Forgotten Juliet

“Please, go on.”

“Does Juliet know about that terrible curse passed down in your family?”

Lionel Lebatan asked as casually as if he was discussing the weather.

Lennox had a gut feeling that this moment would come when he heard that the Red King had hurriedly returned to the east.

Lionel Lebatan seemed to think Lennox’s silence was answer enough.

“It’s a well-known tale among the elders. I wonder why it didn’t cross my mind sooner.”

The cunning king, who effectively ruled the east, knew where to seek the answer.

The Carlyle Duchy was always plagued by ominous rumors.

There were absurd stories like they drank human blood or that if the heir was deemed unworthy, they would be abandoned.

But Lionel Lebatan was a wise old man who sensed the truth hidden among those rumors.

“Last time, Juliet suddenly mentioned something about a demon. It made me remember that there has never been a smooth succession in the Dukedom.”

Lionel Lebatan seemed to have already figured everything out.

“And that, is it related to the curse that is said to be attached to your family? Isn’t it?”

“…I won’t put Juliet in danger.”

That was the only answer Lennox could give.

“No, that’s not the answer I want to hear.”

Lionel Lebatan shook his head.

“Look, Duke Carlyle, what could this powerless old man desire? I just wish she could live a carefree and happy life.”

Though Lionel Lebatan was a tall figure, his voice sounded lonely.

“Not being ignored or despised, without having to worry about what others think. It might be nothing to you, but it’s important to me.”

It was important to Lennox too.

He had vowed to ensure that undeserving individuals wouldn’t underestimate Juliet.

However, in front of Lionel Lebatan, who expressed his feelings with such sorrow, Lennox wasn’t sure if he had the right to say such things.

“And I don’t like the guy who can only keep her close for seven years without even marrying her.”

“…”

“It would be a waste to see my precious granddaughter, somewhere in someone else’s home while crawling on the floor.”

With raised eyebrows, Lionel Lebatan openly showed his genuine concerns.

“Perhaps she’s taken by that northern bloodline. What is she lacking that she must endure such a cold and harsh place?”

Lionel Lebatan no longer feigned pity.

“Indeed, when it comes to granddaughter’s suitors, a considerate and obedient man is the best…”

Lennox calmly interrupted his blatant complaints.

“Then you might know.”

“Know what?”

“That I have proposed to Juliet.”

“…What did you say?”

For a brief moment, Lennox saw it clearly. The veins on the always-composed Lionel Lebatan’s forehead bulged.

Lennox smirked and added:

“Yes, I proposed twice.”

“No, on whose authority!”

Lionel Lebatan jumped up from his seat.

It was a markedly different reaction from his earlier words.

Lennox observed Lionel Lebatan’s changing complexion and then replied leisurely.

“And I was rejected.”

“…Rejected?”

“Yes, both times.”

And quite decisively at that.

Lennox grinned.

Despite all his efforts and offers, Juliet had repeatedly stated she didn’t want to marry him.

“Hmm. That’s unfortunate.”

Lionel quickly calmed down and sat back down, seemingly amused.

The atmosphere lightened.

While he was still unhappy with the man who took his granddaughter, there was an undeniable bond between them.

The shared sentiment of treasuring Juliet like their own lives.

“So did you make our girl cry?”

At that question, Lennox looked up.

It was the response Lionel Lebatan had been hoping for, and for the first time, Lennox Carlyle seemed his age.

Lionel Lebatan felt a peculiar satisfaction.

‘Look at this green, arrogant young man. Acting all wobbly and unlike his age.’

Seeing him lose his cool for the first time, Lionel thought, ‘He does care after all,’ and smirked inwardly.

“To be honest, Duke, I don’t like you.”

Lionel Lebatan rose majestically, leaning on his cane.

“And I don’t know by what means you’re keeping Juliet by your side.”

“…That’s an agreement between Juliet and me.”

“Well, that’s fine. To be honest, I’m not that narrow-minded.”

Lionel Lebatan tapped the shoulder of the Duke standing opposite him.

“Just remember this one thing. If you ever make our child cry or put her in danger again…”

From afar, the scene looked as though he was showing gentle affection to a grandson, but the words exchanged were utterly harsh.

“You’d better be prepared for the consequences.”

Lennox, who had been looking coldly at Lionel Lebatan, grinned slightly.

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

Lionel left after leaving a meaningful warning.

“Ah, and don’t tell Juliet that I came.”

After Lionel Lebatan left, Lennox couldn’t leave the reception room for a long while.

He could hear the sound of a carriage departing outside, and he remained still in the reception room until he heard the sound of someone returning to the mansion by a whisker.

Soon, he heard light footsteps approaching the door.

Suppressing the urge to get up and leave, he closed his eyes for a moment and waited for the owner of those footsteps.

Waiting for something was the least familiar thing to him in his life.

It made no sense to be so restless just from sensing someone’s presence.

“Your Highness.”

Though he had just closed and opened his eyes, the woman who made the impossible possible stood before him.

“Have you been here?”

Juliet, who had returned from outside, was dressed in a calm blue dress.

She held a baby dragon that resembled a large black cat.

“Did you have a visitor?”

Juliet asked, noticing the remnants of a guest in the reception toom.

“Yes.”

“Your Highness, I have something to ask.”

Nonchalantly, Juliet brought up the matter. She couldn’t figure out who had donated a staggering amount of money under her name.

“Is it something you did?”

Lennox then realized.

The ‘honor of the granddaughter’ that Lionel Lebatan mentioned seemed to refer to this matter.

Lennox realized that the hefty donation made under Juliet’s name was Lionel’s doing.

However, remembering Lionel’s request to keep his visit a secret, he chose not to disclose it.

“Are you listening?”

“…Yes.”

Lennox Carlyle was pondering something he had never been curious about in his life.

Proposing to a woman meant accepting her family and the world.

Families and relatives. Even their passionate but loving worries and interventions.

Suddenly, he thought that Juliet’s rejection of his proposal was justified.

And at the same time, he thought that Lionel Lebatan’s point was valid.

“Don’t you have anything to say to me?”

Juliet asked suspiciously.

“I do.”

With that reply, Lennox leaned his forehead on Juliet’s shoulder as he approached her.

Juliet flinched but didn’t push him away.

“!”

The baby dragon, awoken from its sleep, let out an irritated cry and jumped to the floor.

“Juliet.”

“Yes.”

“When I first saw you.”

The time in this life when they first met.

He would never forget Juliet, who wore a black robe and had an expressionless face, emanating a pale venomous aura.

He didn’t know then, but he understands now.

The reason he reached out to Juliet then was because he was drawn to her loneliness, with no one to lean on or trust.

Lennox realized what he had wanted.

He wanted to give Juliet a family.

But that was impossible from the start.

You can’t explain the colors of a rainbow to someone who’s blind.

He never knew parental love or what a normal family and boundary were. How could he offer her such things?

Moreover, Juliet no longer had any expectations of him. Now that she has a proper family, it’s only natural that she wouldn’t cling to what he can offer.

Looking back, his love was always superficial and pathetic.

He always hovered around her, fretting over whether giving her expensive gifts or assets would finally win her smile.

But those things paled in comparison to Juliet’s laughter.

“Why?”

“…Nothing.”

He always had so much to say.

Don’t leave.

Stay by my side forever.

But they were words he could never vocalize.

Within him still existed a cunning child, greedily craving affection.

Though he clung to her with greed and stubbornness, Juliet would leave him once the promised time passed.

Juliet was always too good for him, and he was always the one greedily clinging and not letting go.