“Ha! Do you want me to tell you?”
Graham sneered.
Being the youngest among the siblings, Roy didn’t know the story secretly passed down in the forest.
“Anyway, one thing’s for sure. She will never become your companion.”
“…!”
Crash.
There was a sound of something breaking, and Graham fainted.
“Oh.”
Only then did Roy realize his mistake. Without even realizing, he had knocked out Graham.
“Damn.”
Roy spoke, not sounding particularly regretful.
However, he was interested in what Graham had just mentioned.
After a moment of thought, Roy spoke again.
“Elsa.”
“Huh…Wha?”
Elsa, who had been secretly watching from behind a distant tree, accidentally responded.
Nathan, hiding beside her, gave her a look of disbelief.
‘Oops.’
Regret was evident on Elsa’s face, but it was too late.
“Come out.”
She reluctantly stepped out.
“Do you know something?”
“Yes, no! I mean…”
Elsa rambled and closed her eyes tightly in frustration.
“Juliet said, Graham called Juliet’s necklace ‘Snowdrop’!”
“What’s with that weird name?”
Despite hearing this, Roy’s reaction was lackluster.
“It’s the name of a flower, isn’t it?”
Neither the unconscious Graham on the forest floor nor the clueless-looking Elsa replied.
“It’s an old tale.”
Reluctantly following behind, Nathan spoke up.
“You might have heard, Lord. Outside the forest, there are beings that deceive people, beautiful but malicious.”
“I know. It’s an old story from Grandma Sif.”
Elsa’s grandmother was the oldest and wisest in Katia’s forest.
She used to tell children old stories.
“It’s not just an old story.”
“Then?”
“In ancient times, foolish human kings made objects that could serve as gateways to summon beings from beyond dimensions, and named them to command them.”
Nathan, being overly serious about such tales, was somewhat amusing.
“A gateway?”
“Yes. Those qualified can use it to summon.”
Roy asked flatly.
“Summon what?”
“Evil deities from beyond the dimensions.”
Roy was becoming unsure whether to laugh or not.
“But what does this have to do with Juliet? Don’t tell me her key…”
However, Elsa looked anxiously at Graham lying on the ground, and Nathan’s expression was extremely serious.
“We don’t know if the key Juliet has is one of those objects. We don’t know how many there are. Some are said to be destroyed, some lost forever.”
“But Graham said it! That Juliet’s is the Snowdrop.”
Elsa interjected.
Roy glared at the unconscious Graham and then turned to Elsa.
“So what’s this Snowdrop?”
“You know, Roy. The story our grandmother told us…”
“Though few are known by name, Snowdrop is one of the few objects whose name and identity are known.”
Roy wasn’t laughing anymore.
“So this evil being… Are you talking about Juliet’s butterfly?”
“Possibly.”
It was a well-known fact to Roy that Juliet, being too powerful to be just a spirit summoner, summoned and controlled powerful creatures.
The butterfly creature saved him on the train and also summoned a goddess-like figure in Lucerne.
Everyone there thought that their fake Pope had summoned the deity, but Roy instinctively knew.
The fake Pope couldn’t have done that.
The goddess form was summoned by Juliet.
Perhaps it was because the Soulstone Juliet possessed clashed with the power of the butterfly creatures she controlled.
Roy never told Juliet this story, but he guessed she might have been involved.
He had always found the creatures unsettling, so he felt partly relieved when Juliet was disappointed that the butterflies disappeared.
“Is their name and identity known?
Then what is the identity of these butterflies?”
“They are monsters that traverse time and space, feeding on human emotions.”
Roy burst out laughing at the absurdity.
But Nathan advised with a stern face.
“Lord Roy, I suggest you keep your distance from Miss Juliet from now on.”
* * *
“I’ve never seen anything like this before.”
Juliet couldn’t help but admire the scene before her. Red and white plum blossoms were in full bloom around the serene lake.
“This is a sight you can only see in this season.”
The southern manager who guided them commented with a smile.
“It would have been even more picturesque if it had snowed.”
But to Juliet, it was already romantic enough.
A winter lake in full bloom with flowers. Up North, it was still midwinter and the lakes would be completely frozen.
It felt like an early spring had come only here.
While Juliet was busy admiring the plum blossoms, Lennox was concerned about something else.
“Is it safe?”
“Of course, Your Highness.”
Lennox eyed the small boat suspiciously, but contrary to Juliet’s expectations, he didn’t refuse to board.
Juliet, who turned around with a basket of snacks, was a bit taken aback.
“Why?”
“You want to row it yourself?”
“…”
Contrary to a slightly teasing expectation, the boat carrying the two of them moved smoothly.
He paddled quite adeptly, without much trouble.
In fact, after a while, paddling wasn’t much necessary. The boat equipped with a magic stone began to move on its own.
Juliet, thinking she wouldn’t need the parasol to block the sunlight, folded it and sneaked a glance at Lennox.
Lately, Lennox had been acting strangely.
He never refused whatever she suggested, which was becoming unsettling.
And now they were here, enjoying the flower viewing.
The idea of Duke Carlyle participating in a flower viewing had shocked the secretaries of the Ducal house.
What would he do next?
“Aren’t you busy?”
“Not really.”
A lie.
Juliet’s eyes narrowed.
Seeing the administrators of the Ducal house hurrying down, it was clear that there was an urgent matter.
It wasn’t just the frequent appearance of magical creatures in their territory during winter. Even if she asked, they probably wouldn’t tell her as she wasn’t part of the Ducal house.
Juliet chuckled at that thought.
“Why?”
“Ah…”
Juliet blinked for a moment. She said:
“The Grand Duchess said it’s okay for you to come alone.”
It was Madam Ilena who had called Juliet out of the blue in the morning to enjoy the flower viewing.
“So?”
“That means you don’t have to come with me next time.”
“For whose benefit?”
“What?”
Instead of answering, Lennox smiled faintly.
He glanced across the river they were heading towards.
There was a lavish tea party in full swing. After a quick look at the attendees, Lennox realized that the Madam’s plan to find a good husband for Juliet was still ongoing.
No wonder she called Juliet early in the morning. The old lady was persistent.