TIKMP 15

Chapter – 15

When they arrived at the grand hall, the elegant music of the orchestra mingled with the cheerful chatter of guests.

The soirée had long since begun; everyone seemed to be enjoying the food and dancing.

Unconsciously, Juliet’s hand, resting lightly on Adam’s arm, tightened its grip.

In her previous life, Liddell had rarely walked around the castle. She seldom left her own chambers, and had only set foot in the grand hall once — for her wedding celebration. Even so, the familiar wallpaper and furnishings she saw now brought a growing tension to her chest.

“Miss Juliet, you look a little pale… are you nervous?”

“Y-yes, a little…”

“Don’t worry. Everyone here is kind. But if you start to feel overwhelmed, don’t hesitate to tell me — we can leave early.”

Adam’s gentle concern warmed her heart. He didn’t show a hint of irritation, even though it would be absurd to come to a party only to leave early.

She couldn’t allow herself to trouble him.

“Thank you. But I’ll be fine. I’m sure I’ll get used to it soon.”

Yes — that was the truth. Her past life was her past life; this was the present.

Juliet was no longer the timid princess Liddell who cowered in fear. No matter who awaited her beyond those doors, she had nothing to fear anymore.

Drawing in a steady breath, Juliet lifted her chin, eyes resolute. Taking Adam’s arm, she stepped into the hall with the resolve of a warrior marching into battle.

“Hey, Adam! You’re late!”

The moment they entered, several young men in the same junior knight uniforms as Adam approached them in a friendly manner.

Each of them had brought a young woman as their partner.

“What happened? It’s rare for you to be late.”

“Ah, the carriage got stuck in the mud on the way here. We only just arrived.”

“That sounds rough. — So, this young lady is…?”

Juliet sensed their gazes shift to her and quietly steeled herself.

Adam then began to introduce her to his colleagues.

“Yes, this is Miss Juliet, the granddaughter of a lady who’s been very kind to me. Her family runs an orchard.”

“Pleased to meet you. I’m Juliet Hendridge.”

Delivering her rehearsed greeting with a polite bow, she smiled warmly.

Her first impression seemed to go over well — Adam’s peers returned her greeting with friendly smiles, introducing themselves and their partners one by one.

After the round of introductions, the teasing began.

“Well, look at you, Adam! Didn’t think you’d actually bring a partner!”

“I’m impressed!”

Laughter broke out — good-natured and lively, the sort shared among close friends.

Apparently, this was their usual banter.

“Miss Juliet, we were honestly worried when we heard Adam had invited a friend’s granddaughter.”

“Yeah, he’s such a quiet guy. We thought maybe he’d made it up to look good in front of us.”

“But to think he’d show up with such a beautiful young lady — never saw that coming!”

Adam scratched his head with an embarrassed laugh. Their teasing wasn’t far from the truth, and it showed on his face.

Juliet, on the other hand, quietly exhaled in relief.

So far, no one seemed suspicious of her cover story as the orchard girl.

—Of course not.

Even her siblings in her previous life had occasionally disguised themselves to wander the city incognito.

Her sister used to laugh and say, “You’d be surprised how rarely people notice.” Her brother even snuck out of the royal palace once to join a town festival, completely undetected.

Liddell herself had been too frail for such adventures, but she had always listened eagerly to their stories.

If even royalty could go unrecognized, surely no one would question a noblewoman pretending to be a commoner for a single evening.

“S-so, where’s His Lordship?”

Unable to bear being teased any longer in front of Juliet, Adam glanced around the crowded hall, trying to change the subject.

The room was filled with guests and servants, making it hard to see far ahead. Juliet, too, had been subtly scanning the area for Oscar, but hadn’t spotted him.

“His Lordship? Oh, I haven’t seen him since the opening greetings. Probably retired to his chambers.”

“What?”

The surprised word slipped out before Juliet could stop herself. She quickly raised her hand to her lips, but it was too late — everyone’s eyes were on her.

Flustered, she lowered her hand and tried to cover her reaction.

“I—I’m sorry. I was just surprised that he would leave early… since this party is for his daughter’s birthday.”

“Oh, the Count isn’t one for socializing or grand events. The only exception is this annual celebration for his daughter.”

Juliet was stunned again — this time, so much that she forgot to speak.

—The Count… dislikes social gatherings?

She could hardly believe it.

In her past life as his wife, Oscar had frequently attended balls and banquets. He often hosted guests at the castle himself. He had never struck her as the kind of man who shunned such occasions.

Or perhaps she had simply never realized — maybe he’d only acted sociable out of duty, hiding his true feelings.

“U-um, then, I’d like to greet the Countess and Lady Emilia. I also have a gift to present.”

At those words, the young men exchanged puzzled looks.

“The Countess? Oh, His Lordship is unmarried. He never remarried after his wife passed away. It’s been just him and his daughter ever since. You didn’t know?”

“…”

“Ah! M-Miss Juliet lives quite far away,” Adam jumped in quickly, trying to smooth things over. “I must’ve forgotten to mention that.”

Juliet wasn’t offended — far from it.

She was simply stunned.

Oscar… unmarried?

She had assumed, without question, that he must have remarried long ago.

Could it be… out of consideration for the royal family?

It made sense.

The bandit attack had been unforeseeable — not his fault. Oscar had always been meticulous about security in his lands, and that day, he had entrusted the escort to his most trusted subordinate, the vice-captain.

Liddell’s death had been an accident — tragic, but unavoidable.

Yet because she had died as the Countess of Ashen, perhaps Oscar had carried guilt toward the royal family, enough to make him refrain from taking another wife.

Then what about the vice-captain’s sister… and Charlotte?

Oscar’s supposed mistresses — what had become of them?

Were they still in his shadow, continuing such a relationship?

“—Miss Juliet. Miss Juliet?”

“Huh? Oh, y-yes?”

Adam’s voice snapped her from her thoughts. She realized she had drifted off mid-conversation, though thankfully not for long enough to draw suspicion.

He gestured toward the far end of the hall.

“There — at the back. That’s the young lady. Let’s go deliver your gift.”

“Yes…”

Resting her hand lightly on his arm again, Juliet excused herself from the others and walked away with Adam.

Emilia was there — her beloved daughter.

She shouldn’t have come. She knew that. And yet, she had longed to see her so badly that she could no longer resist.

Juliet glanced down at the small gift she carried in her left hand.

She hadn’t known what to buy for a twelve-year-old girl. Her false identity also limited her budget.

In the end, she’d chosen a bouquet of white roses — her favorite flower from her past life — and a book:

A tale of a princess captured by a dragon, and the brave prince who fought to rescue her.

The same beautiful story from which Emilia’s name had been inspired — the book Juliet had instinctively reached for without a second thought.