Forgotten Juliet

Chapter 6

“The room is completely clean sire.”

The atmosphere in the Duke’s office was alarmingly menacing.

“There wasn’t anything suspicious.”

While listening to the knight’s report, Duke Karlyle* finished signing the final page of the document and with that, his task for the city was practically done.

*It was previously Carlisle but is now changed to Karlyle.

“Are there any more documents?”

“No, Sire.”

Elliot, the Duke’s secretary quickly answered.

“For the time being, there aren’t any urgent matters that you have to take care of.”

All throughout the morning, almost as if a storm just hit, the Duke’s household was swamped with work. The reason being that their lord had suddenly decided he wanted to end all the tasks regarding the state affairs within the same day. Following that decision, the household secretaries were slaving to ensure all the guests were greeted and that all the contracts were being processed correctly. He is the Duke after all, who would dare defy him and go against his orders.

It was astonishing how the accomplishment of such work was even possible. Within midday, all tasks were executed. It seemed as if the storm had finally passed and just like that tranquility covered the once bustling Karlyle household.

Lennox Karlyle glimpsed out the window.

While taking care of the piled work, Lennox would, from time to time, go over the reports stating the whereabouts of Juliet in the past couple of months. She did not enjoy the social gatherings nor did she have many acquaintances. Juliet’s daily routines were normal, her assigned escorts always reported everything by the hour and there were no records of any suspicious person approaching her.

Today was supposed to be the same. There was nothing different or out of the ordinary in Juliet’s traces. She moved according to her set schedule up until the point where she was to return to the Duke’s place by lunch but instead, she stood him up.

The events that took place in the Temple had already reached his ears.

“You said, Count Casper*?”.

*In the previous translation it was Count Kaspera, but the original name in the novel is Casper, so we’ll be using that.

“Yes Sire, do you know the son of Marquis Genis? The one engaged to Princess Pricillia. When he got out of the temple, it was as if his soul left his body, I think the young lady* might have….”

*Young Lady/Young Miss = Juliet*

Of course, by this time, Lennox has already forgotten the name of that insignificant Count. There must have been a plausible explanation for Juliet to have used her magic in front of the people, but that was not the issue Lennox had on his mind either. His main concern was that lunchtime has almost passed, but Juliet is still nowhere to be found.

“The young lady said that she will get ready in the Monad household* and will leave for the Imperial palace banquet ball by the evening”

The escort Jude, who has been with Juliet all day, reported.

*In the previous translation Montagu was used, but from now on, we will be using Monad to follow the original name in the novel.

“Fine”

Count Monad, Juliet’s grandfather’s house still remains in the city.

Lennox did not worry about Juliet suddenly running away because the escort that was given to her was among some of the best of the Karlyle household.

“Nothing suspicious…they said…..”

Lennox slowly mumbled while scattering the untouched invitation mail, most of which were addressed to Juliet, not him.

If one was to look at Lennox Karlyle, nothing seemed amiss or out of the ordinary. He mercilessly ordered the staff around all day to finish all the tasks. His lover had gone out alone and hasn’t come back yet, but it seemed as if he wasn’t bothered by that fact at all.

Yes, it seemed that way, but inside, Duke Karlyle was extremely on edge. He tapped his long finger on the table and thought, is this how it’s going to be? Juliet was outright avoiding him. Not only did she return the necklace he gave, she also stood him up and headed to the Count’s house. It was getting on his nerves. This wasn’t anything like Juliet.

Although he had his doubts, there was nothing surrounding Juliet that was the least suspicious. But, that still did not explain why she was suddenly acting out of the ordinary one bit.

“Oh, come to think of it, when I escorted the young lady to the Count’s house, there was something that caught my attention.”

Jude who was leaning on the wall near the fireplace spoke as something crossed his mind.

“The…earlier when I escorted lady Juliet to the Count’s premises, I ran into one of the maids working there”

The Count and his wife had passed away, but there were still some people working and taking care of the Monad household.

“The maid there spoke of a strange man who came by a few times looking for the young Miss.’

“A strange man?”

Elliot, the duke’s secretary, held his breath without realizing and kept his eyes fixed on the Duke. Jude Heronman being completely oblivious to the change in the atmosphere kept yapping excitedly.

“Yes, a young man who looks to be somewhat in his late twenties. He started coming a few months ago. He would come two or three times a month interrogating the maids about the young lady’s whereabouts and when he could meet her. It was a little too suspicious so the maids decided not to say anything and waited until Miss Juliet came by to report the matter. But as you know, the young Miss doesn’t frequently go to the Monad household, so it looks like she still hasn’t been informed.”

“A man…”

Duke Karlyle’s face shows no emotion at all. However, Elliot noticed that the finger that was busily tapping a while ago suddenly stopped. Instead, the Duke clasped his hands so tightly to the point where his veins looked ready to burst.

“Interesting.”

Contrary to what was spoken, Lennox did not look one bit interested or pleased with what he had just heard.

Elliot could not take the pressure anymore, he glanced at the fireplace, there was clearly fire and it was clearly burning, but strangely enough, the atmosphere inside the room had dropped severely. He knew that he wasn’t imagining the sudden change because Jude, who was excitedly yapping a minute ago, shut his mouth and stood straighter than ever.

The sudden disappearance of Juliet Monad early in the morning and the even more sudden command by the Duke to do a background check revolving Juliet’s romantic life, Elliot had a rough idea about the situation taking place, after all, he did work for the Duke for 10 years.

He was used to the Duke’s lovers. Come to think of it, a long time ago there was one lady who wanted the Duke’s attention, so she brought another man into her bed. ‘What happened to her?’ Elliot tried to recall what happened and failed. While he was still stuck in his thoughts he abruptly heard a low husky voice calling him.

“Elliot.”

“Yes, My Lord.”

“Release the wolves.”

‘Wolves’. That was what the elite knights under the Duke Karlyle were called.

Elliot bowed his head while praying that tonight nothing bad happens.

“…..As you wish.”

*

*

*

Going home after such a long time, Juliet enjoyed the little break she got. After changing her clothes, she slowly headed to the marketplace.

She walked in between all the maids that were busy trying to get everything from the dress to shoes to the carriage ready for tonight’s ball. Her destination was the teahouse which was located further away from the main street.

The owner of the teahouse asked Juliet to sit inside, where it was warmer, but she rejected as she wanted to sit in a place close to the garden where she can watch the beautiful scenery.

After a few moments, a glass container filled with liquid and two glass cups were set on the table. Juliet had ordered iced tea, a drink that does not fit the chilly weather, no matter how much you look at it.

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“Thank you.”

“Please enjoy it.”

‘Such a strange preference to have in this kind of cold weather’ was what the owner thought as she placed the order in front of Juliet. After heading back to her station, the owner couldn’t help but stare curiously at Juliet. The young lady never introduced herself, but the owner already knew Juliet’s name and status. Juliet Monad, the only daughter of the deceased Count Monad and his wife. A widely discussed topic among many.

Customers who often visited the teahouse brought Juliet’s subject up. Some would say that ‘She is an immature kid who lost her parents at such a young age and has nobody to lean on.’, while others would say that ‘She is a conceited temptress who doesn’t know her place and is aiming to become the wife of the Duke.’

However, no matter how much the old teahouse owner looked, Juliet was neither an immature child, nor was she a conceited temptress. Juliet sitting and gazing outside seemed, in itself, a beautifully painted picture. In the eyes of the owner, Juliet looked like a kind and ordinary young lady. The owner shook her head, the lover of that great duke, it’s almost unbelievable, she thought, feeling sympathy for Juliet.