Forgotten Juliet

Lennox clenched his teeth.

“…It’s just another dream anyway.”

He muttered to himself as if to reaffirm.

Lennox was tired of getting his hopes up only to be disappointed.

It was obvious anyway. She was clearly a figment of his imagination.

With her pretty lips, she’d utter all the right words, but as daylight broke, she would disappear without a trace.

Was it the side effect of breaking from the sleep-inducing drugs, or was he finally going mad, having nightmares without the hallucinogen?

“…?”

On the other hand, Juliet couldn’t understand the situation at all.

His red eyes, filled with contempt and anger, were dimmed.

The cold gaze was unsettling even for Juliet who had known Lennox for a long time.

Even though he had just told her to get lost, Lennox’s words and actions were inconsistent. He grabbed Juliet and wouldn’t let go.

Lennox, who had been glaring at Juliet, spat out:

“I’m tired of being played by you.”

With that, he carefully brushed Juliet’s cheek and eyelids with his other hand. It was a very cautious touch, as if touching the surface of a snowflake.

“Juliet.”

Despite the grip tightening on her chin, Juliet was not frightened.

“I told you to wait a little, didn’t I?”

“What…?”

“When I find you, I said I’ll die then.”

‘…What?’

Juliet doubted her ears.

Who will die?

At that moment, Juliet had a faint realization.

-Contractor, we have to hurry.

The urging of the butterflies wasn’t about dealing with the storage quickly.

The real danger was the out-of-mind Lennox Carlyle.

“I won’t keep you waiting long… Once I find your corpse, I’ll die then.”

To meet her gaze, Lennox was in a half-kneeling posture.

Why didn’t she realize sooner? No matter how the snake urged, initially, if he was sane, he wouldn’t have thought about turning back time.

Astonished, Juliet dropped the box she had been holding tightly in her hand out of surprise.

“You.”

Suddenly, a seemingly flustered Lennox grabbed her shoulder.

“You, why are you crying?”

Do hallucinations cry too?

For a moment Lennox had a confused expression, but in reality, Juliet didn’t realize she was crying until he pointed it out.

However, whether Lennox was flustered or not, Juliet didn’t care.

“…Hu-uh.”

What troubles have I been through!

For a moment, her emotions surged with a mix of sadness and relief.

‘You didn’t kill me..’

Having said that. Why did you forget everything?

“Only I remember everything, why only me…”

Initially, she was just surprised and that’s why tears came, but slowly Juliet became genuinely angry.

“I struggled and came back…”

And suddenly he talks about dying!

“…Juliet?”

Watching Juliet throw a tantrum, Lennox suddenly realized.

He could feel the pulse fluttering like a small bird’s heartbeat under his clenched wrist.

Just like the living Juliet.

He tried to soothe Juliet by making eye contact, not even knowing what he was doing.

“No, sorry. Don’t go.”

Carefully, he pulled her shoulder toward him and hugged her, continuously muttering apologies.

“Damn it. It was my fault. So… please, don’t cry.”

Lennox began to genuinely agonize. But Juliet was already furious from head to toe. She didn’t forget how the man in front of her treated her like a ghost and hurled verbal abuse.

“Please, just… stop crying and tell me whatever you want.”

However, Juliet had no intention of venting her anger through a decent conversation.

Slap.

And so, for the first and last time, Juliet slapped his cheek.

* * *

The next day, the atmosphere in the Duke’s residence was chaotic from early dawn.

“I am sure I heard it, vice-captain!”

Even before dawn, the vice-captain of the knights, sir Milan, his subordinate Jude, and chief secretary Elliot were startled from their beds.

“It was definitely a woman’s cry.”

“Do you think that makes sense now?”

The frightened-looking castle guards rushed to the knights’ quarters since the crack of dawn.

According to them, a woman’s crying was heard from the east wing, where besides Duke Carlyle, no one else could even stir, during the night.

“Oh dear. Now do we have ghosts?”

Jude sighed.

The recent rumors about Duke Carlyle’s castle were the worst.

Rumors were rampant that the Duke had gone mad, and now it seemed that rumors of a ghost appearing in the castle were being added.

“The estate is going well indeed.”

Elliot mumbled gloomily, to which Milan sighed with a bitter expression.

“We have to check anyway.”

They carefully headed towards the bedroom on the second floor of the east wing.

Since the owner of that bedroom disappeared, Duke Carlyle spent his time only in this room. As if imprisoning himself, he wouldn’t allow anyone to approach nearby.

“Like last time, he could have deliberately brought in a woman who looked like someone.”

Upon hearing Milan’s words, Jude frowned.

Duke Carlyle was known for making a lot of enemies.

Over the past month, somehow realizing that Duke Carlyle’s situation was not normal, rival families had sent spies or robbers several times.

Fortunately, they had failed, but perhaps the crying last night was similar.

Knock knock.

“Master.”

Just a very gentle knock, but suddenly the bedroom door swung open, startling everyone waiting outside.

“Master…?”

“Lower your voice.”

He silenced himself quickly, as soon as the Duke he made eye contact with his vassals outside.

What was more strange was the sight of Lennox Carlyle coming out.

Somehow, he looked more tired than usual. His clothes seemed more disheveled too.

Moreover, the strangest thing was that his left cheek was swollen.

But aside from that, his eyes were calmer and clearer than usual. It seemed like he had reverted back to before he went mad and turned the north upside down.

Although he still looked a bit on edge, Lennox wasn’t alone.

He came out holding something wrapped in a white sheet.

Seeing his careful attitude as if moving something fragile, the guards momentarily doubted their lord, wondering if the rumors of him being mad were true.

‘A large pillow?’

‘A body?’

Luckily, all their guesses were off.

What was covered in the white sheet was a woman.

“…?”

Stretching their necks to confirm the woman’s face, they screamed, forgetting the strict orders from the Duke.

“M-Miss Juliet!”

“No, how could…!”

Not only Elliot, even the composed knight Milan was so shocked that he couldn’t close his mouth.

Surprisingly, Juliet was sound asleep.

The actual Duke Carlyle frowned as if tired.

“Be quiet. She’ll wake up.”

His voice was soft, but the guards quickly shut their mouths.

“The bathwater?”

“Yes? Oh, probably in the south wing…”

“Get the bathwater ready.”

Without further explanation, Lennox Carlyle briskly walked down the hallway with the sleeping woman.

Since everything happened so quickly, the knights didn’t get to ask what had happened, or why his cheek was swollen.

“My, my lord…!”

A beat late, the knights quickly followed him.

* * *

Splish-splash.

“You can sleep more.”

“Uh.”

When Juliet opened her eyes, she found herself in a bathtub filled with warm water.

Relieved by the comforting voice, Juliet closed her eyes again smoothly.

Even after leaving the bathroom, Juliet was still drowsy. She repeatedly dozed off while leaning on Lennox, who was drying her hair thoroughly with a towel.

Lennox looked at Juliet, who was leaning on him and sleeping, for a long time.

It was an utterly surreal scene for him.

Juliet, with her even breathing, was in his hands.

Last night, Juliet broke down and cried for a long time.

-Are you stupid? Who died?

She poured out her resentment towards him while feeling miserable, but Lennox realized that Juliet was scared.

-Try say that you died once more, or that you will die with me again.

He was fully occupied comforting crying Juliet, who was scared even though he didn’t know exactly what she was scared of.

He knelt on the floor and asked for forgiveness countless times, but Juliet never said she forgave him.

Instead, she was sorrowful about this and that, and kept calling him a fool and an idiot for wanting to die with her, crying loudly.

-Apologize for that too. Quickly.

-I’m sorry.

-Promise you won’t do it again.

-I promise.

-And apologize for speaking harshly to me, and for going alone and deceiving me…

Lennox didn’t fully understand what scared and saddened Juliet.

-Why do I have to remember? You forgot everything…

But Juliet’s resentful remark remained strongly in his mind.

Although crying, Juliet logically explained what had happened.

The snake tried to kill Juliet to use him, and the snake’s real goal was none other than his evil spirit, Velokitana’s ability. But to Lennox Carlyle, the only important thing was that she was alive.

As soon as he gently laid Juliet on the bed, she opened her eyes slightly.

“Lennox…?”

“Yeah, I’m here.”

Juliet blinked her dazed eyes, as if discerning where she was.

“Have you been here all night?”

Instead of answering, Lennox laid Juliet down.

“…It must hurt.”

Seeing where Juliet was looking, he noticed that her gaze was focused on the edge of his wrist.

Lennox didn’t bother to hide his old scars and recent wounds.

But who should be worrying about whom?

He thought it was unclear.

In the past he had glimpsed, Juliet had many more severe injuries than this on her body.

Lennox smiled a bit and asked.

“Does it bother you?”

“Of course.”

Juliet, who answered immediately, looked genuinely upset. For a moment, Lennox was disgusted with his own lowliness.

Afraid that he might make a foolish choice, worried about someone else’s scars while she herself almost died, and yet he was happy with Juliet’s sympathy, it was clear that his character was terrible, and he was seriously insane.

“It will scar.”

Juliet murmured and reached out to touch his face.

“Your face is hurt too …”

For a moment, Lennox flinched. He had been so engrossed with Juliet that he hadn’t thought about how he looked to her now.

It was exceedingly unfamiliar to him to worry about how he looked in the eyes of others.

“Oh, right.”

Luckily, Juliet didn’t notice the change in his expression and said:

“I have something to say.”

“Say it.”

“It wasn’t you who killed me.”

Juliet said this as if it was a huge relief, smiling.

But Lennox felt suffocated, and couldn’t smile back in return.