Chapter 8
The banquet began and the dance music changed for the fourth time.
During that time, many people who knew of Juliet Monad, approached her while offering a glass of champagne. But were met with a polite rejection.
“I’m sorry, I’m not feeling too well.”
Lennox watched everything without moving from the balcony of the second floor.
A lot of curious people swarmed around Juliet like pesky flies, the reason might have been due to the events that have taken place at the temple earlier in the day. However, Juliet’s excuse must have not just been an excuse, maybe she was actually not feeling because all the men approaching asking for a dance, turned around empty-handed.
Juliet, who reminded her of her place, had shown interest only once throughout the evening. It was when a group of young ladies around her age gathered on the side laughing together.
“Congratulations on getting married!”
“You’re going to be such a beautiful bride.”
Judging from their reaction, one of the young ladies gathered there was a soon-to-be-bride.
Juliet who was looking at the shy bride had an unreadable expression.
Lennox Karlyle wanted to know what was going on inside her head.
‘Come to think of it,’
He pondered suddenly, while he was watching Juliet. There was nobody who would approach her and had a conversation with her without any hesitation or restraint. The nobles present there all either ogled at her or mocked her.
‘Is that why she’s standing alone like that?’
Juliet standing there alone, looking like a child who lost her mother, did not sit well with Lennox at all.
He recalled how before the banquet his secretary, Elliot, and Juliet’s personal escort, Cain, were desperately trying to defend her. Even Jude was trying to come up with such ridiculous excuses as to why Juliet was behaving oddly. He also said that he doesn’t know what she did wrong, so I should forgive her this time.
“One of the young lady’s close maids had gotten married and left the estate, maybe because of that she’s feeling a little down?”
All the subordinates working in the Karlyle estate resembled Lennox in terms of personality and character, so them coming to him and trying to defend Juliet like that was quite laughable.
Truthfully, Lennox did not entertain the possibility that Juliet was meeting any other men, not because he had confidence in himself or that he trusted her. It’s just simply because doing something like that was not like Juliet Monad’s character.
And if anybody was behaving strangely, then it wasn’t Juliet but Lennox himself. Normally he wouldn’t waste his time and do something bothersome like looking around for his lover’s whereabouts. At this point, to prevent any further tiresome things from happening, he would have just ended the relationship. But strangely this time, he was hesitating.
‘Over all this time, have I gotten attached to her?’
Attachment….
He was someone who became bored easily and preferred to have short relationships and had a habit of heartlessly bringing an end to the relationship before any mushy feelings developed. The moment he loses interest and gets bored is the moment everything ends, that’s just how it was.
In fact, even Juliet and his relationship should have ended right from the very beginning, but for some unknown reason, some time ago, Lennox began to notice a faint disorder in his usual pattern.
It was when in the Northern Duke’s estate, having someone’s presence in his bed had started becoming a natural thing.
Early Daybreak
It was just around that time when he almost became accustomed to the routine of him getting up first and leaving the woman who’s been suffering all night to sleep peacefully in his bed.
3 years ago, during the Northern summer festival, his instincts kicked in and he clearly realized that dragging the relationship any further was going to be dangerous.
According to the festival’s traditions, the woman gave Lennox a handkerchief embroidered with his initials and family crest. At that time, frowning and looking at the handkerchief, he came to that decision.
‘Looks like it’s time to end this relationship.’
A part of him was relieved.
‘I knew it.’
It might have dragged on a little, but Juliet Monad was just like all the other girls he met in the past. After giving him such a gift filled with ‘sincerity and being rejected, she is going to get hurt and start clinging to him, begging him for any attention.
Since I’ve dragged it too long, it’s time to end it.
But before he can even open his mouth, the woman who has always been a person of few words, spoke first.
“You dislike these things, don’t you?”
It was as though she could see straight through him.
He couldn’t think of a way to reply. Juliet smiled as clear as a summer flower that just bloomed.
“It’s okay if you throw it or give it to someone else, I don’t
mind.”
She said that the nobles she met during the festival kept insisting that she embroidered a handkerchief, and she had no choice but to bring it with her.
Juliet explained what happened and it was not because she was embarrassed for being rejected. She simply just informed him of the reason, turned around, and left him standing there without waiting for any reply.
The woman was sure that her gift was going to be discarded.
Her nonchalant attitude was so strange to him, that in the end, he could not bring himself to throw the handkerchief away.
Every time he looked at it, it reminded him of Juliet’s clear smiling face. Since giving such things to others was also not appropriate, he placed the handkerchief deep inside a drawer and locked it.
Strangely, it seemed that sometimes she knew him more that he knew himself. For a girl who has only lived for 20 something years , Juliet’s words and actions made it seem as though she’s been living for much longer than that.
Juliet might have not been aware, but she sometimes acted without restraints around him, as though she knew Lennox for a very long time. What was even more confusing to him is that he himself did not find it annoying or unpleasant.
Lennox Karlyle did not know what this vague feeling was and so he couldn’t let go of her hastily.
TL/N: It’s called you are trash, your welcome -:
I’ll end it today, I’ll end it tomorrow, I’ll end it when the season changes, he kept pushing it off and just like that, years have passed.
Yet he still did not know the name of that feeling.
**************************
“I’m sorry I can’t dance as I’m not feeling too well.”
Rejecting the first couple of people nicely was not a problem, but Juliet started getting annoyed after being asked for the 1oth time to dance.
Rumours about what happened today morning should have already spread by now, so why is this person bluntly annoying her like this.
“Don’t be like that, let’s just……”
Does he think that since she’s a woman who’s going to be abandoned by Duke Karlyle anyway, he can look down on her and then make a move on her?
Juliet glared expressionlessly at the man clinging to her persistently.
……. Should I take him to a quiet place then get rid of him?’
She forced a smile as that dreadful thought appeared in her head.
“Then how about some champagne? There is great alcohol on the…….”
“What business do you have with my partner?”
Thankfully it looked like the problem was solved before Juliet was forced to commit murder.
“Y-Y-Your Highness!”
Needless to say, the man, who up until a second ago was acting drunk and looked at her in all the wrong ways, suddenly stood straighter than a stick and turned pale with fright.
Just his presence alone was enough to chase out all the idiots. Juliet thought that this situation was unfair, but then again in a place like this a lot of things were unfair.
He is the Northern Duke, a war hero and an extremely rich single young man.
And I’m just Juliet Monad.’
Turning her attention to the black-haired man, she smiled brightly as though nothing had happened.
“Ah, you’ve come, your Highness.”
However, the man did not return her smile.
She expected as much but oh well.
The man’s eyes seemed aloof, but his gaze had a complex mixture of various emotions.
With a cold face resembling a marble statue, the man said,
“Let’s talk.”