Forgotten Juliet / 잊혀진 줄리엣

Chapter 36

Forgotten Juliet - Chapter 36

The carriage driver, filled with excitement, began telling stories about him.

“People don’t know it well, but the hometown of the Red King is none other than this village of Lobell.”

Lionel Lebatan.

The man, commonly known as the Red King, was the most famous figure from the eastern region.

People may not know the name of the Emperor, but they would have known the name of the Red King.

About 50 years ago, uncontrollable rogues flocked to the eastern region. No one knew why they migrated.

However, those who settled in the east first formed guilds and accommodated the rogues who migrated to the east. Their influence grew to the point where they became a thorn in the Empire’s side.

“Well, at that time, the east was nothing short of a haven for criminals.”

Due to the influx of troublemakers pretending to be adventurers, conflicts were never-ending in the east.

Lionel Lebatan was the one who organized the situation.

He received the affection and respect of the people more than any other authority figure in the east. A mere mercenary had become the ruler who controlled one-fourth of the continent.

Then, as Lionel Lebatan’s power grew excessively, the royal family began to despise him. In the end, the royal family prosecuted him for treason.

“I know. It was a mock trial.”

Lionel Lebatan himself didn’t attend; it was a trial conducted with an empty chair.

According to the verdict, Lionel would be sentenced to death as soon as he set foot outside the east and entered the Empire.

The trial was more like a show of wounded pride by the royal family.

Practically, it was an ultimatum from the royal family, who had no way of capturing him, the de facto ruler of the east.

And as if it were a lie, right after that, Lionel Lebatan quietly disappeared.

One of her friends, whom she met through the Duke, was also from the east, a mercenary, and naturally held great respect for a person named Lionel Lebatan.

Opinions on his whereabouts after that were varied.

Some said he was captured and killed by the royal family, while others claimed he sailed on a ship laden with treasures and disappeared to a distant sea.

“And it is said that no one has known his whereabouts until now, but in fact, anyone from the east knows the truth.”

Juliet perked up her ears at the meaningful words of the carriage driver.

“What is the truth?”

“In reality, the Red King… is neither dead nor gone. He is living under a different name in his hometown of Carcassonne.”

“Huh!”

The final laughter did not belong to the carriage driver or Juliet.

The two of them raised their heads in the direction of the noise. It was the red-haired man who had been closing his eyes as if he were sleeping.

As if he had been pretending to sleep and had heard everything, the red-haired man openly sneered.

‘… Was he sneering?’

The man smirked, ignoring the carriage driver and scanning Juliet, who was sitting across from him, up and down. It was an incredibly disdainful expression.