Forgotten Juliet

Chapter 142:

“Why, why are you doing this, Miss?”

The woman with purple eyes was choked up.

For a moment, Juliet remained frozen, clutching the girl’s sleeve.

It was unmistakably Dahlia.

Although Juliet had previously thought her memory of the girl’s appearance was vague, now, as if proven wrong, she could clearly recall the moments when she had encountered Dahlia several times.

Before Juliet could even ask or say anything to Dahlia, people gathered at the sound of Dahlia’s scream.

“Oh my God, what’s happening?”

However, Dahlia acted as if she was seeing Juliet for the first time.

“Did I do something wrong to Miss Juliet?”

“…”

“Ah, it hurts! Lady Monad…!”

Although Juliet had only grabbed her sleeve, the girl acted as if her wrist was twisted, crying out in perfect timing.

“Countess Monad! What is this commotion all of a sudden?”

Alarmed by Dahlia’s scream, the Empress rose from her seat, and palace maids quickly gathered around.

“Let go of her hand, Countess Monad!”

At the Empress’s shout, the chamberlain hastily pulled Juliet by the shoulder, causing her to stagger a bit.

Juliet’s mind went blank, and she couldn’t utter a word.

“Elizabeth, are you alright?”

“Elizabeth…?”

Juliet stared at the girl with a pale and disgusted face.

‘Isn’t it Dahlia?’

Juliet’s gaze sharpened.

“Yes, her name is Elizabeth Tillman.”

Seizing the moment, the Empress, who had been held back by Juliet’s strange force, interjected.

“Elizabeth is a girl I met in Varen. She has exceptional healing abilities, so I proposed she become one of my maids.”

So, I mistook the person?

Juliet silently stared at the woman called Elizabeth.

‘That can’t be.’

Although she didn’t know why she was using that name, she was undoubtedly Dahlia.

“Viscount Tillman family, from which Elizabeth hails, is also a prestigious one.”

The Empress spoke reproachfully.

“Not as prestigious as the Monad family, but Elizabeth is still from a noble lineage!”

The Empress seemed entirely on Dahlia’s side – no, Elizabeth’s. She was treating Juliet as if she were a villain bullying a lowly palace maid.

“So, what happened? Elizabeth, tell it from your mouth.”

The Empress soothingly addressed the trembling Elizabeth.

“I… I was just trying to bring medicine to Your Majesty… but this lady here.”josei

Juliet chuckled for a moment. Perhaps it was because the sound of the dropped tray was so loud, or because they were in the middle of the palace hall.

Before she knew it, a crowd of onlookers had gathered.

Juliet realized how the situation must look.

A palace maid carrying a tray of medicine.

And a notorious Duke’s mistress picking a fight with a young, innocent maid.

It must be a rare spectacle.

Surrounded by supportive maids, Elizabeth, with an innocent expression, inquired:

“Did I offend Miss Monad? If so, please forgive me…”

“You don’t recognize me?”

“Pardon?”

“You’ve been acting like you don’t know me.”

With a neutral expression, Juliet asked the woman called Elizabeth again:

“Have we never met before?”

“No?”

With the most innocent face imaginable, Elizabeth widened her eyes.

That seemed to be a sufficient indirect admission: they hadn’t met before.

“Enough, Countess Monad!”

The Empress quickly intervened.

“I don’t know what this is about, but Elizabeth is now my maid and healer. I won’t tolerate any more rudeness.”

The Empress spoke with authority.

“Did Countess Monad mistake her for someone else?”

Passing nobles and even servants, from a distance, craned their necks to watch.

Juliet smirked.

“Yes, I suppose I did, Your Majesty.”

Contrary to her earlier aggression towards the Empress’s maid, Juliet now readily admitted her mistake.

Unexpectedly, when Juliet backed down amicably, the Empress, though slightly taken aback, commanded with dignity,

“…Well, then apologize to Elizabeth.”

“I’m sorry for showing such a disgraceful side, Your Majesty.”

When Juliet gracefully curtsied to the Empress, the Empress looked a bit smug.

Then, Juliet turned and bowed to the surrounded Dahlia, or rather, Elizabeth.

“I apologize for my rudeness, Miss Elizabeth Tillman.”

“I’m fine…”

“However.”

Raising her head swiftly, Juliet asked with a tilt of her head:

“Do you really not recognize me?”

“Countess Monad!”

The Empress shouted in exasperation.

The spectators, who were amused by Juliet’s apologetic gesture, began to chuckle at the unexpected turn of events.

Countess, if I’ve done something wrong, please tell me and I’ll correct it…”

Tears welled up in Elizabeth’s big purple eyes.

“But please refrain from speaking harshly in front of Her Majesty the Empress. It undermines her authority.”

“Elizabeth…”

Despite Elizabeth’s plea, Juliet coldly looked down on her with an unapologetic face.

To any observer, the one in the wrong in this situation was Juliet Monad, who was harassing the pitiable maid over a trivial matter.

“Excuse me, Countess Monad…”

The situation got so out of hand that the noblewomen who had been kind to her tried to stop Juliet by pulling on her arm.

However, Juliet didn’t care how malevolent she appeared.

“So you’re saying you’ve neither met nor known me before?”

For as long as she could remember, Juliet never cared about such things.

“That’s indeed strange.”

Juliet’s red lips drew a picturesque curve.

“Yes?”

“You, Miss Elizabeth Tillman, called me ‘Miss Juliet’ the moment you recognized me. And also referred to me as ‘Countess Monad’.”

“What’s your point?”

The Empress, who was previously angry, asked in confusion.

“Oh, it’s very strange, Your Majesty.”

Juliet replied with a cheeky smile.

“I heard that Miss Elizabeth is from Varen and it’s her first time in the imperial social circle. Is that correct?”

“Yes, so what?”

“So… it’s strange that a lady, who claims to have never met or known me, recognized my face and name instantly amidst all these noblewomen.”

“Now that you mention it, it does seem peculiar.”

“Certainly, you’ve been calling her that way even before Her Majesty the Empress announced Countess Monad’s real name?”

“How did you know Countess Monad’s name?”

One by one, the noblewomen began to nod in agreement. As the audience started murmuring, the most flustered was the Empress.

Elizabeth, the maid in question, just gazed at Juliet with an inscrutable expression.

“…Where’s the proof, Countess Monad? Perhaps she heard it somewhere. Isn’t that right?”

Juliet nonchalantly shrugged towards the panicked Empress. After all, Juliet had no intention of troubling the Empress.

Dahlia’s stern glare at Juliet was enough of an answer for her.

“Of course, Your Majesty. Your point is valid.”

With a sly smile, Juliet gracefully bowed again.

“I apologize for causing a scene. I will take my leave now.”

Her departure was flawlessly elegant. Although she had no attendants with her, no one dared to stop her.

Once outside the palace, an engrossed Juliet climbed into a waiting carriage.

‘Dahlia is a healer?’

It was something that hadn’t happened in her previous life.

In her past life, many rumors surrounded Dahlia, the most famous of which was that she was a girl who performed miracles.

Priests with strong healing powers were always valuable. However, Dahlia, even without being a priest, had strong holy powers and thus received strong support from the Pope.

‘Does Dahlia indeed have healing powers?’

Inside the carriage, Juliet was engrossed in this thought.

Pope Sebastian, who supported Dahlia, was exposed as a fraud and was exiled.

So, Dahlia had been hiding all this while, and now, under the protection of the Empress, she re-emerged?

‘After Marquis Guinness, it’s the Empress?’

Juliet let out a soft sigh.

Elizabeth Tillman…

Since she appeared with a new identity and name, Dahlia was sure to deny her connection to the Marquis Guinness.

“We have arrived, Countess.”

“Ah.”

After the carriage stopped, Juliet looked up and suddenly realized her mistake.

Because the destination wasn’t properly stated, the coachman habitually guided her to the Duke’s residence rather than the Count’s residence.

Juliet thought about telling the carriage to turn around, but when she saw the knight who recognized the carriage and was running towards her, she got out of the carriage.

“Sir Jude.”

“Yes, Miss Juliet.”

Juliet looked at Jude who came to meet her and asked.

“Do you know Viscount Tillman?”

Then Jude asked back as if he was puzzled.

“Well, isn’t the Tillman a knight’s family from the central region?”

“That’s right?”

Having confirmed her memory, Juliet nodded.

“I’ve heard of it too.”

Elizabeth Tillman.

Dahlia’s current alias, the name Tillman, was at least real.

“Can you find out if Viscount Tillman has a daughter named Elizabeth?”

“Yes, they do.”

Jude responded somewhat dryly. Just as Juliet was about to ask him what was wrong, she noticed that the Duke’s residence seemed strangely bustling.

“Miss Juliet!”

Jude awkwardly blocked Juliet’s path.

“I will escort you to the Count’s residence.”

“…?”

Juliet narrowed her eyes.

“What’s going on?”

“Ah… It’s nothing.”

Jude tried to dismiss it, but he wasn’t a good liar.

“Sir Jude.”

“…They said not to inform Miss Juliet!”

Juliet paused.

“Did something happen to Lennox… His Highness?”

Unable to hold back any longer, especially seeing Juliet’s deepening frown, Jude finally spilled.

“His Highness has had an accident.”