Chapter 4
The onlookers, who had been eagerly anticipating Juliet's humiliation just moments before, froze in unison.
It was Princess Priscilla's scream that broke the silence.
"...Juliet Monad!"
Princess Priscilla, her face flushed crimson, shouted sharply.
"Do, do you think you can act so arrogant just because you have Duke Carlisle's favor now?"
"Yes."
"Wh-what did you say?"
"Yes, that's right. I'm acting recklessly because I trust in the Carlisle family."
Juliet smiled prettily.
Priscilla was aghast.
This was the first time Priscilla, who had lived being treated like royalty, had ever experienced such an insult.
"Juliet Monad! How can you ignore someone's goodwill like this?!"
Priscilla seemed to have completely forgotten what she had just done and teared up.
It was an unlike reaction from Priscilla, who enjoyed humiliating Duke Carlisle's lovers in every way possible.
However, Juliet remained calm, her expression unchanged.
"I don't know what you're talking about.
I'm just returning Your Highness's favor."
"Yo...!"
Speechless, Priscilla glared at Juliet.
She had merely returned the rudeness that she had committed, but she seemed to lack immunity to being on the receiving end.
"...Unbelievable!"
Priscilla fumed for a while, but she had no choice.
Priscilla eventually chose to leave.
"Yo, Your Highness!"
Several noblewomen, unsure of what to do, hurriedly followed Priscilla.
Juliet leisurely watched them leave.
The reason why Priscilla's unreasonable behavior had worked so far was simple.
It was because Lennox Carlisle's previous lovers were of low status and unfamiliar with the customs of high society.
Intimidated by Priscilla's status, they would have had no choice but to run to the Duke, crying and complaining.
Or, afraid of losing his attention, they would have been unable to say anything and simply endured it.
Neither of those applied to Juliet.
'I thought she would at least grab my hair...'
Juliet had been planning to do the same to her, but it ended surprisingly anticlimactically.
Juliet glanced around.
The onlookers who had surrounded her were startled when their eyes met and avoided her gaze.
"Ahem!"
They cleared their throats awkwardly and soon dispersed.
Juliet smiled brightly at those people as if to show off.
In fact, the reason why people could mock and ridicule the Duke's lovers was because Lennox Carlisle was completely indifferent.
But in other words, it also meant that Juliet Monad could act as she pleased in high society without him batting an eye.
Unless they were incredibly stupid, they wouldn't want to make an enemy of the Carlisle family.
But there was someone. Someone that oblivious.
It was when Juliet had just left the chapel.
Someone waiting in the outer hallway grabbed Juliet's wrist roughly.
"I heard Duke Carlisle's taste in women is vulgar, and I can see why."
At the sneer, Juliet shook off the hand grabbing her wrist and retorted coldly.
"I don't know what you're talking about, Count Casper."
It was Count Casper, Princess Priscilla's fiancé.
"Ha! Are you going to deny it?"
Count Casper, who had come very close, grinned.
"I've heard everything."
So, what?
There weren't as many onlookers in the hallway outside the chapel as there had been earlier.
Confirming that there weren't many eyes watching, Count Casper lowered his voice and whispered.
"I heard you use wicked Illusion magic?"
Juliet scoffed in disbelief.
It seemed he had picked up some half-baked information about her ability from somewhere.
'It's not exactly a secret.'
Juliet sighed softly.
She could guess how the rumor had been distorted.
"Did you seduce the Duke with that? Huh?"
Wicked Illusion magic, huh.
Juliet frowned.
The sensation of fingers groping her wrist was disgusting.
"Or... are you talented in other ways?"
Juliet could easily read the base desires in Count Casper's murky eyes.
She didn't blush. She had experienced it several times in the North. It was a long time ago, but there were often people who made even more blatant advances.
'What happened to those people?'
Juliet suddenly wondered and tilted her head.
Come to think of it, she didn't remember seeing the men who had hit on her again.
'How could that be? The high society in the North is smaller than the capital.'
"Do you think you'll actually become the Duchess with that?
The Count became emboldened when Juliet remained silent, lost in thought.
He seemed to think she was scared.
"You need to know your place. Lennox Carlisle isn't that easy to deal with. Either way, you're finished once the Duke changes his mind. Do you understand?"
'Ah, he's finally showing his true colors.' Juliet raised her head.
'Do you think you'll actually become the Duchess with that?'
Thinking about it, it was strange.
Princess Priscilla was easier to understand. Priscilla's desires were transparent and simple.
In the first place, these people didn't have any personal connection with her to hold a grudge.
Yet, the reason they were gratuitously belittling Juliet and picking a fight was because they were afraid of Lennox Carlisle.
Duke Carlisle was scary, but it was easy to criticize a powerless woman.
'Cowards.'
Juliet sneered coldly.
They didn't have the courage to criticize Duke Carlisle, so they were projecting their distorted anger onto an easy target.
It was almost suspicious that they admired Duke Carlisle more fervently than anyone else.
"What are you going to do if you stare? Are you going to run to the Duke and tell on me? Huh?"
Count Casper sneered. It was as if he knew that Juliet wouldn't do that.
Juliet stared at him and asked.
"Count, are you jealous of me?"
"What?"
"But what a pity. As far as I know, Your Grace isn't interested in men."
"What does that..."
Count Casper blinked blankly, not understanding Juliet's words right away.
"Well, even if that weren't the case, you'd have to work very hard."
Juliet looked him up and down blatantly and added with a smile.
Only then did Count Casper's face turn red.
"You crazy bitch...!"
However, Count Casper, who had raised his hand as if to slap Juliet's cheek, suddenly screamed as if he was being strangled and collapsed to the floor.
"Keuk!"
The people who had been watching from afar were bewildered, not knowing what had happened.
All they saw was Count Casper raising his hand violently towards Juliet Monad.
A very brief moment.
A blue butterfly fluttered its wings and flew up from somewhere, but not many people noticed it.
And the next moment.
Thump!
With a loud noise, Count Casper was rolling on the floor.
People couldn't believe their eyes.
The first to approach Count Casper was Juliet, who was closest to him.
"Oh my, Count?"
Juliet, with a surprised expression, looked the most innocent and pure in the world.
That was because she hadn't laid a finger on Count Casper's body.
To anyone, it looked like Count Casper had fallen on his own.
"Oh my, are you alright?"
Juliet kindly offered her hand to Count Casper.
It would have looked like a helping hand to others, but...
"Heok!"
"Heoooek!"
Count Casper tried to back away in terror, but all he could do was crawl on the floor.
As if to help him up, Juliet grabbed Count Casper by the collar.
"Count Casper."
And with her red lips, she whispered softly in the Count's ear, so that no one around could hear.
"Shut up and listen. If I were you, I'd watch my mouth."
Juliet's shoe was pressing down on Count Casper's right hand, but Count Casper was so terrified that he didn't even notice.
In fact, the Count didn't fully understand what had happened to him.
He had simply tried to teach this impudent bitch a lesson.
But suddenly, a blue butterfly flew from somewhere and brushed against his forehead.
And, and...
Keueuk.
The Count stifled the groan that was coming out.
It was because she had ordered him to shut his mouth a moment ago. His jaw trembled with fear.
The moment that strange blue butterfly touched the Count's head, the image of the most terrifying and immense being he could imagine 'flowed in.'
"I'm letting you off easy this time, but who knows? Next time, if another 'crazy bitch' -Juliet smiled as if she found the pronunciation of the word amusing.
"-gets upset, then I might actually use Illusion magic and make you jump off the roof in the middle of the night."
Forgotten Juliet
