For the Beautiful Juliet

 

 

‘I knew it would come to this.’

 

Juliet bit her lower lip. She had expected this.

What could he possibly know? The man in front of her was unlikely to even guess what she was saying.

Despite knowing this, she caused this commotion. It was all because of her anxiety.

From the moment Juliet woke up and saw the familiar yet slightly unfamiliar red carpet, her heart started racing.

She hadn’t seen a ceiling like that since the man’s death.

Realizing this fact filled Juliet with unease. It was the first time she felt such an emotion in her life. It squirmed like a living thing, relentlessly pounding against her chest.

So Juliet did what it told her to do: She got up and ran. She descended the stairs two steps at a time, stormed through the garden, and dashed through the hall.

She had never run so fast in her life. Especially as she got older, she had never done so, and she probably never would again.

Thus, when she finally arrived at the door to the man’s room, her head was spinning, and her chest ached as if it would burst.

As she paused to catch her breath, people approached her. They were knights and maids.

They questioned her behavior but did not dare touch her or stop her.

Not only was she of noble status, but they also knew how deferential their master was towards her.

Juliet shook her head at the hands that sought to support her; she had a job to do, and she wanted to do it now.

Whatever happened afterward didn’t matter. With that thought, Juliet lifted her head.

It was then that the door opened.

Perhaps it was because of the commotion. Juliet realized she had caused quite a disturbance this morning.

She had rushed out of the bedroom without even a single layer of outerwear, and in that state, she had come all the way to someone else’s bedroom without any warning.

For a man with sharp hearing and keen senses, it must have been difficult to ignore.

It was already too late, but if she wanted to maintain even a shred of dignity, she had to act carefully.

However, Juliet couldn’t do that.

The moment the door opened and the man appeared, she found herself unable to hold back the tears welling up within her.

It was understandable, considering he was alive.

Of course, his usually handsome face had a dazed expression, and his neat appearance was disheveled, but the man was undoubtedly breathing and alive.

Having witnessed this fact, she could not remain unaffected.

Juliet hugged his body, which was twice the size of hers, and cried. The composure of a princess, or the dignity of royalty, has been cast aside.

Instead, she pounded on the chest she had never touched before and cried out in anger. Although she had planned to do otherwise upon seeing him again, this was what she ended up doing.

Perhaps that’s why she unintentionally brought up a non-existent past.

 

“I never wanted such a thing; I never asked for it.”

“So don’t ever do that again.”

 

After uttering those words, Juliet immediately regretted them.

He probably didn’t understand half of what she was saying.

At this point, his death was merely a future that had not yet come to pass.

It was quite some time later that Juliet resolved to correct all the wounds, accusations, silences, and misunderstandings.

But the man didn’t question her.

 

“Yes.”

 

Instead, he willingly agreed to what she said. Juliet was taken aback by his compliant response.

Blinking, she asked.

 

“Do you even know what I’m talking about?”

 

To which the man hesitated briefly, blushing before answering, “I don’t know.”

Such a concise and sincere answer, if not for the reddened cheeks and averted gaze, would have left her feeling nothing but disappointment. Or perhaps she would have reacted with anger, accusing him of deceit.

But now she could only sigh.

In the past, she would have thought he was deceiving her. She would have believed that he was fabricating lies and trying to cover her eyes.

But now she understood. The man wasn’t lying.

He genuinely couldn’t help but affirm whatever she said.

In the past, Juliet was unaware of this fact.

To her ears, the man’s words always sounded hollow. It felt as though he was merely appeasing her to avoid her anger, with no sincerity whatsoever.

So Juliet didn’t believe a word he said.

However, when she cast aside all her prejudices and looked into his blue eyes, although they were trembling, they did not reveal any deceit.

Perhaps he had been like this from the start. The thought occurred to her suddenly.

So, instead of confronting him, Juliet embraced him again.

 

“I, I didn’t know you were like this, and I…”

“J-Juliet?”

“I’m sorry, I’m really sorry…”

 

I won’t do that again, really.

But she didn’t get to say the last words. At that moment, her exhausted body lost all strength.

 

☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓 ☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓

 

The first thing she felt was a dreadful headache.

Juliet grimaced at the pounding in her temples. Her eyes felt swollen, and her throat was sore. She was familiar with the feeling of her face burning and her whole body aching.

It was probably another bout of illness, either a fever or a cold. It was rare for her to have just one, so she assumed she had both.

Waiting for the throbbing to subside, she slowly opened her eyes.

What immediately caught her attention was the unfamiliar canopy.

Juliet blinked at the unfamiliar color of the drapes. They seemed to be blue instead of the usual emerald green.

But that wasn’t the only strange thing.

The embroidery on the canopy and the bedding texture felt subtly different from what she was used to.

Juliet, realizing she was in an unfamiliar place, pulled the bell by her bedside.

Shortly after, a familiar maid entered through the canopy. She was a maid from the Grand Duchy.

 

“You called, madam?”

“Get me some water.”

 

The maid gently helped her up and handed her a glass of water. Juliet, propping herself up with a pillow, asked the maid.

 

“Where am I?”

“This is the master’s bedroom.”

“What?”

 

The maid took the glass back from her hand and spoke again.

 

“This is the master’s bedroom, madam.”

“Why am I in his bedroom…….”

 

She remembered the image of herself clinging to the man and crying.

Realizing the situation, she took a deep breath. ‘Oh goodness, I must have just collapsed.’

It wasn’t the first time she fainted, but it was the first time she had shown such a sight in front of the man. Overwhelmed by embarrassment, she wiped her face.

 

“How long… How long have I been lying here?”

“About three or four hours.”

 

While it wasn’t a long time, staying in someone else’s bedroom changed the story.

Overwhelmed with embarrassment, Juliet shut her eyes tightly.

 

“I should return to the annex. Get ready.”

 

However, instead of moving immediately, the maid hesitated for a moment and then uttered unexpected words.

 

“Madam, actually, the master left a message for you.”

“What is it?”

“Even if it’s uncomfortable, he asked you to stay just for today, for the sake of your health, and not move immediately.”

 

The maid gave Juliet a slight glance, trying to gauge her mood.

 

“He also said that he would be elsewhere, so you needn’t worry about running into him.”

 

The maid observed Juliet’s demeanor, concerned that she might be upset.

Normally, Juliet would have frowned and refused outright. It was expected.

Though Juliet no longer had such stubbornness in mind, she also didn’t want to just stay in someone else’s bedroom.

Still struggling with her thoughts, Juliet decided it would be best to at least see him and say something.

 

“Go and tell the Grand Duke if he can come now.”

 

☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓 ☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓

 

Enoch took a deep breath as the door slowly began to open.

The intricately carved ebony wood door was familiar to him. After all, it was the entrance to the bedroom he frequented daily.

However, the person waiting behind it was anything but familiar. Enoch wished he could shout, “Stop, wait a moment.”

Of course, it was an absurd thought. Who would wait for whom?

The person behind that door was none other than Juliet, his noble and innocent wife. She was a woman, more unpredictable than any betrayal or invasion.

Enoch had long since given up trying to figure her out, but she still surprised him.

Would she get angry this time? He thought, trying not to focus too much on the surroundings of the revealed scene in the room. She must have been quite upset.

Of course, considering where he had laid her down.

Just imagining Juliet waking up and being upset about where she was made him want to bite his tongue. No matter how flustered he was, he couldn’t believe he had chosen his own bedroom.

However, it was the only room that wasn’t too far away, was still warm, and was worthy of her dignity.

The other rooms were either too cold, too far away, or too simple. At least, that’s what came to his mind at the time.

It really wasn’t intentional. If given the time, Enoch planned to protest like that. It was the only place he could think of.

Juliet would likely make a displeased expression. She might even furrow her brow and turn her head.

Imagining that scene, Enoch truly wanted to strangle his morning self. Fool, you should have found a different place, even if there was none. How dare you do such a thing!

But even if he died, he had to answer the woman’s call.

Enoch quietly stepped into the room.

 

“I heard you called for me.”