Chapter 5
Illusion magic.
Count Casper's mouth fell open.
So, it was this woman's doing after all.
The rumors that the Duke's mistress used wicked Illusion magic were true.
"Do you understand? Then nod."
The Count just nodded madly with a blank expression.
Juliet smiled contentedly, turned lightly, and walked away.
"C, Count!"
"What's wrong? Are you alright?"
"T, this is, unbelievable..."
Only when Juliet had gracefully left did people rush over.
Count Casper was trembling as if he had seen the most terrible thing in the world.
Juliet heard the noisy chatter behind her, but she didn't look back.
She merely watched indifferently as people parted to make way for her as if the sea were splitting.
'Sometimes, acting like a crazy woman is worth it.'
Flutter.
Behind Juliet, who was walking leisurely, a blue butterfly fluttered and circled around her.
Juliet glanced at the butterfly landing on the back of her hand.
The blue butterfly was a terrifying Magical Creature.
Its true form was an evil and powerful deity existing beyond dimensions.
It was said that seeing it with the naked eye would drive one mad, so it borrowed the form of a butterfly to deceive people's eyes.
These butterflies inflicted nightmares on those Juliet desired.
They showed the person the most terrible monsters or scenes they could imagine and devoured the victim's emotions.
Then, they became a bluish lump of light and were reabsorbed into her.
When the butterfly ate enough Magical Power and grew, it could manipulate more diverse illusions.
However, complete mind control—like ordering someone to jump off the roof while they were sleeping, as she had threatened Count Casper earlier—was still beyond her.
'Besides, it doesn't even work on a Swordmaster.'
So, it was impossible from the start for her to seduce Lennox Carlisle with Illusion magic, as people imagined.
'If that were possible, I wouldn't be in this situation.'
He had been famous as the youngest Swordmaster since ten years ago.
"Miss."
The young man was Jude, one of the Duke's royal guards.
Jude Heyon was one of the younger vassals of the Duke's family and the youngest in the royal guard.
Jude was born with a friendly and outgoing personality.
So friendly that he often treated Juliet, his lord's lover, like a younger sister, sometimes even disrespectfully.
Jude looked around for a moment, then lowered his voice and whispered to Juliet.
"Did something happen inside?"
"No."
"Then why is everyone staring at you?"
"I wonder."
Juliet feigned ignorance as if it were someone else's business, but Jude nodded as if he roughly understood.
Jude Heyon, like Juliet, came from a noble family in the capital.
It wasn't difficult to guess what had happened inside.
After all, the social circles of the capital were as childish as ever.
"Miss."
Jude, smiling meaningfully, knelt on one knee in front of Juliet with an exaggerated gesture instead of opening the carriage door for her, and presented a box.
"Duke Carlisle sent this, Your Highness."
It was a deliberate act, clearly conscious of his surroundings.
Juliet could feel the attention of those around her focusing on them in an instant. She quietly looked down at Jude.
'...To give me something that could have been given inside the carriage, out here of all places.'
And in front of the temple, where so many eyes were focused, in front of the carriage with the Duke's family crest.
Jude winked at Juliet.
Jude, being from a noble family, was accustomed to 'noble' and petty ways of handling situations.
"Your Highness 'specially prepared the Tears of the Sun."
Jude opened the velvet box, pronouncing the words with emphasis so that everyone around could hear.
Revealed was a dazzlingly splendid necklace.
Befitting the name Tears of the Sun, a large sunset-colored diamond was the main stone, surrounded by small, transparent, colorless diamonds.
It was truly a dazzling radiance.
The luxurious necklace looked very expensive at a glance.
"Oh my."
"Oh, look at that radiance."
Before Juliet could react, exclamations flowed from the onlookers who had been glancing this way from afar.
Listening to the murmuring, Juliet thought indifferently.
Now, those who witnessed this scene would diligently go and spread rumors about what they had seen.
Then, by the evening when the New Year's banquet was held, everyone in the capital would know.
How arrogant the Duke's lover, who had visited the capital after a long time, had been to the other nobles.
And how extravagant Duke Carlisle had been in gifting his ill-mannered lover such a luxurious necklace.
Juliet, however, looked at the dazzling necklace with indifferent eyes before turning her head.
"Let's go."
"Yes."
Jude deliberately closed the box slowly before opening the carriage door.
He didn't forget to give the murmuring crowd a once-over before getting into the carriage.
As the carriage carrying the two of them rounded the corner, the coachman in the front seat asked for their destination.
"Where shall I take you?"
Jude, sitting across from Juliet, asked her as if it were obvious.
"You're going back to the mansion, right?"
"No."
"Yes?"
"I'm going to Miss Monad's mansion. Can you drop me off on the way?"
While Jude blinked blankly, the coachman headed towards the outskirts of the capital. Strictly speaking, it wasn't strange at all for Juliet to go to her own home, the Count's mansion.
However, Jude had a puzzled expression.
"Aren't you going back together?"
"No. And take this back too."
"Yes?"
Perhaps feeling a bit foolish for just repeatedly asking questions, Jude paused for a moment before asking again with a serious expression.
"Why? Don't you like it?"
"No, it's pretty."
"Then why? It's a bit much to say it outright, but that's quite expensive. It was specially procured as a birthday gift for Miss Monad..."
But instead of answering, Juliet smiled quietly.
"It's useful, even if it's not as good as a Magic Stone."
Although it was inferior to a Magic Stone, which was condensed with Magical Power, large and highly pure jewels contained trace amounts of Magical Power.
The man had been the first to teach her that.
She briefly touched the necklace in the flat velvet box.
A cool energy flowed into her fingertips.
The necklace with the large diamond intricately set was certainly pretty.
Without knowing for sure, it was probably a very expensive and precious item, as Jude had said.
However, Juliet didn't wonder if it was worth several mansions in the capital. One of the Duke's secretaries had probably picked it out casually.
The man probably signed a blank check without even looking at what the necklace looked like, just like he did every year for her birthday.
Juliet knew what this expensive gift meant. The fact that the man had entrusted the necklace to a royal guard meant that he wouldn't even see her face. If there was one thing she had learned, it was that Lennox Carlisle would never change, no matter what she did.
The day that man would humble himself and seek her affection would never come.
Juliet had wasted seven years to realize that foolish lesson.
Click.
Juliet's hand closed the box's clasp.
Then it was her turn to return the answer in the same way.
Juliet returned the box containing the necklace to Jude with a light smile.
"This isn't the birthday present I was supposed to receive."
Forgotten Juliet
