Chapter: 6

“It’s clean.”

The scene in Duke Carlisle’s study was rather tense.

“There was nothing suspicious.”

Listening to the knight’s report, Duke Carlisle signed the last page of the documents he was holding.

With this, the tasks that needed to be handled in the capital were roughly completed.

“Is that all?”

“Yes, Your Grace.”

Elliot, the Duke’s secretary, quickly nodded.

“There are no urgent matters for the time being.”

In the morning, the Duke’s mansion had been as busy as if a storm had struck.

This was because their master had suddenly ordered that all tasks requiring attention in the capital be completed today.

No one dared to disobey Duke Carlisle.

The Duke’s secretaries worked frantically, reviewing contracts and receiving guests, and spent half a day running at full speed.

It was astonishing how they managed it, but by the time all the tasks were finished, the mansion was as calm as the sky after a storm.

Lennox Carlisle glanced out the window.

Between handling accumulated work, Lennox had been receiving reports on Juliet’s whereabouts over the past few months.

Juliet, aside from her official duties, did not enjoy social activities, and her circle of acquaintances was limited.

Her daily routine was fairly regular, and there were no notable contacts with suspicious people or unusual behavior.

Meanwhile, the escort knights reported every hour on her every move.

Even today, Juliet’s movements were no different from usual.

Visiting the temple on the last day of the year to light candles was something she always did whenever she accompanied him to the capital at the end of the year.

She had done it since she was very young—back when her parents were alive—as a family tradition.

Juliet’s half-day had been ordinary.

Aside from standing him up instead of returning to the mansion at lunchtime, it had been a routine day.

And everything that had happened at the temple had reached his ears.

“Count Casper?”

“Yes, the son of Duke Guiness, engaged to Princess Priscilla. He was completely overwhelmed and almost crawled away. It seems the young lady…”

Of course, Lennox quickly forgot such trivial names.

It would only be noteworthy if Juliet had summoned a butterfly in front of people.

His concern now was only one thing.

Juliet had not returned to the mansion by midday.

“The young lady will go to the palace banquet in the evening right after getting ready at the Count’s residence.”

“I see.”

Jude, who had gone to pick up Juliet, reported.

Juliet’s family residence, the Monad Count House, still remained in the capital.

Lennox did not worry that she might suddenly run away.

The guards assigned to her were the elite of the Duke’s knights, and Juliet could not easily escape them.

“…It’s clean.”

Lennox muttered slowly, touching the mail on the table.

They were invitations addressed to Juliet, still sealed, untouched.

On the surface, Lennox Carlisle seemed no different from usual.

He had pushed his attendants hard to complete all tasks on time, and even though his lover had gone out alone and had not returned, he appeared unconcerned.

On the surface, yes.

But Lennox had been on edge the entire time.

Though sometimes lost in thought, Juliet was generally calm and quiet.

Yet today, something about her seemed off.

She had deliberately returned a necklace in a showy manner, stood him up, and gone straight to the Count’s residence.

Her elegant fingers lightly tapped the table.

‘So this is how you’re going to act?’

Juliet was openly avoiding him.

Yet, contrary to his intuition that something was wrong, there were no suspicious circumstances surrounding her.

Then how should he interpret her sudden change in behavior?

“Oh, now that I think of it, there was something a little off at the Count’s house.”

Jude, lounging in the study’s armchair by the fireplace, spoke suddenly as if he had just remembered.

“Well, on the way back after dropping off Miss Juliet, I ran into some of the Count’s maids.”

Though the Count and Countess had died, a few servants remained to manage the vacant Monad Count House.

Jude had secretly collected mail addressed to Juliet from the house.

“One of the maids said something strange. A strange man had come looking for the young lady several times.”

“A strange man?”

“Yes, someone who insisted on meeting her. He came two or three times over the past few months, asking if he could see her and when she would return. Of course, it seemed suspicious, so he was chased away and not allowed to meet her.”

Elliot, the secretary, instinctively glanced at Duke Carlisle.

Only Jude Hayon, oblivious to the tension, continued chatting excitedly.

“He was a young man, maybe around thirty. It made the maid uneasy, so she wanted to inform you when Miss Juliet returned to the Count’s residence. But since Miss Monad doesn’t come often, she hadn’t reported it yet.”

“…”

No emotion could be read from Duke Carlisle’s expression.

But Elliot noticed that the Duke’s fingers, which had been tapping the table, had stopped.

The veins on the back of his hands gripping the armrests had turned blue.

“Interesting.”

The Duke muttered, his face betraying no hint of interest.

Elliot could no longer resist and glanced at the fireplace.

The fire was surely blazing, yet strangely, the room seemed to have grown colder.

It wasn’t just Elliot’s imagination—Jude, who had been chatting animatedly a moment ago, went silent and adjusted his posture.

Juliet Monad, gone since morning, had yet to return.

And Duke Carlisle had suddenly ordered a private investigation into his lover.

Elliot had a rough idea of what was happening.

‘…Good heavens.’

Elliot squeezed his eyes shut. He had been Duke Carlisle’s secretary for ten years and was familiar with the Duke’s lovers.

He remembered there had been a woman who once dragged another man into bed to keep a departing Duke’s attention.

‘But what happened to her again?’

Elliot tried desperately to recall, but failed. Then a low voice called him.

“Elliot.”

“Yes, Your Grace.”

“Bring Haddin.”

Haddin was a close aide of the Duke, one of the shadows handling the Duke’s secret affairs.

Elliot bowed, silently praying that nothing untoward had occurred.

“…Understood.”

After visiting her home for the first time in a while, Juliet, having changed her clothes, went out into the city.

Due to the evening’s New Year’s ball, the streets lined with high-end dress shops on Maple Avenue were crowded with carriages.

Juliet strolled leisurely among the servants collecting reserved shoes and dresses.

Her destination was a teahouse a little away from the city center.

The hostess offered her a warm indoor seat, but Juliet declined, wanting to enjoy the view outside. She took a seat at a small table in the garden, overlooking the ornamental trees.

Shortly after, two glass bottles and glasses were placed on the table.

Despite the cold, Juliet had ordered iced tea with ice cubes.

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

The hostess found it an unusual choice for such cold weather.

Even after delivering the drinks, she glanced curiously through the window.

Though Juliet had never introduced herself, the hostess already knew her name and status.

Juliet Monad, the only daughter of the Monad Counts, who died in an accident seven years ago.

She must have been very well known.

Noble guests at the teahouse had all spoken of Juliet Monad at least once.

Some pitied her as “a helpless child who lost her parents early,” while others slandered her as “an ambitious woman trying to take the Duke’s household by force.”

But the elderly hostess saw her as neither a naive child nor an overreaching woman.

With her chin resting gently on her hand, gazing outside, she looked like a painting—but she was simply a normal young lady for her age.

‘She seems kind.’

To be the lover of that notorious Duke, known for scandalous rumors—

The hostess, tilting her head, felt somewhat sorry for her.