Some time later—
"Hey, Juliet—what are you doing in here?"
The door burst open without warning, and a man strode into the room.
The intruder was Theo Lebatan, one of the honored guests invited to the festival in Lucerne.
Theo had caught sight of Juliet heading somewhere with a priest and followed them.
He didn't know why she was dressed in a novice's robes, but it was definitely his sister.
The red-haired Lebatan—finding the situation deeply suspicious—scanned the empty chamber and frowned.
"What's going on? Where is she?"
*Where did she go?*
"Dear guest, you cannot simply enter here without permission!"
The priest who'd accompanied Juliet rushed into the room behind Theo, shouting indignantly.
"I already told you! This is a restricted area, and there's no one inside! Are you satisfied now?"
The youngest member of the Lebatan family—known for his volatile temper—immediately seized the priest by the front of his robes and spoke in a threatening growl:
"So you think I'm a complete idiot? Or blind? Incapable of understanding what I saw with my own eyes?"
"N-no, I didn't mean that at all... It's simply that His Holiness instructed me not to allow anyone inside..." The priest stammered, drenched in cold sweat.
Theo surveyed the empty room again with deep suspicion. But he saw nothing resembling a door to an adjoining chamber.
*That's strange. I was certain I saw Juliet enter here.*
"Your sister is somewhere else..."
"How do you know that?"
"What?"
"How did you know I was searching for my sister when I never mentioned I was looking for her?"
"I thought you said you were looking for your sister..."
The priest avoided his hard stare with this pathetic excuse.
Everything felt extraordinarily suspicious. But since Theo found no one in the room, he eventually had no choice but to leave.
---
## — A Dream of Onyx —
Onyx appeared to her in a dream.
"Kyun!" The little dragon squeaked at Juliet, looking ravenously hungry.
*I should have fed him...*
*That's right—Onyx!*
Startling as it was, Juliet's eyes flew open the instant she remembered the small dragon.
*What the hell...?!*
Upon opening her eyes, she was momentarily stunned.
*Am I still dreaming?*
The first thing she saw was a ceiling painted to resemble the sky, framed by a bed's lace canopy.
*...What kind of princess bedroom is this?*
Juliet might have been charmed by such decor if she were ten or fifteen years younger. But even as a child, she'd never particularly liked the baby-pink lace popular for girls' beds.
*Where am I?*
She needed to assess the situation first.
For some reason, her entire body felt stiff and aching—like the day after strenuous exercise that had severely strained every muscle.
Somehow summoning her strength, she sat upright and examined her surroundings.
The moment Juliet took in the room, profound amazement overwhelmed her.
At first, she wondered if she was still asleep. But this was decidedly not a dream.
At the chamber's center stood an adorable bed—doll-sized in appearance—surrounded by furniture matching its whimsical design.
The bedroom wasn't particularly large, but the interior clearly reflected significant effort and care.
*What is this place...?*
Juliet felt deeply unsettled.
The last thing she remembered was preparing to return to her room after bathing...
Without hesitation, Juliet swung her legs off the bed and attempted to stand—but immediately collapsed to the floor.
She hadn't simply tripped. Something had restrained her leg, preventing normal movement.
*Clink...*
"......!"
*What the hell?!*
Looking down at her feet, Juliet discovered what held her back: shackles and a chain attached to one ankle.
This alien object clashed violently with the bedroom's saccharine atmosphere—filled entirely with furnishings matching a young girl's taste.
Lifting the edge of the blanket, she traced the chain connecting her left ankle to the bedpost.
*If this is a joke, it's exceptionally poor taste.*
"Have I been kidnapped? Are they planning to ransom me?"
Or... perhaps this was revenge.
Not long ago, she had exposed fraud at an auction house, preventing the Marquis of Guinness from continuing to reap enormous profits from selling counterfeits.
*Could it have been him? No—I was in Lucerne. He couldn't possibly have orchestrated something like this here.*
The Holy City of Lucerne was a small city-state—neutral territory where aristocrats, regardless of rank, wielded no genuine power.
Even the emperor of this nation and foreign kings had to submit to the bishop's will, since Lucerne belonged to the Goddess.
But then who could have abducted someone directly from within the temple itself?
The answer to Juliet's question arrived the very next moment, as footsteps descended into the room.
*Click.*
*Tap. Tap. Tap.*
Hearing the approaching steps, Juliet reflexively raised her head.
*What...?*
Hidden along the ceiling's edge was a spiral staircase she hadn't noticed initially. Someone was descending it now.
"Viya?"
A familiar face soon appeared before her.
But this man was absolutely not who she'd expected to see.
It was one of those rare occasions when Juliet couldn't comprehend the situation—she simply blinked in confusion.
"...?"
"You woke earlier than I anticipated, Viya."
The man who greeted her with such friendly warmth was Bishop Sebastian.
*Click.*
Without offering any explanation, Sebastian removed the shackles from her ankle.
Free once more, Juliet rubbed her numb ankle while regarding him with deeply wary eyes.
"Eat before it gets cold."
Sebastian smiled gently and gestured toward food arranged on the table.
Though hungry, she hesitated to touch anything, uncertain whether it was safe. Assuming she'd been kidnapped, the food could easily have been tampered with. Furthermore, the bishop's amiable demeanor might be mere pretense—designed to make her lower her guard.
"I think there's been some kind of mistake," Juliet said carefully, touching her throat.
Her tongue felt sluggish, as though a paralyzing toxin lingered in her system, rendering her speech unclear.
"You've misunderstood something. You've confused me with someone else."
She wanted to emphasize that she was *not* the "Viya" he'd mentioned. She had absolutely no idea who that person was.
In this precarious situation, Juliet knew maintaining composure was critical. She also understood she must not provoke her captor under any circumstances—doing so would end disastrously.
"Why would you say that?"
Sebastian's face broke into a smile at her words.
"Viya, there's no mistake. I couldn't possibly have confused you."
"...Who is Viya?"
At this question, the smile gradually faded from Sebastian's features.
A sinister premonition stirred in Juliet's chest as she studied the bishop closely.
For reasons she couldn't articulate, something felt profoundly wrong about this man.
And then there was this bizarre room she'd awakened in...
*Why am I here?*
"Does this dish not suit your taste? Perhaps I should bring something else? Just tell me what you'd like—I'll bring you anything you want."
Sebastian offered her hot soup again.
A grim thought crossed Juliet's mind: perhaps she should eat a little to avoid provoking him. Besides, consuming something might help her regain strength—this situation clearly wouldn't resolve quickly.
But the moment she accepted the plate from his hands—
*Prick!*
A syringe pierced her wrist.
Purple liquid sloshed inside the barrel. It resembled the substance injected into the giant wolf on the train.
"You have nothing to worry about. From now on, we'll be together again."
Sebastian gazed at Juliet with an expression that sent chills racing down her spine.
*Oh my God—you insane bastard!*
Her premonition had been correct. This man was clearly not in his right mind.
After administering the injection, her body instantly became paralyzed.
Juliet mentally unleashed every brutal curse she knew upon him—but unfortunately, internal rage couldn't help her now.
She couldn't move a finger, much less speak. The only thing she retained control over was her eyes.
As she toppled sideways onto the bed, Juliet glanced down at her clothing.
"......"
She wore a dress with a tightly laced corset cinched beneath her chest, paired with a full skirt lavishly decorated with intricate lace.
Peeking from beneath the skirt's hem were shiny, patent-leather Mary Jane shoes with decorative patterns that had been fashionable several decades ago. Their rounded front toes looked slightly scuffed—as though someone had actually worn them extensively.
"Is the dosage too strong?"
Sebastian swiftly repositioned Juliet on the bed, gazing at her with apparent concern—seemingly worried about the medicine's potent effect.
"Alright, Viya. I'll see you later. Good night."
The bishop leaned down and pressed a light kiss to her forehead.
*Damn it. Now you're truly terrifying me.*
That was the final thought flickering through Juliet's mind before her eyes closed and darkness swallowed her whole.
---
## — Waking Again —
When she opened her eyes once more, the madman was no longer beside her.
Her legs and arms remained unbound—free to move.
*How long was I unconscious?*
"Oh... I'm so hungry..."
Fortunately, when she regained consciousness, the deranged bishop was absent from the room. But that didn't mean her situation had improved in any meaningful way.
The bedroom appeared completely isolated from the outside world.
This time upon waking, she searched every corner methodically, seeking anything useful for escape. All she discovered was a single apple resting on the table.
Taking a large bite from the fruit, Juliet suddenly remembered her small charge.
"...Oh, Onyx. You're all alone now."
If she was trapped here, then Onyx remained locked in her room, didn't he?
He was still a baby—incapable of even opening doors himself.
The only people who knew Onyx was hidden in her luggage were Helen and Ethelid.
But her aunt had already returned to Carcassonne, and the wizard's assigned quarters weren't in the same building as Juliet's apartments.
Helen might have left instructions for Gray or Theo before departing—but the odds seemed slim.
*I need to find a way out of here. Quickly.*
Having satisfied her hunger somewhat with the apple, Juliet resumed searching for an exit.
After an exhaustive search, however, she reached a deeply discouraging conclusion.
"This... is some kind of ridiculous dollhouse," Juliet muttered under her breath, frustration mounting.