Ilena, observing Juliet's expression closely, noticed the subtle shift that followed her words. Then—shuddering slightly, as though mildly startled—she added an explanation:
"Besides this… the Duke of Carlisle stated that he would give Viscount Fusilli a choice between his hands or his head…"
Juliet blinked but said nothing. Knowing Lennox as she did, she wasn't remotely surprised he'd attempted to pressure the elderly matron—but she could see Ilena was reluctant to permit such severe punishment of the shameless aristocrat.
However, her reluctance to punish the Viscount harshly stemmed not from fear of his personal revenge. Viscount Fusilli himself wielded negligible power in high society—but the man standing behind him could present a genuine problem.
The Viscount was a vassal of the Marquis of Guinness, who ruled the southern territories.
And if Ilena now yielded to the Duke of Carlisle and surrendered Viscount Fusilli to him, the latter could lose his hands—or worse. This would ultimately provide an excellent pretext for the Marquis of Guinness to move against her.
Ilena, naturally, had no desire to quarrel with either party. She found herself trapped in a decidedly awkward position—caught, effectively, between two fires: the Duke of Carlisle and the Marquis of Guinness.
Ilena was a woman of firm convictions who valued dignity and honor above all else. But frankly, Juliet harbored no great expectations.
Though Ilena was a kind elderly woman with a fiery temperament, she remained sufficiently conservative to scold her granddaughters for wearing revealing gowns.
"You mentioned that Viscount Fusilli hasn't departed yet, didn't you?"
Juliet, who had been pondering silently for some time, finally broke the quiet.
"Yes. He requested to see you before leaving. But you needn't worry in the slightest—if you tell me you don't wish to see him, I'll have him removed immediately." Then Ilena met Juliet's eyes directly and added, "All his belongings are already packed and loaded into his carriage."
"Hmm. I see," Juliet replied, inclining her head slightly.
So the carriage she had noticed near the entrance belonged to Viscount Fusilli.
"The truth is, he insisted upon meeting you personally—to apologize and beg forgiveness…"
"Grandmother!"
"Oh—yes, I know! Very well. I'll instruct him to leave at once."
The instant Ilena finished speaking, the servant standing beside her rushed from the greenhouse. He was likely hurrying to convey his mistress's final verdict to the Viscount.
"…I didn't actually expect you would wish to see him—but I wanted to inform you, just in case," Ilena muttered, as though offering a defense.
Before responding, Juliet laughed quietly, observing the old woman's uncharacteristic awkwardness.
"That's what I assumed. But I don't need to meet him in person."
*Flutter.*
"Huh? Is that a butterfly?" Emma asked, puzzled, noticing the shimmering blue butterfly she'd never seen before.
*How strange… How did it get in here when there are no flowers nearby?*
Emma watched in fascination as the blue butterfly drifted through the greenhouse, seemingly materializing from thin air.
However, soon the butterfly—having completely captured Emma's attention—fluttered past the girl and out of the greenhouse entirely.
"Grandmother! Did you see that butterfly? It looked so peculiar…"
"Oh, what's remotely special about butterflies? Stop making such a fuss like a child, Emma," Ilena scolded her granddaughter sternly. But Emma couldn't dismiss the unusual creature so easily from her thoughts.
"Oh, Juliet… did you see it?"
"Well, I'm not entirely certain…"
"It was so *beautiful*…"
Juliet smiled broadly and, raising her teacup to her lips, remarked:
"This tea has a wonderful fragrance, Madame."
---
After Juliet had finished her tea and prepared to depart, Ilena invited her to remain for lunch—saying she would be delighted if Juliet dined with her and the other guests in the greenhouse.
Juliet wanted to accept—but then remembered she had promised to return before lunch.
*Is it worth rushing back if I'll simply have to wait until he's free anyway?*
Since the administrative delegation had traveled from the North itself to see Lennox, he would likely be occupied with urgent matters for considerable time.
Having reached this conclusion, Juliet didn't decline Ilena's offer. She replied that she would be pleased to join them for the meal.
As the luncheon commenced, Juliet observed that the guests were behaving unusually warmly toward her. She suspected this was likely due to what had transpired the previous evening.
But besides Juliet, there was someone else who attracted even more attention.
"Hello, Countess Montague."
An attractive woman with a round face and gentle voice greeted Juliet.
"I am Charlotte Green."
Juliet was seeing this woman for the first time—but upon hearing her name, she quickly deduced her identity.
"You're Lady Emma's sister, aren't you?"
She was also Ilena Lindberg's granddaughter—and was expecting a child soon. Juliet recalled Emma mentioning during their journey south that her elder sister was about to give birth.
Unlike the youthful and ebullient Emma, Charlotte—who appeared to be in the final stages of pregnancy—looked serene but somewhat fatigued.
"May I sit beside you, Countess Montague?"
"Yes, of course. Please, just call me Juliet."
"Oh—may I truly? Then you must call me Charlotte."
Juliet found herself marveling at how prominently rounded Charlotte's belly had become, having never before witnessed a woman in the final months of pregnancy. Charlotte noticed her curious gaze and chuckled, mentioning that the baby was expected in four weeks.
"My sister spoke of nothing but you the entire night—so I was genuinely looking forward to meeting you."
Then Charlotte leaned slightly closer to Juliet and whispered:
"No one will say this aloud—but in reality, everyone is positively *gloating* right now."
"What do you mean?"
"Viscount Fusilli possessed a terrible reputation even before he developed this deplorable habit with his hands. Everyone had been waiting ages for an opportunity to exact revenge on him—but you managed to teach him a lesson instantly, stealing that privilege from everyone else…"
"Charlotte!"
"But it's the honest truth, Grandmother."
"Expectant mothers shouldn't speak in such a manner. You should discuss only pleasant subjects. What will your child learn otherwise?"
"He'll learn that wrongdoers face consequences," Charlotte responded firmly to her grandmother's rebuke.
Despite her sweet face, Charlotte possessed a tough, straightforward character—which Juliet found quite appealing.
While the guests engaged in leisurely conversation amongst themselves, a servant suddenly burst into the room.
"Madame Ilena!" The servant called to his mistress urgently.
"What's happened?" Ilena asked calmly.
"Viscount Fusilli has suffered a sudden fit while traveling toward his estate."
"A fit?"
The faces of the guests—who had been chatting carelessly with one another in the greenhouse—instantly registered alarm upon hearing this news.
"Yes—the Viscount's servants are quite concerned about his health. They're requesting permission for him to return to your villa…"
"Hmm…"
Ilena's gaze settled intently upon Juliet.
She didn't strictly need to solicit Juliet's opinion—but she likely wished to confirm she was comfortable with the arrangement.
However, before she could speak, the other guests began voicing their objections one after another.
"Madame Ilena—you realize you're being *deceived*, don't you?"
"Oh, I'd wager this is merely another of his theatrical tricks."
"Yes, precisely! That cunning wretch is scheming again!"
"He's already exploited every conceivable opportunity to manipulate our sympathy. Moreover, he appeared perfectly healthy when he departed!"
As Charlotte said, it seemed all the guests had suffered considerably from Viscount Fusilli's antics—and their patience for tolerating his manipulations had finally reached its limit.
"And yet, something isn't quite right here. What does he gain from this performance?" Ilena mused thoughtfully.
"Who can say…"
At that moment, Juliet observed a blue butterfly drifting through the greenhouse. It alighted quietly upon the rim of her teacup—and she smiled faintly.
---
Juliet departed the greenhouse and walked a short distance through the mansion's corridors.
Most of the guests remained drinking tea in the conservatory, so she encountered no one in the hallways save a few servants.
"Juliet."
This continued until the man who had been silently following her could no longer restrain himself. He seized her wrist and turned her to face him.
Juliet glanced at her captured wrist and asked:
"So now you *can* touch me?"
"What?"
"You've been acting strangely every time you've touched me."
"When have I ever behaved like that…?"
Last night, during the journey from the concert hall back to the villa, Lennox had indeed been acting peculiarly. Every time her knee brushed against his as they rode in the carriage, he would frown—as though he were profoundly uncomfortable in her presence—and then he would begin staring fixedly out the window, appearing deeply irritated.
Initially, Juliet thought she was merely imagining it. But after it occurred several more times, she began to feel as though he were accusing her of something entirely unreasonable.
Regardless of how spacious the carriage's interior might be—was it truly possible for two people occupying the same confined space to avoid touching one another entirely?
As soon as they'd arrived at the villa, he had been the first to exit the carriage—though he had still extended his hand to assist her descent. He hadn't attempted to meet her gaze, however, merely supporting her briefly with his gloved hand.
And this morning, he hadn't sought her company at all.
Juliet didn't even attempt to comprehend why he appeared so troubled now.
Lennox had only requested that she remain with him for six months—but he hadn't uttered a single word about her needing to please him or attempt to satisfy him as she had before.
"If you don't wish me to touch you, simply tell me so."
"I just…"
Lennox paused momentarily, as though profoundly embarrassed. But soon he spoke quietly:
"…I never said I didn't want that."
"Is that true?"
"More than."
Having answered, Lennox immediately altered the subject.
"I heard he departed."
"Ah—well, yes."
The rumors had reached him faster than anticipated.
Juliet found herself wondering: exactly how many people had Lennox dispatched to Ilena's mansion to serve as his informants?
"That's welcome news, isn't it?" Juliet asked, smiling broadly.
But Lennox, conversely, appeared distinctly displeased.
When Lennox heard the report that the exiled Viscount Fusilli had suffered a fit, he—unlike others—would have immediately deduced it was Juliet's doing.
Juliet didn't particularly care, though. Lennox had promised her he wouldn't harm anyone *in front of other people*.
Since he had made that promise, he likely intended to deal with the Viscount later—once removed from public view. But Juliet had no intention of exacting revenge upon the wretch through the Duke's hands.
Moreover, she expected to keep the Viscount alive for some time yet. In a certain sense, he might still prove useful.
Though Lennox studied Juliet for several seconds, he eventually—as anticipated—yielded.
"Fine. Let's go."
"Where?"
"To the gallery."
"The gallery…?" Juliet blinked in confusion. "Do you wish to purchase paintings right now?"
"…I was informed that you enjoy them."
"Who told you that?"
"Elliot."
This time, Juliet found herself momentarily speechless. After a few seconds of stunned silence, she answered with genuine bewilderment:
"To be honest… I don't particularly care for paintings."
"……"
She appreciated viewing artwork—but only because, in her assessment, painting represented an excellent investment. Beyond that practical consideration, she saw no compelling reason to spend time examining them. And she knew perfectly well that Lennox harbored no interest in such pursuits either.
Whether concerts or exhibitions—Juliet had been forced to maintain an expression of polite interest until the tedious conclusion of each event, as the rules of propriety demanded.
"Damn it—then what *do* you want to do?"
*What do I want to do…?*
Juliet was rendered literally speechless with astonishment upon hearing Lennox's question.
*Wait just a moment—why has this man suddenly begun doing things he's never done before?*
---