FJ 3

Chapter: 3

The carriage carrying Juliet, owned by the Carlisle family, soon arrived at the main temple of the capital.

Although it was early morning, luxurious carriages were lined up in front of the temple.

Today, the last day of the year, was also the day when the temple earned the most money.

Juliet deliberately got off a little away from the entrance.

“I’ll be back soon.”

Almost no one recognized Juliet walking alone without a maid attending her. Thanks to this, she could take her time to look around the chapel without disturbance.

At the temple, if you wrote down a wish and offered a donation, the priests would light a candle in the name of your family. The more you donated, the larger and more elaborate the candle would be.

It was a shallow marketing tactic, but the capital’s nobles opened their wallets without hesitation.

Around the altar, where many people had already prayed for their New Year’s wishes, many candles were placed.

Thanks to that, the white marble statue of the goddess standing beneath the round dome seemed to be surrounded by a halo.

Juliet only realized she hadn’t thought of any particular wish after taking out a coin purse filled with gold coins.

“What kind of wish should I make at a time like this?”

While Juliet stared blankly at the statue, she heard whispers behind her.

“Isn’t that her?”

“That woman?”

“The Carlisle Duke’s…?”

Even without turning around, the stares pouring down on her made the back of her neck tingle.

The young Duke Carlisle, the great lord of the north, was completely indifferent to the capital’s social scene, but the nobles of the capital were very interested in him.

A young, unmarried duke.

Moreover, if a wealthy and powerful man was so handsome that no one could ignore him, any family with a daughter would naturally covet him, regardless of their social standing.

However, the northern duke appeared in the capital only reluctantly, once a year, at the New Year’s banquet at the imperial palace.

The duke was famous for always appearing at the banquet with a beautiful partner. Some stayed for only a few days, at most three months, but those women were called “the Carlisle Duke’s lovers.”

His temporary lovers attracted immense attention.

Carlisle’s tastes and indifferent attitude also contributed.

All his lovers were beautiful, but surprisingly, their social status was low.

The duke’s lovers—dazzlingly beautiful but of low status and somewhat unrefined—were exactly the kind of prey the socialites loved to gossip about.

When the duke’s new lover appeared, people busied themselves mocking her appearance, her taste, and her naivety.

But the topic socialites most loved to discuss was different:

What would become of these women after the duke ended the relationship?

“No way, isn’t that Miss Monard?”

Sure enough.

The moment Juliet gave a gold coin to a young priest and asked him to light a candle, people flocked around her and began greeting her.

“Miss Monard, when did you arrive in the capital?”

“How is the duke?”

“I sent an invitation to a tea party the other day. I wonder if you received it.”

“I’d be disappointed if you keep refusing.”

Juliet took a small breath, turned around, and answered with a faint smile.

“I’ve been a little busy. Thank you for the invitation, but I’ll have to decline.”

They were people of no real consequence anyway.

Juliet knew very well what they whispered about her behind her back.

“Poor thing.”

“Does she really think she could become the duke’s wife?”

Juliet Monard first entered gossip seven years ago.

When the young countess, orphaned overnight due to an accident, appeared escorted by Duke Carlisle, people were shocked.

Juliet Monard was completely different from the duke’s previous lovers.

First, she was the only daughter of the historic Monard family.

The Monard family, aside from being descendants of the founders of the country, was just a poor countly family. Still, compared to the duke’s previous lovers, her social status was incomparably higher.

Moreover, all of Carlisle’s previous lovers had been strikingly sensual beauties.

In contrast, Juliet was a delicate, refined beauty with eyes like they had been painted with a brush.

Those familiar with Carlisle’s tastes were puzzled.

The deceased Monard couple had been respectable people, and their only daughter Juliet had always stayed out of scandal. Compare that to Lennox Carlisle.

He was the northern duke who carried all kinds of terrifying rumors and gossip.

Yet the once-pitiful young lady of a fallen noble house took the duke’s hand and appeared at a ball—stunningly beautiful.

“Perhaps the duke’s taste has changed.”

“I wonder how long it will last this time.”

For a moment, people were taken aback, then they began chattering with renewed interest.

The target had changed, but nothing else would. Foolishly, from the moment Juliet Monard took the Carlisle Duke’s hand, her fate was sealed.

The higher her status, the harsher her potential fall. Juliet Monard became prey for socialites to gnaw at.

“Only the dead count couple made a fool of themselves.”

“Oh, how tragic, she must have been dreaming big.”

Mocking disguised as pity poured in.

People placed bets on when the duke would abandon Juliet, ridiculing the foolish young countess and eagerly awaiting her downfall.

Yet a month, two months passed. Seasons changed, the year turned, and still, no such news came.

Juliet Monard remained in the north, still the duke’s lover.

People were disappointed.

Of course, no one mistakenly thought the duke might finally have fallen in love.

Despite being surrounded by all sorts of unsavory rumors, the Carlisle family had a longer history than the empire itself.

There were many ducal families in the empire, but Carlisle was the only one not related to the royal family.

The Monard family was far too weak to become the matron of such a great house.

Moreover, Carlisle’s attitude toward her was no different than with his previous lovers.

Had he truly considered Juliet a serious partner, he would not have kept a marriageable noblewoman with no status by his side.

But the increasingly dissatisfied socialites now openly mocked Juliet.

“I hear the countess has some scandalous tricks.”

“How vulgar.”

“She pretended to be modest but tried to lure the duke with petty schemes.”

Still, no one thought she would become the northern duchess. And Juliet agreed with them.

Contrary to people’s assumptions, Juliet had never once expected she would marry Lennox Carlisle. She knew him best.

The moment she was no longer needed, she would be discarded without mercy.

“Oh my, who is this?”

Suddenly, a commotion arose near the temple entrance. A woman leading a group spotted Juliet and greeted her first.

“Long time no see, Miss Juliet.”

“Princess Priscilla.”

Despite the overt hostility, Juliet bowed politely as if unaware.

She was Princess Priscilla, the emperor’s niece.

Priscilla had no siblings and had won the emperor’s affection, giving her a position in society akin to that of a princess.

She was also famous for another reason: ten years ago, when Lennox Carlisle first attended an imperial banquet, she had been his dance partner.

‘How precocious.’

She was the same age as Juliet, so Priscilla would have been just fifteen then.

Juliet smiled faintly. She could barely remember herself at fifteen. To her, it felt like a long time ago—a distant past.

Ever since then, the princess had fallen for the duke four years her senior and pressured the emperor to submit a marriage proposal to the Carlisle family.

It was well known that the emperor struggled with this request for a while. Accepting it would strengthen an already powerful ducal family; rejecting it would embarrass the imperial family. Eventually, the proposal was sent, according to rumor.

And…

“Congratulations on your engagement, Princess, albeit a little late.”

“That’s alright. Living in the countryside, news travels slowly.”

Her words carried a sting, but Juliet smiled faintly. This was merely cute behavior.

Six months ago, Priscilla had finally become engaged to Count Kasper, a distant relative of the imperial family.

Juliet’s eyes met the young man standing beside Priscilla. Judging by his displeased expression and flashy attire, he must be Count Kasper.

Not a bad choice for the princess.

Kasper was the son of Marquis Guinness and would inherit the title upon his father’s death. The Guinness family was a great noble house in the south.

“Well, that’s good then. Since we met like this, let’s make a wish together!”

Suddenly, Priscilla grabbed Juliet, linked arms like a close friend, and led her toward the altar.

“It’s been a while. I want to light a candle for you, Miss Monard.”

With a kind expression, Priscilla took out a gold coin.

Clink.

The coin slipped from Priscilla’s hand to the floor.

“Oh my.”

Exaggerated tone, deliberate movement.

“Sorry, it slipped. Juliet, could you pick it up?”

Speaking theatrically, Priscilla pressed her foot on the coin.

“Are you okay, Juliet? We’re friends, after all.”

Those who understood Priscilla’s intentions chuckled.

This was a tactic she often used to publicly humiliate the duke’s lovers: pressure them until they bowed at her feet.

Instead of blushing with humiliation, Juliet calmly looked at Priscilla’s shoe pressing on the coin.

Apparently, Priscilla had completely forgotten who Juliet Monard was.

Though her family had declined in fortune, the Monards were still an old noble family. Juliet had grown up in the capital and was accustomed to such childish tactics.

The onlookers probably wanted to see her flustered or embarrassed, but Priscilla had chosen the wrong target.

Juliet was not a naive girl dreaming of a lover beyond her reach. At least, not this time.

‘Not naive enough to cry over something like this.’

And most importantly, today Juliet was in a bad mood.

“What are you doing? Hurry up, Juliet.”

Priscilla pressed again. Normally, Juliet might have gone along lazily, but this time…

She glanced at Priscilla with shining eyes and smiled calmly.

“I have a better idea, Princess.”

A better idea?

Just then, clink, clink—numerous gold coins fell from Juliet’s hand onto the floor.

Priscilla’s eyes widened in shock.

Ignoring her, Juliet emptied all the coins onto the floor before speaking.

“I forgot to give a congratulatory gift earlier.”

“W-what are you doing…?”

“Congratulations on your engagement, Princess.”

Juliet smiled calmly and returned the exact words Priscilla had used earlier.

“My hand slipped. But we’re friends, so you won’t be angry over something so trivial, right?”

In an instant, the temple fell completely silent.