Forgotten Juliet

* * *

“Sir Jude! Who was that child who just came here?”

“Ah, that little one is from the hunting grounds where the Master was… Huh? Where did the child go?”

The knight who had brought the child to the mansion entered the courtyard a bit late, but he too seemed to know little.

People began murmuring.

‘Who is that?’

Juliet blankly stared in the direction where the child had disappeared. For some reason, the child’s face greatly resembled Lennox Carlyle from his childhood.

However, it wasn’t just the face; something about the child felt oddly familiar…

“Your Highness the Duke!”

While Juliet was deep in thought, the nobles who had gone hunting returned, narrowly escaping an accident.

The crowd temporarily forgot the earlier commotion and welcomed the returning party.

“It looks like the tea party was fun.”

Crossing the hall slowly was the Duke Carlyle.

“Yes.”

Juliet slightly tilted her head. Lennox was, surprisingly, smiling. He seemed amused.

“Did you receive the flowers properly?”

“Huh?”

Only then did Juliet check the item the child had given her earlier. It wasn’t just a simple brooch.

A crystal flower that shimmered in rainbow colors.

Juliet recognized it at once.

“…Isn’t this a magic tool said to be sent from the Mage Tower?”

“That’s right.”

She had heard that the Mage Tower’s lord had offered it as a prize for a hunting bet.

Juliet wasn’t the only one who recognized the magic tool.

“What has happened?”

“Why did that child have the prize from the hunting bet?”

As the guests murmured, the rest of the hunting party arrived, including the visibly upset Count Gruber.

Seeing the downcast count, Duke Carlyle grinned.

“Count Gruber conceded victory to me. Isn’t that right, Count?”

“…Well, I suppose so.”

Count Gruber, who had just arrived, forced a twisted smile.

But Duke Carlyle wasn’t done. He chuckled and took the crystal flower from Juliet’s hand.

“To think Count Gruber would give up a magic tool from the Mage Tower, I’m truly grateful for your generosity.”

“It’s… nothing.”

Count Gruber managed a forced smile. In truth, he didn’t care much about the magic tool.

Of course, a magical tool made of magic crystal was a very expensive item.

But more importantly, he felt humiliated to have openly lost to Duke Carlyle and missed his chance.

“Did I not mention that this is a magic tool imbued with a recording spell, Count?”

“…Did it?”

Count Gruber displayed a blatant disinterest.

However, unusually persistent today, Duke Carlyle smirked and showed off the glowing magic tool.

“I thought Count Gruber would be interested, was I wrong?”

“Excuse me?”

“Considering you’ve been minting fake coins, you should be concerned about this recording. Don’t you think so?”

“What are you talking about…?”

What is this Duke implying?

Click.

As Count Gruber took a step back, a very familiar voice emanated from the magic tool.

[Count Gruber, what do you think is the intention of that arrogant Duke inviting us? It’s certain that the caught counterfeiters named us.]

[Don’t be foolish! It’s the opposite. No matter his status, without solid evidence that we’re behind the counterfeit coins, he can’t make a move…]

[Still, we should be cautious. If our counterfeit coin workshop is exposed again-]

Suddenly, the atmosphere went cold.

All eyes were on Count Gruber, who turned blue.

It was a virtual confession. He was the culprit behind the counterfeit coin crimes that had plagued the northern region for months.

“Take him away.”

Moments later, the place was in chaos.

Juliet recited the frozen dialogue and watched as Count Gruber and Baron Melrose were dragged away.

“Your Highness!”

“…This is a conspiracy!”

“There’s been some misunderstanding…!”

No matter how much they protested, the conversation they had was clearly recorded in the magic tool, leaving no way out.

Who would have thought that the seemingly honorable Count Gruber was the real culprit?

“Was this your plan all along?”

“I didn’t know, really.”

Lennox let out a deep sigh.

“Who would have known that the fool who stabbed me in the back was that wretch?”

He stated simply what happened.

“I discovered last night that the conversation was recorded on the magic tool.”

At first, he suspected it might be a double trap.

So, he deliberately set the magic tool as a prize in the hunting contest to observe the Count’s reaction, but Count Gruber seemed only interested in winning and appeared completely unaware of his confession recorded on the magic tool.

Lennox wondered how that conversation got recorded on the magic tool left alone in a remote room.

“Either the magic tool is faulty, or those fools had very bad luck.”

Juliet found it both understandable and confusing.

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you in advance.”

Lennox frowned slightly.

“I’m also sorry for ruining the banquet you prepared.”

“That doesn’t matter now.”

Juliet grinned.

“Playing the gracious hostess wasn’t as fun as I thought.”

She really meant it. She tried to play the elegant hostess, but…

“It’s not in my nature.”

Juliet sighed heavily. Then, Lennox playfully kissed the inside of her wrist.

“Just tell me when. I’ll be the husband blinded by jealousy, unable to bear seeing my wife entertain guests.”

Juliet, who was chuckling, suddenly realized something.

But there was one thing; she hadn’t found out who the little child from earlier was.

“Who is that child?”

Instead of answering, Lennox picked up a piece of paper from the floor and handed it to her.

“Take a look. It looks like yours.”

The large folded paper was what the child had dropped earlier.

What is this?

When Juliet unfolded the paper, something fell from between. It was two withered rabbit-tail grass stalks.

The paper had large, scribbly writing like a letter. The awkward handwriting looked like a child who had just learned to write had practiced on it, and the strokes were shaky, as if written in a carriage.

Is this ‘please’?

The only words Juliet could decipher were ‘apple’, ‘very much’, and ‘like’.

And at the very end…

“Oh.”

Juliet then realized why the adorable child from earlier looked so familiar.

* * *

A little later.

While downstairs, Duke Carlyle was quietly punishing the criminals and silencing the rude nobles, Juliet, undisturbed, made her way to the mirror room.

Squeak.

Unlike the previous day, she heard faint breathing in the illuminated room.

“Peep…”

Approaching the couch quietly, Juliet found a baby dragon named Nix sleeping soundly on his back.

“Nix?”

“Moew.”

Nix seemed exhausted, snoring and talking in his sleep.

Nix would sometimes flutter his front paws, wondering what he was dreaming about.

Juliet’s smile grew when she noticed a white handkerchief tied to the baby dragon’s right front paw.

The same handkerchief was tied around the wrist of the child who had suddenly hugged Juliet earlier.

Juliet chuckled silently, then looked at the unfolded paper again.

The scribbled writing was hard to read, but she could clearly read the last two words written in large letters.

[Thank you, Juliet.]

And below that, an ink-stained footprint as if by mistake.

Holding the ink-stained front paw of the sleeping baby dragon, Juliet whispered her gratitude.

“Thank you too for being with me, Nix.”

“…Peep.”

The baby dragon seemed to answer with a soft snore.

The peaceful first day of the Star Birth Festival slowly came to an end.