Chapter 63
Chapter 63
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 63
Chapter Title: To the One I Love
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"So, you're leaving today?"
"Yes."
A hint of reluctance was evident on Lionel Levatan's face, which rarely betrayed emotion.
"Where are you headed?"
"To Alje."
Alje was a coastal city not far from Carcason.
It had been Juliet's destination from the start. Though she'd taken a circuitous route amid all sorts of troubles in the meantime.
"Alje, huh. And after that?"
"Who knows. Not sure."
Juliet smiled faintly.
After that, she'd have to return to the count's residence in the capital... But the thought of possibly running into people she despised filled her with dread.
Lionel glanced at his granddaughter and asked,
"Won't it be dangerous on your own?"
"I'm fine."
Juliet smiled warmly.
"I'll come visit again. Take care of your health, Grandfather. And... please take good care of him too."
She'd decided to leave the baby dragon behind.
With Lionel Levatan as its owner, there'd be no worries about it starving or being exploited by bad people.
While waiting for her luggage to be loaded onto the carriage, Juliet checked the weather.
'I hope it doesn't rain this year.'
Juliet smiled brightly.
Last year, there had been too much rain, and it had been far too cold.
Out of habit, Juliet fiddled with the shard of mirror in her hand.
In her distraction, she'd completely forgotten, but she wondered if Lennox still had Argos's Eye. If so, was this mirror shard really keeping her location hidden?
'Let's just think positively.'
She didn't want him knowing where she was headed. It was a petty matter of pride.
Juliet fell lost in thought for a moment.
"Heading out somewhere?"
Suddenly, a hand reached from behind and took the luggage bag from Juliet's grasp.
"Roy!"
Juliet greeted him happily.
A few days ago, he'd said he was going to Katia.
It was a mystery to her.
On the map, Katia was a vast forest occupying the central east. Yet Roy always appeared and vanished between places like a ghost.
"When did you get back?"
"Just now. Where are you off to, Juliet?"
Roy asked as he took her bag.
"Oh... there's someone I really want to see, so I'm going to meet them."
Roy paused while loading the bag onto the carriage and peered over it at her.
"Who?"
Juliet beamed as she replied.
"Someone I like a lot."
**
The imperial army fortress in Carcason was on high alert. It was hosting a rare visitor.
"Vicente Bowman, you say?"
Vicente's superior was a bit surprised.
Vicente boasted everywhere that he was the second son of a marquess house and had mingled with high-ranking nobles in the capital during his time there.
Of course, beneath his flashy exterior, he was a boastful gambler, so his reputation in the imperial army wasn't great, and no one believed him.
He'd even bragged that his former fiancée was the lover of a famous duke...
Could that actually be true?
"I'll fetch Lieutenant Bowman right away. He's on duty, so please wait just a moment."
The officer instructed the sentry to drag Vicente Bowman out of the well or whatever hole he was in and sober him up, no matter what.
He was undoubtedly passed out in the break room, high on something.
But the esteemed visitor who'd come to Carcason had already lost interest in him.
Before even laying eyes on Vicente Bowman, the moment he'd set foot here, he'd known instinctively.
Juliet couldn't possibly be in a place like this.
Lennox Carlyle's mood was foul beyond words. He felt like he could kill anyone right now.
"Your Highness."
"I know."
Her old fiancé was beneath his notice now.
Lennox's gaze fixed on the massive map drawn on the wall. It was a detailed map showing the eastern coastal cities at a glance.
Along the coastline in sequence: Baltazar, Carcason, and then.
Alje.
A memory flashed through his mind.
"Do you remember what you gave me for my birthday last year?"
It was right before Juliet left that she'd asked that.
In hindsight, it was an odd question. He'd answered that it was Alje's lapis lazuli mine.
"That's right. You do remember."
But somehow, it hadn't felt like the answer she wanted.
Alje's seaside. Why had he given her the lapis lazuli mine of all things as a birthday gift?
She wouldn't have asked for something like that first.
His eyes sharpened as he mulled it over.
"...What day is it today?"
"Pardon?"
The adjutant checked the calendar and told him the date. It was winter, shortly after the new year.
"So it's the moon festival today."
"How long to reach Alje's coast from here?"
"Even at top speed, it'd take about four hours. But with the moon festival today..."
"My lord!"
"Duke?"
He couldn't recall everything. But he had a certainty nonetheless.
* * *
The eastern coastal cities were famous for their beauty.
Though it was winter, the breeze was merely a touch chilly during the carriage ride, with temperatures feeling like spring.
Houses built along the sandy shoreline created a picturesque scene. Sitting in the back seat of the carriage, pretending to admire the views, Juliet stole glances at the person beside her.
"Um, but this might be boring for you, Roy."
It was Juliet's third warning.
"It's fine."
Roy smiled brightly.
"How could it be boring? You're going to meet someone you like."
And Roy's response was the same for the third time.
Juliet was starting to regret it a little. Why had she so readily agreed when Roy asked if he could come along?
She must have been overly excited at the prospect of meeting someone after so long. It was just a half-day trip.
In Juliet's hand was a letter envelope.
She was heading to the address written on it.
Fiddling with the envelope, Juliet suddenly grew curious.
"Hey, Roy."
"Yes."
"Can I ask you something?"
"Anything."
"Um, how did you know I was in Kanavel village?"
It had been a lingering question for Juliet.
They'd only brushed past each other once on the train, yet he'd 'happened by' and rescued her in that remote mountain village. It was suspicious.
And this morning too. Roy seemed to know exactly where she was, no matter what.
His companions popped up and vanished unpredictably, but he especially appeared out of nowhere at any moment.
"By your scent."
It was a straightforward answer, but Juliet nearly jumped.
'Come to think of it, I've read about that.'
Lycanthropes could smell the stench from humans, which was why they despised them.
As Juliet fell silent with a worried expression, Roy tilted his head.
"What are you thinking?"
"I heard somewhere before..."
Juliet cautiously softened the explanation, and Roy smiled gently.
"That's not true. You smell nice, Juliet."
"...Really?"
"Yes, very much so."
Roy nodded with such a serious expression that Juliet almost believed him.
So she pretended to adjust her shawl and buried her nose in her shoulder for a moment.
'No smell at all.'
The clean shawl only carried a faint grassy flower scent.
Lifting her head with a puzzled look, she saw Roy holding back laughter at her actions.
"Ahem."
Juliet coughed awkwardly for no reason.
"It's not just body odor... How should I put it? Hard to explain."
Roy looked genuinely regretful.
"I wish you could sense what I sense soon."
"It was just a light comment."
As she replied, embarrassed, Roy added in a earnest tone,
"Just know that I can always find you, wherever you are."