Chapter 15
“You suddenly asked to break up.
Was this the only reason?”
Before Juliet could answer, the man's lips, which had seized her shoulders, twisted cruelly.
“But if you were going to run away with my child, you shouldn't have been caught.”
“…Is that why you chased me all the way here?”
Juliet's face paled at the cruel words.
Of course. Figures.
Juliet felt foolish for having entertained even the slightest hope.
What was she expecting anyway?
She scoffed at herself.
“Did you think I ran away with the Duke's bloodline?”
She knew very well what the bloodline meant to Lennox Carlisle.
It was none other than his greedy relatives who drove the nine-year-old young head of the family to the battlefield.
His own mother had deceived his father, the late Duke, and given birth to him.
Juliet suddenly wondered.
If she nodded here and said she was carrying his child, how would he react?
Would she be dragged somewhere and ‘taken care of,’ like the woman who once came to him with his child?
From the start, Lennox Carlisle had no interest in being the Duke's heir.
And that was why he preferred light and short relationships instead of clinging to marriage.
However, it was a well-known fact that quite a few people claiming to be the Duke Carlisle's children came to the Duke's estate.
It was a famous story that children with red eyes and black hair were born in the Duke's family.
But no one knew what happened to the children and women who came to the Duke's family that way.
Some people gossiped that the vixen Juliet Monad must have taken care of his children.
But Juliet was one of the people who was most curious about what happened to them.
"No, I didn't steal anything.”
Juliet lowered her head powerlessly and answered calmly.
But his next words made her even more desperate.
Lennox Carlisle sneered with a smile.
“Then whose bastard is it?”
"Lennox!”
Juliet's face flushed with shame.
Juliet bit her lip, trying not to let him see the tears welling up in her eyes.
But it was not enough to suppress the surge of emotion.
“…Juliet?”
"Let go.”
Her lover might be more angry than she thought because she ran away without saying a word. Because he was a man who had never let go of anything, even if he had more than he could hold.
‘But I have the sense not to mistake that for affection.’
Would it be a similar analogy if a dog you raised broke its leash and ran away?
That's closer to resentment or revenge than affection.
But the fact that Juliet had angered him was not a valid reason for her to be treated like this.
More than ever, Juliet was deeply disappointed. She hadn't stayed by his side for seven years just to be treated like this.
Lennox Carlisle would never know or understand…
"Okay. I'll believe you."
But the man, who had been staring down at her with a strange look as she barely held back her tears, suddenly said.
“Instead, let's go back together.
Marriage or whatever, I'll do whatever you want.”
Juliet's expression turned blank for a moment.
“…What did you just say?”
“Damn it, I said I'll do whatever you want, marriage or playing house.”
His expression was calm as he repeated the words calmly.
But Lennox was inwardly clenching his teeth anxiously.
“So let's go back.”
Please.
The man held out his hand. It was an unusually gentle attitude.
Lennox was so nervous that he didn't realize that he was clinging to a woman for the first time in his life.
The temple excommunicated him.
There would be another uproar if they were to hold a wedding.
But what did that matter?
If a war was needed, then so be it.
He was the Duke of the North. An undefeated army and the land of black gold. Even the Emperor could not defeat the North, so how could the temple be any different?
He didn't believe in God. Not to mention the senile old men who were babbling nonsense as God's servants.
Juliet would never run away again.
Then anything was fine.
Once he said it, everything became clear.
“Marriage… you said.”
"Yes."
But Juliet did not smile with joy and surprise, nor did she shed tears of emotion. Even though he was offering her the position of the mistress of the North, which everyone longed for, she only stared blankly up at Lennox with empty eyes.
“What about the child?”
"Do as you please."
Lennox nervously swept back his hair.
He didn't want to pass on that cursed family to his own bloodline. Besides, children were annoying and irritating. But he thought he might be able to tolerate a child who resembled her.
Lennox looked down at Juliet, who was still standing there blankly, as if in shock.
If there was a child, she wouldn't be able to run away as easily as this time. Juliet was especially weak to small, animal-like creatures.
He had only said it impulsively, but he felt better when he thought about it.
“Really, until the end…”
Juliet's petal-like red lips parted.
“You're so cruel.”
“…Who?”
“How far do you have to make a person miserable to be satisfied?”
Cruel?
Lennox Carlisle couldn't believe his ears.
It was she who had been in his arms as tenderly as a spring breeze just a day ago, but had changed her mind in half a day and deceived him and ran away.
It was Juliet Monad who first let go of his hand and abandoned him.
Who was being cruel now?
Lennox was about to lash out like that. But he couldn't.
"Juliet?"
Juliet burst into tears without any warning.
Like someone who had reached their limit. Like a drop of water that overflows a glass.
Juliet was crying without a sound.
He knew that it was not the tears of joy that a woman who had received a proposal would show.
The surprised man belatedly grabbed her wrist.
Juliet murmured in a strangely empty voice.
“If I go back?”
"What?"
“What will change if I follow Your Highness back now?”
'What will change?' Lennox's eyes narrowed at the unexpected question.
Juliet had never asked such a thing.
The future was uncertain and vague.
But nothing would change. Because he didn't want anything to change.
Lennox knew the woman Juliet Monad well. Soft skin with hot blood flowing through it, sweet sighs, trembling eyelashes, dimples.
Lennox thought that was enough.
Juliet did not beg for affection. She didn't restrict him or nag him every step of the way.
"Nothing."
Their relationship would not change.
And that was what he wanted.
Juliet Monad would still remain his lover, and they would return to the Duke's castle in the North together.
Marriage or children, he would have to prepare a stronger cage so that Juliet would not run away like this again, but anyway, all the problems would be solved.
Right now, if she just nodded-
"Lennox."
But Juliet did not nod.
“I’m done now.”
“…Juliet?”
“I don’t love Your Highness anymore.”
Always worrying about being abandoned.
"I'm sick of it now."
Beeeeeeep.
Just then, the train entered the platform with a loud noise.
"Your Highness."
Juliet shook her head and pushed away the man's chest, who was embracing her as if to support her.
“I know. Somewhere in the world, there is a woman who will bring a man like you to his knees and teach him humility.”
Flutter.
Before he could instinctively reach out to Juliet again, butterflies with wings that suddenly shone so brightly that his eyes hurt appeared.
The fluttering of the blue butterflies' wings brushed against her skirt and shook it all over.
As if to not allow anything to come close to her, it filled Lennox's vision.
Meanwhile, the woman staggered backward away from him toward the stopped train.
“But that won’t be me.”
Juliet's lips smiled perfectly as she met the eyes of the man who had frozen in place.
“I told you before, I didn’t steal anything, that wasn’t a lie.”
Juliet instinctively realized that she was the one holding the knife.
The only chance to leave an indelible mark on a man who would not be hurt by anything and would not be shaken by anything was now in her hands.
Juliet calmly brought her hand to her lower abdomen, which was empty.
“Because this, it’s not your child.”
Juliet smiled brightly and lied for the last time.
Forgotten Juliet
