Chapter 93
Chapter 93
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 93
Chapter Title: Imperial Summons
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Juliet headed to the duke's residence in the capital as soon as dawn broke.
But she couldn't meet Lennox.
"……He's gone?"
"Yes, Lady."
Precisely, the duke's residence was completely empty, so there was no one to meet.
Juliet blinked, at a loss for words.
The duke's residence manager replied to her with an apologetic look.
"He left for his territory yesterday evening."
In the end, Juliet had no choice but to leave a short note asking them to send the soulstone to the ducal castle since it was urgent and head back.
For such a large group, it had been an incredibly swift and quiet return.
He must have used the gate, as expected of him.
She understood why a man like that wouldn't want to show any weakness. Still, the more she mulled it over, the angrier she got.
'How could he just leave for the north without a word? He leaves me all anxious, so what am I supposed to be?'
Sitting in the greenhouse and trimming the roses from the Katia Mountains, Juliet spat coldly.
"Idiot."
"Exactly?"
February was a quiet season.
Salon gatherings were lively in high society, and fox hunts were in full swing at the hunting grounds.
But Juliet, who had no interest in salons or hunting, was holed up in her mansion.
Of course, she wasn't bored. Guests came and went one after another, making the count's residence busier than any winter before.
"Juliet, Juliet!"
A tall beauty poked her head out from behind a huge pile of flowers.
"Look at this! I'm all done."
Elza set down the neatly trimmed pile of flowers in front of Juliet and urged her.
"Huh? Look, look."
"Yes. Good job."
Elza's eyes sparkled with eager anticipation as she asked.
"So, can I have pie now?"
"Yes, go ask Evette for some."
"Yay!"
Elza let out a cheer and dashed out of the greenhouse.
She's not even a kid.
Juliet smiled faintly as she watched her go, then glanced to the side.
Another Lycanslope was sitting there. It was Nathan, Roy's colleague. His large frame holding tiny gardening shears should have looked awkward, but surprisingly, it suited him.
In fact, with his precise technique, he was trimming away useless leaves from the rose stems and removing the thorns.
Even from the side, his speed was impressive.
But Nathan still had far more untrimmed flowers in front of him. That was because Elza, who had just whined about wanting pie, had dumped her pile on him.
Juliet watched his hands quietly for a moment before speaking.
"Nathan, stop that and go have tea with Elza."
"I'm fine."
"Suit yourself, then."
"......"
Juliet didn't press him again and turned her attention back to the roses.
The Monad count's residence was bustling with guests for the first time in years, and Juliet didn't let the idle ones just lounge around.
Among the seedlings Roy had brought from the forest, there were even varieties that bloomed in just three days.
Juliet grabbed the idle mages and had them light fires in the empty greenhouses, then brought in the forest folk with their affinity for nature to tend the flowers.
The baby dragon lounged nearby.
The remaining hands were put to work trimming flowers.
Quite a few nobles didn't even know roses had thorns.
That was because the roses used for flower arranging in noble houses usually had no thorns.
So where did those flowers come from?
'It's all money and labor.'
Juliet had learned that truth at a young age.
In truth, preparing and selling trimmed flowers was a winter pastime for houses with greenhouses. It was a relatively "elegant hobby" and a way to earn money.
The people Juliet had hired grumbled but earned their keep.
And for Juliet, it was simple labor perfect for forgetting stray thoughts.
Knock knock.
"Juliet."
Someone peeked in from the greenhouse entrance.
"Roy……."
"Lord Roy!"
Nathan, clearly delighted to see him, jumped up to greet him.
No wonder—unlike the other two, Nathan didn't seem to have come here willingly.
'Three hours straight trimming with scissors in a greenhouse—he must be bored out of his mind.'
Roy gave an awkward smile and said to Juliet.
"Come out for a sec?"
"Huh?"
"I found something weird outside."
Juliet stood from her chair, wondering if he'd picked up a shivering squirrel in the cold.
"What is it? Ah……."
But waiting for her at the entrance was a middle-aged man bundled in blankets.
"Wh-wh-what…… Sn-snow on the……!"
He was an uninvited guest.
It seemed his carriage had gotten stuck in the snow on the approach road, forcing him to trudge up to the count's residence on foot.
She had forgotten that recent visitors to the count's residence had been clearing the path despite the piled-up snow.
"Come in."
Juliet ushered the middle-aged man inside.
Only after warming up for a good while did the man recover and scan Juliet up and down before saying arrogantly.
"You're Juliet Monad, I presume?"
Juliet wondered why he was pretending not to know her when he clearly did.
"Yes, Chief Steward Melvin."
He was Viscount Melvin, the chief steward of the imperial palace. Juliet had known him by face since the Bluebell Ball seven years ago.
The chief steward cleared his throat awkwardly.
"A-hem. Lady Monad……!"
"Count Monad."
"Ah, right…… Count Monad, hear the words of Her Imperial Majesty the Empress!"
"I said I'd decline all invitations."
Juliet said indifferently as she removed her gardening gloves.
"Hey now! This isn't just any invitation!"
But Viscount Melvin didn't back down and unfurled the scroll he had brought, slapping it down in front of them.
Curious, Juliet and Roy tilted their heads. A golden seal gleamed impressively on the scroll.
"This is Her Majesty's command to enter the palace at once!"
* * *
The northern ducal castle was in the grip of a fierce cold snap.
The snow piled on the ducal residence glittered brilliantly in the sunlight, like it was made of glass. But the castle itself was deathly quiet.
The attending physician glanced fearfully into the dark bedroom.
"Any other discomforts, Your Grace?"
The physician froze.
The duke's prolonged silence was usually a bad sign.
He recalled their conversation from a few days ago.
"That holy power—does it work if injected directly into the body?"
"Yes, in theory."
The physician had paled upon realizing the implication of his casual reply.
"No, Your Grace! The side effects……!"
"It doesn't matter."
The solution Duke Carlyle had proposed was clear but far from simple.
The physician couldn't accept that horrific treatment with uncertain results.
It would certainly be effective. But it would come with definite side effects too.
"Does it cause blindness and hallucinations?"
"Pardon?"
The unexpected question left the physician bewildered.
"Or do you have trouble sleeping? I could prescribe a sleep aid……."
"No, that's fine."
The man, who had been quietly closing his eyes, dismissed the physician irritably.
"Leave."
"…Yes."
Clunk.
Once even the physician had gone, the man left alone in the dark room quietly opened his eyes.
In the shadowed space, red eyes gleamed eerily.
Forgotten Juliet