn't been there, wouldn't it, Dolores?"
"Y-Yes, of course."
Dolores forced a smile.
But Juliet's questions didn't end there.
"What was it like seeing the mine in person?"
"Dolores doesn't know much about that sort of thing. Business talk is too complicated."
"But that's not a difficult question. Were the mana stones in the marquis's mine sparkling brilliantly too?"
"Yes, yes. It was beautiful."
Juliet's eyes narrowed.
"That's interesting. The mana stones in mines look just like regular rocks before they're processed."
"Pardon?"
Only then did Dolores realize her slip.
"Well, everyone has their own idea of what 'sparkling' means."
Fortunately, Juliet smiled and let it pass. The other noblewomen, who had been eavesdropping, shot suspicious glances but soon departed.
"Then rest well, Countess."
Dolores slipped out when Juliet leaned back on the couch and closed her eyes, looking exhausted.
But she didn't return to the banquet hall. After waiting a few minutes for the area to quiet down, Dolores sneaked back into the lounge.
The silent lounge now held only Juliet and Dolores.
Juliet had fallen asleep in those few minutes, but Dolores didn't find it odd.
The champagne glass Dolores had given her earlier had been laced with a sleeping potion.
Dolores cautiously began rummaging through Juliet's hand clutch.
Thanks to sticking so closely to Juliet over the past few days—perhaps too closely—she had spied Juliet stowing her necklace with the silver key pendant inside.
'Found it.'
Her face lit up as she discovered what she sought.
That was when it happened.
"What are you looking for?"
Clink.
The silver key struck the marble floor, producing a sharp sound.
Startled, Dolores had dropped it.
"Miss Dolores, you shouldn't throw someone else's necklace."
Juliet picked up the silver key from the floor with a sigh.
"M-Miss Juliet."
Dolores backed away, looking frightened.
"I was just... trying to return this to you!"
"If you're going to lie, at least make it convincing. Even a child wouldn't fall for that."
Juliet chided her gently.
Dolores's incompetence wasn't limited to one or two things.
Unlike her act of fearing the marquis to gain Juliet's sympathy, she wasn't the least bit afraid of Marquis Guinness.
In her previous life, the marquis had beaten Juliet until she fainted at the slightest provocation, yet Dolores's arms were pale and unblemished, without a single bruise.
Juliet had let it slide until now to probe suspicions about the marquis's mana stones.
"So, what were you planning to do after stealing the key from me?"
Her question was perfectly reasonable.
"What does Marquis Guinness plan to do with it? Even if he steals it—"
"You're a spiritist too, Dolores."
The response came from behind her.
"Marquis Guinness."
Juliet showed no fear, but the marquis couldn't hide his triumphant glee.
"A spiritist?"
"Dolores is a spiritist I discovered after years of searching."
At the unexpectedly straightforward answer, Juliet finally understood why he'd chosen Dolores, whose acting was abysmal.
Spiritists with unique wavelengths were exceedingly rare.
And that meant the marquis knew the power of House Monad's heirloom.
Juliet smiled brightly.
Her guess that the marquis was the one who had stolen Snowdrop in her previous life seemed correct.
"You seem awfully confident, Marquis. One scream from me, and people will come running from outside."
"Will they?"
Juliet found the marquis's attitude odd. But he snapped his fingers with a meaningful expression.
Snap.
"Who is the master of the full moon?"
The marquis recited the incantation just as Solon had taught him. At the same time, Juliet, who had flinched in surprise, blinked in confusion.
"You must obey me."
Juliet's expression grew dazed. The marquis smiled in satisfaction as her gaze clouded over.
"That's right. Now you remember."
Crash.
The champagne glass slipped from Juliet's hand and shattered. But she stood there blankly, oblivious to the danger, her face expressionless.
"First command. Hand over that key."
As if entranced, Juliet immediately removed the pearl necklace from her neck—the pendant was the silver key—and handed it over.
"Finally!"
The marquis's eyes gleamed as he took it.
"If that fool Baron Gaspal hadn't botched it seven years ago, I would've had this much sooner."
Juliet, under hypnosis, stood like a doll, hearing nothing.
"Take it, Dolores."
The marquis handed Juliet's silver key to Dolores.
Delores eagerly accepted it and hung it around her neck.
"So now this woman's spirit becomes mine, right, Marquis?"
"Now, now, don't be impatient, Dolores. I'll teach you how to handle the spirit step by step."
Calming Dolores, the marquis turned back to Juliet.
"That's right."
Recalling Baron Gaspal brought a brilliant idea to mind.
"Listen well, Juliet Monad."
"Yes."
"Seven years ago, the one who murdered your parents was Baron Gaspal. You know that, right?"
"Yes, I know."
"Baron Gaspal killed your parents because he coveted this key. Someone promised him a seaside villa on the southern coast and enough money to live on for life if he stole the count's family heirloom."
For a moment, a cold light flashed in Juliet's eyes, but the marquis, lost in the moment, didn't notice.
"Yes."
"And the mastermind who instigated Baron Gaspal to retrieve the key was..."
The marquis decided to pin his crime on someone else.
"Duke Carlisle."
"The duke killed your parents and then sweet-talked you, exploiting you for years. Got it?"
"Yes."
"So tonight, you must take revenge."
The night sky shone with a full moon.
"Tonight, lure the duke out by any means necessary. Confess your love, seduce him with your body—whatever it takes to lower his guard."
The marquis pressed a sharply honed dagger into Juliet's hand.
"Then plunge this into that man's heart. That's your revenge. Understood?"
Juliet quietly gripped the dagger, her eyes glinting as she replied.
"Yes, Marquis."