Chapter 16
Summer, 7 years ago.
“I’m Duke Karlyle.”
Juliet’s world has been turned upside down. She never forgot the summer of that year.
***
“Juliet! Are you listening?”
Upon hearing a sharp voice, Juliet stopped writing diligently and raised her head.
The girl, who was wearing an unfinished dress, was staring at Juliet with her hands on her waist. Meanwhile, the wardrobe employees were busy fitting the flower pins on her dress.
“Ah, sorry. What did you say, Fatima?”
Fatima’s forehead creased instantly.
“I asked which one is the prettiest!”
“Aha.”
Juliet hurriedly arranged the stationery paper and diverted her attention to Fatima’s shoulder.
“Umm, I think…”
Standing at the back of Fatima with a tired look, the wardrobe employee quickly waved the dress and gave a silent motion.
Flap-! Flap-!
“…Pink?”
“You think so too?”
It seems that it was the right answer.
Fatima, with a triumphant expression, instructed the wardrobe employees who came for a working visit.
“I’ll have the pink one. Will it be possible to have it by tomorrow morning?”
“Of course, Lady Glanfield.”
“The ball starts at seven o’clock, so you have to be there by noon!”
The wardrobe employee looked so happy because they finally broke free from Glanfield’s living room after three hours.
They were employees of the recently renowned , and today they visited Glanfield Avenue at the request of Fatima. Eighteen-year-old Fatima was the Lady of Glandfield County and Juliet’s friend of the same age.
Finally, after deciding on the dress, Fatima who was in a good mood, beckoned her maids to serve the tea.
When the maids brought the tray, Juliet sat quietly in the living room after organizing all the work she had brought.
“What about you? You won’t pick a dress?”
As her hand picked up a cookie, Fatima asked as if she felt her out.
“Yes. I’m fine.”
“Then what are you wearing tomorrow?”
“I decided to fix my mom’s dress.”
“Fix…your mom’s dress?”
Then Fatima asked back bitterly.
For her, fixing her dress was an alternative that she had never thought of.
“Yes. I will.”
Juliet answered casually.
It was the social season of late summer.
Any girls who received an invitation to a summer ball for the first time after their 18th birthday wanted to look the most beautiful in their first-ever ball.
Then, Fatima spoke sympathetically.
“You can pick a dress if you want to. If I tell my dad, he’ll buy you one, too.”
The wardrobe employees, who were prepared to leave, flinched.
Juliet just smiled indifferently.
“No. My mom’s dress is pretty, too. I’ll show you tomorrow.”
But the owner of the wardrobe, who was packing her luggage, asked carefully.
“By any chance, is Countess Monad’s dress color light violet?”
“That’s right. How did you know?”
“Of course, it’s because the Countess has such a discerning eye. I’m sure it’ll look good on you, too.”
Fatima, who sat still and heard the conversation between the two, sulked.
‘It’s not fun.’
One day, Juliet became a very boring friend.
‘It wasn’t like this before.’
Juliet was Fatima’s first friend when she moved to the capital. Fatima’s father wanted to build a good relationship with historic families, and Count Monad was the founding contributor of the empire.
Just in time, Count Monad had one daughter who was at the same age as Fatima named Juliet.
At her father’s request, Fatima often called Juliet over and played together.
Although she hated to see her detestable brother creeping around on the day Juliet came, Juliet’s visit was worth it.
To be exact, it was pleasant to see Juliet secretly fiddling with the dress ornaments as she peeped at Fatima, who was choosing a new dress, with envious eyes.
It was always like that, but…
‘When did it start?’
It was around three years ago that Juliet changed.
By the age of fifteen, Juliet was severely hurt. That accident almost killed Juliet. Since then, Juliet has become strange.
At first, Fatima wondered if it was because she was in bed for a long time and lost her energy, but it wasn’t. Sometimes it seemed like she was a completely different person.
She no longer envied Fatima.
When she invited her over under the pretext of helping her to select a dress, Juliet was busy looking at a book and writing something.
‘Yeah, keep looking at that. You poor County’s subject.’
Fatima pouted her lips.
Count Glanfield was an emerging noble who made a lot of fortune and obtained his Count title.
Fatima loves to show off, but when she grew up, the socialites belittled Glandfield as a pawn. On the other hand, the poor yet venerable Count Monad received constant invitations to the party without having to struggle.
Fatima was secretly apathetic.
“Tomorrow, Princess Priscilla’s important guest is coming to the ball.”
“Really? Princess Priscilla?”
Juliet responded with no sincerity as she packed her bag.
Princess Priscilla is the Emperor’s niece who has been treated like a princess in society.
But she seemed like she wasn’t interested at all, which made Fatima puff her cheeks because she was displeased with Juliet.
“Of course you don’t care.”
“Huh?”
“You already have a handsome fiance.”
At that time, Juliet halted and looked back at Fatima with a reluctant expression.
“Do you think so?”
“What?”
“That my fiance is handsome?”
Juliet’s fiance, Vincent, was the second son of the Marques. At a young age, he received a lot of attention for his white-skinned appearance.
“…You’re annoying these days. You know?”
Fatima frowned and retorted to Juliet.
‘You don’t know how to be grateful.’
Juliet glanced at the sulky Fatima and tried to soothe her.
“Fatima, you’re going to marry someone much higher up in the future.”
“How do you know that?”
“It just…I know.”
“Hnng.”
Juliet said that without smiling, but Fatima felt better about it.
“Do you want to borrow my carriage?”
***
While returning home with Glanfield’s carriage, Juliet stared at her reflection on the window.
Her face was full of life, perhaps because of the baby-fat that remained on her white face.
Juliet knew a lot about the future ahead. Much more than what she told Fatima.
Fatima may become the Crown Princess in the future, but Juliet died when she was only 25 years old. Even worse, in the hands of the man she cherished dearly.
‘No, I’d be lucky if I just died.’
This was not her first life.
Juliet returned to her childhood with the memories of a miserable death from a long time ago.
Juliet Monad’s first life was horrendous.
Juliet’s life fell to the abyss when her parents died. To be precise, it began when her uncle, Baron Gaspal, became her guardian.
“This decision is for your sake, Juliet.”
In her first life, Juliet married five times.
The first thing Baron Gaspal did to his orphaned, underaged young niece was to marry her off to an influential person.
The naive Juliet wore a wedding veil as her uncle told her to.
Her first husband was over eighty years old, not knowing when he would die. At least, Juliet’s first husband died shortly.
Juliet became a rich widow, but Baron Gaspal did not leave her alone.
After confirming that Juliet’s beauty and noble origin could make a fortune, he started his full-fledged marriage business.
After that, Juliet got married four more times.
Those who lend their money and power to purchase young brides from noble families cannot be called human beings.
While Baron Gaspal sold his niece to flatter powerful people, Juliet was devastated by repeated abuse.
Her natural beauty was poisonous, her body and mind were broken, which made normal thinking impossible.
In the end, right before she was about to end her life out of suffering, one arrogant noble appeared in front of her.
He had no particular intention to rescue Juliet.
However, both Baron Gaspal and her fifth husband were slaughtered because they dared to bother the Duke of North.
‘It only natural to fall in love with a man who got me out of that hell.’
But now Juliet wasn’t living in hell. She never met him, unlike her memories.
“We’ve arrived, Milady.”
“Thank you.”
Juliet opened the carriage door herself and jumped off.
She lived in a cozy, vintage mansion outside the capital.
In her first life, Juliet Monad lost her parents before she turned fifteen. That was the beginning of her misfortune.
“I’m home.”
Juliet paid her greeting as soon as she entered the front door.
“Welcome, Juliet. Did you have fun?”
The woman, with her red hair elegantly tied up, was sitting in the living room and smiled radiantly at Juliet.
It was Juliet’s mother, Countess Lilian Monad.
“Yes, it was fun.”
Juliet responded with a smile.
Last winter, Juliet celebrated her 18th birthday and became an adult. But both of her parents were still alive.
So, she succeeded in changing the set future.
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