You Are Gentle, But You Don’t Love Me - Chapter 28

Perhaps because he had just stepped out of the tent, Cassio’s body felt slightly cool. Or maybe it was Juliet’s body that was unusually warm. After all, she had spent the entire time under the scorching summer sun while picking flowers.

That had to be it—the reason why she had felt perfectly fine until now, only to suddenly be struck with dizziness.

“Oh dear, Juliet.”

“……”

“You should go inside. It’s no wonder you’re feeling lightheaded after staying out in this heat for so long.”

With an arm supporting her unsteady frame, Cassio began walking forward at a steady pace, leaving Elijah standing behind, unsure of what to do.

Even after stepping into the shade of the indoors, the dizziness did not subside. Juliet, half-guided by him, faltered again, and without hesitation, Cassio made a move to lift her into his arms.

“Your shoulder…!”

“Oh. I forgot.”

His tone was so nonchalant, as if he truly had forgotten. Even in her dazed state, Juliet felt a jolt of alarm. Had she not remembered in time, it could have been a disaster.

But she had no energy to climb the stairs herself, nor could she bring herself to let him carry her in his condition.

“T-The drawing room, let’s go there.”

She pointed toward a small reception room on the first floor of the main residence, a space meant for briefly accommodating visitors. Cassio, without argument, supported her in that direction.

Though called a reception room, it was nothing more than a simple space furnished for formality’s sake—a small table and two sofas facing each other.

“Ugh…”

Juliet collapsed onto the sofa, legs utterly drained of strength. Even walking this short distance had been exhausting.

Somehow, she had managed to hold onto the bundle of flowers the entire time, albeit unconsciously.

Perhaps that was what had kept her from fainting entirely.

Cassio was still sitting close, his arm wrapped securely around her waist.

The flowers pressed between them served as a flimsy barrier, preventing full contact. Some of the blooms had likely been crushed in the process.

“P-Please let go. I’m fine now…”

Juliet’s voice came out in a whisper, breath still uneven and laced with exhaustion, barely more than a sigh in the air.

“Oh, of course.”

Only then did his arm loosen.

Juliet immediately set down the flowers, spilling them onto the small table beside her. A wave of lavender scent filled the room.

Perhaps it was thanks to that, but it didn’t take long for her to calm her breathing.

Had Cassio not been sitting so close, she might have recovered even sooner.

“……”

He remained silent.

The reception room, rarely used, was dimly lit.

Thick curtains covered the windows, allowing only slivers of sunlight to filter through the pale green silk. Yet, even those rays were not enough to fully dispel the shadows in the room.

Within the green-tinged dimness, Cassio’s gaze was deep and unreadable.

“…When did you wake up?”

“Not long ago.”

Even when prompted, his response was brief.

A strange tightness gripped her chest.

Her dizziness had faded, her breathing was steady—but still, the feeling lingered.

As if trying to shake it off, Juliet hastily spoke again.

“It’s still so hot. You should rest a little longer—”

“Juliet.”

Her words were cut short.

It felt oddly familiar.

Cassio rarely interrupted her. If she recalled correctly, the first time had been that evening walk before the ball.

“I’m sorry.”

But this time, his words were entirely different.

“I’ll go fetch a maid. You should have some cold water.”

“Wait, Your Gra—”

He spoke in a clipped, hurried manner, then abruptly stood.

A strange sense of unease crept over Juliet.

She couldn’t shake the feeling that she shouldn’t let him leave just yet. But Cassio moved swiftly, and her outstretched hand grasped nothing but air.

“Before that, as an apology.”

She should have simply lowered her hand.

Instead, Cassio turned on his heel and caught her hand in his own.

Juliet barely had time to blink before he bent forward, like a knight swearing fealty.

Yet, his dark green eyes gleamed with something far from devotion.

“……”

“Rest well.”

With those words, he walked away, leaving Juliet still seated, blinking in stunned silence.

It happened too fast…

She had no way of knowing whether it had been his forehead or his lips that had touched the back of her hand.

Creak, creak.

Like a broken doll, her fingers twitched slightly before she slowly brought her hand to her lips.

She wasn’t sure whether she wanted to scream into her palms or simply faint on the spot without a word.

Her fingertips still carried the lingering scent of summer grass and flowers.

***

That evening, when Juliet met Elijah again in the dining hall, he mercifully pretended to know nothing of what had transpired earlier.

Or rather, it seemed like he was trying very hard to pretend.

His green eyes subtly avoided hers the entire time.

The man who could speak endlessly about Cassio, of all topics, kept his mouth tightly shut. His usual enthusiasm was absent, and even his appetite seemed to have disappeared—his fork barely prodded at his food.

Well, he is young and unmarried. It’s understandable that seeing a man and woman in such close proximity— No, just standing somewhat near each other— might have been awkward for him.

Juliet told herself that while willfully ignoring the fact that their birthdays weren’t all that far apart.

And, more importantly, the undeniable truth that she had found the situation incredibly awkward as well.

But.

Cassio, too, remained silent.

Because of that, the dining hall was unusually quiet.

Since Elijah had started staying in Escalus—or rather, since Cassio had returned—this was the first time the atmosphere had felt so suffocatingly still.

Uncomfortable…

Juliet had always preferred quiet surroundings, but even for her, this silence was stifling.

After finishing her meal in that tense, awkward hush, she stole a glance at Cassio. Their eyes met immediately.

“Your Grace.”

“Hm?”

But—

“What is it, Juliet?”

“…It’s nothing.”

Despite the gentle smile on his face, Juliet felt a strange sense of unease.

Something was… different.

“Well then… have a good evening.”

“You too, Juliet.”

Even as she mumbled a half-hearted evening farewell, Cassio responded with his usual ease.

As she had expected, there was no invitation for a walk that night.

A quiet evening.

However, the next morning was anything but quiet.

Juliet, enjoying a rare late morning in bed, was abruptly woken by the commotion outside her room.

“Waaah!”

“Careful! If you drop that, we’re doomed.”

“Come here and help me with this!”

“Quiet down! The Duchess is still asleep!”

Even after she opened her eyes, the noise refused to settle—it would fade for a moment, only to swell again.

By the time she finally got up, called for her maid, and completed her morning routine, the sounds of hurried footsteps moving up and down the stairs and hallways remained constant.

When she stepped out into the corridor, she finally saw the source of the uproar.

At the far end, opposite her bedroom, a door stood wide open, and people bustled in and out.

“Oh, excuse me!”

“N-No, my apologies. Thank you.”

Hearing movement behind her, Juliet turned to see a servant carrying a large wooden crate. He gave a quick bow, visibly struggling under its weight.

She tilted her chin slightly in acknowledgment, and the man hastened his steps. His back was drenched in sweat—either from the sheer weight of the crate or the oppressive summer heat.

“…Ugh. These are jewels… what kind of jewels even—?”

“Whoa…”

Or perhaps it wasn’t the crates, but the importance of what they carried that weighed so heavily.

Those are the war spoils.

The very same treasure-filled chests that had been personally bestowed upon Cassio by the queen in honor of his victory in the conquest war.

Spoils of war. Royal gifts.

For the servants working in the Sardinian castle, even the name alone must have felt unbearably heavy.

“Oh, right. I’d forgotten about those. Did we haul those back from Tenerife’s docks?”

“……”

“Haha, the pirates had quite the stockpile of jewels.”

But the one who had received these priceless treasures spoke as if they were nothing of significance.

“Just set them here for now. There’s more than I expected.”

“Y-Yes, sir…”

“In hindsight, I should’ve started this before the heat got worse. Apologies for the trouble.”

“N-Not at all, sir! It’s no problem!”

The young servants carrying the crates answered with rigid determination. The sight was almost amusing.

They were the type usually assigned to work in the outer castle, the stables, or the carriage house—hardly ever allowed into the main residence, much less the floor where the duke and duchess’s chambers were located.

This was likely the first time they had ever been this close to Cassio since his return.

No wonder they’re so tense.

For the first time in their lives, they stood mere steps away from their master, who sat there calmly, surrounded by piles of royal gifts and war trophies taken from pirates.

“Ah—t-this is…!”

“A gun? Another one from Her Majesty?”

That aside…

Tilting her head slightly, Juliet watched the scene unfold from the hallway.

By now, the initial tension had given way to an almost boisterous energy.

What on earth is all this…?

“Wow… is that really a gun? I’ve never seen one like this before.”

“Fascinating, isn’t it? It’s lighter than it looks since it’s made of ivory. Want to hold it?”

“No, no! That’s not for me—it’s for Your Grace to handle!”

Oh, for heaven’s sake.

He shouldn’t be handling anything that heavy yet.

The man still had bandages wrapped around his shoulder, and yet here they were, talking about handing him a gun.

Men…

Juliet sighed deeply and slowly made her way toward Cassio’s room.

The door was wide open, people were coming and going, and it was broad daylight—nothing improper about it.

More than anything, she simply needed an explanation for what was happening.

But the moment she reached the doorway, all thoughts of questioning him vanished from her mind.

Her eyes widened.

“…What is this…?”

The room was filled with crates, just like the one she had seen earlier.

Expensive-looking chests stacked across the floor, brimming with treasures.

And beyond them—

A pristine, snow-white gun.

Held in Cassio’s hands.