Several more hours passed before the stagecoach finally reached its destination.
Stepping down from the carriage, Juliet immediately set off toward the address written on the envelope, drinking in the picturesque landscape of the coastal town spreading before her.
Along the sandy beach, azure waves rolled endlessly onto ribbons of white sand. Small, charming houses dotted the shoreline, separated from one another by nothing more than simple wooden fences weathered silver by salt air.
After walking for about ten minutes, Juliet finally spotted it—a small white house with a blue roof, perched on a modest cliff at the far end of the coast.
"This is the one!"
Roy tilted his head, studying the house that had sparked such excitement in Juliet's expression.
*So Juliet's loved one lives here?*
Lost in thought, he fell a few steps behind. Before he could catch up, she had already reached the porch and was knocking on the door.
Moments later, the white door swung open to reveal a young woman cradling an infant in her arms.
"Oh, Miss Juliet!"
"Hello, Anne!" Juliet replied, her smile radiant with genuine happiness.
---
"I didn't expect you so soon! I'm absolutely delighted to see you!" Anne ushered them inside with bubbling enthusiasm. "Don't just stand in the doorway—come in, come in!"
The interior proved as wonderful and cozy as the exterior had promised. Soft light filtered through lace curtains, and the scent of dried lavender hung in the air.
"So this is your loved one...?" Roy whispered, barely audible, pausing at the threshold.
"Yes. Anne is my dearest friend."
When Juliet had followed the Duke of Carlisle north all those years ago, Anne had accompanied her. And until Anne married and departed to build her own life, she had remained steadfastly at Juliet's side, offering support in whatever way she could.
For Juliet—who had practically no friends—Anne was someone irreplaceable. A sworn sister, bound not by blood but by something deeper.
"......"
"Why are you looking at me like that?"
"I simply wanted very much to know who your favorite person was, Juliet."
Before she could ask what he meant, Roy grinned and stepped past her into the house, taking the initiative.
Juliet stared after him, puzzled by such a strange remark, then followed.
---
Once they had settled into the cozy living room, Anne lowered herself into the armchair opposite, the baby nestled in her arms.
"Would you like to hold him?"
"...Is that alright?"
Instead of answering, Anne smiled broadly and nodded.
Juliet's nerves fluttered as she awkwardly accepted the swaddled infant from her friend's arms.
Anne's baby, barely a month old, was smaller than she had imagined—yet surprisingly heavy.
"He's so warm," Juliet whispered, eyes widening with wonder.
"Babies are always like that." Anne chuckled softly, watching Juliet experience this for the first time. "Their body temperature runs higher than adults'."
Despite Juliet being a complete stranger, the little boy showed no fear. Instead, his face reflected the liveliest curiosity as he stared up at her, blinking his small eyes in a comically earnest way.
After holding him a while longer, Juliet—completely enchanted by his sparkling topaz eyes and plump pink cheeks—carefully returned him to Anne. She watched with quiet contentment as her friend fussed over the child.
Observing them, Juliet laughed softly to herself, suddenly remembering something from not so long ago.
*Silphium and mistletoe.*
*Anne would probably never guess what a misunderstanding arose between me and the Duke of Carlisle because of what I did to help her,* Juliet thought wryly.
"Where is your husband? Sir Morris?"
"Oh, he's terribly busy at the moment, so he won't be able to meet you today. He won't return until late evening."
After marrying Anne, her husband had become a merchant, which meant he was often at sea, traveling to distant corners of the world.
"Thank heavens—since the baby arrived, he no longer takes those long voyages. And this time, he promised to return even earlier than usual."
Time flowed swift and easy during their lively conversation, and before Juliet realized it, evening had arrived.
As dinner approached, she asked Roy to bring the basket she'd brought with her. It was supposed to contain meat and salad sandwiches, as well as a special pie filled with crushed berries.
But when the basket landed on the table and they lifted the lid, instead of food, they discovered a sleepy baby dragon curled inside.
"Oh my goodness!"
"Kyun?"
"What manner of creature is this, Miss Juliet?" Anne asked, eyes wide with alarm.
"Well, this is..."
While they stared into the basket in bewildered silence, the little dragon poked his head out, surveyed his surroundings with bright yellow eyes, and promptly retreated back into his cozy shelter.
As it turned out, the dragon had devoured everything inside—except for two bottles of milk.
---
Since not a crumb remained of Juliet's carefully prepared gifts, Anne graciously prepared several traditional eastern dishes and served them to her guests.
The month-old baby and the three-day-old dragon seemed to operate at roughly the same mental level, which allowed Anne to find common ground with the creature almost immediately. She treated him exactly as she would her own child, and surprisingly, the dragon didn't mind at all—behaving with obedient, almost kitten-like affection.
After dinner, Anne put the baby to bed, then led Juliet upstairs to the guest room, offering to help her prepare for the festival.
The moment the door closed behind them, Anne's expression transformed. Her voice turned firm with determination.
"Tonight, I'm going to make you the most beautiful woman in town! I haven't lost my skills, even after all this time. You have absolutely nothing to worry about!"
Anne's hands remained as dexterous as ever. It took her no time at all to restore Juliet's hair, which had lost its former luster from months of neglected care.
"Please don't move—there's just a bit left."
By now, Anne had finished trimming the split ends and begun working a light, pleasantly scented oil through the strands.
"What happened to your hair?"
"I'm sorry... I have no idea how to care for it properly."
While Juliet visited, the former maid shared stories of her life since marrying and settling in this coastal town—the small joys, the quiet rhythms, the unexpected adventures of motherhood.
Yet despite Juliet's sudden appearance, Anne asked no difficult questions. She didn't inquire why Juliet was there, or why she had left the Duke, or who the young man accompanying her might be.
Juliet felt deeply grateful for this restraint. She simply wanted to enjoy the company of a friend she hadn't seen in far too long.
When her hair finally gleamed like threads of silk once more, Anne moved to the wardrobe and withdrew an elegant dress.
"Now then—since your hair is sorted... you should try this on. Come, don't be shy!"
The dress was called a *dirndl*—the most common traditional costume in the East.
The bodice consisted of a blouse paired with a fitted corset, while the bottom featured a wide skirt adorned with a bright apron.
However, what Anne produced from the wardrobe differed somewhat from the traditional style Juliet remembered.
The neckline plunged lower than expected, accentuating her figure. The skirt fell considerably shorter than a conventional gown. And while Juliet admired the loose, puffy sleeves with their delicate ruffles at the wrists, the wide burgundy skirt was so abbreviated that her white ankles showed beneath the hem.
"That's the fashion here!" Anne declared with absolute confidence—before Juliet had even voiced a single objection.
In the capital, no one except children wore skirts so short. Juliet cast a suspicious glance at her friend, still hesitating.
Catching her expression, Anne nodded vigorously, as though reading her thoughts and confirming them all at once.
Finally, Juliet relented and slipped into the unusual outfit.
But once changed, she felt so peculiar in the unfamiliar clothes that she kept stealing glances at her exposed ankles.
"Anne, aren't you coming to the festival?" Juliet asked, realizing her friend still hadn't begun preparing herself.
"No, I'm afraid I can't accompany you tonight."
Anne cast a meaningful look in Roy's direction.
"Ahem... I think you two should go together. The Moon Festival is quite famous in this city."
The East was the region that still preserved the tradition of the lunar calendar rather than the solar one. Here, people believed the true New Year began only with this celebration.
By that reckoning, today marked New Year's Day.
*The Moon Festival.*
Though the name sounded rather grand, the event itself was modest in nature—a village celebration held on the night of the first full moon.
And as often happened with festivals in small towns, people focused more on food, drink, and merriment than on ceremony.
"Have fun, and then come back!" Anne said finally, gently but firmly pushing Juliet and Roy toward the exit.
"......"
"My lady, may I accompany you?" Roy asked, a soft smile playing at his lips.
He took the basket containing the dragon in one hand and extended the other toward her.
When Juliet shyly accepted his offered hand, they stepped into the town together. Merging with the cheerful flow of festival-goers, they strolled leisurely through the streets, savoring the jubilant atmosphere.
The moment the sun dipped fully below the horizon and the moon claimed the night sky, bright lanterns began blossoming throughout the town—strung between buildings, hanging from doorways, floating on the gentle tide.
Gazing upward at the darkness, Juliet thought the rising moon looked three times larger than usual, swollen and luminous.
"Shall we head back?"
"No. Let's walk a little longer."
Still holding Roy's hand, Juliet tugged him in a different direction.
"There's a lake over that way. The moon looks best from there."
"You've been here before, haven't you?" Roy asked, studying her carefully.
"Yes," Juliet answered simply.
She hoped he wouldn't press further. And Roy—as though sensing her unspoken wish—asked nothing more.
"Alright. Let's go there, if that's what you want."
It happened then.
"Mr. Roy!"
A voice they hadn't expected cut through the festival noise behind them. The speaker was a man known not only to Roy but to Juliet as well.
*Why has only Nathan come?* Juliet thought, an undefined unease stirring in her chest.
Nathan rushed toward them, his expression taut with urgency.
In truth, Juliet's concern stemmed not from the interruption itself, but from what she didn't see. Elsa—who always accompanied Nathan—was nowhere in sight. Until now, he had never appeared without her.
"Sir..."
"Nathan. What happened?"
Juliet stepped back, giving them space to speak privately. She watched as they conferred in low, rapid tones.
She couldn't hear their words, but she felt the atmosphere thicken around them. Something serious had occurred. Roy's expression grew increasingly grave as he absorbed Nathan's report.
When their conversation ended, Roy turned to face her.
"I have to—"
"Go."
The situation was clearly urgent. Juliet interrupted before he could waste time explaining. Roy looked at her for a long moment, then nodded.
"I'll be back soon."
"It's alright. I can walk to the lake alone," Juliet replied, taking the basket with the dragon from his hands.
"...I will definitely return. Wait for me."
"Yes."
With that, Roy and Nathan disappeared into the crowd.
And Juliet was left alone.