Forgotten Juliet

“So, I pretended to be fooled by Ronda, and called Lord Hilbery.”

“You mean our doctor?”

“Yes.”

Just in case, Juliet decided to find out what the ‘Love Potion’ that was circulating in the market was all about.

If she had ordered Hilbery to show the tea leaves and identify the ingredients, it would have been impossible for Hilbery, even if he was a legendary doctor known for resurrecting the dead.

However, Juliet had some suspicions about the ingredients of that ‘potion,’ and the skilled doctor, Lord Hilbery, confirmed Juliet’s suspicions.

“It’s a hallucinogenic made by mixing anise root and nettle honey.”

Juliet received a small silver cup from Lord Hilbery, shook it, and brought it over.

When mixed, it tastes sweeter than sugar, and makes one feel as though they’re walking above clouds.

The only caution was that this hallucinogenic was so potent, that even a slight whiff could be addictive.

In fact, Juliet had been suspicious since she met Eunice, the main character in the rumors who allegedly obtained a fiance using the potion.

Just being a young lady in love didn’t seem to fit, as Eunice appeared to be intoxicated, with a dreamy expression on her face.

“Of course, the person selling such a suspicious drug wouldn’t have properly informed about the precautions.”

While swinging the small cup in her hand and smiling, Juliet suddenly brought the cup to her lips.

“Miss!”

“Miss Monad!”

The sudden action surprised everyone around, their eyes almost popped out.

Just moments ago, she had explained the poison and now she was drinking it!

However, it was Lennox who reacted first.

He grabbed Juliet’s wrist before even realizing it.

“You.”

“Why?”

But Juliet licked her lips with a perfectly fine expression on her face.

“That…”

“Ah, this.”

Juliet answered with a playful smile.

“It’s just chocolate.”

Indeed, what was in the cup Juliet handed over was not a medicated drink, but a sweet-smelling chocolate beverage.

According to the doctor, chocolate helps neutralize the toxicity of nettle honey, so she had prepared it in advance.

“…You had me scared for ten years.”

Lennox let go of Juliet with a somewhat disgruntled expression.

Feeling guilty for inadvertently deceiving them, Juliet shared the expensive chocolate, generously made with milk and sugar, with others.

Although the banquet had turned into a mess, with terrified guests fleeing, and within the barrier made of sacred objects, a mythical snake demon was trapped, sharing chocolate on a chilly night with the objective achieved was quite a charming experience.

“It’s said that in ancient times, this chocolate was used as a mild medicine.”

“It’s not a beverage that goes well with the Yuno Purification Festival, is it?”

“In a way, it’s a real love potion.”

The warm chocolate had a mood-lifting effect.

Juliet was no exception.

While rolling the still-warm silver cup in her hands, Juliet glanced at the man who had come next to her.

“What did the Emperor say?”

“If we take that snake up North, he doesn’t care about the rest.”

Juliet thought for a moment.

“Will the Second Prince pay for his sins?”

“It will start with the death penalty at least.”

Lennox answered nonchalantly, but to Juliet, that was a tremendous matter.

The Emperor had been trying to protect his second son by any means until now.

It wasn’t merely because the Emperor, as a father, was holding up his disreputable son, or favoring the second son particularly.

Of course, it’s not like there’s no affection for blood relations…

It was largely for political reasons.

If it was acknowledged that the Second Prince had committed various sins, big and small, it would be a huge blow to the support for the Emperor and the imperial family.

Therefore, the Emperor had been giving Duke Carlyle a hard time and accepting all his demands to keep the Second Prince alive until now.

Although he had been imprisoned, the Second Prince hadn’t yet been abandoned by his parents, nor been brought to an official court. At least, not yet.

“But this time, he won’t be able to escape.”

The probability of bringing out all the big and small sins that the Emperor had somehow buried in the past was high.

Juliet thought of her childhood friend, the Second Prince’s wife Fatima, for a moment.

She concluded cleanly. It would be better for Fatima this way.

In fact, her situation wasn’t so leisurely to worry about others.

There were still unsolved issues for them as well.

“Is the snake going back to the storage?”

“Yes.”

Juliet blinked.

“But if the surveillance weakens, it might escape again.”

“So this time, we need to lock it up properly.”

Lennox’s red eyes turned toward Juliet.

“So that it never crawls out again.”

“…”

In fact, Juliet had thought of various methods, but nothing particularly sharp came to mind.

According to the words of the black panther, it seemed that there was no way to lift the curse, or to drive away or eliminate that evil spirit for now.

The best thing was to confine it again so that it would not be a problem for at least several decades.

“That snake was a contractor of Duke Caryle. Did you know?”

Lennox nodded lightly in affirmation.

“Eleanor Carlyle.”

“Yes, I think that snake might have resented Eleanor who was once a contractor.”

The exact cause of resentment was unknown.

But Eleanor Carlyle was already dead.

A person who died hundreds of years ago.

Juliet thought it was unfair for her descendants to suffer like this.

Perhaps there was never a way to lift the family curse from the beginning.

‘Is this the end?’

Juliet knew her life wasn’t a drama but felt somehow empty. After all the twists and turns, just to return to the starting point.

Sitting on the railing, Juliet, who was lightly tapping her ankle, spoke abruptly.

“I have a question, Your Highness.”

“Speak.”

“Earlier in the palace, did you know that it was me following you, not Ronda?”

Then, very rarely, Lennox Carlyle grinned boyishly.

“Wouldn’t I have locked the door without checking who was following me?”

“Well, not necessarily…”

“Do you think I can’t differentiate even a single hint of you?”

“Blind or drunk, you can differentiate.”

Juliet was honestly a bit skeptical but decided to move on.

“Alright. I’ll trust you.”

“I have something to ask too.”

“Go ahead.”

“What did you do with the boutonniere?”

“What boutonniere?”

“They said you bought male jewelry from a high-end boutique. Didn’t you?”

Juliet was flabbergasted.

How did he know that?

Juliet spoke ambiguously on purpose.

“…I gave it to a gentleman whom I very much admire and love.”

“…”

Watching Lennox’s expression harden was quite a pleasant sight.

Juliet, who was smiling for a while, told the truth.

“I gave it to my grandfather.”

“That’s enough.”

Lennox seemed slightly relieved, yet half seemed still discontent.

“Juliet.”

Lennox reached out his hand.

“Shall we go home?”

Juliet realized that the ‘home’ he was referring to was not the Duke’s residence in the capital.

Looking at the hand he extended, Juliet smiled faintly.

Just before leaving the banquet hall, Juliet met a group of handsome men and beautiful women who had just arrived.

“Roy?”

“Hello, Juliet.”

It was Roy and his clan.

“You are a bit late to attend the banquet, aren’t you?”

Glancing at the messed up banquet hall, Roy spoke.

“It seems like we missed something big.”

“No, it’s fortunate that you are late!”

Even with a slightly tired expression, Juliet smiled brightly and briefly explained what had happened.

Listening to her story, Roy smiled back throughout, yet for some reason, felt a heavy heart.

Under the pale moonlight, Juliet’s light brown hair shimmered silver, and her cheeks were flushed as if she had something to drink.

“I’m glad to see you’re safe, Juliet.”

Hypocrite.

Roy scolded himself.

Roy actually sensed that something would happen at the banquet today and therefore arrived late on purpose.

He clearly remembered that the evil spirit had encouraged him to lure Juliet.

-Just a drop, and you can have her.

Of course, Roy didn’t fall for that petty trick.

For a moment, Roy was proud of that fact.

He had done a noble thing. He didn’t succumb to shallow desires and impulses, he didn’t put Juliet in danger.

‘But was it really noble?’

The moment he saw the bandage wrapped around Juliet’s wrist, Roy felt suffocated.