The rain became steadily heavier.
Clap!
Startled by the lightning, the servants hastily released the hounds, and the knights mounted their horses even before releasing the falcons.
[She couldn’t have gone far.]
Just as the maid said about going for a walk, there was no sign of packing in Juliet’s room.
It really seemed like a short departure, as the gatekeeper said he saw her, wearing only a cloak, walking towards the fields.
And after that, there was no information on her whereabouts.
[Is there a place she could have gone to?]
There was not a single clue.
From the beginning, he never wondered what Juliet was doing with whom when he left the castle.
That’s not to say she spent all day waiting for him to return either.
What she liked, where she spent time, he knew too little, it was frustrating.
Lennox drove his horse aimlessly towards the lake.
Somehow, he had a hunch that the shy girl wouldn’t go towards the village or any large buildings.
Purrr.
By the time the horse caught its breath, he finally came to his senses and slowed down.
He had run wildly to a path near the lake through a pine forest.
If she ran away forever, what should he do?
[…]
Until just moments ago, he hadn’t even considered the possibility that he might never see her again.
[…Your Highness?]
A peaceful voice came as if it were a lie.
Under the big pine tree, sheltering from the rain, a small figure peered out and spotted him.
A slender silhouette, light chestnut hair, and wide round blue eyes, seemingly startled.
[You-]
He realized he was so angry that he couldn’t even speak properly.
Dropping the reins and rushing over to her, he clenched his teeth barely holding back.
Fortunately, she seemed unharmed, but she looked like a drowned mouse.
[What the hell are you doing here?]
In this weather.
The startled woman calmly replied.
[I went to the greenhouse.]
[…]
At a glance, he saw she held something resembling weeds in her hand.
[I saw it across the lake… I thought I’d be back soon.]
He felt a pang of guilt.
She had wanted to visit the greenhouse all winter.
Ever since hearing about the glass greenhouse where rare flowers bloomed regardless of the season, she had subtly hinted she wanted to see it.
He never took her there.
Lennox was infuriated by his obliviousness that only now realized it.
[But on the way to the forest, I got lost…]
Juliet sneaked a glance at him, gauging his reaction.
He knew if he opened his mouth harsh words would spill out, so he glared at her silently.
In the rain, she must have wandered the forest for quite some time, her white dress was stained with grass and mud, and her shoes and hem were ruined.
Her long hair was tangled, her pale complexion made it a wonder she hadn’t fainted.
Her lips, pale to a point of turning blue, twitched as if she had something to say.
[Here.]
Juliet suddenly held out to him a few withered violet flowers.
They looked pitiful and pathetic, especially since they were soaked from the rain.
Yet, Juliet held them out gently as if they were precious.
It was a behavior he couldn’t comprehend.
[I wanted to show you the flowers.]
…She came through the rain for these worthless weeds?
The last strand of his patience snapped. As the feeling of relief evaporated, all that remained was anger.
[You.]
Lennox wiped her wet cheeks sternly.
[If you want to die, just say so? Don’t cause such a nuisance.]
[…]
In the rain, while he scorned her, Juliet looked up at him with a calm, expressionless face.
She tightly held a clump of violet flowers in her hands as if it were her lifeline.
[This flower.]
Ah, damn it.
His eyes turned fierce.
He might have wrung her neck if she mentioned flowers one more time.
But Juliet had a subtly stubborn side. She spoke quietly.
[This flower, its name is Dahlia.]
So what about it?
A common autumn flower, easily seen anywhere, it was a flower from the northern fields.
[So, what.]
While speaking, suddenly he felt choked.
[Who is Dahlia?]
He seemed to understand why Juliet had stayed in the greenhouse for so long.
And why she brought such a shabby flower.
[…]
[It seemed like what you were looking for…]
As his silence stretched, Juliet, for some reason, dropped her head weakly in disappointment.
He felt odd watching the woman who looked modest and humble, lowering her eyes.
Juliet irritated him in a peculiar way over trivial things.
He felt furious and helpless when he caught her, but anxious when she was out of sight.
The woman he thought would merely ripple through his life was shaking him to the core.
He didn’t know what to say.
The harsh rain hit his skin painfully, seeing the woman shiver in the cold in front of him brought him back to reality.
[Follow me.]
He could have rushed back to the castle through the pouring rain, but he didn’t.
He knew the structure of the forest well. He found the hunter’s cabin not far away.
Creak.
The cabin used during hunting season was dark and empty, unlike the comfortable castle.
There was a large fireplace, a bearskin rug on the floor, a makeshift bed, and a few blankets. That was all the furniture there was.
The inside of the cabin was dark and eerie, but it was ready to light a fire anytime in preparation for the hunting season.
He pulled the ignition device and the dry wood caught fire easily.
Whoosh.
Turning around after lighting the fire, he found the woman standing still near the door, just as he had brought her.
Water droplets fell from the hem of Juliet’s wet cloak, soaking the floor.
[Come here.]
Juliet obediently came closer to the fire.
Wearing such a thin cloak in this weather.
She could have frozen to death, and the wet cloak was no longer functional.
He hastily left the castle, even his own attire was a mess, but he had no time to realize that.
He hastily took off his hunting robe and wrapped it around her shoulders.
All the while, Juliet kept her eyes down with a pale, dreary face.
[Throw that away.]
He snatched the wilted flower from her and forcibly sat her down in front of the fire.
As the chill inside the cabin vanished, their bodies warmed up gradually.
Sitting on the bearskin rug, Juliet, now wearing the black outerwear, looked like she was buried in a blanket.
As she fiddled with the outerwear he had given, she suddenly asked.
[Are you angry?]
Angry?
Lennox frowned.
He had been angry a moment ago, but now it was more complicated.
Instead of explaining everything, he turned around, took off his wet shirt, and changed into a spare one.
There were a few clean shirts in the cabin, but only hunting attire, nothing suitable for Juliet to wear.
For a moment, under the light of the fireplace, his well-toned muscles gleamed like sculptures.
Juliet, who had been watching him blankly, suddenly spoke.
[Don’t drive me away.]
He doubted his ears for a moment, then chuckled at my pick.
[Who says that.]
[Your Highness.]
Juliet, who had been covering her neck with a shawl, turned towards him as she let it down. Drops of water still fell from her slightly damp hair.
[I may be dull and useless. But I’m not blind.]
[…]
He got what she meant.
Juliet might not have known that Elliot was requisitioning a mansion in the capital, but it seemed she had heard something from the talkative servants.
[I like it here. Everyone is kind, and also…]
Hesitating for a moment, Juliet’s blue eyes turned towards him.
[I like you.]
He forgot what he was about to say for a moment.
It was the most worthless and pitiful confession he had ever heard.
Like two wilted flowers brought by a woman soaked in rain.
[I like Your Highness.]
But it took only two words to settle his heart.
[…]
Not knowing how to interpret his silence, Juliet suddenly shed tears with a thud, hastily wiping her cheeks without a sound, quickly lowering her eyes.
[But if you say you don’t like it, I won’t like it.]
[…If I say I don’t like it, you won’t like it?]
[Yes.]
He almost chuckled.
Is it that easy? Is it something you can fold if you decide to?
No.
For some reason, he wanted to burst out laughing.
He couldn’t stand the self that was swayed for a moment.
She mistook a simple mutual interest for affection.
No place to go, no friends or family to rely on, and people are kind. Just confusing that with affection.
It was no different from when he needed an excuse to spend a long, boring winter.
He tried to ignore the twinge in his stomach. What does it matter anyway? Even if it’s a misunderstanding, Juliet said she likes him.
Juliet had no idea what she had just done.
[I won’t ever like you out of line again. Just, just…]
With an awkward word, she lifted the man in front of her eyes, and plunged him into the abyss:
[Please let me stay here.]
Lennox stared blankly at the defenseless woman without realization.
Just a few hours ago, he was really going to let Juliet Mona go obediently.
It was a rare conscientious and noble act for him.
He had prepared quite a decent refuge.
A mansion in the capital and a small piece of land.
Although not glamorous, a comfortable and peaceful future was an option for her.
But she didn’t know that.
She won’t know what she just missed.
[Juliet.]
She looked at him earnestly with her moist eyes.
Lennox felt amused to an extent that he wondered when he had last felt this way.
He leisurely pressed his lips against her wet cheek.
[You brought this on yourself.]
Warm breath descended onto her bare shoulder.