Ronda’s brother was Ansel Hauser, the aide to the Second Prince Cloff.
Everything had gone according to the plan informed by her brother so far.
“It’s boring, isn’t it, Ronda?”
“No, it’s fine.”
“Well, you can’t even dance and just watching, it must be boring.”
Marina, the maid who followed Juliet with Ronda, muttered.
“It’s fun to watch, so it’s okay. Thanks to the head maid, I got to see this.”
Ronda believed that she was able to enter the palace with Juliet today because the head maid had arranged it in advance.
“Eh? No?”
However, Marina told her the truth.
“What?”
“You coming here today, it wasn’t directed by the head maid, but Miss Juliet wanted you.”
“That woman… I mean, Miss did?”
“Didn’t you know?”
Ronda blinked blankly.
What happened?
According to the plan, by now, Juliet Monad should have been suspecting the relationship between Ronda and the Duke.
Could it be that she didn’t notice?
Even going to the extent of using the expensive perfume known to be used by Duke Carlyle to give a hint?
‘She didn’t seem to be that oblivious…’
If Juliet Monad is oblivious and didn’t notice anything, it would be a disgrace.
-For the spell to work effectively, that woman must not trust the Duke and be anxious.
Therefore, Ansel, her brother, had instructed that it was important to sow discord between Duke Carlyle and Juliet Monad.
It was then.
Juliet seemed to have overheard the conversation between the two maids and looked back at them.
And when her eyes met with Ronda, she smiled sweetly beyond her mask.
Chills.
Ronda awkwardly smiled back, yet a certain uneasiness engulfed her.
To regain her composure, Ronda placed her hand into the pocket of her dress.
The crimson vial hidden inside the pocket provided her some relief.
Well, if Juliet Monad was so oblivious that she didn’t notice even after giving such hints…
‘It doesn’t matter anyway…’
The plan for today was perfect.
As soon as Juliet enters the labyrinth garden, she will be kidnapped by Ansel Hauser, Ronda’s brother, and she…
While trying to maintain her facial expression, Ronda held onto the small vial dearly.
* * *
Although Juliet Monad didn’t dance with anyone, she attracted attention just by walking around the hall.
Up until now, people thought it was a fun happening.
However, what happened next was shocking.
“Isn’t that Duke Carlyle?”
While Juliet was seemingly drawing attention, everyone’s gaze turned towards the entrance of the banquet hall.
The one who had just arrived at the banquet hall from the carriage was Duke Carlyle.
It was a rather peculiar scene.
At the Purification Festival banquet, the two individuals known as lovers arrived at the banquet hall separately with a time difference, which was quite significant.
“Did you just see that?”
“Countess Monad turned back the way he came as it seemed like she would run into Duke Carlyle?”
“Or did Duke Carlyle not even glance at Juliet Monad and went straight to His Majesty the Emperor?”
The unexpected spectacle got people quite excited, and they openly discussed these rude conjectures.
Elliot, the secretary following Duke Carlyle, was pissed off by the frivolous remarks.
‘Such vulgar humans.’
But Elliot too sensed that the atmosphere was unusual.
Both Juliet and Lennox weren’t acting as usual.
“I have a headache, I’ll go to the washroom for a bit.”
Neither of them even glanced towards where the other was, and Juliet, upon seeing Lennox entering the banquet hall, made an excuse and left her spot.
It was as if Lennox Carlyle’s entrance into the banquet hall was some sort of signal.
Lennox didn’t pay any attention to Juliet and kept emptying the glasses of alcohol offered by the surrounding people.
Elliot wasn’t the only one who picked up on the cold atmosphere.
“Did you see that?”
“I did.”
The two who have been the subject of ‘when will they break up?’ for the past 7 years.
“They came in separate carriages.”
“And you saw just now, right? Duke Carlyle didn’t even glance towards Juliet Monad.”
“I saw, I saw.”
“Moreover, it’s the first time I am seeing Duke Carlyle emptying glasses like that.”
It was a first for Elliot too.
“Your Highness!”
Worried, Elliot, who was watching Duke Carlyle from a distance, was startled and almost rushed towards him.
Of course, before Elliot could rush over, another servant right beside him supported the Duke.
“Are you alright?”
Lennox lost his balance and wobbled.
Even the Emperor, who was initially offering alcohol playfully, seemed quite startled.
“Heh, Carlyle, have you already had too much?”
“It’s fine.”
Lennox responded curtly, furrowing his brow.
“Oh dear, this person!”
But Lennox didn’t look fine.
‘Something’s off.’
As a dutiful servant of the Duke, Elliot, who was observing this, couldn’t shake off an indescribable discomfort.
Then, Juliet Monad, who had gone to the toilet room, returned without a word.
“Oh my, look at that.”
“Is Countess Monad also participating in the game of tag?”
‘Huh?’ Elliot, who was busy watching the Duke, turned his head abruptly.
Below the outdoor banquet hall, a large maze garden unfolded, and one by one, men and women in masks were entering the maze garden.
It was a rule of the game of tag that was held during every banquet of Yuno Purification.
With certain intervals, men and women in masks would enter the maze garden, and based on the hints written on the tokens given along with the masks, they were to find their own ‘tagger’.
Although there were several taggers, one person could only be a tagger for one other person.
If they found and caught their tagger, they could unmask them and get the opportunity to learn the real name of the tagger.
Of course, such rules were just an excuse, and in reality, it was a matchmaking game.
And today, the woman in a black dress who had captured the attention of the crowd was seen heading alone toward the maze garden.
“Finally, has Juliet Monad broken up with Duke Carlyle?”
The ‘game of tag’ was a perfect playful method for young men and women to find a match, hence only single men and women participated.
‘What are you doing!’
Elliot almost shouted and ran after Juliet.
“Wait, I’ll come back after composing myself.”
“Yeah, go quickly.”
For some reason, Lennox, who looked pale, staggered and left the banquet hall.
Today, Lennox, who looked out of condition, headed towards the rest room in the dim star palace.
‘What should I do?’
Elliot alternately looked at the maze garden and the direction where Lennox disappeared just now.
He was torn between chasing after Juliet or going after Duke Carlyle first.
To make matters worse, sir Hadin, who always stuck to the Duke like a shadow, was nowhere to be seen, and the two maids who followed Juliet also disappeared without a trace.
Just then, a familiar figure of a woman caught Elliot’s eye.
‘Huh?’
A white mask and brown hair. And the color of the dress was familiar.
That was the outdoor uniform worn by the Duchy’s maids!
Elliot’s face brightened in an instant.
Surely one of the maids who followed Juliet from the mansion was definitely there.
‘This is a good timing!’
Elliot intended to catch the maid and ask her to follow Juliet.
Then he himself would go after Duke Carlyle.
“Hey, hey!”
But before Elliot could stop the maid, she quickly entered the star palace building.
‘Huh?’
That direction led to the men’s rest room?
It was the exact direction Lennox had staggered towards a moment ago.
“Oh no. She’s going to collapse.”
Then, a vulgar joke from behind made Elliot flinch.
He saw the back of Juliet heading towards the maze garden in a mask.
Indeed.
Just as the vulgar onlookers said, the woman in the black dress was staggering towards the maze.
Her dress hem was dragging on the floor, and her steps wobbled unsteadily.
It seemed that Juliet also had heavily enjoyed some alcoholic festivities while Elliot wasn’t watching.
“…What day is it?”
While Elliot was stamping his feet, Juliet, supported by the court servants, entered the maze.
“Oh dear, I don’t know!”
Anyway, since there were court servants and other onlookers attached to Juliet heading towards the maze, he thought nothing wrong would happen.
“Your Highness!”
Having made up his mind, Elliot rushed into the dark corridors of the star palace.
‘Not here.’
But inside the dark star palace, there were not just one or two rooms, and the maid who entered the star palace ahead of Elliot disappeared like a ghost with swift steps.
“What maid has such fast … Ah!”
He remembered!
The complaining Elliot suddenly realized.
‘The maid bringing the tea!’
Today, two maids came to the banquet with Juliet, but Elliot could bet that the maid who followed the Duke just now was that Ronda maid.
‘Did that maid do something bad after all!?’
Elliot bit his tongue.
A maid disguised too similarly to someone else and Duke Carlyle, unusually swaying after a few light drinks.
“Surely, something was done to that tea!”
Elliot marveled at his deduction while resenting himself for not realizing it sooner.
It’s one thing with Juliet, but once Duke Carlyle sober up from the drugged state, who knew what retribution he would exact on the maid who drugged him.
Thinking about cleaning up after that made Elliot feel dizzy.
“Your Highness! Where are you!”
It’s easier to make amends the sooner he finds them. The startled Elliot started running.
“…What’s going on?”
Elliot muttered while searching through the star palace, filled with a myriad of complicated emotions.
He needed to quickly find Duke Carlyle and sort out the unexpected situation.