Chapter 99
Chapter 99
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 99
Chapter Title: The Lycanthrope Delegation
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“Did you see it?”
“I did.”
The fox hunt had turned into a complete disaster, but surprisingly, no one seemed disappointed. In fact, they claimed it was the highlight of the year, and even the emperor, who had planned the hunt so meticulously, no longer gave it a second thought.
The moment dawn broke the next day, the honored guests staying at the imperial palace began lurking around the audience chamber with impure intentions.
“Far more human-like than I expected.”
“Honestly, it’s more than that.”
The banquet hall, so carefully prepared by the empress, emptied in an instant.
Despite the chilly weather, people openly wandered the grounds as if they had urgent business nearby that couldn’t be avoided.
“I wish to see the emperor.”
“Entry to the palace is permitted.”
The palace gatekeeper allowed the delegation—unlike any he had seen before—to pass.
The Lycanthropes, those mysterious otherkin from old tales, were all tall and strikingly beautiful.
But Juliet, seated to one side of the audience chamber as a witness, couldn’t shake the feeling that she was the one on trial as familiar faces filed in.
“Hyup.”
Elza, standing beside Juliet, sharply drew in her breath.
Juliet glanced briefly at Elza.
It seemed Elza was the one who had reported what happened with Roy.
Juliet’s position was a bit ambiguous. The emperor and the others still didn’t know about the intruder and her connection to him.
Strictly speaking, Graham had broken into the palace for her sake, and the second prince and his entourage had simply gotten in the way and been attacked as a result.
But the emperor knew none of the details. All he knew was that a ruffian had invaded the palace, harmed his son, and tried to do the same to Count Monad.
And then Roy arrived.
Thud.
The audience chamber doors swung open with a heavy boom. Among the foreigners, Roy stood out the most.
“I am Romeo Bascal, son of Lord Hevaron.”
Roy wore a distinctive outfit Juliet had seen once before. It resembled the robes of ancient priests.
But the expression on his face was one Juliet had never seen.
Throughout his conversation with the emperor, Roy never once met her eyes.
“Human sovereign, hand him over.”
The emperor, who had been eyeing the otherkin youth with wary curiosity, flinched.
“Ahem. Do you know what your kin has done?”
For once, the emperor mustered some imperial dignity and bellowed sternly.
“He dared invade my palace—and not content with that, he tried to harm my son and my imperial subjects!”
His sentence endings wavered a bit, suggesting even the emperor found the situation bewildering.
Katia’s Lycanthropes.
Strictly speaking, they were royalty of another realm. But the representative who stepped forward was an unexpectedly young man, leaving everyone flustered.
Roy, however, didn’t so much as twitch an eyebrow. He listened calmly to the emperor’s words before replying steadily.
“That’s why we ask you to hand him over.”
“Did you even hear what I just said?”
Though the emperor asked in an angry tone, Roy continued nonchalantly.
“Allow us to punish him according to our clan’s laws. We will make him atone with beheading and quartering.”
The people in the audience chamber buzzed.
“No, that’s too much…”
Even the second prince, wrapped head to toe in bandages and looking half-dead, paled.
In truth, the second prince’s injuries were exaggerated, and no one had been seriously hurt.
If one had to point to any real damage, it was the exploded warehouse at the hunting grounds—the full extent of the property loss. And even that had technically been collateral from Juliet’s explosion.
“We will compensate for the financial damages with gold equal in weight to the criminal.”
Thud.
Roy kicked the heavy sack beside him. Its contents spilled out in a clatter.
“No…”
The mouth of the sack gaped open, revealing what was inside: dazzling gold.
And just like that, the Lycanthrope delegation’s status was elevated from envoys to honored guests.
**
Juliet emerged from the audience chamber and sat in a quiet corner of the banquet hall.
The delegation and the emperor had begun discussing how to transport the criminal.
With nothing left for her to do, Juliet had been shooed off to the banquet hall. Fewer people were there now, everyone too busy gawking at the otherkin.
“Juliet.”
Until Roy came looking for her.
“Elza told me you were here.”
He approached with quick steps, as if slipping out of the meeting chamber for a moment.
“Yes.”
Juliet gave a vague reply, peeking over his shoulder at the group of people hurrying into the banquet hall.
Roy’s confident stride across the floor suited the glittering hall perfectly, but it wasn’t an ideal spot for a conversation.
“You look pale.”
After studying her for a moment, he fetched a glass of warmed wine and handed it to her.
“Drink this.”
She took the warm glass but only pretended to wet her lips with it. Apparently, Juliet was the only one bothered by the prying eyes.
Roy asked with a worried expression.
“Are you all right? Hurt anywhere?”
“I’m fine.”
Unlike the Roy she had seen in the audience chamber earlier, this was her usual Roy.
“…Roy, let’s talk later. There are too many eyes right now.”
Juliet glanced around and tried to dissuade him, but Roy ignored her.
“Juliet.”
Instead, he knelt down in front of her. She wanted to tell him not to, but he wasn’t in the mood to listen.
“…Do you hate me?”
He took one of her hands, just like that time before, and asked. Juliet was at a loss for words.
“But that was… Graham’s doing. If you hate me because of something like that…”
“Roy.”
Juliet let out a small sigh before calmly laying out the situation.
“That man named Graham—he’s your brother, right? The one who went missing.”
When Juliet asked, Roy stared at her for a long moment before reluctantly answering.
“Yes. Graham is my third brother.”
“He said he was going to drag me into the forest.”
“I know. I’m sorry.”
“Why did you fight?”
“…He said bad things about you.”
It didn’t seem like Roy was lying. Graham really had insulted her to her face, after all.
“But that’s not the real issue, is it?”
Juliet met his pretty amber eyes steadily.
“Do you know how vicious that guy’s crimes were?”
She couldn’t imagine him committing anything as heinous as Graham had claimed.
But Juliet considered how much she really knew about the man named Romeo Bascal.
Gentle. Kind.
That was it. She had to admit she didn’t know much about Roy beyond that.
“Are you mad at me because of Graham?”
Roy asked cautiously, looking like a dejected puppy—pitiful enough that she couldn’t help but want to pet and comfort him.
Juliet instinctively reached out and toyed with his cheek.
“It’s just… you felt a little unfamiliar to me all of a sudden.”
“…I didn’t deceive you, Juliet.”
But then Roy said something odd out of the blue.
“I’m not like that man.”
Lennox hadn’t deceived her either, really. Juliet smiled bitterly.
“But it doesn’t have to come out of your mouth to be a lie.”
Hiding things you should say is deception too.
Juliet couldn’t shake the feeling that Roy was still keeping something from her.
“…But you haven’t told me everything either, Juliet.”
Roy looked up at her with slightly cool eyes.
“Roy.”
“So, just wait a little.
I’ll tell you everything later…”
He pressed a light kiss to the back of her hand she’d grabbed, murmuring low as if to himself.
“I won’t hurt you like that man did, or just leave you be.”
***
Right after Roy returned to the meeting chamber, Juliet sat alone, lost in thought.
Roy had felt a bit unfamiliar, it was true—but in truth, she didn’t have much bandwidth to dwell on him. Aside from his issues, she had plenty else on her mind.
The butterflies’ return was a relief, but that bizarre name ‘Snowdrop’…
“Truly impressive, Lady Monad.”
Juliet looked up at the sneering voice. Unwelcome company had gathered before she knew it.
“Honestly, I’m in awe.”
Juliet had to agree it was impressive.
Why did the situations she absolutely never wanted to face always come one after another?
“Now it all makes sense.”
“We were wondering why the duke suddenly cast you aside…”
“See? There’s always a reason.”
The scandal-hungry crowd’s eyes gleamed all at once, like predators spotting prey.
“Lady Monad, were the rumors really true?”
“Dragging just any man into your bed…”
“That rumor about being abandoned by the duke.”
“I heard it was to catch the duke’s attention. Is that right?”
“Oh my, but you seemed to have quite the deep relationship with that otherkin youth earlier.”
Juliet smiled sweetly at the venomous mockery.
‘They think they’re untouchable now.’
With no one to take her side this time, they clearly believed she couldn’t wriggle out with her usual tricks.
Juliet knew two ways to shut down this unpleasant attention.
One was for Lennox Carlisle to take a new lover. Then the crowd would lose interest in her and turn on the new one.
But that wasn’t something she could control. So Juliet had only one option.
That was…
‘Yeah, you’re all right.’
To simply affirm it.
These were people she’d never see again anyway. No harm in indulging them.
Juliet rose quietly from her seat, still holding the wine glass Roy had brought her moments ago. As she stood, the crowd flinched, perhaps thinking she’d hurl the glass.
But Juliet had no intention of resorting to violence.
Let them tear into her. Her pride could take it.
With a whatever-happens-happens attitude, Juliet opened her mouth.
“Yes, you’re right. The reason the duke broke things off with me was…”
“No.”
A low, firm voice cut her off.
Thud.
The crowd, staring at Juliet with eager anticipation, turned in confusion.
“As I recall, I was the one who got dumped. Or is my memory wrong?”
The air in the banquet hall froze as everyone confirmed the man standing at the entrance.