Forgotten Juliet

The scenery in Duke Carlyle’s office was somewhat stern.

“There was nothing suspicious.”

Listening to the knight’s report, Duke Carlyle signed the last page of the approval document he was holding.

With this, the tasks that needed to be resolved in the capital were almost finished.

“Is it done?”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Elliot, the Duke’s secretary, quickly nodded his head.

“You don’t have any urgent matters to attend to for the time being.”

For the entire morning, Duke Carlyle had been busy as if a typhoon had swept through. It was because their master suddenly declared that he would finish all the tasks that needed to be done in the capital by today.

No one dared to oppose the Duke’s decision.

The Duke’s secretaries spent half a day reviewing contract documents and meeting with guests as if they were crazy.

It was astonishing how they managed to accomplish it all, but in any case, after completing all the schedules, the Duke’s residence became as calm as a clear sky after the rain.

Lennox Carlyle looked thoughtfully out the window.

Having finished all urgent matters, he could now analyze the information he had received earlier about Juliet’s activities and the places she had visited over the past few months.

Juliet didn’t enjoy the pleasures of social life, and her social circle was very narrow.

Her daily life was the same monotonous and unchanged as always, she had no contact with suspicious personalities.

In addition, the escort accompanying her reported her every move every hour.

Even today’s Juliet’s schedule was no different from usual.

Like him, she spent half the day in a busy but organized schedule.

It wasn’t a special day, except that she had to be back at the Duke’s residence by noon, as he had invited her to dinner.

In addition, he already knew about the events that happened in the temple.

“Count Casper, you said?”

“Yes, do you know the name of Marquis Guinness? Engaged to Princess Priscilla. It seems he’s almost lost his mind. I think it must be because of the young lady…”

Of course, Lennox had already forgotten about the Count’s insignificant name.

If Juliet had used her impressive illusions in front of people, it would have been a reasonable occurrence.

His only concern at the moment was one thing.

Contrary to their agreement, Juliet hadn’t returned to the mansion even after lunchtime.

“The young lady will come to the palace banquet hall right after getting ready at the Monad’s residence.”

“I see.”

Jude, who had gone to escort Juliet, reported.

In the capital, the mansion of Count Monad, Juliet’s family, still remained.

Lennox wasn’t worried that Juliet would suddenly run away or anything of the sort.

The guards he assigned to her were the elite members of the Duke’s knights.

“So nothing suspicious,” murmured Lennox slowly as he fiddled with the mail on the table.

These were letters addressed not to him, but to Juliet with invitations to various social events.

Of course, Juliet hadn’t even bothered to open them, so the seals remained intact.

Outwardly, LeNnox Carlyle seemed no different from usual.

He had pushed everyone harshly to ensure that all tasks were completed on time, and he appeared as if he didn’t care that his lover, who had gone out alone, hadn’t returned yet.

That’s how it appeared on the surface.

However, Duke Carlyle’s mind was sharp.

His well-shaped finger tapped lightly on the table.

Is this how she’s going to do it?

Juliet avoided him.

And not only that, she refused to accept his gift and sent the necklace back as if it was worth nothing, then went to the Count’s mansion. It seemed that by doing so she was challenging him.

It didn’t look like Juliet Monad at all.

However, in contrast to his inner feeling that there was something hidden behind her actions, there was nothing suspicious in the report of her activities lately.

Then how should he interpret the sudden change in her behavior?

“Oh, come to think of it, there was one circumstance that I didn’t tell Your Highness about.”

Jude suddenly opened his mouth, breaking the long silence, as if suddenly remembering something.

“When I escorted the Lady to Monad’s mansion, I ran into the late Count’s maid.”

Despite the fact that the Count and his wife had passed away, some servants still remained in the Monad mansion and took care of it.

“The maid there said something strange. Something like that a strange man came to them a few times.”

“A strange man?”

Secretary Elliot, without even realizing it, held his breath and observed Duke Carlyle’s reaction.

The oblivious Jude Hayon was still cheerfully chatting away, unaware of the atmosphere.

“Yes, he wanted to meet Lady Monad. He seemed to be a young man in his late twenties. He came to her two or three times and asked to see her. Maids were going to inform Lady Juliet when she visited the Count’s mansion because they had some suspicions. However, Lady Monad doesn’t come around often, so tey haven’t had a chance to tell her yet.”

“A young man…”

No emotion was visible on the face of Duke Carlyle.

But Elliot noticed that the Duke’s finger, which had been slowly tapping on the table, suddenly stopped. The veins on the back of the hand holding the armrest bulged and turned blue.

“It’s interesting,” the Duke said with a face that didn’t look like he was having fun at all.

Elliot couldn’t stand the pressure any longer, he looked at the fireplace, there was clearly a fire burning there, and it was clearly burning. However, oddly enough, the temperature in the room plummeted.

This wasn’t Elliot’s own misunderstanding, for even Jude, who until recently had been very cheerful, suddenly closed his mouth and stood at attention.

Juliet Monad, who left the residence in the morning and still hasn’t returned. And the Duke who ordered a secret investigation into his lover.

He roughly imagined what was happening now.

Elliot had been Duke Carlyle’s secretary for 10 years, so he knew all of the Duke’s mistresses.

Come to think of it, the Duke already had a woman who unexpectedly brought another man into her bed to get his attention.

Yes, it looked like that.

But what happened to her?

Elliot desperately tried to recall the details but failed. Suddenly, a firm voice called out to him.

“Elliot.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“Release the wolves.”

‘The wolves’ referred to the elite knights under Duke Carlyle’s command.

Elliot bowed his head, fervently hoping that nothing would go wrong.

“…As you command.”

* * *

After a long time, Juliet visited her house and took a moment to rest before slowly heading out to the city.

The street in front of the upscale clothing stores, where she changed into a different outfit, was bustling with carriages due to the evening New Year’s ball.

Juliet strolled calmly through the servants who were carrying her reserved shoes and dress.

Her goal was a teahouse located just off the main street.

The owner offered her a table in a warm room when Juliet entered the tea room, but she refused, saying she wanted to see the garden. After that, the owner escorted her to a small tea table in a beautiful garden, where she could observe the scenery.

After a while, two glasses and a transparent decanter with a drink appeared on the table.

Juliet ordered iced tea, chilled to the point of freezing, which was completely unsuitable for the current cold weather.

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

The owner thought it was an unusual preference on such a cold day.

Even after bringing her the beverage, the owner still sent curious glances at Juliet.

Juliet had never introduced herself, but the owner already knew her name and status.

Juliet Monad, only daughter of the late Count Monad.

She was quite a famous person.

Guests who visited the teahouse almost constantly gossiped about someone, but the name, Juliet Monad, popped up in conversations most often.

Some sympathized with her, saying that she was an immature child who lost her parents early and didn’t have the opportunity to lean on them, while others spoke contemptuously of her as a pathetic mistress who didn’t know her place and tried to get the status of a duchess.

But in the eyes of the elderly owner, she didn’t seem like an immature child, nor a woman who didn’t know her place.

Looking at her through the window glass, the owner thought she looked like a painting. A luxurious dress, a slight smile on her lips and a slightly thoughtful look, but at the same time she looked just like an ordinary docile lady.

It must be tough being the lover of the infamous Duke.

The owner of the teahouse, who looked at her thoughtfully, for some reason felt sorry for her.