You Are Gentle, But You Don’t Love Me - Chapter 29

He was holding a shooting stance—shouldering the large firearm with ease, aiming down the barrel at some unseen target.

The servants, flushed with excitement, seemed on the verge of breaking into applause as they watched him.

Juliet swallowed a sigh. Even Juan and Elijah were among them.

Honestly, men…

Knock, knock.

She rapped lightly on the open door, drawing startled gazes toward her.

“Oh—”

“Duchess.”

The clustered servants turned around, inhaling sharply before bowing their heads.

By the sofa, Cassio slowly shifted his gaze.

“……”

Pale green eyes peered at her over the pristine barrel of the gun, their sharpness sending a faint chill through the air.

“Ah, Juliet.”

“……”

“Good morning. Or—no, I suppose it’s already the afternoon?”

Lowering the gun, Cassio let out a slow smile. But Juliet, unlike usual, did not return the gesture with a graceful nod.

She couldn’t.

His eyes still carried an edge.

“What exactly is going on here?”

Her voice came out slightly petulant—not intentionally, but enough to surprise herself.

Juliet quickly forced a small smile, unsure if her face had mirrored her tone.

Cassio, after setting the gun on the sofa and dusting off his hands, lifted his head again.

Ah.

Now he was smiling the way he always did.

“As you can see.”

With a playful flick of his wrist, Cassio gestured vaguely at the boxes before strolling toward her.

“I was searching for something, but there’s just so much unnecessary junk. I figured I might as well take everything out and sort through it.”

“…Unnecessary?”

“But now that I’ve done it, I realize there’s far more than I expected. Bit of a problem, really.”

He dismissed the queen’s royal gifts as unnecessary junk without a second thought, seeming completely unbothered by it.

Well, he is her nephew, after all. Perhaps he’s used to such things.

No wonder the servants behind him looked so awestruck.

Even Juliet, for a moment, was left speechless at the sheer absurdity of the scene.

He had maintained that casual attitude the entire time, despite being surrounded by a mountain of riches.

“At this rate, it’s going to take all day to sort through everything.”

“Yes… it certainly seems that way.”

Juliet tried to maintain a neutral expression as she responded.

Cassio, frowning slightly as if troubled, then broke into another smile.

“Still, Juliet, I can certainly spare enough time to have tea with you.”

“……”

“And if it really comes to it, we can put this off until tomorrow. It’s not urgent.”

Behind him, the towering stacks of crates begged to differ.

Was it four wagons’ worth? No, five?

Stuffing that much into a single bedroom—of course, it would be overflowing.

The rows of boxes stretched across the floor, continuing past the half-drawn curtain by the bed.

Admittedly, it wasn’t urgent.

“But at this rate, you’re going to end up sleeping wedged between these crates.”

They could have stored everything in a spacious drawing room instead.

Why he had chosen to do this in his bedroom was beyond her, but the outcome was obvious.

Granted, these were all valuable goods, so rolling around in them wouldn’t be the worst fate.

She caught sight of a large chest filled to the brim with what looked like gold coins.

For a brief moment, she couldn’t help but picture Cassio sprawled atop a pile of gold, just like a pirate in some adventure novel.

Juliet let out an amused little laugh.

It doesn’t suit him at all… or maybe it does, strangely enough.

Despite his reputation for refinement, he was rarely seen in full formal dress.

Unlike Juliet, who dressed neatly every day, Cassio usually roamed the castle in just a shirt and a lightweight vest.

He still had bandages wrapped beneath his clothes—perhaps that was part of it.

Or maybe Sardinia’s summer heat was still unfamiliar to him.

Today, he was wearing a thin linen shirt with a dark vest tinged with deep blue.

Maybe because it was still early, the front ties of his shirt were left loosely undone.

Through the open collar, his collarbones were clearly visible.

…Now that I think about it, he looks like some half-drunken rogue.

Juliet belatedly realized just how remarkable it was that Cassio always managed to exude an air of grace.

Despite his casual dress, his demeanor was always so composed that she had never even noticed.

No, a pirate rolling around on a bed of gold wouldn’t suit him at all.

“Have you not called for the steward?”

“I sent word. He should be here soon.”

“You should summon the head maid as well. There are specific maids assigned to handling the jewels.”

“Yes, you’re right. I’ll do that.”

Juliet spoke a little too quickly, as if to cover up the ridiculous thoughts she had been entertaining just moments before.

Cassio watched her with his usual easy smile.

Even from a couple of steps away, his gaze swept downward from the top of her head, tracing slowly over her figure.

The only reason Juliet had even noticed his collarbones peeking through his shirt was that they were right at her eye level.

For the first time in a while, she was struck by the thought—

Cassio was a large man.

A grown man, much bigger than her.

“…And I really think you should skip tea today.”

“Hm.”

“I-If you take that much time away from sorting things, you really will end up sleeping here…”

Cassio raised a single brow before exhaling softly. Juliet instinctively lowered her gaze to avoid the way his green eyes darkened with faint displeasure—only to once again find herself staring at the stark lines of his collarbones.

She quickly ducked her head entirely.

Why does he dress like this so casually, as if it’s nothing…?

“Alright. No tea, then.”

As he spoke, he took a step closer. Again.

Even before his figure moved into view, his scent reached her first.

The lingering bitterness of medicine had faded significantly but was still faintly there.

It had been replaced by something else—something light and crisp at first whiff, yet layered with a smoky undertone.

Did he… smoke?

A lot. Enough that the scent had settled into his very skin.

Since when?

“If I don’t finish sorting everything by tonight…”

Juliet’s head snapped up at his words, startled.

He leaned in. Closer.

Almost as if he were about to kiss her.

His lips barely brushed past her cheek, and his voice came in a hushed whisper against her ear—warm, teasing.

“…Will you let me sleep in your room?”

Cassio straightened again. Juliet’s gaze, as if entranced, followed him upward.

He quirked an eyebrow playfully, but his pale green eyes weren’t smiling.

“……”

She stood there for a long moment, looking up at him.

Then, with a small, curt nod, she turned swiftly on her heel.

Why…?

Half-walking, half-running, she hurried down the stairs.

She didn’t know why, but a sudden impatience pushed her forward.

Why, all of a sudden…?

She turned the corner, past the hallway and the colonnade, down the stone path leading to the rear garden.

Her feet carried her along a familiar route, like a frightened animal instinctively retreating to its usual escape path.

Juliet was running away.

The day slipped away unnoticed, and the sun set without hesitation.

Night came far too quickly.

“…My lady, wake up. You’ll catch a cold.”

Juliet, who had dozed off in the bath, stirred at the maid’s cautious voice.

“Um… that is…”

“…This… over here…”

From beyond the bathroom wall, the voices of the senior steward, several butlers, the head maid, and a few handmaidens filtered through, their hushed conversation a low murmur.

Juliet couldn’t make out all the words, but the mix of voices and the occasional shuffle of footsteps made it clear they were discussing something.

Of course.

She had seen it on her way to the bath.

Cassio’s bedroom door had still been wide open, and inside, the crates remained stacked in disarray.

Some had been sealed, but others remained open, their treasures spilling over the edges.

There was no way he could have finished in one day.

Each item was precious, a royal gift from the queen herself. There would be records to write, proper documentation to be kept. Not to mention, the sheer volume of goods meant figuring out where and how to store them would take careful planning.

It was inevitable.

It made perfect sense.

And yet—

“Eek—”

“My lady, are you hurt?”

The maid brushing through her hair gasped in alarm.

Juliet shook her head silently.

But it wasn’t the first time.

“My lady… are you sure you’re alright? Are you feeling unwell—?”

“No, I’m fine. Just continue.”

The maids, sensing her unease, handled her hair with even greater care than usual.

That only made it worse.

Even before stepping into the bath, she had felt it.

The flower petals floating on the water seemed unnaturally red today. The perfume in the oil felt too thick, too sweet.

Maybe the water was too hot.

Maybe she had been tense all day.

Either way—

The scents, the colors, the textures…

Everything felt too vivid.

Even the familiar sensation of being attended to during her bath was suddenly suffocating.

But she couldn’t simply send them away.

Juliet’s hair was thick and naturally curly. If it wasn’t carefully combed through with perfumed oil, it would tangle and frizz beyond repair.

She couldn’t allow herself to look like that…

The thought struck her, and suddenly, Juliet shot upright.

“My lady? What’s wrong?”

“Enough. That’s enough.”

The bathroom was thick with steam.

Even in the summer heat, bathing in cold water wasn’t an option.

Her breath felt stifled.

Hastily, she stood and stepped out of the bath.

“……”

She remained silent as the maids dried her and helped her dress.

The maids, equally quiet, merely exchanged puzzled glances at their unusually absentminded mistress.

Yet when she finally returned to her bedroom and pushed open the door—

“…Your Majesty?”

The words left her lips before she could stop them.