Chapter 94
Chapter 94
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 94
Chapter Title: Strange Dreams
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It had already been a week since he returned to the ducal castle, fleeing like a refugee.
Lennox gazed down at his blackened, mutated hand—or rather, the spot where his hand had been.
His vision still blurry, he slowly traced over it for a long time. Only after confirming the familiar skin tone and original shape had returned did he drape a robe over his bare body.
Children of the Carlisle family were born with mana from the moment they were conceived in their mother's womb.
"Filthy vermin."
Some of them were even born in forms that weren't human.
Forcing holy power into a body innately attuned to mana had triggered a violent rejection response.
The two were completely incompatible forces that could never mix.
As he fastened his robe, Lennox thought it was a relief that Juliet hadn't seen him like this.
Even for a woman as unflappable as her, with no fear in her heart, she might have been terrified by the sight.
It wasn't a pleasant scene, watching his skin deform temporarily as if possessed by some demon.
If she'd witnessed it firsthand, she might have burst into tears—whether out of sympathy or guilt, he couldn't say.
*Juliet.*
He found himself replaying the sound of her voice, stifled as she held back tears of shock and fear.
"I'll be going now."
What expression had she worn in that moment?
Ever since returning to the ducal residence, Lennox had been consumed by curiosity about what face Juliet had made, what thoughts had run through her mind.
According to the reports he'd received on the way back from the capital, Juliet had remained at Count Monad's estate the whole time.
Had she felt relieved, thinking she was lucky not to be held back by a man like him? Or...
Lennox lightly clenched his hand, now fully restored to normal.
It folded. His eyesight was returning, albeit slowly.
But at the same time, he was experiencing something a bit odd.
He wasn't the type to dream much, normally.
*A side effect of the treatment, perhaps.*
But recently—precisely since the forced injection of holy power began—
he had started having the same bizarre dream over and over.
It was less a dream and more like peeking into someone else's memory.
The content was always identical.
In the dream, he walked somewhere and stopped before a door. Inside the open room sat a woman.
But before he could make out her face, the strange dream always ended.
*Was she crying?*
He'd never heard any sobbing, but somehow he felt she had been.
Upon waking, he was always left with an eerie sense of déjà vu he couldn't shake...
Lennox glanced out the window.
The location in his dream was right here—the Carlisle castle in the North.
A familiar place, a familiar bedroom.
Lennox grew curious about the identity of the woman crying inside it.
At first, he'd thought it might be Juliet.
But no matter how hard he searched his memories, nothing matched.
"Your Highness, letters from the capital."
Elliot set down a pile of correspondence before the Duke of Carlisle.
The top one, stamped with the imperial seal, immediately caught his eye.
Come fox-hunting season, the Emperor always sent him an invitation.
Of course, the Duke of Carlisle had never once accepted.
He wasn't one for aimless hunts. If anything, he was accustomed to slaughtering magical beasts, not chasing foxes.
Lennox ignored it without a second glance.
But the duke's secretary picked out one letter from the pile and slid it back in front of him, then placed a small box beside it.
"What's this?"
"You should check it yourself."
Elliot urged him on with an expectant look.
What emerged with a soft clink was a familiar object.
A soulstone, just like the one he'd seen in Lucerne.
"....Hah."
Lennox could tell who had sent it without even looking at the name.
"...She certainly has a sense of responsibility."
For a fleeting moment, Lennox wondered if pretending to be truly blind might have let him monopolize Juliet forever.
He stared down at the soulstone, a strange feeling washing over him. It had been a long time since Juliet had sent him anything.
"There's a note too."
Elliot pointed it out in a subtle tone.
Inside the box was a short letter. Elliot watched contentedly as the Duke of Carlisle pulled it out and read it, his mood softer than it had been in days while checking mail from the capital.
Curious about what Juliet's letter said, Elliot sneaked a peek. But the Duke of Carlisle's face darkened after skimming the brief note in one go.
"....Your Highness?"
"Damn it. Who's worrying about who right now...!"
Lennox shot to his feet with a curse.
**
"His Imperial Majesty the Emperor and Her Imperial Majesty the Empress have invited you for the rest holiday."
The rest holiday referred to the event where the fox-hunting-enthusiast Emperor invited nobles for a fox hunt.
What they called a holiday amounted to fox hunting with the Emperor by day and a small evening soiree hosted by the Empress by night.
But the invitation the imperial couple sent to Juliet wasn't just an elegant card.
There was also a small box.
"What's this?"
Inside the box was an antique hand mirror with a hinged lid.
Juliet thought it was a very empress-like, graceful message.
There was a long-standing custom where a mother personally prepared four wedding tokens for her daughter about to marry: something old, something borrowed, something new, and something blue.
The mirror was a classic example of "something old," and by sending it, the Empress had indirectly signaled that the issue of an adopted daughter was not resolved.
Juliet closely examined the mirror with its blue sapphire inlaid on the lid before speaking.
"It's not something old."
If anything, the mirror gleamed as if newly crafted.
Juliet sighed and put the mirror back.
"I suppose I'll have to return it in person."
She had refused via Lennox, but etiquette probably demanded she deliver it herself.
To do that, though, she'd first need to visit the Empress and explain that she'd parted ways with the duke.
As Juliet fretted over where to begin and end her explanation, Roy spoke up abruptly.
"Want me to go with you?"
"To the imperial palace?"
"Yeah. You can use me.
I'll help."
Roy extended his hand meaningfully.
Juliet understood what he meant by "use." If she took his hand and accepted the invitation, they'd look every bit the perfect couple in front of everyone.
Watching her expression, Roy added,
"Even as friends, this much should be fine, right?"
"That would be great, but..."
Juliet felt tempted for a moment.
To persuade the Empress, after all, she'd need to say she'd broken up with the Duke of Carlisle and they were no longer involved.
If she went with Roy, she wouldn't need to spell out the end of her relationship with the duke in tedious detail.
Showing up with a handsome new man would be far more effective than a hundred words of excuses or explanations.
But she didn't want to drag Roy into the gossip mill.
On the other hand, attending a soiree with him so soon after her breakup would surely spark rumors among the nobles.
"No, it's fine. I'll go alone. You've been busy lately anyway, Roy."
Roy had seemed unusually occupied these days.
He didn't show it, but his nerves were frayed. There was some family quarrel, wasn't there?
His father's poor health had sparked a succession dispute.
He could just stay away if he was busy, but Roy visited faithfully to check on Juliet.
"Don't worry too much, Roy. We'll find your brother soon."
Juliet comforted him.
She recalled Elza casually mentioning that some of Roy's siblings had left for the forest and gone missing.
"....Thanks, Juliet."
Roy let out a light sigh and rested his head on her shoulder.
Startled for a moment, Juliet patted his back without showing it.
When they'd first met on the train, he'd been a runaway kid fighting with his brother, but now he was working to reconcile his family—Juliet found Roy a bit admirable.
"Instead, next time we go together for sure.
Promise?"
Lifting his head, Roy pleaded with a reluctant expression. The Lycanslopes were said to be reclusive, yet Roy was always forward with her.
"I want to meet Juliet's close friends. Please."
Close friends... Not really.
Juliet recalled the cold stares and whispers directed at her, but she smiled and replied.
"Sure. Next time, we'll go together."
Even those who disliked her would want to befriend this kind, handsome young man.
"I'll be back soon. Take care, Juliet."
Roy bid her a reluctant farewell and headed off to Katia's forest. He'd offered to go with her, but he must have been busy after all.
Juliet prepared to depart for the imperial palace.
"Where are you off to, Juliet?"
As Juliet was about to leave the manor, Elza poked her head out from the kitchen.
"To the imperial palace. I'll be back in a day."
"Oh, okay."
Elza took a bite of pie and trailed after Juliet, hopping nimbly into the carriage.
Juliet asked with a small smile.
"Why, Elza?"
"Roy said not to leave Juliet alone."
Roy did?
Juliet tilted her head.
Elza's stunning looks made her seem perfectly suited for the imperial palace, even in plain clothes.
*'There's no rule against bringing a companion, so it should be fine to take Elza.'*
"Alright. Then let's go together, Elza."