The man died when she was twenty-two.
At that moment, just before the man’s death, Juliet harbored a deep hatred for everything in the world. Everything was annoying and bothersome.
Anyone nearing the end of their days would likely feel the same. For her, it was like a deadline, a year-long countdown.
The cause was a hereditary disease that manifested in her late teens. This illness, unique to the princesses of Rosenta, had claimed the lives of many before her. Now, it was her turn to lose everything.
She coughed up blood during the day and sobbed at night from the pain in her chest. The suffering she endured now felt like death itself, and the thought that it would only get worse over time was downright terrifying.
The man had visited her multiple times while she was confined to her bedroom due to her illness. It was something that had never happened before.
Juliet ignored him and chased him away as she always did, but this time was different.
He insisted on coming to her, despite being told to leave each time. Only then did Juliet realize his remarkable tenacity.
In the end, she was the first to get tired.
One day, Juliet no longer wanted to push him away. She was too exhausted to be angry and assertive. Besides, the man was so persistent that she might as well give up.
So Juliet relented, and that was how he came to her bedroom for the first time.
As soon as she saw his face, which she hadn’t seen for quite some time because she was too sick to go to the dining hall, Juliet snickered.
“How is it? Are you satisfied now?”
It was a sarcastic comment with many implications. Juliet, looking paler than ever, sneered at the man, who stood firm as always.
“I don’t get to do anything I want anymore, but you get to do whatever you want.”
Like most of the things she said to him, it was a statement meant only to condemn.
Of course, Juliet knew. Driving him away wouldn’t make the burden in her heart disappear. She was still suffering, still suffocating, and still struggling to breathe.
But there was nothing else she could do when she couldn’t even take care of her own body and was just lying on the bed.
In that sense, the man was the perfect target for her frustrations.
No matter how harshly she spoke to him, he never showed any signs of dislike, and no matter how much she insulted him, he never backed down.
Juliet hated it, but she acknowledged that the man was the perfect target to vent her frustrations on.
So she didn’t chase away the stubborn man. Instead, she unleashed all her frustrations on him about her ailing body.
How is it? Are you happy now? You dragged me here and made me like this. I’m sick because of you. You made me this way. Are you satisfied?
In fact, more than half of those accusations were unfounded. Juliet knew that too.
Her illness was due to her innate physical condition, a disease inherited from her ancestors, and her limited time left was her fate.
However, Juliet blamed the man for all her misfortunes.
He never made excuses.
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Time continued to pass.
Juliet was still miserable, but she accepted her situation. If she didn’t, she would be forced to, so it was only natural.
Barely able to lift a finger, she slowly organized her surroundings. She instructed the maids brought from her family home to write letters for her, and she decided who she would give her belongings to. Considering the custom in Rosenta to bid farewells when one could still smile, it was a late start.
She had thought she lived a secluded life, but unexpectedly, there were many people to write to. It took a whole day just to dictate the letters. That was because she had left so many things in her hometown.
She divided the jewels she had brought from Rosenta among those who had been with her all this time. The items that held special meaning, which she couldn’t dispose of herself, were left to Driene and her father, and she also set aside a few things to give to her friends in the kingdom.
She resolved to return everything she received from Herventel to its original owners. The lands and seas she would never see, and the jewels she would never wear, were things she had never been happy to receive in the first place.
The man watched her dispose of her belongings from the sidelines. He was now just a part of the room’s scenery, blending in perfectly with the paintings and flowers brought in to comfort the patient.
At first, Juliet was uncomfortable with his mere presence, but she eventually grew accustomed to it.
It was probably because of this that she spoke to him impulsively one day.
It was a particularly sunny day. Despite the cooling weather, the sun was high.
The maids must have thought the sunshine was harmless that day, as they left the curtains open. Perhaps they thought that looking up at the vast sky might improve the patient’s mood.
And the method truly worked; Juliet was able to smile for the first time in a long while. It was an awkward and faint smile, but to the maids, it meant a lot, as she had been depressed even when listening to songs from her hometown or stories from her childhood.
“Princess, isn’t the sun beautiful today? Are you feeling a bit better?”
The maids were overjoyed, as if it were their own personal good fortune, and Juliet quietly nodded in agreement instead of pouring cold water on their enthusiasm.
“Yeah, it seems like it.”
“Of course. Sunlight is so good for your health. You’ll soon feel better.”
Of course, it was just soothing words.
Her illness was incurable, and her health was only going to worsen.
Those who were educated and raised at Rosenta Palace couldn’t possibly be unaware of this fact.
But they said such things, and Juliet smiled again instead of refuting them.
“Perhaps.”
“Of course you’ll get better. You’ve been holding on well so far.”
Hmm. She thought to herself, but she didn’t want to be spiteful.
“Yeah, okay, then help me up now.”
It was only sitting up from the bed, but the maids were noticeably surprised. Until yesterday, lying down and shedding tears had been her entire routine.
“Are you sure you’re okay? You’re not feeling tired.”
“Yes, I think I’ll be fine today.”
Gentle hands supported her body. Juliet felt the touch of the pillow behind her back, as well as the shawl wrapped around her shoulders. Although her body ached all over, she endured it.
Sitting up on the bed, she looked around the room.
The once-opulent bedroom was now filled with all manner of luxuries.
Paintings done with precious blue pigments and sculptures adorned with thick, transparent gems caught her eye. The same was true of the fresh flowers scattered throughout the room.
It was splendor that couldn’t be found anywhere else. As Juliet’s gaze traveled around the room she had so often ignored due to her illness, her eyes settled on one thing.
The man was in the room.
In fact, she had forgotten he was there. It was hard to see the room when she was lying down, and that was also because he was so quiet.
The man was so still that it was as if he were part of the furniture. Because of this, Juliet almost overlooked him among the vases, paintings, statues, and flowers.
What prevented that was purely his striking appearance.
Before she started to hate him, she had been momentarily captivated by his face. He had a delicate and refined appearance.
His clear blue eyes and silver hair turned pink in the sunset. His cold lips curled into a gentle smile when he laughed. His cheeks and ears would flush easily at her words.
At one time, Juliet thought that the things that made him up were truly rare.
But after she realized that they were all just a facade to deceive her, she had to wash away those feelings.
Ironically, he still possessed all of those things.
Juliet looked at the silver hair that still had the vitality of the past, as well as the iridescent eyes beneath it.
However, it didn’t shine as brightly as before, and it wasn’t because it had lost its own vitality, but rather because of the surroundings.
The man was thoroughly hidden in the shadows. Juliet realized at that moment that there was a secluded spot in her room.
It was a dark, secluded corner that looked like a place designed to hide someone.
Since there was no one in the mansion who could push him into such a place, the man must have entered it on his own.
That strange thought of calling him out came to her at that moment.
Perhaps it was the whim of a dying person. Juliet, who had always had a selfish streak in her, had become even more unruly; nevertheless, the fact that everything in the manor moved according to her will only added to her unpredictability.
Regardless, at that moment, she resolved to pull the man out of the shadows.
It was easy to put her thoughts into action. She simply had to whisper to one of the maids to bring that person over here. That was enough.
The maid blinked as if surprised by the unexpected words but didn’t object. Most people were already accustomed to Juliet’s caprices.
Juliet watched as the maid approached the man and conveyed her words. Seeing the disturbance on his usually somber and calm face, as well as the cracks forming in his composure, oddly made her feel a strange sense of satisfaction.
