“Juliet?”
However, the room was empty.
Lennox’s gaze, fixed on the empty room, rested on the chest of drawers. On it lay a necklace, gleaming faintly in the darkness.
Then he saw a blue butterfly was fluttering around the room, scattering.
The moment Lennox discovered Juliet’s butterfly, he understood the situation instantly.
At the same time, his blood ran cold.
“Your Highness!”
The people who had belatedly followed him gathered in front of the wide-open door.
Without a word, Lennox picked up the paper knife that was on the table.
Crunch.
The knife that slipped from his hand pierced through the wings of the butterfly that had been fluttering around the vanity mirror.
The blue butterfly, as if it were a living creature, shook its wings frantically, then scattered a burst of iridescent powder and disappeared without a trace.
“No, what is this…?”
The servants who had hurriedly followed and confirmed the empty room still had bewildered expressions.
“But, my lord, we clearly saw the young lady return to the mansion and get off the carriage.”
“Yes, and we saw her come up to this room on the second floor…”
Oh no.
As the butterfly vanished and the spell was broken, the servants, who were now aware of the situation belatedly, fell into contemplation.
They had definitely seen Juliet return home, but from the beginning, it had been under the influence of the magic. Juliet’s ability was something he knew best.
An illusion created by summoning demons from another realm.
It was a rare ability to make the chosen target see illusions, but Juliet’s skills were still limited when it came to freely manipulating demons.
As far as he knew, Juliet could only cast the spell on one or two targets at a time.
Juliet’s ability was powerful enough to possess people, but using it openly in public places consumed a lot of magical energy and had many restrictions.
So, deceiving one servant wouldn’t have been difficult, but it meant she couldn’t deceive all the many servants in this duke’s mansion at the same time.
However, Juliet succeeded and escaped smoothly.
The implication was clear. Juliet had hidden the fact that her abilities had grown.
She deceived him and laughed falsely. Since when had she planned to escape?
“It seems she didn’t go to the mansion of Count Monad.”
The butler reported quietly, perhaps having made contact in the meantime.
Lennox looked down at the necklace, neatly placed in a box on the vanity, with emotionless eyes.
It was the necklace he had sent to Juliet this morning.
The abandoned necklace left behind was significant.
In addition to him, in the elegantly furnished room, there were also other jewelry and luxurious dresses that he had given her during the time that they were together.
All these things looked intact, and to a person who didn’t know that she had run away, at first glance it might seem that she was only absent for a while.
Suddenly, a question popped into his mind.
Even if she managed to fool the servants of the mansion, how could she trick Cain, who was the swordmaster?
How did she deceive even Cain’s eyes?
“Cain.”
“Yes…”
“Did you eat or drink anything with Juliet?”
“What?”
Startled by the sudden question, Cain didn’t understand the Duke’s inquiry and had no idea how to respond.
“I had a drink with her during the day…”
“You took a potion.”
He laughed loudly.
Lennox couldn’t help but laugh when he saw the amused look on his proud subordinate’s face.
Among the guards assigned to Juliet, he was the only swordmaster.
And Juliet’s abilities didn’t work on swordmasters or high priests.
For this reason, she gave medicine to someone on whom she couldn’t use her butterfly. A correctly calculated dose of this drug helped her pass this barrier.
Besides, the escort assigned to her was only to ensure her safety, not to prevent her from escaping.
Moreover, the stoic Cain wasn’t the type to accept and drink a beverage handed to him.
“This is unacceptable. Such a mistake…”
Cain, who understood the entire situation, shook his head.
However, Lennox’s anger was directed solely at one person.
“You planned this very carefully.”
A sly smirk slipped through the cracks of his dark expression.
He wasn’t curious about why Juliet was engaging in such actions anymore.
He couldn’t even begin to guess when or where she had planned it.
From buying silphium silently to skillfully manipulating the butterfly, she had hidden everything, fueling his anger.
No one dared to lift their heads in the face of Duke Carlyle’s icy wrath.
Elliot, who was anxiously observing his master’s complexion, cautiously spoke up.
“Shall I contact the Capital Guard?”
“No.”
It would be futile.
Just as Juliet knew him well, Lennox Carlyle also knew Juliet Monad.
If she set her mind to it, she could easily disappear without a trace.
What’s more, today is New Year’s Day, so the search will not be easy due to the crowds of people outside who have gathered to watch the fireworks.
Juliet seems to have been planning this escape play for a very long time. She must have timed it very carefully.
Departure from the North to the capital to attend the New Year’s banquet, this is an ideal time, because during this period a large number of people gather in the city to watch the celebration.
However, she was still in the capital. He was certain of it.
In such a chaotic time, it was good to hide one person, but there were limited means to secretly escape outside.
Though it’s only a matter of time before Juliet tries to sneak out of the capital.
There was a way to block all the routes to the capital and prevent her escape, but if they acted rashly and made a mistake, Juliet would hide even deeper.
There was a way to block all the routes to the capital and prevent her escape, but if they acted rashly and made a mistake, Juliet would hide even deeper.
Juliet had made up her mind to disappear.
They might lose her forever. She had the ability to completely erase her tracks and hide if she wanted to.
“What should we do, Your Highness?” Elliot cautiously asked.
Lennox Carlyle lifted his head.
“Perhaps she has not yet left the capital.”
Lennox clenched the necklace she had left behind in his hand.
A gentle click sound echoed as the diamonds collided within his grasp.
Then the corners of his lips turned up and a predatory smile appeared on his face.
“We’ll deal with the consequences later. For now, find her.”
He intended to let Juliet know.
That he was just as relentless as she was.
“Search without hesitation, using any means necessary. Find her, every single strand of her hair intact.”
He would never let her go, even if that was what she wanted.
* * *
Thud!
The appearance of uninvited guests who dared to break into the sacred temple in the middle of the night was quite noisy. The armed men in black armor didn’t even seem to have any intention of hiding the identities behind this blasphemous invasion.
Upon hearing the commotion, the High Priest of the capital rushed out.
“What does it mean, Duke?” The High Priest, who confronted the intruders head-on, shouted angrily.
He had rushed so hastily that the crown on his head was crooked.
“How dare you, within the sacred place, bear weapons…!”
“The preamble is unnecessary.”
When the High Priest arrived, the leader of these intruders sat indifferently on the altar, appearing disrespectful.
He was none other than Duke Carlyle, who didn’t need to prove his identity.
In this urgent situation, it was unfitting that Duke Carlyle, sitting on the marble altar, possessed a skill that made the plain altar without any adornments appear like a throne.
“I will contact the Emperor immediately…”
“You know it’s useless.”
Hush.
The High Priest fell silent.
Of course, the High Priest was well aware. The imperial court, already nervous about Duke Carlyle’s vigilance, was reluctant to respond to any request from the temple.
If they sought assistance from the temple, there was a high possibility that the Emperor would silently ignore the request.
The Carlyle family, including the Duke, had a strained relationship with the temple, unlike other noble families.
In fact, the temple held great interest in the Duke of the northern region, who owned the largest territory in the Empire.
Vast land. And immense wealth.
However, the northerners, including the Carlyle family, were irreverent unbelievers, despised for their lack of respect for religion.
They had no interest in the faith and could not comprehend building opulent temples or collecting substantial donations.
Moreover, the relationship between the Carlyle family and the temple had completely deteriorated since Lennox Carlyle ascended to the duke’s position.
Lennox Carlyle, who had ruthlessly slaughtered his uncles at a young age and seized the family seat, closed all the temples in the north shortly after his ascension.
Naturally, the temple fiercely resisted and condemned Duke Carlyle.
Being condemned by the temple meant being officially barred from receiving the blessings of the priests for a proper marriage.
Furthermore, there was a threat that they would not grant the blessings of the temple to any future heir of the dukedom.
Of course, Duke Carlyle pretended not to hear. After all, he hadn’t engaged in a married life, let alone a virtuous one.
As the Duke of the Empire, feared even by the Emperor himself, there was nothing the temple could do against him.
Facing such an impudent opponent, the High Priest gave up his protest and cautiously asked about the matter.
“Very well. What is it that you desire, Duke?”