Chapter 98
Chapter 98
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 98
Chapter Title: Snowdrop
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*
"Put me down."
He desperately tried to read some emotion on Juliet's face but found nothing.
As the silence dragged on, the other torchbearers who had been walking a short distance away also came to a halt.
". . . Alright. We'll head back."
In the end, it was he who broke first.
He didn't set Juliet down, but he gave up on the plan to take her north.
Only then did Juliet lean against him, after he turned the horse's head toward the distant lights of the imperial palace.
"Your Highness, why are you here?"
*Asking awfully soon.*
Lennox clicked his tongue inwardly.
"Who's the one who lost their familiar..."
Lennox shot a glare at the butterflies scattering their bluish glow.
"Thanks to them wandering around so fearlessly."
"I see you got my letter just fine."
Juliet's voice was calm.
But contrary to her nonchalant reply, his throat felt parched.
Lennox tensed the arm not holding the reins. He could feel Juliet's head resting against him, rising and falling rhythmically with each breath.
Yet somehow, she seemed absent.
The relief he'd felt the instant he checked the soulstone had truly been fleeting.
[The butterflies are gone.]
The moment he read that short note, he'd left the north behind.
He'd opened a gate, confirmed Juliet's whereabouts, and barely arrived in time.
"Barely in time" meaning he'd found her collapsed deep in the hunting grounds, unconscious—beside a dazed lycanthrope that looked like its soul had fled and butterflies fluttering about energetically.
"And your eyes?"
"Who's worrying about whom right now?"
"Are they better?"
". . . No."
With his answer, Lennox tightened his hold around her waist. Juliet's face flashed with suspicion for a moment, but he was innocent.
The court physician had said her recovery was faster than expected, but pushing it might cost her vision forever.
Aside from the annoying dreams of some woman who kept crying,
". . . They're improving."
"That's a relief."
Juliet let out a small sigh, her expression lightened as if a weight had been lifted.
That reaction left Lennox feeling off-kilter once more.
He hated being pitied, hated being fussed over out of sympathy.
But was it really just guilt?
Juliet hadn't even been that surprised to see him. She was always composed, sure. But this felt different.
What stuck with him was the expression that had crossed her face the moment she'd opened her eyes earlier.
A look of fear, like she was on the verge of tears.
Despite that, she was now so calm it bordered on indifference, as if she couldn't care less—and it made him inexplicably anxious.
His throat burned.
Even at this late hour, torches blazed everywhere, making the imperial palace bright as day. People were spilling out of the buildings.
"Oh, heavens...!"
"The Empress!"
The Empress nearly fainted at the sight of the group returning from the forest.
Her attendants rushed to support her in a flurry.
"I'm fine."
Juliet dismounted and insisted she wasn't hurt, but no one seemed to be listening.
"Juliet!"
He spotted Elza hurrying over in a panic.
"A doctor! Get a doctor first!"
"No, what in the world happened?"
"What on earth went on in the forest...?"
"For now, I just want to wash up and change clothes."
Juliet's tone came out a bit sharp.
Only then did people snap out of it.
"Th-this way, please!"
The head maid of the Empress's palace shooed the crowd away with a stern face.
"The Duke as well! Step back!"
The moment the head maid blocked his path, he absurdly found himself reluctant to set Juliet down from his arms.
"Put me down."
Lennox reluctantly lowered Juliet and stepped back.
She glanced back at him just once. The next instant, she was led inside by the head maid. Lennox's gaze lingered on her retreating figure as he slowly removed his gloves.
"Your Majesty."
"Wh-what is it, Duke?"
"The palace security is abysmal."
"I-is that so?"
The Emperor, gauging the direction of this conversation, felt a bit bewildered.
The fox hunt had gone to hell because some异種族 had barged in out of nowhere.
"Indeed. As a loyal subject, I can't just stand by."
But far from assigning blame, Lennox even smiled mildly.
The Emperor wanted to ask just when he'd become so "loyal," but held his tongue.
Duke Carlisle's smooth words didn't end there.
"So, I hope you'll permit me and my men to stay in the palace for the time being. You will, won't you?"
"O-of course, granted."
The Emperor realized that Carlisle's gentle demeanor was several times more intimidating than his expressionless one.
* * *
"Juliet! Are you okay?"
"Elza."
Elza's face was a mask of tears.
"I'm sorry. I told Roy to look after you..."
Juliet grabbed Elza's arm as she helped her along and whispered softly.
"Help me out here."
"Yeah!"
Elza had no knack for delicate work, but she was a big help in peeling off the ruined dress.
The imperial maids were horrified, but as Juliet had said, once she shed the soiled clothes and shook out her disheveled hair, no major injuries were visible. Just some minor scrapes on her limbs from tumbling in the forest.
The maids stepped out briefly to fetch supplies and fresh garments.
"Please sit still."
Following their instructions, she slipped into the bathtub, letting the hot water soothe her body. Only then did her mind clear.
"Elza."
Seizing a moment when no one else was looking, Juliet cautiously called out to her.
Elza sneaked glances around before sidling up to the tub.
"What is it, Juliet?"
Juliet pulled out the silver key she'd kept hidden and held it out to Elza. But unlike Graham, Elza just stared at it blankly.
Of course—Roy, Elza, and Nathan had all seen the key plenty of times, but none of them spouted strange tales like that wolf had.
"What's this for?"
"I met a wolf in the forest who said he was Roy's brother."
Elza's face filled with shock.
"He said his name was Graham."
"Graham? Graham came here? How...?"
Juliet gripped Elza's arm as she gaped in astonishment.
"And Graham called this 'Snowdrop.'"
". . . Snowdrop?"
Elza's eyes went wide.
"Do you know what that is?"
"Yeah, I do."
Elza glanced between Juliet and the silver key, then spoke with uncharacteristic seriousness.
"It's a flower's name."
". . . Yeah, I knew that."
Juliet chuckled, a bit deflated.
Splash, splash.
The tub was filling with hot water. But Elza wasn't done.
"My grandma said it's something very, very dangerous and ancient."
She continued in that same grave tone.
"Beings so wicked they were banished from the forest—ones you must never let back inside."
But that was all Elza could offer. Her words were vague, like an old folktale.
(.......)
What nagged at Juliet more than Elza's hazy account was something else.
The butterflies, who had chattered so noisily it made her head throb—ever since they'd uttered that word aloud—had gone dead silent.
It was odd.
This was a three-hundred-year-old relic, passed down through her family since the founding of House Monad—an item as ancient as the Empire itself.
So why did the lycanthropes know its name? A name even the Monads themselves had never heard?
Artifact.
As far as Juliet knew, artifacts didn't have names.
The term "artifact" was just a convenient label for treasures harboring inexplicable power.
Sure, famous gems got grandiose monikers like "Tears of the Sun," but she'd never heard of an artifact having a name.
Just as the silver key handed down in House Monad looked like an ordinary silver trinket on the surface, artifacts often appeared as unremarkable antiques at first glance.
". . . Is this your name?"
(.......)
But the butterflies remained silent.