Chapter 111

* * *

“I think it was me who got dumped. Is my memory incorrect?”

Juliet, who spotted him, didn’t even seem surprised; she blinked quietly.

Lennox coldly glanced over the group of people surrounding her.

These cunning folks. Worthless humans, neither their names nor faces worth remembering.

But, by his standards, the moment these lesser beings surrounded a single woman and spouted all sorts of insults, it didn’t matter whether they were human or beast.

A sneer escaped him.

Seeing them, who might disappear any moment or turn their backs again, yet too scared to grip a woman tightly, let alone utter such insolence, rage welled up within him.

“Since when did you dare to comment on the affairs of my house?”

Until a moment ago, these people were like a pack of wolves, all frustrated that they couldn’t tear apart a single woman. Now, they paled and bowed their heads in front of him.

“Oh, you misunderstand, Duke…!”

“We absolutely didn’t mean it that way…”

“Do you think you can compensate for the honor of my house with your filthy tongues?”

He wasn’t one for idle talk.

“I will teach you the only way to atone with your pathetic bodies.”

Clang!

Lennox grabbed the sword of a standing guard and threw it on the ground.

“Draw it.”

Gasp.

For a moment, everyone stared in shock, turning pale. But everyone there understood. There was only one way to restore tarnished honor.

It was to duel, staking one’s life. And that meant a merciful, legal death.

According to the Empire’s laws, killing due to duels or territorial disputes wasn’t considered a crime.

The man standing before them was notorious as a sword master even before turning twenty.

Desperate screams erupted everywhere.

“Du, Duke…!”

“What are you doing? Draw your sword.”

His calm urging voice was smooth as always, without any variation in tone.

But the trembling folks, looking like cattle herded to slaughter, couldn’t find a way out.

Mostly because he entered the hall last. The Duke stood guarding the door.

“We have committed a crime worthy of death!”

One by one, the quickest to judge the situation began to kneel and bow their heads.

Sobs were heard here and there. Yet, Lennox Carlyle’s face, like cold steel, showed no change.

“Seems you can’t think with that head of yours?”

“Yes…?”

“It’s probably better to cut it off.”

Swish.

The blade of Duke Carlyle, sharp as ever, seemed ready to strike, reflecting a dark light.

“What do you mean…”

A moment later, the crowd realized his implication.

“Lady Monad!”

“Countess!”

“If you spare our lives, we will do anything!”

In their haste, they crawled on their knees, bowing before Juliet.

It was quite a comical scene, but Juliet, looking down at them, didn’t even crack a smile.

They pleaded with tearful eyes, but Juliet said nothing. The man with the sword glanced briefly at the crowd.

“Just lip service in asking for forgiveness?”

At that, their cries grew even more desperate.

“No, it’s not! Lady Monad, we will never be insolent again!”

“Yes, just spare us this once…!”

“Please, spare us…”

“That’s enough. Stop.”

The comedy ended with Juliet’s firm words.

Duke Carlyle still looked displeased, but Juliet settled the situation with a single command.

“Leave immediately.”

“Thank you. Thank you…”

“Lady Monad, no, Countess, how can we ever repay…”

“Visit our territory next time and…”

“Shut your mouths and leave. Now.”

As if it was pre-arranged, the culprits didn’t wish to linger a moment longer in the banquet hall.

Bang.

They rushed out, and after the door closed, only a handful remained in the empty hall.

Excluding the palace guards and a few servants preparing for the banquet, in truth, only two remained.

The man sheathed his sword and slowly crossed the floor.

Approaching the woman, who seemed rooted to the spot, Lennox seemed to anticipate what she might say.

‘It’s okay…’

“You didn’t have to help.”

Juliet said, without a hint of smile, in a voice so soft and calm that only he could hear. Lennox recalled how her calm voice often angered him.

“So, I was supposed to just listen to such nonsense?”

This time was no exception.

“You’re quite the saint.”

He didn’t mean to be sarcastic at first.

But seeing her pale face, rage filled him. How long had she sat and tolerated such insults without him knowing?

To be precise, he was angry at himself.

Before being conscious of the fact, sarcastic remarks sprang out.

“What were you thinking, doing that?”

“Otherwise?”

“What?”

“Your Highness.”

Juliet sighed softly, pushing his arm away. She looked up at him with empty eyes.

“Why are you pretending to care now?”

Pretending to care?

But Juliet seemed genuinely curious.

“You didn’t care before.”

“Juliet.”

“What people called me, the things I’ve heard, or whoever I made eye contact with…”

Juliet took a half step toward him.

“You didn’t care.”

“How could I not?”

How could he not care, especially when he heard such things right in front of him?

“There’s no need to pretend to care now.”

Juliet whispered as she handed him the wine glass she was holding.

“Just as you’ve always done.”

Then, she tenderly straightened his collar.

Lennox could see her lowered eyelashes. However, despite the intimate gesture, her next words were cruel.

“Your Highness.”

Juliet, after fixing his collar, looked up at him. They were close enough to kiss.

“You knew.”

But Juliet chuckled.

It was a strangely unfamiliar smile.

Mesmerized by her face, Lennox suddenly realized her expression was a mocking smile.

However, he couldn’t fully understand because Juliet had never shown him such a look before.

“The real issue isn’t those people.”

Juliet glanced briefly toward the door where people had disappeared and then, smiling, approached and touched his arm.

She whispered to him with her perfectly red lips:

“For the past seven years, Your Highness has been allowing me to be spoken of as you please.”

Lennox gritted his teeth silently.

Crack.

The glass in his hand shattered. Red liquid, whether blood or wine, dripped onto the floor. Juliet looked at his injured hand and quietly said:

“So, don’t do it again.”

* * *

The Carlyle Ducal family often found itself the subject of unfavorable gossip.

Their extreme and dark family history could fill dozens of books, much to the delight of gossipmongers.

However, Lennox Carlyle was inherently indifferent and didn’t care about public opinion.

He thought Juliet must have felt the same way.

The Carlyle castle had been without a mistress for twenty years.

‘When did it start?’

The advisors, who had been begging him to get married, grew silent a few years after Juliet Monard began staying at the castle.

“Your Highness, might you consider attending the event with the lady this time?”

A loyal assistant suggested it, only then realizing that the Ducal family had been gradually delegating the responsibilities of a mistress to Juliet.

At first, it was just simple ledger checks. But it expanded to her attending and hosting events on behalf of the Duchess.

“We asked her to do these tasks. She just agreed.”

The assistant defended Juliet, anticipating Lennox’s anger, saying she had only been accommodating.

Lennox simply listened.

The assistant’s concern was about unfavorable rumors regarding Juliet attending the parties alone.

“So, could you please attend with her just for today?”

That was the advisor’s argument.

Around that time, Lennox began feeling uneasy because of a woman who hardly ever gave him a warm smile.

Although it seemed obvious, the idea of replacing Juliet with someone else never crossed his mind.

Juliet never spoke of it.

Crash!

But when Lennox arrived late at the banquet hall, what he saw was Juliet, seemingly in a fit of anger, breaking a teacup.

“Are you angry?”

He met Juliet’s eyes outside but didn’t immediately understand her question.

“Are you angry because I acted like the mistress and made my own decisions?”

She asked with a calm expression, unbelievable for someone who had just spilled tea in anger.

The direction of the question was wrong.

Lennox’s cold expression wasn’t Juliet’s fault.

He was upset that Juliet didn’t tell him about problems she faced.

Before he could ask what happened, Juliet sighed softly.

“If you’re not mad, I’ll go.”

Even after that, Juliet never spoke to him about the rumors surrounding her.

He wasn’t sure if it was right to ask, and Juliet never told him.

So, he handled things in a way he was familiar with.

Without directly confronting Juliet, he ensured that those who overstepped their boundaries in the North could never do so again.

He was content with this quiet and swift compromise, and Juliet remained by his side without shedding a tear. He thought it was okay.

Until Juliet Monard left him.