For the Beautiful Juliet

 

“No.”

It wasn’t a lie. Enoch truly didn’t know. Perhaps he could have discovered it earlier, but he hadn’t. It was likely because he took Kinas’s words about magical deficiency too readily.

In a way, he had been deceived, but Enoch didn’t blame his brother. He was always good at reading people. He probably realized the meaning of his letter about Juliet’s illness and its solution right away.

So he had remained silent.

Kinas had been the only one to witness Letina’s decline until the end. It was understandable that he would be reluctant to see the last remaining relative die in such a manner.

And Enoch felt the same way.

While he had no particular regrets about Letina, he didn’t want to die like her. That was truly living in torment, and he didn’t want to endure meaningless suffering.

At that moment, Driene asked again.

“Then why aren’t you shaken?”

It was a reasonable question, but Enoch found it difficult to answer. He didn’t want Driene to know about the curse flowing beneath his skin.

It was fine if Driene heard it and hated him. What Enoch truly feared was Juliet discovering the entire truth.

Anything Driene knew was likely to be passed on to Juliet in some form.

If Juliet learned the whole truth, she would believe that his feelings stemmed from the curse.

That was the most miserable part of the curse. It prevented any genuine emotions from being accepted as truth.

He had always strived to avoid that.

But it was hard to come up with a convincing lie. Enoch knew he wasn’t good with words. It wasn’t his talent to rescue someone from a mire with his tongue or to set traps.

Thus, fabricating lies was also a difficult task.

As he pondered over a suitable answer for a moment, he said.

“Isn’t there no time?”

In fact, that was essentially the crux of the situation. At this very moment, Juliet was dying.

It was a disease that even the remarkable Letina could not overcome. There was no way the frail Juliet could endure it.

So they needed to plan more quickly and more precisely.

Fortunately, the Crown Prince of Rosenta had come here with him. Enoch looked at the man sitting before him with an expression of dissatisfaction. He was sure to think that he had been used, but he was not the only one trying to gain something from the situation.

Through Driene, Enoch was able to learn about Juliet’s illness. Juliet and those she brought from her homeland had been silent about the issue, so Driene had been a great help in that regard.

Moreover, had not Juliet smiled at him?

That was truly a rare occurrence. Especially after she had fallen ill, Enoch had seen her smile only a few times.

But what he truly desired from the other person was something else. Enoch moved his stiff throat. There were more words to be said.

“As you know, my brother and I are quite close. So my sudden death would certainly raise suspicions.”

That was also the reason he had not been able to let Juliet go for years.

If you die, she will die too.

Kinas had certainly said that.

“I care for you, not for the princess of Rosenta.”

So do your best to live well, my brother.

The words were soft, but the underlying sentiment was chillingly clear.

Because of that, Enoch was unable to implement various ways to give the woman her freedom. No matter how hard he tried, he could not come up with something that would surpass Kinas.

However, he couldn’t just recklessly do something without thinking about the consequences. He would be gone by then, and there would be no one to protect Juliet.

Fortunately, the Crown Prince of Rosenta was now before him.

Enoch knew that he would soon inherit the throne. Moreover, he had the will to obtain something for his sister, so he would likely handle the aftermath.

So, he had to make the most of this opportunity.

Enoch recalled the report he had received before leaving for Rosenta. There were rumors that the exiled princess was still alive.

It was unclear why such a rumor had attached itself to someone who had been imprisoned in a tower and had died, but it had caused chaos in the region.

And Agante, the epicenter of the disturbance, had traditionally been under the care of the Inovis family. Although the family had perished, he still had a duty to look after Agante due to his bloodline.

Enoch asked the man, who still looked displeased, about this matter.

“Do you know about Agante, a region in the north of Nasant?”

He should know about it. Enoch was already troubled at the thought of explaining something to the man. Convincing someone to believe his words was never easy.

Fortunately, Driene responded affirmatively.

“Yes.”

“There’s trouble in that region. It’s not on a scale that requires sending an army, but it would be good to send someone to investigate. If I go on an inspection trip, it won’t arouse suspicion.”

Of course, if Kinas had been a little less busy and the capital a little less chaotic, there might have been suspicion. But fortunately, his brilliant brother was occupied with many tasks.

Although he felt somewhat guilty about exploiting the situation, Kinas had not always treated him kindly. Enoch remembered how Kinas had refused his earnest plea to delay the marriage.

So this was just a minor act of revenge.

Enoch rationalized this and grasped the teacup in front of him.

In any case, the important thing was the pretext. Those who sit on the throne always need a justification. Actions without proper rationale eventually lead to disputes.

Therefore, Kinas would not act emotionally just because he was dead.

It was then that Driene, who had been listening with a stern expression, spoke up.

“So you’re saying that you intend to go there and die?”

“Yes.”

Was it because he was perceptive, or perhaps because he was older than Enoch?

It was fortunate that he didn’t have to say much. Enoch looked at the man who seemed to have understood his words.

“Is there a problem?”

“Wouldn’t there be one?”

Driene was now angry. Enoch blinked at this response. He couldn’t understand why Driene was acting this way.

Seeing that Enoch didn’t grasp the situation at all, Driene frowned.

“I’m not telling you to die.”

“But you said you needed my heart, didn’t you?”

Death was the most straightforward solution. It would bring peace and freedom to Juliet, and peace and closure to him.

In the past, he might have sought another way. But now Enoch realized there was no other path for them. Like his dead mother and the emperor, they were destined to part ways in this manner.

He had once denied and refused this fate. He didn’t want to follow in the footsteps of his predecessors, even if it meant dying soon.

But now, he had to accept it. There was no way to change the fate that had been assigned to them.

Did this man not think so? Enoch continued to look at the man who still didn’t show any sign of understanding. His once smooth face now had cracks in it.

“I mean, I didn’t say you had to tear out your heart. So there should be another way besides death…”

“Is it really necessary?”

Enoch asked, and Driene looked openly flustered, but Enoch was the one who was actually confused.

Enoch had assumed Driene would be pleased with this situation. Driene hated him and loved his sister that much.

It was a way to remove a hated person while saving a beloved sister. Wasn’t that something to be happy about?

He couldn’t understand what he was missing.

Driene, seemingly frustrated with Enoch’s blinking, snapped at him.

“Don’t you value your life at all?”

At this, Enoch shook his head. He could affirm this much, if nothing else.

That was not something the other person needed to worry about.

“That’s not the main point.”

However, Driene kept asking irrelevant questions.

“Do you have any mental issues?”

“No.”

If there had been any issues, they would have shown earlier. Enoch believed he was sane.

But it seemed the other person thought differently.

Driene, glaring at him with green eyes, stood up.

“It seems like today isn’t a good day. Let’s talk again another time.”

“There’s no need to—”

“No.”

Look in the mirror and collect yourself.

The man snapped, turned his back, and left. Enoch watched his cold retreating figure with a dazed expression.

The small box was still in front of him.