Forgotten Juliet

Chapter 145:

Just like Dolores, Juliet couldn’t answer the question.

She glanced subtly in the direction where the Empress and Dahlia sat. Thanks to deliberately choosing a secluded table outside, the people inside didn’t even know Juliet had arrived.

Juliet had thought about Dahlia for several years, but she had never imagined encountering her in this manner and in such a place.

“Time flew by so fast, didn’t it?”

Dahlia was seen kindly bringing a tray of medicine to the Empress.

“Archbishop, this girl here is someone I’ve grown fond of lately.”

The Empress proudly introduced Elizabeth to the Archbishop Gilliam sitting beside her.

“Elizabeth possesses excellent healing powers.”

“Oh? Healing powers, you say?”

Archbishop Gilliam scanned Dahlia quickly with impressed eyes.

“She’s indeed a rare talent.”

Watching the scene, Juliet suddenly felt puzzled.

‘If she has healing abilities, why is she giving medicine to the Empress? Does she combine healing and prescribing?’

Once doubt started to creep in, it led to more questions.

“It won’t matter anyway. There’s no evidence.”

Moreover, Dahlia seemed to have the ability to manipulate people’s memories.

“But still…”josei

Dolores seemed quite upset that Dahlia was comfortably by the Empress’s side.

“Then, I’ll call for the carriage. Miss, please wait here for a moment.”

Dolores asked without even waiting for Juliet’s answer.

“…That woman?”

“Is that Dahlia?”

Both recognized Dahlia instantly, even though neither had been told about her.

Teo and Eshelrid didn’t know who Dahlia was, but they did know that Juliet came to identify her.

“Yes. But now her name isn’t Dahlia, it’s Elizabeth Tillman.”

“What does that mean?”

“Just something I heard.”

“Damn, it’s so complicated.”

Teo grumbled.

And according to what Sir Jude confirmed, surprisingly, the Tillman family claims to have a youngest daughter named ‘Elizabeth’.

‘But there’s no mention of such a daughter in any records.’

It was quite a significant finding.

‘Did she manipulate the memories of the Tillman family members too?’

Juliet had a vague idea of how Dahlia had infiltrated everywhere.

The ability to manipulate memories was chilling, to say the least.

“Where’s Dolores?”

“Dolores? Why her?”

“Didn’t Dolores call for you?”

As Juliet and Teo locked eyes, Eshel intervened to mediate the situation.

“She said she’d take another carriage and head back first.”

“…Dolores did?”

Juliet looked skeptical, prompting Eshel to confirm.

“Yes.”

Juliet was a bit worried.

What if something happened to her wandering alone in the imperial palace?

Dahlia’s apparent enmity was concerning.

“She might have put the miss in danger. To be honest, I’m still uncomfortable about it.”

“Dolores is just being used.”

However, Teo, who had been shaking his head, suddenly spoke.

“It’s strange. I feel like I’ve seen that woman somewhere before.”

“Who?”

“That Dahlia.”

“Dahlia?”

When did you he her? Finding it odd, Juliet soon realized.

No wonder they seemed familiar. Both had briefly encountered Dahlia while infiltrating the black market of Carcassonne. Teo had a surprisingly keen memory for faces.

“Ah!”

But Teo’s revelation was completely unexpected.

“I remember where I saw her.”

The insane Pope, Sebastian, had a sister who died young.

“Genovia?”

“I don’t know. Was that her name? Anyway, that girl.”

Genovia was a genius born with one of the greatest divine powers. However, perhaps because of that talent, she died in a fire at a young age, and her divine power remained only in the Soulstone.

Later, Sebastian rose to the position of the Pope using the Soulstone of his deceased sister.

She had seen a portrait of the deceased Genovia in a rocket necklace.

“Certainly so.”

Juliet was about to scoff that it made no sense, but Eshelrid nodded seriously.

“She looks very similar to the portrait.”

“…But last time, I heard Genovia looked like me?”

Juliet said hesitantly.

She too had seen Genovia’s portrait.

“Yes. That’s why that crazy Pope kidnapped you.”

Teo grumbled as if getting mad upon reflecting on it.

“But how can you say Dahlia looks like Genovia?”

“Well, strangely enough, both of you resemble the deceased girl, Genovia.”

Eshelrid quickly added, watching Juliet’s reaction.

“Though Juliet and that woman named Dahlia don’t look alike at all.”

Juliet frowned. It wasn’t pleasant to hear that she resembled the person she had been in a bad relationship with from a previous life.

However, it made sense.

It had long been one of Juliet’s curious points.

In her past life, why did Sebastian so fully support Dahlia?

It was suspicious to think it was merely because of Dahlia’s divine power or healing abilities.

‘But if, as they say, Dahlia and Genovia resemble each other, it explains things.’

If Dahlia, who resembled his deceased sister and also had healing powers, appeared before Sebastian, it was obvious he would be charmed by her.

But how could that be possible?

“Well, they say there are at least three people in the world who look alike.”

Seeing Juliet’s complexion not so good, Eshel hastily tried to make things light.

* * *

As Juliet suspected, Dolores was still inside the imperial palace.

‘Heh, you think I’d give up?’

Although Juliet said she had no way to catch Dahlia, Dolores had no intention of letting Dahlia be.

Dolores had just taken money and did as Marquis Guinness ordered, but she had to suffer in prison.

Even more so, since Marquis Guinness went bankrupt, she didn’t even get the remaining payment.

But how did the suspicious woman named Dahlia, who interfered with Marquis Guinness’ plan, become the Empress’s maid?

However, the woman who stopped and looked back at Dolores was unexpectedly the woman she was looking for, Dahlia.

“Do you recognize me?”

Dolores, who had been observing Dahlia closely, wouldn’t miss this opportunity.

Coincidentally, Dahlia was alone.

Dahlia asked expressionlessly.

“How do I know you?”

“Huh? We met at Marquis Guinness’ mansion!”

Then, the blonde Dahlia tilted her head.

“You remember me? How?”

“Don’t try to play dumb!”

Thinking Dahlia was trying to feign ignorance, Dolores put her hand on her waist.

“I remember everything, okay? You fooled Marquis Guinness!”

Since being confronted about her memories by Juliet, Dolores had written down everything that had happened at the southern Marquis’s residence so she wouldn’t forget.

Thanks to that, Dolores remembered clearly what Dahlia had done with Marquis Guinness.

“You took the vagabonds and orphans and had them turned into magic stones while they were alive!”

However, the suspicious woman now using the pseudonym Elizabeth only stared sharply at Dolores.

“Hey?”

Dolores felt uneasy under that gaze and called out to her again.

(Useless.)

“Uh…”

When Dolores, slightly scared, tried to back away, what flowed out of Dahlia’s mouth was a dull voice.

Moments ago, there were white parts in Dahlia’s eyes, but now they were entirely black.

“Ah… Ah…”

Dolores shivered and desperately tried to escape.

The next moment, the being before Dolores was no longer in the form of a human woman. It was a giant yellow snake with its mouth wide open.

A moment later.

Faint screams faded with eerie sounds.