Chapter 84
Chapter 84
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 84
Chapter Title: Juliet's Return
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Juliet was greatly flustered.
"Did I say something like that?"
"Yes."
Roy continued speaking with a calm expression.
"A woman named Dahlia was supposed to appear as Lucerne's saintess, but I don't know why she still hasn't shown up yet..."
Juliet bit her tongue. It felt like she had stopped breathing.
"He said something like that."
But Roy's words didn't end there.
"And you cried to that man, saying you're sorry, Juliet."
Roy grinned.
"You begged him not to kill you again with your own hands, pleading that you didn't want to die again."
For a moment, Juliet wanted to run away.
Why on earth had she said something like that?
Her vision went dark. Not only did she need to check on Lennox's condition right away, but now there was one more thing to worry about.
'Could the reason the butterflies disappeared be related to this?'
Juliet realized she was already gauging Roy's reaction.
Of course, she couldn't argue if he treated her like a madwoman.
But the clear amber eyes gazing at her felt cold, and it stung a little.
She couldn't even remember what she had said up until now. And then she'd lost the butterflies afterward.
"Snicker."
"......?"
At the sudden sound of stifled laughter, Juliet cautiously lifted her head.
"Juliet."
Roy, seated across from her in the jostling carriage, leaned his upper body forward.
He planted his hand right next to where she was sitting.
The Monad count's carriage wasn't very large, so his mere presence filled the space.
"I told you. It doesn't matter to me who you are or what stories you tell."
"Roy. I...... I don't know why I said that...."
"Please don't ask?"
"Yes."
Juliet gave a small nod.
"Alright. Then we'll pretend I never heard it. Let's say I went mad for a moment."
Roy grinned.
**
Rattle.
The carriage wheels rumbled loudly over the gravel.
The Carlyle duke's residence in the capital was eerily quiet, as still as a dead rat. The master of the house had refused all outside visitors due to health issues.
As a result, the stares directed at the sudden arrival of the carriage were far from welcoming.
"What's that? Some visitor?"
"Is this proper or not?"
The duke's secretaries, who had been run ragged over the past month due to Lennox Carlyle's declining condition, were brimming with frustration.
"I'll go see."
Elliot approached the carriage, eyes blazing with intent to protest fiercely.
His glare was intense, but...
'...Wait, which house's carriage is that again?'
The crest seemed familiar, yet Elliot couldn't quite place it.
In the meantime, the carriage door clicked open, and the passenger hopped out.
Without an attendant or even using the step, the way she jumped down felt oddly familiar.
Her elegant attire clashed with the casual movement, creating a strangely nostalgic vibe...
Elliot scratched the back of his head, then froze solid upon recognizing her face.
"Hello, Elliot. Have you been well?"
The owner of the dress with pearl buttons climbing to the neckline, the black lace gloves, and the familiar shoes was...
"Miss Monad?"
Elliot rubbed his eyes in disbelief.
How long had it been?
Seeing Juliet Monad in this mansion felt like it had been years.
Rather than heading straight inside, the Juliet who stepped down from the carriage stopped in front of Elliot.
"Um..."
Seeing her hesitate in a way that was so unlike her, Elliot snapped back to his senses.
Right now, her status was that of a visitor. Not someone from the duke's household.
"Ah! P-Please, this way."
The onlookers at the entrance gaped in confusion as the chief secretary—who had stormed out ready to eject an unwelcome intruder—instead returned escorting the guest.
"What?"
"Why's he bringing her in?"
"Wasn't he going to chase her off?"
Their meerkat-like peeking turned to beaming smiles upon recognizing the visitor's face, as if they'd spotted their savior.
"Miss Monad!"
She was the very person who had vanished a month ago, plunging them into hell, but they couldn't have been more delighted.
"H-Here! This way, please."
For some reason, with every step Juliet took—past the entrance, up the stairs, and along the inner corridors—the number of "guides" trailing behind her grew one by one.
As if no one knew she was more familiar with the duke's residence than anyone else.
But when Juliet reached the door to Lennox's bedroom, they ran into an unexpected roadblock.
"I have something to tell Your Highness."
"No one is to be admitted."
A massive man had approached without a sound and blocked her path. It was Hardin, the duke's trusted retainer.
"It'll only take a moment."
"No."
Juliet pleaded, but Hardin wouldn't budge.
"Then just let me see his face. At least tell me how he is..."
"Outsiders are not permitted."
Outsider!
Elliot, standing behind Juliet, gasped in silence. Frustrated to the point of bursting, he flailed with a shocked expression.
The duke's secretaries—who had endured every hardship imaginable during Juliet's month-long absence—hurled every threat imaginable at Hardin through colorful, quite menacing gestures: *Are you out of your mind?*
But Hardin, planted firmly before the door, didn't twitch an inch.
That was his duty, after all.
He stood like a statue that had been there since the beginning.
Juliet's shoulders, rigid with tension before him, slumped in defeat.
Her head hung low, her figure so pitiable it tugged at everyone's heartstrings.
Everyone but Hardin held their breath, terrified she might turn and leave.
*That guy's lost it for real!*
Juliet lowered her gaze slightly, then asked calmly.
"Is it... really bad?"
Hardin's eyebrow twitched. An indescribable expression flickered across his stone-like face.
The shadow of a guard knight glanced at the cluster of retainers glaring daggers over her shoulder, then stepped aside to let her pass.
"...You should see for yourself."
* * *
Click.
The bedroom was quite dark, thick curtains drawn tight.
Juliet stepped carefully inside. The suffocatingly familiar layout made the darkness no obstacle.
Up until entering the room, her mind had been utter chaos.
Worries over what she'd said in Lucerne tangled endlessly with fears of how Lennox must have taken it.
But the moment she spotted the man stretched out long on the chaise lounge—leaving the perfectly fine bed empty—the first emotion to surge was profound relief.
She let out a long sigh.
*What on earth...*
What did a bed even mean to this man?
Lennox lay sleeping quietly in his usual disheveled attire. With no visible major injuries, Juliet felt a measure of relief.
His head was tilted slightly upward, so even in the dim room, his face was faintly visible. The shadows deepened the contrasts, lending him a mystical air.
Juliet drew near the chaise and knelt quietly beside it.
She peered at his face.
The haughty chin, the prominent throat, the chest bared by the gaping robe. His lines weren't slim, yet they held a strangely seductive allure.
Juliet hesitated briefly.
*He looks fine on the outside, but there could be wounds somewhere...*
But touching him felt like it might wake him instantly.
As she wavered, her eyes caught his hair, grown a touch longer. The jet-black strands tumbled messily over his smooth forehead.
In these moments of quiet slumber, he resembled a painting rendered solely in black and white.
Her claim of liking his face was no mere flattery.
It was predestined.
From the instant she'd first laid eyes on him in her previous life, she could do nothing but love this face.