Chapter 7

While the owner of the tea room looked at Juliet from afar and thought of her as a picturesque painting, she was carelessly shaking her feet under the tea table hidden by a long dress.

Now Juliet was finally able to relax a little and only thought that the slight rustling of the fabric on her ankle was quite a pleasant sound.

However, soon her thoughts were interrupted by the creak of the wheels of the carriage, which stopped on the paved path in front of the teahouse.

Juliet wasn't surprised at all when she saw someone who got out of the carriage.

- Miss Juliet, I'm here to escort you to the mansion.

He was a man with a gloomy expression on his face, who seemed to be constantly on guard and was on full alert, waiting for an attack from all sides.

But instead of getting up from her seat, Juliet turned her face to him and looked him right in the eyes and said:

- Sir Kane.

- Yes, miss.

- And why did you leave earlier?

It was a very simple question, but Kane was silent.

Meanwhile, Juliet smiled and continued.

- When I asked Sir Jude the same question, he replied that something had happened and Sir Kane was forced to leave urgently, so he had to accompany me instead of you. So why did you leave so suddenly?

- Miss Juliet, I'm sorry, but I can't tell you. - Kane answered after a short hitch, a kind of rude tone characteristic of people who are used to spending most of their time on the battlefield, not talking secularly.

It seemed that this was encouraging her to refrain from further questions.

When Kane Hal, who had already made a frightening impression at first, opened his mouth and started talking, most people panicked and hurriedly moved away from him.

No, not even so. Most ordinary people even tried to exclude the possibility of visual contact with him, let alone talk.

In fact, it was because his face was crossed by an ugly torn scar that gave his appearance a repulsive look. Therefore, as a rule, most normal people tried to avoid such an unsightly spectacle.

However, Juliet Montagu could not be considered an ordinary person because she was a rather unusual person.

Although Juliet seemed serious when she asked him a question, he didn't know if it was really true.

He instinctively felt that she already knew everything and asked him only out of easy curiosity, as if she were playing some understandable game with him.

- Did His Serene Highness summoned you?

- Khm. No, it's not at all.

Kane couldn't say for sure whether it was a question or a statement, because her tone didn't sound quite like a question, but he really hoped that Juliet would stop asking questions after that.

He has never been in such embarrassing situations when he had to evade the answer, because, thanks to his formidable appearance, quite a few people communicated with him, but now he is really in a difficult situation.

After all, Kane Hal knew he was a useless liar.

He was more skilled in fighting weapons than in conversation.

Initially he was a former slave slave, then he managed to become a first-class mercenary and then a captain of mercenaries, so he spent most of his life on the battlefield.

And the only person who called Kane "Sir" was Juliet Montagu.

Duke Carlisle, who unexpectedly summoned Kane a few hours ago, asked him in detail about Juliet Montagu.

He mainly asked him where she had been, who she dated and who she talked to.

- Was there anything in her behavior that was different from usual?

Kane didn't know why the Duke was asking about it, but he realized one thing that now he should be very careful with what he was telling him, because the Duke's feelings were sharper than ever before.

Realizing the dangers she was facing, Kane tried to protect Juliet Montagu as much as he could.

- Milady did a great job, no suspicious personalities were noticed next to her, and she did not visit any dubious places.

However, this conversation wasn't what he should have talked about to Juliet.

Of course, that's because his master was the Duke of Carlyle, not Juliet Montagu.

But Kane felt guilty to her for some reason anyway.

- What was he asking you about? Did you talk about me?

- ... I can't tell you. I'm sorry.

Kane refused to continue to participate in this verbal battle and frankly confessed.

- I understand.

Kane was internally worried that Juliet might find out anything else from him if it continued, but she suddenly retreated, and fortunately, she no longer asked him any questions.

However, she didn't look too disappointed.

Kane squinted gently at Juliet.

- Hmm.

Juliet seemed to have somehow lost all interest in him.

A couple of minutes later, Juliet, who was silent all this time, suddenly smiled wide, as if she had remembered something and moved a cup of tea to him.

- Sit down and drink tea. It's cool and sweet.

- ... Okay.

Kane sat on a chair opposite her and took a glass of tea.

The owner of the tea room, who looked out the window in passing, immediately recognized him and was terrified.

A former mercenary captain who seemed to have quietly lifted the bull with one hand, and a young beautiful woman, the Duke's mistress, sat opposite each other at the tea table and both held a teacup in their hands.

It was quite an impressive spectacle.

Few people knew about it, but Kane Hal wasn't really fond of strong alcohol and very rarely drank it.

Instead, he liked the sweet and soft drinks. It was undoubtedly a taste that did not match its appearance at all.

Juliet was one of the few who noticed this fact. After that, she often began to invite Kane to her tea, which she had previously enjoyed alone.

Just like now.

Kane loved spending this time with her.

Juliet Montagu was a smart young lady who had a rare talent that allowed her to create a cozy atmosphere around her, although she behaved restrainedly.

So Kane sometimes wondered if Duke Carlisle had kept her next to him for so long for that reason?

Emptying his glass, Kane looked at her stealthily, trying to guess Juliet's thoughts.

At that time, she paid no attention to him at all and looked calmly at the garden without touching her cup, as if she had lost all interest in it.

Then she laughed quietly, noticing that Kane had already drunk her tea and asked carefreely:

- Maybe you want more?

- ... Yes, thank you.

As she said, the tea was really cool and sweet, but Kane for some reason could not fully feel its taste.

*****

It's evening.

Lenox Carlyle arrived at the imperial palace a little earlier than planned.

But instead of going down to the banquet hall to the other guests gathered at the New Year's event, he stood on the terrace and looked at them absent-mindedly from above and down.

- We found him. - Hardin, a knight in black armor, quietly approached him, reported in a calm voice.

The Duke's "wolves" were elite knights who obeyed only his orders, he used them only when the work had to be done quickly and secretly, and Hardin was the leader of this elite detachment.

- This man lives in the eighth district, his name is Donovan.

A few hours after he ordered the search for a suspicious man who visited the Count's estate, the Duke's "wolves" established his whereabouts.

But Lennox Carlisle's facial expression while he was listening to the report hasn't changed at all.

The eighth district was the area where wealthy commoners lived, who formed something like their small state in the area.

So it's really true.

The unknown "man" who visited Juliet's father's estate several times was a real man, not a servant's leisure fiction.

- Your Serene Highness, what should we do with him?

- Wait for now. I'll decide what to do with him after the banquet.

- As you order.

Lennox didn't leave the terrace even after a man in black armor quietly left.

Meanwhile, a light melody played downstairs and dances began.

One of the women, who was among the luxuriously dressed aristocrats who were now either dancing or walking around the hall, attracted his attention.

Dressed in a dark blue exquisite dress, she stood quietly alone by the wall. In a bright light, her shiny chestnut hair was cast with silver, and the elegant neckline of the dress left her shoulders and part of her back open.

Even though she was just standing, there was something fascinating about her that didn't allow her to look away.

And this woman, who now played the role of a "flower by the wall", was the one who irritated him all today.

- If you hadn't come to the banquet hall, giving me some ridiculous excuse instead, I would have gone to the Count's mansion and personally dragged you here.

However, contrary to his expectations, Juliet was present in the banquet hall of the imperial palace, as she promised.

Frankly speaking, Lennox was a little delighted with her behavior today.

His mistress, who used to behave as if she had algae in her mouth instead of her tongue, showed unprecedented determination and dared to act on his nerves for so long.

It was really nonsense.

Juliet Montagu was a mistress who could well take care of herself, so he didn't pay much attention to her. Frankly speaking, as a mistress, she was very comfortable.

She never asked him for love or attention, and she also did not demand gifts or try to play with him.

But most importantly, Juliet never imposed unilateral feelings on him.

She never forced him to reciprocate her feelings.

In fact, the standard of conduct that Lennox Carlisle would like from his mistress was not very high.

He had nothing against it if a woman was not in high status or was undereducated.

However, he preferred someone with whom he could break off relations at any time.

It didn't matter to him at all whether his mistress spent fabulous amounts of money on magnificent dresses, jewelry or surrounded herself with excessive luxury, but as soon as they started asking him for more, he broke up with them without regret.

It always ended the same way. No exception.

After a certain period of time, everyone began to whine and pray for love, after which he ruthlessly broke off relations with them and immediately forgot about them.

Lennox Carlisle wasn't a 15-year-old boy excited by his first love.

He hated wasting his time and in particular talking about love, which he considered useless children's fiction.

It is for this reason that he had no long relationship with any of his previous mistresses, although he kept women next to him if necessary.

And this time shouldn't have been an exception.

Lennox Carlisle laughed dryly.

Juliet was a beautiful woman. With these gentle eyes, graceful eyebrows, a small proudly raised nose, a heart-shaped face and a slim body, she seemed quiet and intelligent.

She was very different from his past mistresses, who usually walked around him like flies and talked silently, which was fucking annoying him.

In fact, Juliet was quite far from his usual tastes.

He liked the gorgeous bright women, while Juliet Montagu was an elegant beauty, as if she had escaped from the temple frescoes that the nobles were crazy about.

Despite the fact that it was just a spontaneous whim when he decided to make Juliet Montagu his mistress, he never regretted it.

However, she rarely bothered to ask him for something first, let alone beg for it with a sweet voice that had so effect on his nerves.

So sometimes Lenox thought she was really amazing.

- Convenient. Hmm...