Chapter 13:

Chapter 13:

The Hundred Eyes of Argos. Hand it over.

Though somewhat prepared, the High Priest was taken aback.

The Hundred Eyes of Argos.

It was the most precious relic owned by the High Temple of the capital.

As the name suggested, this powerful artifact had the ability to locate anything within a radius of thousands of kilometers, rivaling the sacred power of the High Priest.

I-I can never give it to you, even if my neck fell! No matter how noble the Duke of the North, but stealing the relic!

I said I wanted to borrow it for a moment, not steal it.

Was that so?

The High Priest belatedly recalled and realized that he had given up too quickly, even mentioned his neck, feeling embarrassed.

However, the casual remark from Duke Carlyle continued, and the High Priests face returned to contemplation.

But killing and taking it wouldnt be bad either. I dont have much patience.

Heheek.

A young priest standing next to the High Priest, holding a lantern, gasped silently.

What should we do?

Well, even so, lending out the temples treasure so easily?

If you hand it over, I will return the Northern Temple in exchange.

Return the Northern Temple in exchange for borrowing the Hundred Eyes of Argos?

It was truly a striking condition.

The High Priest quickly spun the wheels of his mind.

Perhaps this was an opportunity.

If Duke Carlyle desired the Hundred Eyes of Argos, it meant that he was searching for something. Whether it was a person or an object, the High Priest didnt know.

He became curious about who or what Duke Carlyle urgently needed to find, to the point of returning the temple.

In any case, Duke Carlyle was the one in a hurry, so the High Priest thought it was worth raising the stakes.

There was a chance he could squeeze money from the Duke. Perhaps he could even be promoted to a higher position in the hierarchy.

With these calculations in mind, the High Priest put on a solemn expression.

But, Duke, you cant simply use a sacred artifact at will

Youre having a remarkable misconception, High Priest.

However, Duke Carlyle shattered the ambitious plan of the High Priest with just a few words.

The man who had been tilting his head slightly swept his hair back in a slow, nonchalant motion.

When did I say we would negotiate?

In the darkness, arrogant red eyes gleamed disdainfully.

* * *

The outskirts of the capitals train station were desolate, devoid of people.

It was to be expected. It was well past midnight. The festive atmosphere had kept people eating, drinking, and celebrating the New Year all night, leaving them exhausted.

Juliet had seen fireworks rising into the sky from the direction of the palace a little while ago.

The dark sky from them became so bright that they were even clearly visible outside the capital.

Watching the fiery flowers of fireworks bloom in the air, Juliet raised her collar higher.

It was so cold today that even the air she exhaled came out in small clouds of steam from her mouth.

But suddenly Juliet realized that involuntarily she continued to think about silver shoes.

The thought seemed so amusing to her that she laughed a little to herself.

She would never have thought that at a moment like this she would be thinking about the beautiful pair of shoes she left at the mansion, and not about her heartless, indifferent lover.

These shoes were not a memory or a memento from a heartless lover. She had left them at the mansion.

Lennox Carlyle was an exceedingly generous lover. Even without her asking, he showered her with luxurious gifts. Beautiful dresses and jewelry that resembled crowns. Anything she mentioned became hers.

But in reality, I have no interest in even a single fingernail of his.

Anyone who becomes accustomed to such a lifestyle would naturally come to believe that they have won his heart.

But Juliet never had that misconception from the beginning. It was because she knew that she would eventually be discarded.

The extravagant gifts were completely unrelated to his affection.

Affection, huh?

Lennox Carlyle was far from such soft emotions.

I wont bother Your Highness.

In fact, these words were not meant for him, she said them to herself.

It was an oath never to make a mistake and not to wish for anything.

One day, Juliet ran into a mysterious woman at one of the banquets. Juliet didnt know her and had never met her before, but as soon as she saw her, she spoke to Juliet as if she had been waiting it for a long time.

You better enjoy it while you can.

The advice with substance,

The Duke easily gets bored.

If her tone had been hostile, she could have dismissed it as jealousy, but Juliet didnt feel it.

But before Juliet could say anything, the woman hurried out of the banquet.

She wanted to tell her that it was useless advice, since she knew better than anyone what kind of person Lennox Carlyle was.

However, Juliet somehow continued to ponder the womans advice even after the banquet was over and she was driving back to the Dukes mansion.

Oh, thats so shameless!

I dont think she knows the word shame.

Countess Monad, youre wasting his name.

People despised her and taunted her saying, Even lower-status women are more deserving than this aristocrat who tarnished her honor with such a dirty bond. Thus, she will never be able to rise above us.

They were people without a face, but ever since she became his lover, baseless animosity had become familiar.

Juliet smiled mischievously.

They might have expected her to ignore or stammer through what she didnt hear.

Eek!

But Juliet wasnt that innocent. Instead of sitting and dabbing her tears with a handkerchief, Juliet always chose to knock over their teacups.

Thanks to that, the notoriety of Duke Carlyle only grew, but well, so what?

Contrary to peoples grumbling, enduring by his side was no big deal for Juliet. She hadnt expected anything from the start.

Becoming the lover of Lennox Carlyle was such an easy task.

But it seemed that guarding her heart was not as simple.

It didnt have to be her for Duke Carlyle. It could have been anyone; it didnt matter. As long as they were a suitable partner in bed.

Tak.

Juliet deliberately ignored a tear that fell on the back of her hand.