Chapter 6

- I checked everything.

The atmosphere in the Duke of Carlyle's office was quite tense.

- I didn't find anything suspicious or dubious.

After listening to the expense report, the Duke of Carlisle signed the last page of the expense approval document, which he held in his hands.

This completed the work to be done in the capital.

- Is that all?

- Yes, Your Serene Highness.

The Duke's secretary, Elliot, nodded quickly.

- At the moment, there are no more urgent cases.

In the morning, the Duke's house looked like a storm hit him.

This was because its owner suddenly announced that they should finish all the things they had to do in the capital today.

No one dared disobey Duke Carlyle when he ordered something to be done.

The Duke's secretary feverishly reviewed the contracts with other important documents and met the guests for half a day.

But the most surprising thing was that after all the affairs were completed, the Duke's house again became as calm and quiet as the sky after the storm ended.

Lenox Carlisle looked thoughtfully out the window.

Having finished all urgent cases, he was now able to analyze the information he had received earlier about Juliet's activities and the places she has visited over the past few months.

Juliet did not enjoy the charms of secular life, and her circle of communication was very narrow.

Her daily life was as monotonous and unchanged as ever, she had no contact with suspicious personalities.

In addition, the escort who accompanied her reported every hour of her movements.

Even Juliet's schedule today was no different from the usual one.

Like him, she spent half a day in a busy but organized schedule.

It wasn't a special day, except that she was supposed to return to the Duke's residence by noon, as he invited her to lunch.

In addition, he was already aware of the events that happened to her in the temple.

- Count Casper?

- Yes, do you know the name of the Marquess of Guinness? He's his son and is engaged to Princess Priscilla. When he left the temple, he had no face at all and looked quite frightened. Maybe he ran into a young lady, but I'm definitely not sure about it...

Of course, Lennox immediately forgot the count's name.

It would only be worth his attention if Juliet used her blue butterfly in front of people.

At the moment, his interest was a completely different circumstance.

Contrary to his expectations, Juliet didn't return to the mansion for lunch.

- Milady went to the Count's mansion and will come to the banquet hall of the Imperial Palace only after she has finished her business there. - Jude, who accompanied Juliet to the estate, reported.

- I see.

Within the capital was the mansion of Juliet's father, Count of Montagu.

Lennox was not worried about Juliet's sudden escape, as the escort who accompanied her were elite knights trained by the Duke himself.

- So you're clean.

Lennox slowly muttered something and touched the mail lying on the table.

These were letters addressed not to him, but to Juliet with invitations to various secular events.

Since all the seals on them were intact, she didn't even seem to open them.

From Lennox's point of view, Juliet's behavior until then was quite normal.

She regularly performed her duties and did not bother him with any problems, and the fact that she left his mansion alone should not concern him at all, as there was nothing special about it.

At first glance, that's exactly what it seemed.

However, the mood of the Duke of Carlisle was rarely defiled.

A beautiful finger knocked on the table lightly.

But is everything as it seems at first glance?

Juliet frankly avoided him.

And not only that, she also deliberately hurt his pride. She refused to accept his gift and sent the necklace back as if it were not worth her attention, and then went to the Count's mansion. It seemed that by doing so, she was challenging him.

It didn't look like Juliet Montagu at all.

However, unlike his inner feeling that something was hidden behind her actions, there has been nothing suspicious about her recent report.

Then how do I interpret the sudden change in her behavior?

- Oh, if you think about it, there was one circumstance I didn't tell you about.

Jude suddenly opened his mouth, breaking the prolonged silence, as if he had suddenly remembered something.

- I ran into the late count's maid when I visited his mansion once.

Despite the fact that the Count and his wife were dead, some servants still stayed in the Montagu mansion and took care of it so that the farm would not fall into decline.

That day Jude arrived at the Count's mansion to secretly pick up the mail that could have been delivered for Juliet.

- The maid there said something strange. Something like a strange man came to them several times.

- A strange man?

- Yes, he wanted to meet Miss Montagu. He came to her two or three times and asked for a meeting with her. However, she couldn't say much about him besides that.

Elliot unconsciously held his breath and did not take his eyes off Duke Carlisle.

Only the touchless Jude Hayon hasn't had time to catch the atmosphere yet, because he was too excited.

- He was a young man, he looked like he was a little in 20 years. I was going to tell you about it when Miss Juliet decided to visit the Count's mansion. However, since Miss doesn't often return there, the maid probably hasn't told her anything yet.

- Man.

There was no emotion on the Duke Carlisle's face.

But Elliot noticed that the Duke's finger, which was slowly tapping on the table, suddenly stopped.

The veins on the back of the armrest held and turned blue.

- Funny. - The Duke said with a face that didn't look like he was having fun.

Elliot couldn't stand it and looked at the fireplace squintly.

Without a doubt, there was a fire burning in the fireplace.

Strangely enough, however, the room temperature has fallen sharply.

This was not Elliott's own misunderstanding, because even Jude, who until recently was very cheerful, suddenly closed his mouth and stood up on the stand "humidly".

Juliet Montagu, who has left the residence since morning and has not yet returned.

And the Duke who ordered a secret investigation into his lover.

He roughly imagined what was going on now.

Elliott worked as Duke Carlisle's secretary for 10 years, so he knew all the Duke's mistresses.

If you think about it, the Duke already had a woman who unexpectedly brought another man to his bed to attract his attention.

Yeah, it seems he had one like that.

But what happened to her?

Elliot tried desperately to remember, but to no avail. Suddenly, a quiet voice called him:

- Elliott.

- Yes, Your Serene Highness?

- Let the wolves go.

"The Wolf" is a slang that denotes elite knights under Duke Carlisle.

Elliot bowed his head, hoping nothing bad would happen.

- ... As you order.

*****

Arriving home after a long absence and resting a little, Juliet slowly changed her clothes and went out into the city.

Because of the evening New Year's ball, the entire road down White Poplair Street, along which there were luxurious clothing stores, was crowded with crews.

Juliet walked the streets walking between hasty servants looking for dresses and shoes previously ordered for her mistresses.

Her ultimate goal was a teahouse called Tea House, located just away from the main street.

The owner offered her a table in a warm room when Juliet entered the tea room, but she refused, saying that she wanted to see the garden. After that, the owner escorted her to a small tea table in a beautiful garden, where she settled comfortably.

After a while, two glasses and a transparent carafe with a drink appeared on the table.

Juliet ordered cold iced tea, which was completely unsuitable for the current cold weather.

- Thank you.

- Always please. - The owner answered, thinking that in such cold weather it is a very strange choice of drink.

After the woman brought the drink, she returned to the room and looked out the window with curiosity.

Juliet never introduced herself, but the owner already knew her name and status.

Juliet Montagu, the only daughter of the late Earl of Montagu.

She was a pretty famous person.

Guests visiting the tearoom almost constantly gossiped about someone, but the name, Juliet Montagu, surfaced in conversations most often.

Some sympathized with her, saying that she was an immature child who lost her parents early and had no opportunity to rely on them, while others contemptuously referred to her as a miserable mistress who did not know her place and tried to gain the status of Duchess.

But in the eyes of the elderly owner, she did not seem to be an immature child or a woman who did not know her place.

Looking at her through the window glass, the woman thought she looked like a picturesque picture - a luxurious dress, a light smile on her lips and a little thoughtful look, but at the same time she looked just like an ordinary lady of her age.

- You look pretty cute.

It must not be easy to be the mistress of the infamous duke.

The owner of the tea room, who looked at her with a thoughtful look, for some reason felt pity for her.