Early in the morning—before the sun had even crested the horizon—Juliet sat alone in a dimly lit room, lost in thought.
*…Remarkable. I never imagined he would make such an offer.*
Juliet glanced absently at the thin sheet of paper lying before her.
*I didn't expect to see this contract again.*
It was the very same document she had given him when she'd ended their arrangement. Except for one additional paragraph, its contents remained essentially unchanged.
*The term is six months.*
In exchange for extending their contract for this period, Lennox had offered to reveal everything she wished to know.
However, Juliet still couldn't comprehend what he truly hoped to gain from this arrangement.
Yet even in uncertainty, she had nothing to lose from accepting—and the offer promised no unpleasant surprises.
To be honest, Juliet didn't harbor high expectations for whatever he had promised to tell her.
By now, she already knew that "Snowdrop" was the name of the key that summoned the butterflies. But unfortunately, that was all. No matter how many inquiries she dispatched to the Information Guild, they couldn't uncover any additional information.
So she doubted he actually possessed anything important regarding the key.
Juliet's thoughts gradually drifted toward a more pressing concern.
What troubled her most was the specific time period Lennox had stipulated in the contract.
"Six months."
Juliet quickly calculated when it would conclude.
When the promised period expired, it would be late summer—the cusp of autumn.
*Flutter.*
As Juliet examined the contract, a pair of blue butterflies suddenly materialized in the air. She watched one of them—the one circling near the mirror—slowly descend onto the document and flutter its wings, as though attempting to prevent her from reading further.
*[Are you truly going to do this? Your signature goes here.]*
Juliet's eyes widened in surprise when she heard the voice resonating in her mind.
"Have you finally decided to speak to me again?" she asked with a faint smile.
It was the first time the butterflies had communicated with her since their return in the snowy forest.
*[We are smart.]*
*[And we remember everything.]*
*[Man… The man is bad.]*
*[Mistress. You cried. A lot.]*
The butterflies, as though exhausted from maintaining their silence, poured out a torrent of words. Juliet listened attentively, her eyes narrowing. When they finally fell silent, she spoke:
"He promised that if I remained with him for six months, he would reveal your secret."
*[……]*
"The Duke knows your name as well. But how significant is it that *I* remain ignorant about you?" Juliet paused, then added with quiet reproach, "If you had told me about yourselves from the very beginning, I wouldn't have needed to sign this contract."
*[……]*
"You don't wish to speak to me anymore?" Juliet asked, receiving no response.
Only after a prolonged silence did the butterflies finally break their quiet.
*[Mistress. You. Didn't. Ask. Us.]*
That was an astonishing answer.
It would have been preferable if they had lied—even with a falsehood as transparent as a five-year-old child's.
"Then why did you return?"
*[We didn't want to leave!]*
*[From the very beginning!]*
*[It's because "it" appeared there!]*
The butterflies' voices grew strident as they objected, as though they felt unjustly accused.
Juliet was mildly surprised by their vehement reaction. Though she was accustomed to their frequent complaints, she rarely heard them raise their voices with such intensity.
*[That necklace! It's very bad!]*
"Necklace?"
*Perhaps they mean Xenovia's soul gem?*
*[And that man! And that wolf too!]*
*[Mistress.]*
*["It" is targeting you.]*
*[We can protect you.]*
*[But neither the man nor the wolf.]*
*[They only get in the way!]*
Juliet held her breath involuntarily, attempting to construct a logical sequence from the butterflies' fragmented words.
The fact that they spoke with such agitation did not bode well.
*[We are very smart!]*
*[And we remember everything.]*
After these words, one butterfly alighted on the back of her hand and whispered:
*[Six months later. Half a year from now.]*
*[The day you died.]*
At these words, cold sweat instantly erupted across her entire body. She leaped from her chair before she even realized she had moved.
"…How do you know about this?" Juliet asked in a low voice, feeling an icy shiver crawl down her spine.
This was the central problem that had consumed her thoughts constantly.
*Six months later. Late summer.*
It was precisely during this time of year that she had died in her previous life…
But before her return, Juliet had never encountered the butterflies. Therefore, the demon couldn't possibly know she was living a second existence—much less what had transpired in her past life.
*[……]*
"*Answer me!*"
When she shouted sharply at the butterflies, they immediately responded, attempting to explain in even more frantic voices.
*[We know!]*
*[But we are not permitted to speak of it!]*
*[It's all "it"...]*
The butterflies' rapid speech gradually faltered, and then they spoke again—but haltingly.
*[Mistress. Don't be angry. There's no need.]*
*[We. Did. Not. Deceive.]*
*[What we did. This deception. We didn't….]*
***FLASH!!!***
Suddenly the butterflies erupted into blue flames and vanished—as though they had never existed.
Juliet wasn't surprised. She understood the reason for their disappearance.
It was a recall.
This only occurred when butterflies, extending far beyond their dimension, interfered too extensively with her world.
But Juliet didn't worry overmuch about them—she knew they would reappear after a time.
What truly concerned her now was what they had revealed.
Clutching her skirt convulsively, she replayed their words in her mind again and again.
*What do they mean, "it wasn't us who deceived"? Then who—or what—deceived whom?*
---
Descending to the living room some time later, Juliet encountered familiar faces.
These were people she had seen only the previous evening.
"*Heeeek!*"
But for some inexplicable reason, they were moving stealthily through the house—and appeared genuinely frightened when they spotted her coming down the stairs.
"It's been a while, Elliot."
Juliet greeted him first, raising an eyebrow slightly as she observed the strange behavior of those around her.
"H-how are you, Miss Juliet? Are you well?" Elliot, the Duke's secretary, answered with a noticeable stutter.
"Yes, thanks to your concern."
"His Lordship has urgent matters requiring his attention, so—" Elliot offered by way of excuse. "But there's no need for concern—I'm certain he'll resolve everything quickly! Yes, absolutely!"
*Ah. So that's what this is about.*
Only upon witnessing Elliot's desperate attempts at explanation did Juliet grasp the situation.
Since the Northern ruler had been absent for some time, his administration must have accumulated numerous questions and followed him south. However, Juliet cared little about how deeply Lennox immersed himself in his work. She was thoroughly accustomed to spending time alone.
"Is he in the study?"
"Yes, in the study."
"Then I'll see him after I visit Lady Ilena Lindberg."
During her stay in the South, she had been under the care of the elderly matron, as the invitation had originated from her. Juliet thought it proper to pay a visit and explain to Ilena what had transpired the previous night.
"I'll return before lunch."
Juliet headed for the front entrance, where a carriage already awaited her, without pausing for a response from the Duke's secretary.
"Very well—I'll escort you, miss."
Elliot followed and graciously opened the carriage door as they approached.
Before climbing inside, Juliet turned to regard Elliot.
"Elliot."
"Yes, miss?"
"The garden and fountain are simply magnificent."
"Really? I knew from the start you would appreciate them…. *Oh!*"
Elliot, who had beamed with pleasure at the compliment, instantly shut his mouth upon realizing his slip. But Juliet had already heard what she needed. She smiled secretively and climbed into the carriage.
"Come to think of it, they look exactly like those at His Lordship's summer palace."
"W-well, I suppose that's true…" Elliot answered vaguely, his gaze sliding away.
*I wonder why I didn't notice this immediately?* Juliet chuckled quietly to herself.
"Well then—I'll return soon."
"Oh… yes, miss! Have a pleasant journey!"
The carriage bearing Juliet rolled down the villa's drive.
During the journey to Ilena's mansion, she attempted to carefully summon the butterflies.
The summoning presented no difficulties—small butterflies immediately materialized within the carriage's interior—but they remained stubbornly silent.
The journey to Ilena Lindberg's mansion proved brief. Soon her carriage halted before the grand entrance.
Stepping down from the carriage, Juliet noticed another vehicle standing before Ilena's residence.
It seemed she wasn't the only one who had decided to visit the old matron this morning.
"Juliet! How delighted I am to see you!" Emma greeted her with a radiant expression the moment she entered the house.
This time Emma wore a lovely yellow dress—completely different from the drab attire her strict grandmother typically compelled her to don.
"I was just about to invite you to visit!"
"Invite me…?"
Juliet felt mildly embarrassed by Emma's enthusiastic welcome.
"Yes!"
Oblivious to her guest's discomfort, Emma took Juliet's arm and guided her toward the greenhouse.
Ilena Lindberg's greenhouse was three times larger than the one at Juliet's mansion. It contained a breathtaking variety of exotic flowers and fruit trees, creating a uniquely enchanting atmosphere.
"I was going to extend the invitation at grandmother's request—she wished to discuss something with you."
Emma appeared excited about something.
"…You came."
"Good morning, Madame."
Ilena, seated alone at a large tea table in the center of the greenhouse, observed Juliet's arrival and affected an expression of unsurprised composure.
"Sit."
Once Juliet and Emma had settled into their chairs, Ilena dispensed with pleasantries and addressed the matter directly.
"I wished to discuss what occurred at the concert… Juliet, I owe you an apology for yesterday's events."
Juliet was mildly surprised by Ilena's contrition.
In truth, she had anticipated the old woman would be furious about the Duke of Carlisle's conduct—threatening to kill one of her guests in her own home.
The situation had certainly deteriorated so dramatically solely because of Viscount Fusilli's reprehensible behavior. Yet Juliet hadn't dismissed the possibility that Ilena, with her conservative views, might easily side with the Viscount.
"It's quite all right—please don't trouble yourself. You bear no responsibility for Viscount Fusilli's deplorable conduct."
"Nevertheless, I believe I owe you this apology. After all, I was the only one who failed to notice that wretch's shamelessness—and I am, ultimately, the mistress of this house."
At that moment, Juliet thought she understood why the old woman hadn't scolded her granddaughter for wearing such a bright dress today.
"Following this incident, I took decisive action against the Viscount. Because of his behavior, he will never again be welcomed in southern high society."
"You merely banished him?"
"Yes. Precisely."
*Exile…*
Ilena delivered her verdict with considerable firmness—she clearly considered it an appropriate punishment.
*But wouldn't that be rather lenient compared to what he actually did?*
As this thought crossed Juliet's mind, Ilena spoke again—cautiously, as though sensing her disapproval:
"The Duke of Carlisle requested that I surrender the Viscount to him. He indicated he would… attend to the matter personally."
*Ah. So that was the arrangement.*
Juliet chuckled inwardly, and her lips curved into an ironic smile.
---