Chapter 26

Flash!

Flashing lightning for a moment illuminated the impenetrable darkness of the forest with bright light.

Suddenly, the wind ruffled the man's black hair, exposing his forehead with stubbornly shifted eyebrows and cold red eyes.

In front of him stood at full height, fluttering, a giant centiped monster with a severed head.

Bach!

When lightning flashed and the defeated centipede fell to the ground, Lennox slowly blinked like a man waking up from his sleep.

However, he was not surprised to find himself standing in the middle of a dark forest inflaunting with monsters.

Lennox immediately remembered the woman who hated the storm.

"When will you come back?"

The fact that Juliet was afraid of a thunderstorm was hardly noticeable.

For the simple reason that Juliet Montagu was a rather fearless person who always held on with cold dignity and confidence.

In addition, heavy rains with thunder and lightning in the North were a very rare weather phenomenon.

Usually the season, which accounted for big storms, was only in the summer, but at this time they always moved to a separate summer palace.

Nevertheless, Juliet's memories could differ about what he remembered, because it was only what he could remember.

The Duke who ruled in the harsh northern territory was usually a very busy man, so he often left Juliet alone.

"There will be a storm soon. That's why..."

If she had asked him not to leave at least once or take her on a trip, and maybe come back early, he would probably have been able to find out earlier. But then she just said:

"Be careful..."

All she had to do was just tell him about it, nevertheless, she stubbornly continued to keep her mouth shut, without saying it a word about it.

How stupid...

Juliet's decidence in this regard was so firm that it involuntarily irritated him.

Despite the fact that she was clearly terribly afraid of this natural phenomenon, in a conversation with him, this stubborn woman continued to behave restrainedly and calmly, not for a moment, without changing the expression of her face. So all this time, he didn't have a single opportunity to find out about her fear.

Although she probably didn't want anyone to understand that she was afraid of being alone on a thunderstorm night, since only children usually felt fear of the storm.

Nevertheless, Lennox still found out about it, however, quite recently.

Returning in the morning on one of the thunderstorm days, when it was still dark, he found Juliet sitting on the floor near the bed. She spent all night in this position with a lamp burning in the room.

"I'll turn off the lights, otherwise it will be difficult to fall asleep."

Carelessly throwing these words, he came up to turn off the lights, and as soon as he did, he heard a barely audible scream. However, it was more like a cry because of shock than from fear.

It was at that moment that he realized this, because there was also a big storm on the day of her parents' death.

Although she tried not to show her fear, her behavior then seemed nice to him. Despite the fact that her face looked pale that night, she continued to pretend that everything was fine, desperately trying to get into bed and then digging under the blanket.

That's why he also pretended not to notice anything.

After that night, he sometimes thought about what Juliet would do on those thunderstorm days when he would not be with her?

But he never asked her about it.

Most likely, she just left the light in the room for the whole night and waited for the storm to pass, or called the maids to her so as not to be alone.

It wasn't the question he needed to know more about, yes, to be honest, he didn't want to know more about it.

Flash!

When lightning struck again, Lennox found a white bone under his feet.

All the wild grass was dotted with whitish bones, at first glance, looking human.

However, not all these dozens of bones lying at his feet were once travelers, unfortunately, following the wrong path.

There were also remains of mutated creatures, which also fell under the pernivating influence of the miasms of the polluted forest.

Even the air itself was poisonous.

But strangely enough, this poison, harmless to most animals, had the same effect on humans in some cases as drugs, causing them hallucinations, and in others it had a strange medicinal effect.

Few people knew about these facts, but Lennox was aware of it because there were many mountains in the North, and, of course, there were many equally polluted forests.

One of the tasks of the Duke's knights was precisely to reduce the total number of people dependent on this drug effect by destroying monsters in the northern lands that poisoned the surrounding cut.

Lennox has always been curious what it's like to be influenced by hallucinations?

Monsters causing hallucinations and poison of the infected forest had no effect on his body.

If his mind were subject to them, would he see something unusual too?

Lennox has never seen spirits or ghosts, although he has visited numerous polluted forests.

In the damp fog, Lennox stared at the forest as black as resin.

And suddenly, a smoky white image appeared among the dark trees where it was impossible to see something.

Then he gradually began to form into rounded forms of a female figure, starting with fluttering hair and dress, and soon he saw a lonely woman wandering in a dark forest, looking as if she was very excited.

The silhouette of a woman, painfully familiar to his eyes, was now so clearly visible that it seemed that as soon as he stretched out his hand and he would touch her, but despite everything Lennox did not even smile.

It was a little absurd situation. As if he wanted to see her, she would appear before his eyes.

Lennox wondered if he really had hallucinations or if he just had it.

The woman looked around with a frightened expression on her face, and then suddenly looked after him.

When he looked at her, he saw how the woman's face instantly cleared up and was reflected in such a deep sense of love as never before.

The next moment, Lennox involuntarily held out his empty hand to the woman who was running to him.

- You'll return...

He really thought that Juliet was back and would now throw herself into his arms.

However, the woman passed Lennox like a ghost and ran on. When he turned around, the woman had already disappeared from sight.

Flash!

Lightning lit up the forest again, and he saw a woman with bare feet again, but now she pressed firmly against some stranger, and no longer looked scared.

Rather, she looked as if she were the happiest person in the world. And the same joyful smile that she very rarely showed him shr on her lips.

Still smiling at her secret lover, she hugged him by the neck and kissed him as if she was just waiting for. Then she leaned her cheek against the chest of a mysterious man and shyly, like a child, looked at him, whispering:

- We'll have a baby.

Charming lips, which used to obey only him and seemed so sweet, opened again.

- So let's run together.

Wow!

He blindly waved his sword, cutting the image of two lovers, but his blade fell on something solid.

But the moment Lennox saw the little sparks, he guessed who it was. He quickly grabbed the bow and pulled the string and fired an arrow into the darkness of the forest.

Deaf sound.

The monster's body with an arrow in its neck collapsed on the grass.

It was a bronze deer - the lowest creature often found in the forest.

The only difference was that it was all white. But this level of mutation was not surprising for a creature living in an infected forest.

Apparently, when he saw that the centipede living in this part of the forest was dead, he ran out of the hole in which he used to hide.

Lennox looked indifferently at the monster body lying in front of him. Red blood poured out of the white deer's neck.

Despite the fact that the protracted illusion has long ceased to exist, Juliet's image still remained in his thoughts.

"It's not your child."

And contrary to this vision, which was only the fruit of his imagination, Juliet's escape and the words she said goodbye to him were quite real.

Usually he would doubt the veracity of this statement first. Because it was rare for him to lose composure.

However, this time his mind, which is in confusion, could not recognize lies.

He didn't have enough time to think sensibly about her words. Therefore, then he did not doubt them for a moment, deciding that she would not lie to him, because he believed that she would always be on his side, let alone leave him first.

Damn it!

In fact, it was just a trick to stop him.

Lennox's beautiful facial features were distorted, turning into a cruel mask with a contemptuously curved mouth.

He could easily hold her if he just held out his hand, and no fucking butterflies could prevent him, because Juliet's illusions did not affect him.

But at that moment, he didn't do it for the simple reason that he was amazed when he saw her tears. It was the first time he saw Juliet crying because she never cried in front of him.

Zvenok!

Having taken the necklace out of his cloak pocket, intended for her, and which he still carried with him, he fiercely squeezed it in his hand.

This magnificent necklace, called "Tears of the Sun," was a luxury item equivalent to the cost of ten mansions.

But still, Juliet left without taking anything with her. As if everything related to him, no matter how luxurious and expensive it may be, she associated with something terrible, and did not want them to remind her of it.

The white deer, in whose throat the arrow trembled, eventually stopped writhing, and at the same time breathing.

"Maybe I liked her?" thought Lennox when he finally managed to cool his head.

But he did not yet realize that he himself wanted in the hope of what he never gave Juliet.

*****

- Sir...

Hardin, who was waiting at the entrance to the black forest, standing with horses, was amazed by the Duke's view when he left the forest.

Black Hardin was a native of the southern territories and led the elite of knights loyal only to the Duke.

Despite the fact that Hardin was absolutely devoted to his master and followed any of his orders unquestioningly, even he now shuddered at the terrible sight of the Duke coming out of the forest completely covered with the blood of monsters.

Moreover, he left without a single scratch from the place where dangerous creatures lived and brought with him the bloody corpse of a white deer.

- Listen, sir...

Trying not to look at the dead deer, Hardin awkwardly opened his mouth.

Initially, Hardin's duties did not include reporting any news to the Duke. It was the responsibility of his secretary, Elliot, or at least other servants. But at the moment, only he is left next to the duke.

- ..... Some time ago I was delivered a message from the imperial palace, which said that the lake had turned red.

In the capital, next to the imperial palace, there was a sacred lake, which was accessed only by a limited number of people.

This lake was small and at first glance looked quite ordinary, but it was considered divine because it predicted a catastrophe.

Every few decades or even hundreds of years, the lake turned red, and as soon as it happened, it meant that very soon something very bad would happen.

In other words, it was a sinister sign that appeared the next day, after the grand New Year's celebration. Therefore, it was not surprising that the emperor was so alarmed that he hurried to contact Duke Carlisle in the middle of the night.

- Your Serene Highness?

However, Lennox Carlisle, who carelessly threw his prey to the ground and now wiped his hands from dried blood, seemed not interested in either sinister omens or misfortunes.

Wiping the blood flowing down from his chin, he looked up at Hardin and asked abruptly:

- Where is Count Montagu's mansion?