"Why? Why are you doing this, miss?"
The girl's violet eyes trembled, her voice choked with distress. Juliet stood frozen, still gripping the fabric of her sleeve.
*It was Dahlia. Without question.*
Before, Juliet had thought her memory of that face was vague, uncertain. But now recognition blazed through her mind, and she clearly recalled their previous encounters.
But before Juliet could ask or speak, people began gathering around, drawn by Dahlia's cry.
"Oh my goodness—what's happening?"
Yet Dahlia, as though seeing Juliet for the very first time, looked up with helpless, trembling eyes.
"Have I done something wrong, Lady Juliet? Oh—it *hurts!* Lady Montague!"
Though Juliet had merely grasped her sleeve, Dahlia screamed as though her wrist had been wrenched from its socket. Her timing was impeccable.
"Countess Montague! What is the meaning of this?"
Leaping from her seat, the alarmed Empress rushed toward them. Ladies-in-waiting converged from all directions.
"Release her hand, Countess Montague!"
At the Empress's command, a chamberlain seized Juliet by the shoulders and pulled her back. She stumbled slightly.
Juliet's mind went blank. Words refused to form.
"Elizabeth, are you all right?"
*Elizabeth?*
Juliet's gaze turned to ice.
"It's Dahlia..." she whispered, her eyes still fixed on the girl.
"Her name is Elizabeth Tilman," the Empress interjected immediately, sensing the mounting tension. "I met her in Varena. The girl possesses a rare healing gift, so I invited her to the palace as my personal attendant."
*So I was mistaken?*
But Juliet couldn't believe it.
*The name is different—but that face...*
"The Viscount Tilman family is a noble house," the Empress continued, as though justifying the girl's presence. "Not as distinguished as the Montagues, of course—but respectable nonetheless!"
*The Empress had clearly taken Dahlia's side—or Elizabeth, as she now called herself.*
Juliet was being cast as the villainess: a cruel noblewoman attacking a defenseless servant.
"Now then—what happened? Elizabeth, tell me yourself."
The Empress spoke gently to the trembling girl.
"I... I was only bringing medicine for Your Majesty, and... this lady..."
Juliet let out a soft, bitter laugh.
*Perhaps at the loud clatter of the fallen tray. Perhaps at the sheer absurdity of it all. Or perhaps because the palace corridor was now crowded with onlookers.*
From the outside, the scene was damning: a young maid with a tray, and the Duke's notorious mistress, who had attacked her unprovoked.
*A rare performance indeed.*
Surrounded by sympathetic ladies-in-waiting, Elizabeth turned to Juliet with an expression of wounded innocence.
"Have I offended you in some way, Lady Montague? If so, I sincerely beg your pardon..."
"You don't recognize me?"
"Pardon?"
"You're acting as though you've never seen me before."
With cold composure, Juliet addressed the girl again.
"Have we met?"
"No..." Elizabeth's eyes widened with convincing surprise, as though she genuinely didn't understand the question.
*Such an innocent answer struck like a subtle blow: No, we haven't met. That's all.*
"Enough, Countess Montague!" The Empress intervened sharply. "I don't know what this is about, but Elizabeth is now my servant and healer. I will tolerate no further insults directed at her."
Each word carried increasing authority.
"Countess, you must be mistaken," whispers rippled through the crowd. Servants and courtiers craned their necks, eager to catch every word.
Juliet allowed a faint smile to touch her lips.
"Yes, perhaps I was mistaken, Your Majesty," she said calmly.
Contrary to expectation, she yielded without resistance. The Empress, slightly confused but pleased, pressed on.
"In that case, please apologize to Elizabeth."
"I apologize for such unbecoming behavior, Your Majesty." Juliet bowed gracefully.
The Empress nodded with visible satisfaction.
Juliet then turned to Dahlia—or Elizabeth—and bowed again.
"Please forgive my abruptness, Miss Elizabeth Tilman."
"It's quite all right..."
But.
Juliet raised her head sharply, tilted it slightly to one side, and asked once more:
"You truly don't recognize me?"
"Countess Montague!" The Empress's voice rose to a shriek.
The audience, who had assumed the drama concluded, gasped and broke into subdued, scandalized laughter.
*What a twist.*
"My lady, if I've offended you in any way, simply tell me—I'll make amends..." Elizabeth's eyes brimmed with tears. "But please, don't say such things before Her Majesty. It undermines her authority."
"Elizabeth..."
Juliet looked down at her—cold, without a trace of remorse.
From the outside, it appeared as though *she* were at fault: Juliet Montague, cruelly tormenting a helpless servant.
"Forgive me, Countess Montague..."
The situation spiraled beyond control. Noble ladies who had moments ago been friendly now gently pulled at Juliet's arm, attempting to calm her.
But Juliet cared nothing for how evil or cruel she might appear.
"So you're claiming you've never met me... and don't know who I am?"
As far as she could recall, Juliet had never placed much importance on such things.
*But this was genuinely strange.*
Her scarlet lips curved into a graceful, almost mocking smile.
"Yes?"
"Miss Elizabeth Tilman—the moment you saw me, you called me 'Miss Juliet.' And then, 'Countess Montague.'"
"So what?" The Empress frowned, her earlier anger giving way to confusion.
"Ah, but that *is* peculiar, Your Majesty." Juliet's smile sharpened. "As I understand it, Miss Elizabeth has only just arrived from Varena and is attending the Imperial Court for the first time. Is that correct?"
"Yes, and?"
"And yet—though she claims never to have seen me—she instantly recognized both my face and my name. In a room filled with noblewomen."
"Now that you mention it..." one of the ladies murmured. "That *is* rather odd..."
"Didn't she address you by name even before the Empress introduced Countess Montague?"
"How *did* you know the Countess's name?"
One by one, the noblewomen began nodding. A murmur of surprise swept through the hall. The Empress, who had seemed so confident moments before, now appeared visibly flustered.
And Elizabeth herself—the servant in question—gazed silently at Juliet with an expression impossible to read.
"Evidence, Countess Montague?" The Empress rallied, attempting to mask her uncertainty. "Perhaps she simply heard your name somewhere? That's hardly unusual."
Juliet shrugged with elegant indifference.
*She had no intention of causing harm to the Empress. She was perfectly content with the icy glare Dahlia now fixed upon her.*
*That was enough.*
"Of course, Your Majesty. You are absolutely right," Juliet replied, inclining her head with a soft smile. "Forgive the commotion. Allow me to take my leave."
She departed with the same impeccable grace for which she had always been admired. And though she had no servants attending her, no one dared obstruct her path.
---
## — The Carriage —
As Juliet settled into the carriage waiting outside the palace, her thoughts refused to quiet.
*Dahlia is a healer?*
*This never happened in my previous life.*
*In that existence, Dahlia had been surrounded only by rumors and speculation. The most persistent claimed she was a girl capable of performing miracles.*
*Priests blessed with healing gifts had always been prized. But Dahlia—though not ordained—possessed sacred powers. The Pope himself had personally favored her.*
"So she truly does have the gift?" Juliet murmured, staring out the window.
*Pope Sebastian, who had stood behind Dahlia, was later exposed as a fraud and exiled.*
*Ah... she was hiding all this time? And now, under the Empress's protection, she has returned to the stage?*
*After the Marquis of Guinness... now she has positioned herself beside the Empress?*
Juliet sighed quietly.
*Elizabeth Tilman...*
*With her new name and identity, Dahlia would of course deny any connection to the Marquis of Guinness.*
"We have arrived, Countess."
Juliet looked up. Only then did she realize the coachman, out of habit, had delivered her not to the Count's house, but to the Duke's residence.
She was about to request they turn back—but spotting a knight running toward the carriage, she stepped out instead.
"Sir Jude."
"Miss Juliet."
She studied him for a moment, then asked:
"Do you know Viscount Tilman?"
"Hmm... aren't the Tilmans a family of knights from the central province?"
"Exactly."
Juliet nodded. Her suspicions were confirmed.
"I've heard that name as well."
*Elizabeth Tilman.*
*This was the identity Dahlia now sheltered behind—and the Tilman name, at least, appeared genuine.*
"Can you determine whether Viscount Tilman has a daughter named Elizabeth?"
"Yes," Jude replied, though something in his manner seemed reluctant.
Juliet was about to inquire further when she noticed an unusual commotion at the entrance to the Duke's residence.
"Miss Juliet!"
Jude stepped quickly into her path, as though blocking her way.
"I'll escort you to the Count's house."
"What?"
Juliet's eyes narrowed.
"What's happening?"
"Ah... nothing of concern," Jude muttered—but he was clearly no skilled liar.
"Sir Jude."
"I was ordered not to tell you!"
Juliet stopped abruptly.
"Has something happened to His Grace?"
Seeing genuine worry creep into her eyes, Jude couldn't maintain his composure.
He exhaled heavily.
"His Grace... had an accident."
---