Chapter 25

The skill of the man who created a pigeon figure with half-swiped wings made of pure silver could truly be called amazing.

Among the Duke's possessions in the North was also an archipelago covered with steep rock formations and surrounded by reefs, which made it easy to reach him by boat.

The nickname of this archipelago was the Carlisle Silver Cup.

However, despite its unattractive appearance, there was a significant amount of silver in the bowels of these small islands.

Although, compared to the various minerals that were in the rest of the vast part of the northern lands belonging to the Duke, silver reserves in the mines located in the archipelago were very modest.

For this reason, he was given such a cute name as the Silver Cup.

Everyone knew that there were significant silver deposits on the islands, but for almost two decades no duke had given orders for its full-scale mining.

Honestly, this was due to the traditional ownership of these islands, owned by the mistress of the northern lands.

In other words, it was the Duchess's personal property, which was something like a cash prize.

But since over the past two decades, the place next to the Duke of Carlisle has been empty, no one actually dealt with the mines.

Juliet learned about the existence of this silver mine about three years later, since she arrived at the palace in the North.

*****

- Greetings, madam!

It was an old man who at first glance looked a hundred years old and dressed in worn-out, pretty shabby clothes of an ordinary worker from the mine.

As soon as the old man saw Juliet, he bowed to her as a sign of deep respect.

Elliot, who was then accompanying Juliet, rushed to explain to her the whole story in panic, as she was very embarrassed by this man's behavior.

The old man was the manager of the archipelago, and he insisted that he could not leave until he greeted the Duchess, the owner of the islands, whenever he visited the Duke's palace to report on the accounts every 10 years.

- Just don't take it seriously. His Serene Highness still won't even know about it. - Eliot advised in a whisper. - Last time he blindly welcomed the maid of the late Duchess Meryl. Come on! Or he will never leave here. Just don't tell me what you think about letting this old man die without receiving a greeting from the Duchess!?

Then it was the first and last time Juliet contacted Elliot...

She looked at the old man's unfortunate face and nodded politely to him, after which he laughed happily and grabbed her hand.

- Dear lady, I arrived today with great gifts for you. They are from the bottom of my heart, so please accept them.

And as soon as the old man finished talking, carts full of beautiful silver products and luxurious jewelry began to appear from behind his back.

In the end, the frightened Juliet managed to somehow persuade the old man to take everything back, accepting as a gift only the smallest figure in the form of a pair of elegant pigeons that lay at the very top of the first cart.

- I really liked this figure! So that'll be enough...

The old man became sad at first, but when he saw Juliet choosing pigeons, he nodded with satisfaction.

- Undoubtedly, the Duke's wife has outstanding eyes! The pigeon is a symbol of fertility. Now that there is such a wonderful wife next to my master, I can find peace... This old Genofi can even die without regret...

When old Genofi, who had been talking to himself for some time and even cried at last, finally left, Elliot complained irritably.

- I bet that the next visit, this old man will still be alive!

After the noisy reception was over, Juliet, the only one left in the hall, was rubbing a figure in the form of pigeons in her hand.

One of the silver pigeons, which harmoniously spread its wings, was slightly different in shape.

Apparently, initially they were made as separate figures, and then paired. Juliet carefully examined them and soon saw a groove where they crossed. Slightly pressing on them, she heard the sound of a click, and they both fell into place. Juliet smiled slightly at herself, as a pair of pigeons whose wings were tilted at an angle now looked very cute.

Then she suddenly felt someone's gaze, and raised her eyes in amazement, quickly hid the figures she held in her hands behind her back.

- It's...

- I know. - A man who leaned against the door jamb near the office rudely interrupted her speech.

How long did he stand here and how much did he manage to see?

The man slowly approached Juliet, who lowered her eyes in embarrassment, and held out his hand.

Juliet bit her lip and showed him a dove decoration that she hid behind her back.

Why did I even decide to hide them from him?

She was ashamed of her behavior, as if she were a child caught stealing.

Afraid to see the expression of his face, Juliet stood down and stared at what she was holding in her hand.

Meanwhile, the man, who was carefully looking at the pigeons, suddenly asked:

- Do you like this cheap girl?

When Juliet heard this question, asked in a contemptuous tone, she felt the blood cool down in her veins.

- Answer me, Juliet.

She didn't want to raise her head and see the expression of his face, but suddenly with his fingertips he hugged her chin and made her look at herself.

When he forced her to look at him, she saw that Lennox's face blued in a smile. However, his eyes didn't smile at all.

He always smiled like that when he was in a bad mood.

At that moment, a lot of thoughts, like a whirlwind, flashed in Juliet's head.

What the hell could have pissed him off?

The first assumption that came to her mind was exactly like this:

How dare you accept the greeting for the Duke's wife, posing as a true duchess?

Does he think it's too arrogant?

Or is it because he decided that I was thirsty for the Duke's property?

Should I justify myself by saying that I wasn't going to steal anything from him?

- ..... It's not cheap.

Of course, this figure was not worth a penny when compared to the Duke's huge fortune.

- Bring her back. It's mine. - Juliet said, looking him straight in the eyes.

It occurred to her for a moment that he could give up what he held in his hand and ask her to leave her possessions.

- ..... Okay.

However, Lennox suddenly returned her a figure in the form of a pair of pigeons.

After this incident, she met him only a month later, as then he immediately left the palace under the pretext of inspecting his possessions.

A few months later, she noticed that one of the pigeons she carefully kept in a box for her jewelry suddenly disappeared.

But Juliet never regretted what she said that day.

*****

Watching the pigeon figure swing dangerously next to the handle of the suitcase, Juliet pulled it out and put it in the inner pocket of the suitcase.

It was a silver figure extracted and made by hard labor. But in reality, it was not too valuable because it was smelted of silver.

However, she still remembered that she was very upset that the second pigeon had disappeared, like a child who had lost his favorite toy.

Therefore, she must have left him in a prominent place, putting it on top of things in her suitcase, because she didn't want to lose the last pigeon.

Juliet stared absent-mindedly at the window.

Lennox, who was chasing her last night, looked very angry, but it won't last long.

Lennox Carlisle is not used to being rejected, and therefore, most likely, got angry, so it's just a minute's confusion. It's just that this man has never lost anything before.

The night before, Lennox changed his schedule and ordered her to return to the North immediately.

But she not only ran away from him, but also lied to him.

So Lennox, perhaps angry about Juliet's willful behavior, immediately went to the North with his men.

That was probably the case, because he no longer had any pending cases in the capital.

- ..... He could probably have even met her.

Maybe he met her.

With Dahlia, Fran - his true love.

*****

Contrary to popular belief, Lennox Carlisle led an exemplary life of an aristocrat.

Although in the temple he behaved like a slutty son of the devil, posing as a cruel tyrant, the daily routine of the ruler of the North, Lennox Carlisle, was quite monotonous and simple.

During non-working hours, Lennox's leisure time was divided into only two things.

He either went hunting in the forest, infolided with wild animals and monsters, or stayed in bed with his mistress all day and night long.

Lennox was a pretty good boss, although he showed signs of narcissism, which made it a little difficult for him to please.

He also never got drunk enough to lose his composure, never touched drugs in his life and never gambled.

And even the hunt, which he periodically enjoyed, perfectly helped to strengthen his sovereignty.

The North was a country indwelling with monsters and wild animals. And the people who lived in the north loved their master because he periodically destroyed animals that posed a danger to them.

Therefore, everything was fine, except that the Duke's engagement was never mentioned, let alone marry.

However, Elliot now thought it would be better if his master was a drug addict or an alcoholic. Then he definitely wouldn't bother so many people in the middle of the night.

- Graaaah!!!

- Jade?!

And again, an angry growl of the monster came from the black forest.

At the same time, Elliot screamed reflexively.

At the moment, no one knew what was going on and why the Duke sticks out more often in the black forest.

- .... The gentleman will destroy all the monsters near the capital so soon. - Jude muttered with a serious expression. - Shouldn't the royal family pay us for it?

Eliot stared at him in amazement.

Jude, the youngest member of the knight squad, was usually cheerful and cute, but often he gave out quite embarrassing lines, and looking at him, no one understood whether he was joking or speaking seriously.

Nevertheless, Elliot became a little ashamed that he was nervous and scared for no reason, seeing a completely calm Jude next to him.

The night before, Lennox, who went to the station to pick up Juliet, returned alone. And since then, he has been in some unusual condition.

All the Duke's escort got stuck near the capital in the nearest forest inhabited by many monsters, where Lennox chopped everything he came across on his way.

"Curse. Obviously, not only do we not understand what is happening to him."

Perhaps even Juliet herself did not understand this, but the daily life of Duke Carlisle gradually focused more and more on her until he became completely obsessed with her.

And now that Juliet has left him, Duke Carlisle was rushing through the forest like an angry beast in search of monsters, not knowing what to do without her.

- .... I'd rather he just get drunk.

- Or I found a new woman who will warm his bed.