Forgotten Juliet

* * *

After the horse race was over, Juliet would ride at full speed to the front of the procession if she felt like it, and if Apple became tired or wanted a break, she would return to the back of the procession and walk.

Currently, Juliet was sitting in the back of the carriage, drinking tea.

As a reward, Apple was generously given sugar cubes.

Apple accepted the sugar cubes slowly and happily.

“Huh? What’s the secret?”

“You cheated, right?”

Teo and Gray alternately bothered her persistently, but Juliet leisurely sipped her tea.

“I’m not going to tell.”

Gray, tired of the refusal, became sulky, and Teo glared hard at Juliet.

Isaac burst into laughter at the sight.

“It’s amazing, for Apple, to beat the cavalry horses.”

At these words, Juliet’s eyes narrowed. Teo and Gray, taken aback, closed their mouths.

Cavalry horses. It was certain that they had planned to race from the beginning.

“So, are those horses from Carcassonne?”

“Yes. Horses from Carcassonne are famous. The Empire also buys a huge number every year.”

“I remember there was a barracks in Carcassonne?”

“That’s right.”

“How did you know that?”

Gray asked, seemingly amazed.

Instead of answering, Juliet deflected the question with an ambiguous smile.

‘Come to think of it.’

It wasn’t until she was close that she remembered that Juliet had an acquaintance in Carcassonne.

‘I don’t know if he thinks the same way…’

To Juliet, it was a fairly close relationship.

Vincente Bowman.

A man who was once her fiancé.

Of course, the relationship had faded away after the death of the Monad Count and Countess seven years ago.

He had been her fiancé since she was ten, an arrangement made between their families, but she didn’t know what happened after that.

There was no official separation, but it was fair to say that Juliet’s relationship with the Bowman family had ended seven years ago.

If anything, the Bowman family might have been relieved. Who knew what would have happened if they had sent their son to the Monad family without a son as a son-in-law.

Juliet, for her part, didn’t have any particular feelings about Vincente Bowman.

To put it a bit harshly, her fiancé, who was four years older than her, was a man of little worth besides his average looks.

Moreover, when she heard rumors in her first life, he had ruined himself by gambling and died.

There was also an occasion when Juliet nearly ran into him at a party after she followed Lennox to the North.

But as soon as he caught her eye from afar, Vincente seemed uncomfortable and avoided her first.

They hadn’t met since.

That he was in Carcassonne was something she had heard by chance.

She had last heard of him 2 or 3 years ago, so she thought he might not be in Carcassonne now.

Juliet suddenly became curious.

‘When was it that Vincente died?’

Ding, ding, ding!

When a bell rang from the front, the carriage procession slowly stopped.

It was said that it would take about two more days to arrive in Carcassonne, and Juliet even felt a little regret.

When Juliet expressed this feeling, Helen, who was listening, smiled broadly. They were taking a brief rest to avoid the passing dew.

The horses were given rest and food, and the people were given warm tea.

“That’s unexpected.”

“What is?”

“Actually, I was a bit worried before I met you.”

Helen seemed unsure of how to say it.

“As you can see, this…”

Helen, lifting her index finger, turned her right hand around as if searching for something and then pointed somewhere.

At the end of her finger were Helen’s two sons. Gray was giggling and running around.

“Gray Lebatan, this damned kid!”

Teo was furiously angry.

It was clear they were fighting over something childish again. It was childish to the point where it was hard to believe they were both adults.

The people around from the Marigold Merchant Guild didn’t pay any attention, as if it was a familiar sight.

“I was worried about what you might think in this environment. I’ve never raised a girl.”

Helen shrugged her shoulders.

“Lillian also liked carriage travel.”

At that remark, Juliet couldn’t help but be surprised.

“Have you met my mother?”

“Yes, I did.”

Helen cheerfully affirmed.

“Lillian was about your age, no, she was younger than you are now.”

Come to think of it, Isaac was Lionel’s eldest son, and Lillian was the youngest daughter.

If Isaac and Lillian had a significant age difference, it wouldn’t have been impossible if Isaac had married Helen early.

Even though she is full of energy, small, strong, and shiny, Juliet suddenly thought that Helen might be much older than she had guessed.

“She was quite a tomboy…”

Throughout the meal, Isaac and Helen happily told many stories about Lillian.

“How roughly she tamed the horse.”

Helen rose from her seat, tapped the tip of Juliet’s nose lightly, and laughed.

“You look a lot like your mother.”

* * *

The morning dew that had been falling since dawn had finally stopped, leaving a pleasant moisture in the air. The group was busy preparing for departure.

“Madam!”

It was like that until one of the high-ranking members wearing a familiar uniform hurriedly came riding from afar.

The horse stopped right next to them.

He must have been in a real hurry, for the officer practically rolled off the horse.

Helen, with her hands lightly resting on her waist, furrowed her brows slightly.

“What’s the fuss about?”

“Well…”

The panting officer managed to hold out the paper he had brought.

Helen caught the paper. At a glance, Juliet saw that it seemed to contain urgent news.

Helen read it quickly and spat out the next moment.

“Darn it-“

Isaac glanced at Juliet quickly, taken aback.

“Ah, shall we go inside and talk, Helen?”

For a few minutes thereafter, Helen and Isaac conversed with serious expressions.

From the snippets of conversation that Juliet could hear, it seemed that there was a problem at another branch of the group.

After quickly exchanging opinions with everyone, including the head of the group, Helen approached Juliet who was standing a little apart.

“I’m sorry, Juliet. It seems I need to leave with your uncle for a while. Can you stay with Teo?”

…With whom?

Juliet and Teo both seemed to make similar faces at once, and seeing their faces, Helen quickly added.

“It probably won’t take long. Our magician, Eshelrid, will also stay.”

Helen must have said that to reassure Juliet, but for Juliet, it wasn’t a much better choice.

Whether she would be left alone with a cousin who growls every time he sees her, or be left with an awkward magician in addition to the cousin.

But she wasn’t a child.

Juliet didn’t want to hinder Helen and Isaac’s work because of her personal feelings. She didn’t want to be a burden, either.

“Of course, it’s okay.”

“Really?”

“Yes, you should go if it’s urgent. I’m not a child.”

Teo mumbled, ‘Why don’t you ask for my opinion?’ and finally got hit by Gray.

Helen and Isaac started preparing to leave.

In the midst of all the hustle and bustle, Juliet, with nothing to do, was petting Apple.

“Is Gray also going?”

“Yeah, that’s how it turned out.”

Gray, seemingly used to such incidents, efficiently managed his assigned personnel, prepared to leave faster than anyone else, and was waiting for his parents.

It was hard to believe that he was the same person who often got into childish arguments with his five years younger brother.

“What happened?”

Juliet asked without much expectation.

“I assumed that you wouldn’t understand even if I explained it because it’s a professional field.”

Juliet was also a layman when it came to this business, so she just noticed that something serious had happened, a problem with the business that had been underway at the top, so severe that Helen had to go and check it out herself.

However, to her surprise, Gray explained willingly.

“Do you know about Mermaid Silk?”

“Yes, I do.”

Mermaid Silk was a rare fabric that could only be found in the South Sea.

Contrary to its name, it was n’t related to mermaids, but it was a fabric made by processing a jellyfish called Mermaid Jelly. It was lighter, tougher, and had a subtle sheen, making it superior to commonly known silk.

The only drawback was its limited production, which meant that even if one wanted to buy it, it wasn’t easy to get hold of. It was a luxury fabric that was hard to come by.

“Really? That makes the explanation easier.”

Gray grinned and explained briefly.

What Juliet heard from Gray was roughly as follows.

A while ago, the Marigold Guild received a large order of luxury fabrics like Mermaid Silk from a certain family.

Being the Marigold Guild, which boasts the widest distribution network from the polar regions to the South Sea and high credibility, they were able to handle the order.

“Actually, it’s not just Mermaid Silk.”

Diamond Wool, Tungsten Wool, all the fabrics Gray was talking about were top-tier.

Juliet, who had been listening quietly, tilted her head.

“Are all these top-tier fabrics?”

“Yes, how did you know?”

Gray seemed a bit surprised.

Of course, he would be. Mermaid Silk and Bisc Lace are popular items in the formal dress industry. They are the best fabrics to use when making dresses, so if you have a slight interest, you would be familiar with them.

However, materials like Diamond Wool and Tungsten Wool are not familiar unless you have professional knowledge about fabrics.

“I just know. I’ve heard about them here and there.”

Juliet shrugged it off with a laugh.

Actually, Diamond Wool was also the most popular fabric in the North.

Northern winters are harsh. Northern nobles didn’t skimp on finding fabrics that were thin, light, and had excellent insulation.

Gray seemed to accept Juliet’s explanation without much suspicion.

“But there was a problem today.”

The supplier suddenly changed their words and said they couldn’t supply the fabric at the agreed price.

Normally, it could have been solved at the representative’s level, but there was a problem with the contract terms, so Helen, the owner of the Guild, had to go herself.

Juliet, who had been listening quietly, asked what she had been curious about.

“But, did all these orders come from the same place?”

“Yes, for a wedding.”

A wedding.

On second thought, it made sense.

The best fabrics would be used for a wedding, and if it was a large ceremony, there were often cases where more than ten suits each for the bride and groom were tailored.

But nowadays, it was hard to see such lavish weddings.

Juliet thought it must be a very grand wedding, even if she didn’t know which family it was from.

‘Is it some royal family?’

“Yeah. Actually, it’s not just us who are having a hard time. The jewelers in Rentor must be going crazy right now. A lot of orders went in.”

We should have grabbed that order too.

Gray mumbled with a regretful face.

“Wow.”

Juliet felt a bit intrigued.

Ordering a lot of high-quality fabrics through the Marigold firm and ordering jewels from Rentor on the continent.

She didn’t know what kind of wedding it was, but it was clear that they were preparing a continental scale wedding.

“So who exactly is this client who’s rushing to get married?”

“Ah, this is a business secret that mother told me never to divulge.”

He said that, but Gray already looked eager to spill the beans.

Gray looked around exaggeratedly, as if checking his surroundings.

Ahem. Then he motioned for Juliet to come closer. Juliet leaned towards him with a smile.

Gray whispered in her ear.

“It’s Duke Carlyle.”

“…Pardon?”

“It’s Duke Carlyle.”

In an instant, Juliet’s face turned pale.