“7 years ago, when we first met, I promised. I said I’d help you find the treasure.”
Juliet knew from her past life memories that he was searching for the stolen heirloom.
She had known it all along.
So she proposed that she would help him find the treasure in exchange for allowing her to stay by his side.
After all, in 7 years, the treasure stolen by the Fran couple would appear in the world with Dahlia. She intended to stay with him until then.
“I think I can keep that promise now.”
Juliet said somewhat awkwardly.
In fact, Juliet had already kept half of that promise. She found out the whereabouts of the missing treasure, and thanks to her, the Carlyle family recovered the stolen heirloom.
Although she encountered Dahlia differently than in her previous life.
Still, she should’ve told him long ago.
Knowing that he had been looking for Dahlia for 7 years, she feigned ignorance for fear he’d leave her if he met Dahlia.
Lennox raised an eyebrow slightly.
“What promise?”
“As I told you. The promise to help you meet Dahlia again.”
But Lennox’s expression was a bit strange, as if he was confused about the situation.
“Meet Dahlia?”
“Yes.”
“How?”
Juliet tilted her head.
His question sounded strange. Was he doubting how she recognized Dahlia or how she could find her?
She could’ve explained from the start.
“Your Highness, I’ve met Dahlia before.”
Lennox’s eyes narrowed.
He seemed to understand that ‘before’ meant in a previous life.
“It was a relationship I could never forget.”
Juliet said with a light smile, as if telling someone else’s story.
She recounted everything she remembered about how Dahlia appeared in her previous life, and who Dahlia was.
From when Dahlia came to the northern mansion, to the rumors about her during her stay in the eastern tower.
All the while, Lennox just listened with a stern face.
“Dahlia appeared in the North around that time.”
It was on a spring day when the existence of the poorly hidden child was exposed, and Juliet’s daydreams shattered.
“Come to think of it, you never asked how I knew about Dahlia or knew about the stolen heirloom.”
Juliet smiled faintly.
It would’ve been tricky had he pressed her. She couldn’t say she knew because she lived the same life twice.
“You might not remember, but we had a big fight then.”
To say they fought was an understatement.
He was angry, and Juliet clung to him crying.
Lennox refused and left, and Juliet was distraught, waiting for him to return.
She thought they’d talk again when he returned, believing everything would be okay.
But a few days later, Lennox returned not alone. Juliet overheard the maids talking near his room.
[The Duke has finally found her.]
At first, she didn’t know what he had found.
Juliet knew very little about the man who had saved her. But when Juliet saw Dahlia herself, she understood everything.
[The eastern tower?]
[Yes.]
The eastern tower was a space Juliet was never allowed into during her stay in the north.
An area only permitted to the head of the Carlyle family and their spouse.
[Wait, that’s…]
[It’s okay. She told me herself.]
[What?]
The moment Juliet faced her, the woman smiled as if she saw through everything.
[Oh, we finally meet.]
Dahlia’s sunny and cheerful charm made Juliet feel inferior.
[Lennox told me. You’re a saved woman who was abused, right?]
Juliet didn’t ask her anything, fearing the answer.
But Dahlia answered all the questions Juliet didn’t dare to voice.
As if reading her mind.
[He asked me to be kind to you, because the poor woman has no family. Don’t worry.]
Dahlia kindly revealed the truth, as if she was a gracious hostess.
Juliet got all the answers to her questions.
[The late Duchess was always a warm person.]
Confirming that all the rumors whispered among the mansion’s servants were true.
Could there be a clearer answer?
Dahlia Fran knew not only the structure of the mansion but also about his deceased family and lineage.
The maids’ words that Juliet had tried to ignore turned out to be true.
Juliet Monad, pale like faint moonlight, was only an object of pity and curiosity.
Stupid Juliet Monad.
Inflating herself with empty dreams.
Juliet gave a thin smile.
“The rest is as you’ve heard before.”
Juliet, who finally woke up from her futile dream, was completely exhausted.
Juliet, who had no family and nowhere to turn, feared that even her remaining child would be taken away, so she decided to run away.
And there was a kind woman who helped Juliet at that moment.
All the while as Juliet rambled, Lennox sat with a cold and expressionless face, kneeling beside her.
His eyes flashed sharply from time to time, but he did not interrupt Juliet’s words. At least not until she started the next part of her story.
“And then…”
Juliet couldn’t open her mouth right away. Talking about the past was easy for her.
However, this was the moment she had been fearing for a long time. Juliet was scared, not knowing how he would react to this story.
“And not too long ago, I met Dahlia again.”
“…What?”
The man, who seldom showed emotion, suddenly widened his eyes.
His hand grabbed Juliet’s shoulder urgently.
“Hold on. When? Where?”
His complexion changed immediately.
Juliet briefly observed Lennox’s red eyes shaking.
It was a reaction she had anticipated at some point.
If the past 7 years for him were filled with pondering when to reveal this secret, for Juliet, it was a time of endless worry about what would happen if Dahlia appeared.
In that nightmare, Juliet played the role of sitting at his feet and begging him not to throw her away. But now, it was Lennox who was kneeling.
Seeing the man trying to hide his desperation, Juliet blinked slowly.
Contrary to her expectations, no tears came. Even the tears that had pooled had dried up.
“While you were in the South, it was at the imperial palace.”
Juliet spoke calmly, but her lips trembled.
“…The imperial palace?”
Juliet carefully observed Lennox’s face turning fierce.
‘Maybe I don’t need to say that Dahlia is suspicious.’
In her previous life, she was so treasured that Juliet couldn’t even take a step out of the tower.
Perhaps he already knew about Dahlia’s abilities.
“So… Dahlia is now.”
“…is in the imperial palace. If you look for the Empress’s healer, you’ll meet her.”
After finishing her story, Juliet waited for his reaction.
However, Lennox did not immediately stand up and run to the palace. Instead, he looked at her silently for a moment and then spoke.
“So… Juliet.”
Lennox gently grasped her fingertips.
“Does ‘I will help you find it’ mean the stolen treasure and the woman named Dahlia?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
Juliet confirmed it plainly.
Yet, Lennox asked again.
“…And while I went to the south to find the treasure, you ‘met Dahlia’?”
Juliet, a bit annoyed, confirmed it with a sullen tone.
“Yes, I did.”
Just met. They not only talked but also argued in front of the Empress.
“Heh.”
Observing Juliet, Lennox laughed, which was rare for him.
‘Smile?’
“The eastern tower. I see.”
A pleasing curve appeared on his lips.
“I see. Now I understand.”
As his well-shaped fingers wrapped around Juliet’s, she clearly saw a mix of emotions flash across Lennox’s face.
It was a smile that was hard for Juliet to interpret.
It looked both cold, as if holding back anger, and exhilarating, like a predator who found a weakness in its prey.
“What… is it?”
Lennox, who had been fiddling with Juliet’s fingertips with an unreadable expression, raised his head to meet her gaze.
“Juliet.”
She was slightly taken aback.
The red eyes facing her seemed warmer than she expected. The hand that touched Juliet’s eyelids also felt warm.
“Because that’s impossible.”
Despite his gentle tone, Lennox spoke decisively.
“The one you met isn’t Dahlia.”
“…What?”
Lennox continued towards the baffled Juliet.
“Juliet, if what you’re saying is true, you’ve never seen Dahlia.”
Never seen Dahlia?
“Not before, not now.”
Juliet just blinked blankly for a moment.
At that, Lennox gave a sly smile.
“I have something to show you.”
Before Juliet could ask anything, Lennox took out something sparkling from his pocket and handed it to her.
Juliet’s eyes widened. It was a jewel tiara shining with a mesmerizing glow.
“This is…?”
“It’s the treasure I found in the South. It was in the Marquis’s library, just like you said.”
Wow.
Amidst the confusion, Juliet was slightly amazed.
It was understandable why the Duke’s family had tried to retrieve it for a long time. It was worth it.
It was easily recognizable.
The tiara, adorned with jewels, was the treasure that the couple, Fran, stole and ran away with 20 years ago. The sparkling gold crown was extremely intricate and delicate.
“…It’s worthy of being the Duke’s treasure.”
“Yes. And treasures usually have grandiose nicknames.”
Lennox’s smirk was quite meaningful, which made Juliet a bit uneasy.
“Nickname?”
“Yes. Let me introduce you.”
Lennox said sarcastically.
“Because the name of this treasure is Dahlia.”