Forgotten Juliet

Lennox Carlyle was a ruthless pragmatist.

He didn’t hesitate to use any means necessary to achieve his goals, and this, of course, included himself.

He knew very well the impact his appearance could have.

Lennox had no qualms about using his body and face to get what he wanted.

“Hn…”

Her eyelids trembled slightly. The lazy afternoon sun cast a picturesque shadow on Juliet’s eyelashes.

As much as he wanted to see the blue eyes beyond those eyelids, Lennox was preoccupied with holding her small chin and nibbling at her lips.

He bit her lower lip lightly, and the tip of his tongue brushed against her delicate teeth and touched her small, soft tongue.

But that only lasted for a moment.

Soon, Juliet gasped for breath and pushed him away abruptly.

“I can’t breathe.”

Lennox Carlyle thought, ‘Were my face and body ever effective?’

He was doubting half his life.

He had a lot, but sadly, the woman he fell for was someone who didn’t flinch no matter what he offered.

He was still clumsy and awkward around Juliet.

And it was troublesome if she got scared and ran away, so he reminded himself not to rush this time, but he found himself clinging to her once he regained consciousness.

It was driving him crazy.

Right after Juliet returned, the doctor who examined her earnestly advised him:

-Her strength has declined a lot, so eating well and resting is most important.

He took that advice to heart.

He fed her well, made sure she got plenty of sleep, exercised regularly, and comforted her well so she wouldn’t get bored.

Considering he had never catered to someone else’s whims before, the past few days had been quite tear-jerking.

What he overlooked was that strength doesn’t recover as easily as one might think.

Lennox groaned softly.

“It’s always like this.”

“What?”

Looking back, it had been like this from the start.

Juliet never tried to restrain him.

Whatever happened, happened, and she behaved coolly in everything without ever showing any attachment or jealousy.

There was a time when he found Juliet’s unaffected attitude interesting, but it was nothing astonishing.

Affection and attachment come naturally. At least, that’s how it was in his worldview.

“…It’s nothing.”

There was a time when Juliet had said she liked his face. But Lennox couldn’t muster the courage to ask if that was still the case, for the sake of his pride.

“Huh?”

In his arms, the exhausted Juliet reached out her hand.

“Grapes.”

On the table was a silver bowl, and inside it, colorful bunches of grapes were temptingly placed.

Look at that.

Lennox’s cool gaze narrowed unhappily.

It was always him burning with desire, and now he was overshadowed by mere grapes. It was humiliating.

“Looks like these are still around.”

Raising herself, Juliet looked at the bowl with curiosity and placed it on her lap.

“It’s almost late summer now.”

Just grapes, what’s the big deal?

Lennox stared at the bowl quietly. He had never imagined he would lose her attention to mere fruits.

The villa manager had bragged about this fruit being ‘a specialty of the central region’. Among the fruits grown in the central region, pomegranates and grapes, especially the ‘gem grapes’ were known for being of refined variety.

Just like real gems, the glossy large bunches of grapes looked mysterious with their green, purple, and black colors, each grape having a different shade.

“I really wanted to eat these before.”

Whether Lennox liked it or not.

Juliet popped a grape into her mouth with a joyful heart.

The sweet and sour taste filled her mouth.

She frowned at the tartness but smiled brightly. She had a special memory associated with these grapes.

It was from her time staying in the North.

Once, a kind janitor, feeling sorry for her inability to eat much, had procured this variety of grape for her.

It might sound strange to crave food you’ve never tasted before,

But back then, it was possible.

“I couldn’t even drink water due to the smell, but I wanted to eat these so badly.”

Eating them again, they weren’t as crave-worthy as she remembered. Human taste buds are strange.

Juliet normally preferred tangerines or strawberries over grapes.

“I don’t know why I wanted these so much back then.”

“Back then?”

When she looked up, the man who had caught her chin was looking at her.

His sharp gaze met hers and Juliet realized she had misspoke. It wasn’t something from this lifetime.

With a forced smile, she extended a red grape towards him.

“It’s sweet.”

After staring at her for a moment, Lennox quietly accepted the grape, and then he held Juliet’s right hand.

He gently licked the sticky fingers, and pressed his lips against the inside of her palm.

“Juliet.”

“Hmm?”

“Shall we get married?”

Juliet burst into laughter.

“Don’t you know that proposing so often diminishes its rarity?”

She laughed for a bit, and playfully touched his cheek.

“I wish you’d be okay even without me.”

“That’s impossible.”

It was an immediate response.

Lennox smiled face to face but twisted inside.

It wasn’t the first time Juliet had said this.

“It was you. You rewound the time.”

Ever since she returned to his side, Juliet had been persistently asking him.

“So promise me. Even if I die, you won’t repeat the same thing again.”

Juliet, speaking with tears, was completely terrified.

Juliet talked several times. The price you had to pay to rewind time was very painful and horrible.

Lennox wasn’t very surprised to hear that.

If it’s the cost of reversing time and defying causality, horror is a matter of course.

“I said you’re by my side.”

“Yes.”

“So it’s not okay, is it?”

Juliet laughed as if it was ridiculous.

“It’s sheer force.”

Lennox suppressed his impatience and pulled her into a hug.

He noticed. The ‘old times’ Juliet mentioned a while ago were clearly about the past he would never remember.

Not knowing others’ pace, Juliet giggled.

He didn’t voice it out as he didn’t want to make Juliet anxious, but after learning all the ins and outs, he had a small question.

If he paid the price to rewind time, only Lennox should remember the past.

Not Juliet.

But for some unknown reason, he had completely forgotten the past. Even the memories of the woman he cherished enough to risk his life.

(It’s a question I can’t answer.)

The mighty evil spirit shook its head decisively.

Juliet Monad was the most valuable thing he had.

The past him was a foolish person who committed foolish acts, and tragically lost her to death.

Yet Lennox was sure.

He would never have given up his memories of Juliet.

He missed the lost memories and it hurt.

Every time he thought of someone chewing on memories of the distant past he didn’t know, his heart ached.

“Juliet.”

“Yes?”

“Have I ever said I love you?”

That wasn’t important anymore.

Lennox would never lose what he regained.

* * *

At dawn, Juliet sneaked out of bed.

Having slept soundly and woke up, Juliet realized that she had wasted another half day in the bedroom without knowing how time passed.

‘Oh…’

She had something to do.

The vacation in the summer cottage was overly enjoyable.

Lennox was proficient in teasing and caring, and it was likely to be entangled if a little careless.

‘It’s top-notch.’

Juliet grumbled and picked up a shawl roughly.

She came out of the bedroom, but there were no signs of anyone so she cautiously came down barefoot.

Upon descending the marble staircase to the first floor, Juliet discovered light seeping out from the living room.

“…I told you so.”

The rumbling voice was heard, and when she secretly peered through the open door gap, Lennox was leaning against the window.

The man opposite the Duke of Carlyle…

‘It’s Hadin…’

“An urgent contact came from the capital.”

The dark-skinned man was well known to Juliet. Hadin was a confidant of the Duke of Carlyle.

“The Second Prince is dead.”

“So?”

Lennox didn’t seem particularly surprised.

Of course, Juliet wasn’t surprised either.

‘The Second Prince is dead.’

Once the crime was revealed, the Second Prince was as good as finished anyway.

“He took his own life ahead of the trial.”

Lennox, who was quietly listening, chuckled and asked:

“Does it seem so?”

“Most likely the Emperor intervened.”

Funeral, Crown Prince, succession ceremony.

“So at the funeral…”

For a moment, Juliet, who was eavesdropping on the two men’s conversation, escaped quietly through the back door without interrupting them.

Juliet sneaked out of the villa slightly and began to stroll along the trickling stream.

The sound of her neat shoes brushing against the dew-soaked grass was pleasant to hear.

Surely the grass water would stain her skirt, but Juliet, cheered up by the morning air, didn’t mind.

After walking for a while and confirming that no one was around, Juliet stopped in front of the water.

Touching the silver key pendant hanging on her necklace, Juliet said:

“Come out.”

From the bushes, blue lights resembling fireflies fluttered out.

Thankfully, this time it was the familiar form of butterflies instead of a child.

(We kept the promise!)

The butterflies revealed themselves and poured out words in a breathless manner.

(Bad snake, now gone. Drove it far away!)

(Never can come again!)

(No curse either!)

(It’s truly safe now!)

Juliet grinned.

“Yes, I know.”