Chapter 12
12
A single blue butterfly fluttered through the room, scattering shimmering dust.
The moment Lennox spotted Juliet's butterfly, he instantly understood the situation.
At the same time, his blood ran cold.
"Your Highness!"
Those who had belatedly followed him upstairs gathered at the wide-open doorway.
Without a word, Lennox picked up the paper knife from the table.
Thwack.
The dagger, released from his hand, pierced the wings of the butterfly fluttering around the vanity mirror in one swift motion.
The blue butterfly, as if it were a living creature, fluttered its wings briefly before scattering into shimmering dust and disappearing without a trace.
"What in the world is going on...?"
The servants who had hurriedly followed were still confused, confirming that the room was empty.
"But, Master, we clearly saw the young lady return home and get out of the carriage."
"Yes, and we distinctly saw her come back and go up to this room on the second floor..."
Oh dear.
As the butterfly vanished, the servants, freed from the Illusion magic, finally realized the situation and turned pale.
They had clearly seen Juliet return home, but from the beginning, they had been under the influence of a Magical Creature's Illusion magic. Lennox knew Juliet's abilities best.
Summoning Magical Creatures from another world to create visions for her to see.
It was a rare ability to make a chosen target see illusions, but Juliet's skills were still limited in freely manipulating Magical Creatures.
As far as he knew, Juliet could only cast Illusion magic on one or two people at a time.
Juliet's ability was powerful enough to bewitch people, but using it in public places consumed a lot of Magical Power and had many restrictions.
So, while deceiving a single coachman wouldn't be difficult, she shouldn't have been able to deceive all the many servants in this Duke Carlisle's mansion simultaneously.
However, Juliet had succeeded and escaped from him with ease.
The meaning was clear. Juliet had hidden the growth of her abilities.
She had deceived him and smiled falsely. Since when had she been planning to run away?
"I've confirmed that she did not go to Monad County."
The butler reported quietly, having contacted them in the meantime.
Lennox stared with emotionless eyes at the necklace neatly placed in its box on the vanity.
It was the necklace he had sent to Juliet that morning.
The necklace, left all alone, was meaningful.
Inside the neatly arranged room, the jewelry and clothes he had given her as gifts remained untouched.
To an outsider, it would seem as if she had only left for a short while.
Suddenly, a question occurred to him.
Even if the servants of the mansion were deceived, the guard he had assigned to Juliet, Kane, was a Swordmaster.
How could she have deceived even Kane's eyes?
"Kane."
"...Yes."
"Did you eat something?"
"Pardon?"
Kane, startled by the sudden question, soon understood the Duke's question and didn't know what to do.
"The young lady offered me a drink during the day..."
"She drugged you."
Kane was for her safety, not to prevent her from running away.
Besides, the taciturn Kane was not the type to accept a drink if offered.
"I am sorry. I made such a mistake..."
Kane lowered his head, having grasped the situation.
However, Lennox Carlisle's anger was directed solely at one person.
"She was very determined."
A hollow laugh escaped through his clenched teeth.
He no longer wondered why Juliet was doing this.
He couldn't even guess when or where she had started planning it.
Everything, from buying Silphium without telling him to hiding the fact that she had become skilled at handling butterflies, fueled his anger.
No one dared to raise their head in the face of Duke Carlisle's chilling rage.
Elliot, who had been anxiously watching his master's expression, cautiously opened his mouth.
"Shall I contact the capital's guard?"
"No."
It would be useless.
Just as Juliet knew him well, Lennox Carlisle also knew Juliet Mona de.
If she set her mind to it, she could hide as much as she wanted.
He was sure of it.
In such a chaotic time, it was easy to hide, but the means of secretly escaping were limited.
But it was only a matter of time before Juliet escaped out of the capital.
He could release troops to block all the roads in and out of the capital, but if he acted rashly and ruined things, Juliet would only hide even deeper.
Juliet was determined to hide.
He might lose her forever. She had the ability to completely erase her traces and hide if she set her mind to it.
"What shall we do, Your Highness?"
Elliot asked cautiously.
Lennox Carlisle raised his head.
"She couldn't have left the capital yet."
Lennox clutched the necklace she had left behind.
Clink.
The diamonds collided in his hand, making a sound.
He smiled only with his lips.
"I'll ask for responsibility later. Find her first."
He was going to let Juliet know.
That he was just as persistent as she was.
"Find her by any means necessary. In a state where not a single strand of hair is harmed."
Hearing the commotion, the high priest of the capital hurriedly ran out.
"What is the meaning of this, Duke Carlisle!"
The high priest, who had faced the intruders head-on, shouted in a fit of rage.
He had rushed over so urgently that the crown on his head was askew.
"How dare you bring weapons into this sacred precinct..."
"You're being long-winded."
By the time the high priest had run out, the leader of these ruffians was sitting disrespectfully on the altar.
He was Duke Carlisle, who didn't need to prove his name.
Inappropriately for this urgent situation, Duke Carlisle, sitting on the marble altar, had the knack of making the plain altar look like a throne.
"I'll contact His Imperial Majesty immediately..."
"You know it's useless."
Ugh.
The high priest shut his mouth.
Of course, the high priest also knew. The imperial family was already anxious, constantly watching Duke Carlisle's every move.
If the temple asked for help, the Emperor would likely ignore the request, pretending not to notice.
The Carlisle family had a bad relationship with the temple, unlike other great nobles.
In fact, the temple had a great interest in the northern Duke family, which had the largest territory in the empire.
Vast land. And enormous gold.
However, the people of the north, including the Carlisle family, were impious unbelievers.
They had no interest in religion and did not understand building luxurious temples or collecting huge donations.
And the relationship between the Carlisle Duke family and the temple completely collapsed during Lennox Carlisle's generation.
Lennox Carlisle, who had slaughtered his uncles and taken the position of head of the family at a young age, closed all the temples in the north not long after ascending to the dukedom.
Naturally, the temple strongly protested and excommunicated Duke Carlisle.
Being excommunicated from the temple meant that he could not officially marry with the blessing of a priest.
In addition, it was a threat that they would not give the temple's blessing to the Duke family's heir who would be born someday.
Of course, Duke Carlisle didn't even pretend to listen. After all, he had been indulging in a dissolute life, let alone getting married.
In the first place, even the Emperor, the master of the empire, feared Duke Carlisle, so there was no way the temple could do anything.
The high priest, facing such an arrogant opponent, gave up protesting and cautiously asked the purpose.
"Alright. What do you want, Duke Carlisle?"
Forgotten Juliet
