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Chapter: 5
Illusion.
Count Casper’s mouth dropped open.
As expected, that had been the work of this woman.
The rumors that the duke’s mistress used sinister illusions were true.
“Did you understand? Then nod your head.”
The count, in a daze, nodded frantically.
Juliet smiled with satisfaction, released his collar, and lightly turned to walk away.
“Count Casper!”
“What… what’s going on… are you alright?”
“Th-this… this is… impossible…”
Only after Juliet leisurely left did people start to crowd around.
Count Casper was trembling as though he had witnessed the most horrifying thing in the world.
Noisy voices came from behind, but Juliet didn’t look back.
She simply watched, disinterested, as people scattered to either side to give her a path, thinking to herself:
‘Sometimes doing something utterly crazy is worth it.’
Flutter.
Behind Juliet, as she walked gracefully, a blue butterfly, completely out of season, appeared and fluttered around her.
Juliet caught a glimpse of it landing on the back of her hand.
The blue butterfly coquettishly folded and unfolded its wings a couple of times on her hand, then began to emit a faint bluish glow.
It seemed that the fear she had just devoured from Count Casper had been quite a satisfying meal.
This was Juliet’s supernatural ability.
The creature in the form of a butterfly was another-dimensional being subordinated to her via her artifact.
At first glance, it looked like a small, pretty spirit, but its true nature was a gluttonous demon that devours anything in sight.
Its main body existed beyond dimensions as an evil and powerful deity, but to look upon it with the naked eye would drive a person insane, so it took the form of a butterfly to deceive human sight.
‘Seems some information has leaked,’
Juliet thought calmly.
Count Casper had been half right.
It was true that the butterflies under her control used “wicked illusions” to turn victims into prey—but only because the butterflies used human fear and anger as their energy source.
These gluttonous butterflies had a peculiar diet: besides flesh, they periodically consumed human negative emotions to gain energy.
Through this process, they simply delivered nightmares to whoever Juliet chose.
They would show victims the most terrifying monsters or nightmares imaginable and consume the victim’s fear.
Juliet watched a slightly larger butterfly than before and quietly opened her palm.
The butterfly creature immediately turned into a glowing bluish orb and was absorbed back into her.
In truth, Juliet’s innate magical power was not particularly extraordinary, so she often had to feed the hungry butterflies.
When the butterflies consumed enough magic and grew, they could accomplish greater feats. Juliet cared for them diligently and, as a result, learned to control them skillfully.
Of course, commanding them to jump off a roof onto a sleeping Count Casper, as she had just done, was still a difficult trick.
‘And they can’t even affect the Swordmaster.’
So, contrary to what people imagined, it would be impossible for her to seduce Lennox Carlisle with illusions.
If that had been possible, she wouldn’t have ended up in her current predicament. Juliet smiled faintly at the thought.
“Miss.”
When Juliet stepped out of the temple, leaving the commotion behind, a tall knight was standing in front of the duke’s carriage.
Pausing on the stairs, Juliet tilted her head.
The knight who had escorted her to the temple in the morning was someone else.
“Where’s Sir Cain? And why is Sir Jude here?”
“The master had urgent business. I came to escort you in his place.”
The young man was Jude, one of the duke’s knights.
Jude Haion was among the younger retainers of the duke and the youngest in the knight corps.
He had a friendly, lively personality and, at times, was so familiar he treated Juliet, the duke’s lover, like a younger sister.
Jude glanced around and lowered his voice, whispering to Juliet:
“Did something happen inside?”
“No.”
“Then why is everyone staring at Miss Monad?”
“I’m not sure.”
Juliet feigned indifference as if talking about someone else, and Jude nodded knowingly.
Like Juliet, Jude Haion was from a noble family in the islands. It wasn’t hard to guess what had happened inside.
The capital’s social scene was just as petty as ever.
“Miss.”
With a meaningful smile, Jude knelt dramatically in front of her, instead of just opening the carriage door, and handed her a box.
“This is from His Grace, the Duke.”
It was clearly a deliberate gesture intended for the onlookers.
Juliet felt the sudden focus of everyone around her. She stared at Jude for a moment.
He had to bring this out here, in front of the temple and the duke’s carriage, with everyone watching.
Jude winked at her.
Being from a noble family, he was accustomed to handling such petty, “noble” situations.
“This is the Sun’s Tear that His Grace ‘especially’ won for you.”
Jude pronounced it loudly enough for everyone to hear as he opened the velvet box.
Inside was a dazzlingly extravagant necklace.
True to its name, the Sun’s Tear featured a large sunset-colored diamond at its center, surrounded by smaller, colorless diamonds arranged densely around it.
The necklace was magnificent and clearly very expensive.
“My goodness.”
“Look at that brilliance.”
Before Juliet could react, the bystanders, who had been sneaking glances, murmured in awe.
Listening to them, Juliet thought indifferently:
Those who witnessed this will surely spread rumors about it. By the evening, at the New Year’s banquet, everyone in the capital will know how arrogantly the duke’s lover behaved and how lavishly the Duke Carlisle had rewarded her.
Juliet, however, looked at the necklace with a blank expression and turned her gaze away.
“Let’s go.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Jude slowly closed the box before opening the carriage door.
He also made sure to glance at the bustling crowd one last time before getting in.
Once the carriage carrying the two had rounded a corner, the coachman asked about their destination.
“Where shall I take you?”
Jude, sitting across from Juliet, asked naturally:
“You’ll return to the mansion, right?”
“No.”
“Excuse me?”
“I’m going to Count Monad’s residence. Could you drop me off on the way?”
While Jude blinked in confusion, the coachman turned the carriage toward the outskirts of the capital.
“I’ll rest at home for a while before heading to the banquet. Please let His Grace know.”
Seven years ago, the count and his wife had passed away, and their only daughter, Juliet, had gone north with the duke, leaving Count Monad’s residence empty.
A few servants remained to care for the estate, and Juliet occasionally visited when returning to the capital.
It was perfectly natural for Juliet to want to go to her own family estate.
Yet Jude looked puzzled.
“You’re not going back together?”
“No. And take this back with you too.”
“Excuse me?”
Feeling a little foolish for asking repeatedly, Jude fell silent for a moment, then asked seriously:
“Why? You don’t like it?”
“No, it’s beautiful.”
“Then why? It’s… quite expensive. His Grace specially procured it as your birthday gift…”
Instead of answering, Juliet smiled softly.
She fiddled briefly with the necklace in the flat velvet box.
Its firm, cool touch reminded her of someone.
The necklace, with its intricately cut large diamond, was undeniably beautiful.
It was certainly expensive and rare, likely chosen by one of the duke’s secretaries without even seeing it, signed for with a check as had been done every year on her birthday.
Juliet understood the meaning of this lavish gift. Sending it separately via a knight clearly meant:
‘Let’s pretend this morning’s conversation never happened.’
A message utterly typical of Lennox Carlisle.
‘Really… he never changes.’
Her slightly lowered eyes reflected nothing.
In the seven years she had spent by his side, she had learned that no matter what she did, Lennox Carlisle would never change.
The day he humbled his pride to beg for her affection would never come.
Foolish Juliet Monad had painfully realized this after experiencing it twice.
Click.
Juliet closed the lock on the box.
Then it was her turn to return the answer in kind.
With a light smile, she handed the box containing the necklace back to Jude.
“This isn’t the birthday gift I’m meant to receive.”
