Chapter 3
Chapter 3.
*
The Duke's carriage carrying Juliet quickly arrived at the Grand Temple in the capital.
Although it was early morning, the front of the temple was lined with splendid carriages. It was, after all, the last day of the year. It was also the day the temple earned the most money.
Juliet deliberately got off a little further away.
"I'll be right back."
Few people recognized Juliet walking alone without a maid to attend to her. Thanks to this, Juliet was able to leisurely look around the chapel without interruption.
If you submitted a paper with your wishes and an offering, the temple would light a candle in the name of your family, and the larger the offering, the larger and more splendid the candle.
It was a shallow trick, but nobles, who valued their reputation above all else, opened their wallets without hesitation.
Many people had already come to pray for the new year, and a considerable number of candles were placed around the altar.
Thanks to this, the pure white marble goddess statue beneath the round dome ceiling looked as if it were surrounded by a halo.
It was only after Juliet took out her purse filled with gold coins that she realized she hadn't really thought about what to wish for.
'What should I wish for?'
Juliet was staring blankly at the goddess statue when she heard whispering behind her.
"Isn't that her?"
"That woman?"
"The Duke Carlisle's...?"
Even without turning around, the gazes pouring down on her were piercing.
Lennox Carlisle was completely uninterested in high society, but the nobles of the empire were very interested in him.
An unmarried young Duke.
Moreover, he was a wealthy and powerful man.
The Duke of the North only appeared in the capital once a year.
Only at the Imperial Palace's New Year's banquet.
He always appeared at the banquet with a beautiful partner, but he brought a different partner every year. They never lasted longer than three months, but those women were called 'Duke Carlisle's lovers.'
His temporary lovers received a great deal of attention.
Duke Carlisle's taste and indifferent attitude also played a part.
The Duke's lovers were all beautiful, but surprisingly of low status.
Dazzlingly beautiful, but of low status and somewhat lacking in refinement, the Duke's lovers were perfect prey for high society.
When the Duke's new lover appeared, people were quick to ridicule her appearance, how vulgar her tastes were, and how naive she was.
But the topic that high society people liked to gossip about the most was different.
What would happen to them after being dumped by the Duke.
"Oh, isn't that Miss Monad?"
Sure enough.
As soon as Juliet handed a gold coin to a young priest and asked him to light a candle, people flocked to her, surrounding her and greeting her.
"Miss Monad, when did you arrive in the capital?"
"Is the Duke doing well?"
"I sent you an invitation to a tea party last time, I don't know if you received it."
"I'll be sad if you keep refusing."
Juliet took a small breath and turned around, smiling and responding appropriately.
"I'm a little busy. Thank you for the invitation, but I'll have to decline."
It was a smiling face, but a clear line was drawn.
These people were meaningless anyway.
Juliet knew very well what they said about her behind her back.
"How pathetic."
"She really seems to believe she'll become the Duchess, doesn't she?"
When Juliet Monad first appeared escorted by Duke Carlisle a few years ago, people were shocked.
Because she was completely different from the past lovers who had passed through the Duke until then.
First of all, Juliet Monad was the only daughter of a prestigious Count family.
Although the Monad County had nothing to show for itself except that it was a family of meritorious retainers from the founding of the country, it was an absurdly high status compared to the Duke's past lovers.
Moreover, until then, Duke Carlisle's lovers had all been dazzlingly beautiful types.
In contrast, Juliet Monad was an elegant beauty with delicate eyes as if drawn with a brush.
Those who clearly remembered Duke Carlisle's tastes were bewildered.
The deceased Count and Countess Monad were gentle people, and their only daughter, Juliet, was also far from scandal. On the other hand, what about Lennox Carlisle?
He was the Duke of the North, who brought with him all sorts of rumors and gossip.
And then, the daughter of a fallen noble family appeared at the ball holding the hand of Duke Carlisle. In a dazzlingly beautiful appearance.
"It seems the Duke's taste has changed."
"I wonder, how long will it last this time?"
After a moment of confusion, people soon became interested and gossiped.
Only the target had changed, but nothing else would change. From the moment she foolishly took Duke Carlisle's hand, Juliet Monad's ending was already determined.
As high as her status was, her downfall would be miserable. Juliet Monad became the perfect prey for high society to tear apart.
"Oh dear, she must be full of dreams, poor thing."
"Only the dead Count and Countess have become a joke."
Mockery disguised as sympathy poured out.
People bet on how many months it would take for Juliet Monad to be abandoned by the Duke. Everyone ridiculed the foolish Count's daughter and looked forward to her downfall.
But a month, two months.
Even as the seasons passed and the year changed, the news they had been waiting for did not come.
Juliet Monad still remained in the North, and she was still the Duke's lover.
People were disappointed.
Of course, no one was mistaken that the Duke was truly in love.
The only Duke family in the empire that was not royalty. The Monad County was far from enough to become the mistress of such a Duke family.
Furthermore, Duke Carlisle's attitude towards her was no different from that of his previous lovers.
If Duke Carlisle had really thought of her as a serious partner or had even a little consideration, he would not have kept a noble lady of marriageable age by his side without any official position.
But the increasingly dissatisfied people now began to sneer at Juliet and openly belittle her.
"I heard that the Count's daughter has some kind of bewitching talent."
"Oh my, how vulgar."
"She pretended to be so demure, but it seems she seduced the Duke with such tricks."
People did not think she would become the mistress of the North.
And Juliet agreed with that thought.
Contrary to what many people mistakenly thought, Juliet had never once thought that she would marry him. She was the person who knew Lennox Carlisle best.
Whenever the moment came when she was no longer needed, she would be mercilessly abandoned.
"Oh my, who is this?"
Suddenly, the entrance to the temple became noisy, and a woman appeared leading a group of people.
She greeted Juliet cheerfully.
"It's been a while, Miss Juliet."
"...Princess Priscilla."
Juliet felt the blatant hostility, but she pretended not to notice and bowed politely.
She was Princess Priscilla, the Emperor's niece.
She was the Emperor's favorite in the Imperial family, which had no daughters. Thanks to this, Princess Priscilla enjoyed a status in high society that was no different from that of an Imperial Princess.
She was also famous in another sense, because she was the first person Lennox Carlisle danced with when he first attended the Imperial Palace banquet 10 years ago.
'How precocious.'
Princess Priscilla must have been only fifteen years old at the time.
In any case, after that day, the Princess, who had fallen in love with the Duke of the North, who was four years older than her, began to pester the Emperor. She asked him to send a marriage proposal to the Carlisle Dukedom.
The Emperor was troubled by this for a while. If Lennox Carlisle were to marry the Emperor's niece, it would be like giving wings to the already threatening Dukedom.
Conversely, being rejected would be an insult to the Imperial family's reputation. But in the end, rumors spread that a marriage proposal had been sent in the name of the Imperial family because of Priscilla's stubbornness.
And…….
"Although it's late, congratulations on your engagement, Princess."
"It's okay. It's natural to be slow to hear news when you live in a rural backwater."
There were thorns in her words, but Juliet smiled faintly.
This was cute.
Half a year ago, Priscilla finally became engaged to Count Casper, a relative of the Imperial family.
Juliet's eyes met those of a young man who was openly scanning her from beside Princess Priscilla.
Judging from his displeased expression and flashy attire, that man was Count Casper.
It wasn't a bad choice for Princess Priscilla.
Count Casper was the adopted son of the Marquess Guinness, and he would become the Marquess Guinness when his father died.
The Guinness Marquess family was a great noble family that ruled the southern part of the empire.
"Anyway, that's great. Since we've met like this, let's make a wish together!"
Suddenly, Princess Priscilla grabbed Juliet's arm. Then, like a close friend, she forcibly linked arms with Juliet and took her to the altar.
"It's been a while. I want to light a candle for Miss Monad."
With a friendly expression, Priscilla took out a gold coin.
Clang.
And the gold coin fell from Priscilla's hand to the floor.
"Oh my."
It was an intentional action that anyone could see.
"I'm sorry. My hand slipped. Juliet, would you pick it up for me?"
As she said that, Priscilla stepped on the dropped gold coin with her shoe.
"It's okay, right, Juliet? We're friends."
Only then did the people realize Princess Priscilla's intentions, and laughter erupted from among them. The onlookers crossed their arms as if curious to see how Juliet would react.
Juliet stared silently at Priscilla's shoe, which was stepping on the gold coin.
It was a common tactic that Priscilla used to publicly humiliate the Duke's lovers. She would pressure them so that they couldn't do anything, and eventually make them bow at her feet with her shallow tricks.
Juliet did not blush or panic.
It seemed that Princess Priscilla had completely forgotten who Juliet Monad was.
Although her family had declined, the Monad County was a family of meritorious retainers from the founding of the empire. Although she had stayed in the North for the past few years, Juliet had grown up in the capital. She was sick and tired of these childish tricks.
Everyone wanted to see her embarrassed and flustered, or blushing with humiliation, but they had chosen the wrong opponent.
Instead of blushing with humiliation, Juliet smiled calmly.
She was not a naive girl full of dreams who had caught a lover who was lucky enough to be beyond her station.
'I'm not naive enough to burst into tears at this level.'
And most importantly, Juliet Monad was in a bad mood today.
"What are you doing? Hurry up, Juliet."
Princess Priscilla urged her again.
Normally, she would have just let it go because she hated troublesome things, but...
Juliet stared at Priscilla, who was shining her eyes, and smiled calmly.
"I have a better idea, Princess."
A better idea?
It was the very moment a bewildered expression appeared on Priscilla's face.
Clang. Clang.
With a cheerful sound, countless gold coins fell to the floor from Juliet's hand.
Priscilla widened her eyes in shock.
Juliet, unconcerned, said only after pouring all the gold coins she had with her onto the floor.
"I almost forgot the congratulatory money earlier."
"W-What are you doing...?"
"Congratulations on your engagement, Princess."
Juliet added with a nonchalant smile. And she returned the words that Priscilla had said a little while ago.
"My hand slipped. But we're friends, so you wouldn't get angry over something like this, would you?"
In an instant, the inside of the temple became as quiet as a mouse.
Forgotten Juliet
