Forgotten Juliet

‘Let’s think about something else. Think about…’

Juliet consciously tried to imagine pleasant things.

Sparkling, beautiful, and glamorous things.

So, Juliet thought of her glass slippers again. More precisely, the dresses and jewelry she left behind at the mansion and the Duke’s residence.

She left all these things that the Duke gave her in his house untouched.

‘I felt like burning all those dresses in my heart and getting rid of them completely…’

Juliet chuckled bitterly.

They were unquestionably the property of the Carlyle family. She might not know the exact value of the mansions in the capital, but it was right to leave them behind.

‘That was beautiful, that necklace.’

Juliet smiled mischievously.

Thinking about the lover who left all the jewelry behind.

In a kind-hearted fairytale, the heroine would shed tears, but it was worth considering that those expensive jewels were left at the mansion.

‘I was such a materialistic person…’

But Juliet didn’t think of herself as good-hearted, so she didn’t care.

Suddenly, Juliet became curious.

When would his vacant seat be filled?

Just as Juliet easily replaced his past lovers, Lennox would soon forget about her. Then the Duke’s new lover would take the seat that once belonged to her.

Just one thing.

Juliet didn’t like the idea of his new, unfamiliar lover using the things he had given her.

Of course, Lennox wouldn’t care.

Even if he were to give away the belongings Juliet left behind to his new lover, she had no right to object.

So, Juliet made one last wish.

That the necklace wouldn’t adorn the neck of an unknown woman.

That was all.

‘I should have left a note or something.’

Could I have asked him not to give my necklace to someone else and just sell it instead? Juliet chuckled a little.

But she didn’t have time. She had no time to calmly organize her thoughts and choose her words to say goodbye with composure.

That’s why she should have prepared in advance.

Foolish and stupid, Juliet Monad, this is the ending you wanted, isn’t it?

You knew from the beginning it would end up like this. You knew that eventually you would escape like this.

Juliet laughed bitterly.

If she had taken a little more time and slowly brought up the conversation, he might have hesitated at the words that he would leave without much emotion.

Or maybe he would have bid her farewell without any lingering feelings.

‘So foolish.’

All this time, she had deceived herself too much.

She could have stayed like this a little longer.

With the misconception and fleeting hope.

But he remained Lennox Carlyle until the end. He didn’t change, and Juliet, who had promised herself not to get hurt, grew tired first.

He might not have been, but she had been preparing for this separation all the seven years she stayed by his side. Yesterday was this much. Today is another this much.

If this place were Carlyle territory, she wouldn’t have been able to leave so easily.

But she had planned this farewell long ago. And finally, she succeeded.

Juliet lifted her head calmly.

Curious if the train was coming, she glanced around the dark surroundings once again and suddenly realized something strange.

The surroundings were unusually quiet.

There were definitely other passengers waiting for the train besides her, but when did it become this quiet?

Something was wrong.

Just as Juliet had a hunch, as she was about to get up from her seat…

Thud, thud.

From the darkness, she heard familiar footsteps, and Juliet paused.

And soon, a poised man emerged from the darkness.

Unlike usual, his clothes were disheveled, his collar open as his temperament dictated. His tie wasn’t even visible, as if he had no idea where it had gone.

It seemed like he had rushed here with something to say, and his black hair was tousled above his forehead.

From his hurried breathing, she could tell that his sturdy chest was rising and falling even over his clothes.

But he casually smiled as if nothing was amiss.

“Can I say it’s been a while?”

Certainly, he was a man she knew.

“…Lennox?”

There is only one man in the world who smiles like that, and that’s Lennox Carlyle.

“I didn’t know you disliked me enough to resort to such drastic measures.”

“How did you… get here?”

Staring at him with a pale face as if she had seen a ghost, Juliet suddenly noticed that his left hand was wrapped in bandages.

In a hurry, he had loosely wrapped his hand, and red blood was seeping through.

Ah.

Juliet immediately realized how he found her and was astonished.

It was an issue she hadn’t considered, but in fact, the Grand Temple of the Capital City housed a mystical relic when considering the relationship between the duchy and the temple.

The Hundred Eyes of Argos.

‘You used that relic.’

Juliet was astonished.

He traced her footsteps by shedding his own blood and tracking her trace.

“Fine.”

Whether he noticed Juliet’s gaze or not, he tucked his left hand into his embrace, hiding it.

“I don’t need to force you if you hate it so much.”

The smile on Lennox Carlyle’s face, which had been casual, vanished in an instant.

The man who approached her with determination asked coldly, “But what about my child?”

“Your… child?”

“What’s inside your belly, isn’t it my child?”

Lennox Carlyle was barely suppressing his anger.

It was unclear whether he was angry with himself or with Juliet Monad, but that didn’t matter.

Alone on the deserted platform, surrounded by darkness, as soon as he saw the silhouette of the woman standing there, he realized.

From her meticulously chosen attire, to the expression of surprise when she discovered him, and the gesture as if she would flee at any moment.

There was nothing that didn’t bother him. Everything about Juliet Monad fueled his anger.

“You dislike this, don’t you?”

Suddenly, a woman’s face came to mind, smiling as if she knew him well, like a summer flower.

He should have cut off the affection or tenderness before it became an annoying presence.

I know.

This was completely unexpected behavior.

Juliet Monad had stayed by his side much longer than his past lovers.

Apart from the fact that she initiated the breakup, Juliet Monad wasn’t a special presence to him.

There was no reason for him to chase after her. Nevertheless, he succumbed to the momentary impulse and emotion.

He chose to defy reason and hold onto this woman.

“Fine. But what about my child?”

“…A child?”

“What’s inside your belly, isn’t it my child?”

“What are you…”

My child?

Juliet, who was about to ask absentmindedly, stopped abruptly.

No way.

“No, it’s not!”

Juliet’s face immediately turned red.

She finally realized that Lennox had a ridiculous misunderstanding.

Oh my goodness. It seemed like he thought she had run away with a child.

How should she explain this?

Juliet was at a loss for words in the face of such a ridiculous misunderstanding and just stared at him blankly. As a result, the man’s expression grew colder.

“The apothecary brought a prescription. It was for a drug to terminate a pregnancy.”

Ah.

Only now did Juliet understand where this absurd misunderstanding originated.

But his conclusions were wrong.

Knowing that she would leave someday, would she really allow an unhappy child to be born?

It was true that she did take silphium tea all the time as a contraceptive. However, a few months ago, she secretly purchased a fertility potion and a good luck charm for herself, not intending to have a child.

It was for the maid who had left her side after marrying, who had spent time with her since she lived at the Count Monad’s estate.

About two months ago, the maid tearfully confided in Juliet, saying she thought she might be pregnant.

The maid’s fiance was a sailor who had recently gone missing after setting sail.

In her concern for her fiance’s safety, the maid realized belatedly that she was pregnant.

Juliet comforted the maid and assured her that she would support whatever decision she made.

After that she secretly ordered these two medicines for the pregnant woman, explaining to her that if mixed with mistletoe and silphium flowers, she could secretly get rid of the child, and if she took only mistletoe, then this would help protect the fetus from various threats.

Fortunately, the missing fiance returned unharmed, and the maid married and left Juliet’s side. Now she was living far away, even giving birth and living well.

Juliet generously sent her congratulations and best wishes.

‘But how do I explain to Lennox all this?’

Feeling overwhelmed, Juliet laughed dejectedly.

However, whatever interpretation Lennox made of that laughter, his expression turned fierce.