Forgotten Juliet

Juliet quietly set down the bread she had been nibbling on.

“We don’t know why this is happening to us.”

“We have served the Duke’s family for hundreds of years, and suddenly the imperial family takes the sapphire from us?”

Juliet, with a conscience, felt a sense of guilt.

Clearly, this started a few months ago when Duke Carlyle handed over a sapphire mine to the imperial family in exchange for her to be the Emperor’s adopted daughter.

Of course, Elpasa was a strict northern territory, so it wasn’t about handing over the land, but mining rights often traded hands every few decades.

‘This is driving me crazy.’

Of course, the adoption deal fell through when Juliet vehemently refused, but she had told them to just take the sapphire mine.

The Elpasa mine wasn’t a significant source of income for the Duke’s household anyway.

But..

‘Why did I do that…’

Regret came late.

Of course, it wasn’t Juliet’s will, but the innocent villagers were harmed due to matters concerning her.

Now the poor villagers are being squeezed.

“The amount of mining requested by the imperial family is absurdly high…”

“It’s several times the amount we used to mine for the Duke’s household!”

“To meet the demand, even if it’s by force, is not easy.”

As one person cried out, the other miners also vented out as if they were waiting for this moment.

Their grievances poured out.

Listening to their pitiful state, Juliet’s conscience hurt.

“…I’ll find a way to help somehow.”

“Thank you, Countess!”

“How can we ever repay this grace…!”

The villagers were touched, but Juliet felt inexplicably bitter and sorry.

‘Had I known this, I wouldn’t have handed it over to the imperial family.’

Juliet resolved to find a solution as soon as she returned to the Duke’s castle.

“Since we’re talking about the mines…”

“Hmm?”

“There’s something I would like to request.”

Again?

“Actually, strange things have been happening in the sapphire mine for a while.”

“Yes, strange noises have been heard… The workers are scared and refusing to work.”

Strange noises?

“No, come on!”

The representative of the Lord, the administrator of Elpasa, interrupted with a frown.

“Do you know who she is! Do you think the Countess has that much leisure time?”

The villagers roughly said this:

Recently, strange noises started coming from the abandoned mine, can you please check it out?

“Why not send an investigative team from the Lord’s office?”

“We sent one. They found nothing. But the noises keep coming and the workers can’t work, they keep running to the Lord’s office with this issue.”

Ah.

Juliet felt she understood a bit.

Even the grumbling administrator of Elpasa seemed to subtly expect something from Juliet.

“If you, Countess, could take a look and assure the villagers that there’s nothing wrong…”

It was meant that if a ‘high figure’ confirmed, the workers wouldn’t be able to refuse to work anymore.

The knights of the Duke’s household chimed in.

“Isn’t that dangerous?”

“Oh no, it’s not!”

“The mine has been dried up for a long time! The problem is that now the other workshops connected to that mine can’t work either because of the noises. It’s causing quite a commotion.”

“So, can’t the Countess take a look and assure that there’s nothing wrong?”

Well.

Juliet found herself in a predicament and rubbed her chin.

It was then.

“No! If outsiders enter, the Snake God will be angered!”

“Oh my, Mother! How did you chase us here?”

Jacobo was startled and stood up to restrain the old woman.

“What’s this about a snake?”

“It’s just an old village legend. Some tale about a snake living in the mountains.”

Juliet watched as the old woman was dragged outside the Lord’s office by the mayor.

Not just the old woman, but it seemed like the whole village had crowded the Lord’s office.

Juliet felt her conscience ache at the desperate eyes of the villagers who looked at her with half worry and half hope.

“…Where is this abandoned mine?”

* * *

Eventually, after finishing a simple breakfast, the party headed towards the abandoned mine, led by Jacobo.

The mine was not far off.

But the party was unexpectedly blocked at the entrance of the mine.

“Countess, there’s a problem.”

The young villagers who were guarding the mine entrance blocked them.

“What is it?”

“You cannot enter with a beast.”

“Peep?”

Onyx, who had been quietly nestled in her arms until then, suddenly perked up.

As if it understood that it was being talked about.

“Why?”

“It’s the rule. It’s known that big accidents happen when beasts enter the mine.”

Then, Jude, who came as Juliet’s guard, interrupted with a smirk.

“Isn’t it about when a beast intrudes in the mine? This kitty-like thing obviously can’t do anything—”

“Meow.”

Everyone present doubted their ears.

“Meow!”

“Al, Alright. You may pass.”

The young gatekeeper youth mumbled as if enchanted, and the person next to him nudged him in the ribs.

“What do you mean by pass? Snap out of it, you!”

“?”

Nix tried hard to meow persuasively, but it was futile.

No one was fooled by the mediocre coquetry, even Jude, who had been partial, held back laughter with an astonished expression.

“I apologize, Countess. The rules are as such, please comply.”

That was the intention anyway.

Juliet, feeling a bit embarrassed, handed Nix over to another knight.

“Be good, Nix? Wait here with the others for a while.”

“Grrruk?”

Nix protested with a dissatisfied expression, but it was in vain.

“I’ll be back soon. Okay?”

Juliet asked the other knights by the entrance to watch over Nix and was able to enter the mine.

The mine’s layout was quite different from what Juliet had imagined.

She thought of narrow, dark, and deep tunnels, but it was quite different from her imagination.

Every now and then, there were spacious areas reminiscent of a sizable mansion’s hall.

Going down a relatively gentle slope, they soon reached a large space.

“It’s more spacious than I thought?”

“Yes, there are many rooms like this. And as you go further in, it connects to other tunnels.”

Indeed it was so. They encountered other miners taking a break at a midpoint. There were even young children and young wives, who seemed to be their families.

“The older the mine, the more it’s like this.”

Holding a lamp, leading the way, the village chief Jacobo guided them towards the abandoned mine.

“This sapphire mine must be hundreds of years old. It was the oldest mine in Elpasa.”

“Ah, I see.”

It seemed to suddenly occur to Jude, and he whispered to Juliet.

“The old woman mentioned it earlier. She was also from here, Elpasa.”

“Who she?”

“Eleanor Carlyle, the first Duke of Carlyle.”

Juliet blinked.

Over the past few days, Juliet had collected all the data on the dukedom and the first head of the family, so the knights also knew about ‘Eleanor Carlyle.’

“Not Callon?”

Callon was the heart of the north, where the Carlyle castle was located.

Most of the Carlyle family members were born and raised in the city where the Duke’s residence was established.

‘Well, the Duke’s residence might not have existed hundreds of years ago.’

“Shh.”

Jude, who was leading, suddenly stopped.

“Did you hear that?”

“Yes!”

The group silenced for a moment.

Clang, clang, clang.

Indeed, a faint noise was heard from far deep.

“Isn’t that sound coming from another workplace?”

“Oh no, no.”

“We have checked. The sound is heard even when it’s not working hours.”

It sounded somewhat metallic.

“It seems to come from that direction?”

The knights drew their swords and led the way.

It can’t really be a trap.

Juliet, holding a lamp, whispered to Jude, who was right next to her.

“Jude, is that old woman the same one who mentioned Eleanor Carlyle?”

“Oh, yes.”

The old woman, mother of village chief Jacobo, who had brought up the snake story in the morning, was the one.

She was described as an old woman, but apart from her bent back, she moved through the dark tunnel quite easily.

She was said to be the oldest miner in this village.

“Let’s check it out quickly and get out.”

It was the moment Jude was about to lead with a grin.

“Is it an earthquake?”

“It can’t be.”

But again, a sinister noise came from below.

Unlike earlier, the miners also seemed tense.

“The ground tremors are unusual, better to get out for now.”

Clatter.

“Eek!”

Small sands fell over Jude’s head.

For a moment, the lamps went out all at once, then lit up again.

“Over here!”

Seeing the miners frightened, it seemed like a serious situation.

“We should get out first.”

“Oh, okay.”

“First the children and the elderly…”

Without thinking, Juliet tried to send out the old woman who was behind her first.

Since she was the frailest elder here with the slowest pace.

But Juliet, who was holding a lamp, suddenly felt uneasy.

‘Why, only this old woman…’

Is there no shadow?

Juliet slowly raised her head.

The tiny old woman with an old blanket over her was gone, and violet eyes were twinkling.

“Caught?”

“-!”

Thud.

It felt like the ground was shaking again, and the lamps flickered.

At that moment, in the darkness, Juliet felt the ground give way beneath her feet.

It seemed like a ghastly hand was pulling at her ankle.

“Miss!”

As the surroundings shook, Juliet thought she heard Jude’s scream as she quickly moved away.

Rumble.

And then everything went dark.