Chapter 4 (Part 1)

The nanny mentioned Tybalt’s name, and she tensed up, waiting for the next words.

“Tybalt, Tybalt.”

However, the nanny seemed too flustered to continue. 

If she was this flustered, then surely…

“Did Tybalt kill someone?”

“Tybalt is severely injured!”

They spoke simultaneously. A moment of silence followed.

“So, only Tybalt is injured, right? He didn’t get hurt while killing someone else, did he?”

“What a terrible thing to say! Tybalt got into a quarrel with Mercutio from the Lord’s house. Somehow the fight was settled, but both were injured. It’s a big deal, really.”

The nanny replied, jumping in agitation when asked again. Both Tybalt and Mercutio were injured. Mercutio wasn’t dead. The story had diverged from the original. For the first time, a significant change had occurred that could affect the story. She hurried inside the mansion. She needed to confirm.

“Tybalt, what happened?”

Tybalt’s injuries were more severe than expected. He had large wounds on his shoulder and right leg, making it nearly impossible for him to move.

“It’s all because of that Montague brat.”

“Montague? Are you talking about Romeo? Not Mercutio?”

The name that came out of Tybalt’s mouth was unexpected. 

Why was Romeo’s name mentioned when he had quarreled with Mercutio? Could it be that Romeo got involved in their fight as in the original? Besides, Romeo had just finished the engagement ceremony with me. When did he have time to cross swords with Tybalt?

“How do you know about the fight with Mercutio?”

“I heard from the people working at the mansion. They said you and Mercutio were in a fight and got seriously injured. What happened?”

“Yes, it was Mercutio at first. He started saying strange things, mentioning you and Romeo.”

Strange things. Now that she thought about it, Mercutio had witnessed Romeo clinging to her twice. If her name came out of his mouth, it must have been that kind of story.

“Let’s make it clear. You’re not involved with Romeo, right?”

“No, I’m not. What are you talking about?”

The lie flowed smoothly. In fact, it was ambiguous to even call it a lie. Once William’s Masterpiece was removed, she and Romeo were nothing to each other.

“Right. There’s no way. Just as I was about to fight Mercutio, Romeo jumped in. With a ridiculous look on his face, he told us to stop fighting. He’s such a coward.”

Judging by his ridiculous expression, it must have been right after the engagement ceremony with her. If she had known things would get this complicated, she wouldn’t have stopped Romeo from taking her home. Then he wouldn’t have encountered Tybalt, and this wouldn’t have happened. No, if William had already written it, nothing she did would have changed it. 

But was this really happening because William wrote it?

The fight between Mercutio and Tybalt was indeed part of the original. However, in the original fight, Mercutio died. Since Mercutio was alive, it was possible that it was just a simple fight, not influenced by William’s writing.

“When I laughed at his cowardice, Mercutio suddenly pointed his sword at me. Hmph, taking advantage of the break in the fight to aim his sword—what a knight he is. Of course, I didn’t fall for such a cowardly trick. I blocked his sword and counterattacked immediately. He probably can’t move properly now.”

She looked down at Tybalt, who was boasting, with pity. Mocking his opponent while lying in bed unable to move wasn’t impressive at all.

“Then how did you get injured, Tybalt?”

Tybalt’s smiling face hardened instantly.

“Romeo, that coward!”

His teeth ground together in a menacing manner. Tybalt, who tried to get up in anger, collapsed again, unable to bear the pain.

“Be careful!”

She supported his staggering body and laid him back on the bed. Tybalt waited for the pain to subside before speaking again.

“When I knocked Mercutio down, Romeo attacked me immediately. That’s how I got this wound! Pretending to stop the fight and then attacking from behind—how cowardly!”

Tybalt’s voice grew louder. Worried that his wounds might reopen, she calmed him down and left his room.

Tybalt knocked Mercutio down, and Romeo, enraged by this, retaliated against Tybalt. It was too similar to the original to be a mere coincidence. Yet, considering it as the work of the Masterpiece, both were still alive. If the injuries turned into death, it would match the original exactly.

She was confused. And she knew the simplest way to resolve this confusion.

* * *

“Juliet? What brings you here all of a sudden? Is something wrong?”

William’s face was full of surprise as he greeted her in the drawing room. It was understandable since the young lady he had just escorted home was now waiting in his drawing room.

“I’m sorry for coming at this late hour, William. Am I interrupting?”

“Not at all. I was just worried if something happened. It’s quite late for you to be out alone.”

William shook his head urgently. She tried to smile as innocently as possible and spoke.

“I couldn’t stop thinking about the next part you mentioned when we parted. I only realized it was too late after getting into the carriage.”

It was a ridiculous excuse. Even more so for a young lady of a proper household. The most ridiculous part was that it wasn’t just an excuse, but a fact.

“That’s an honor.”

William, who seemed momentarily flustered, soon smiled. She wanted to believe that his smile, unlike usual, didn’t seem natural, thinking it was just her feeling. Visiting him on the night she deliberately showed him the engagement ceremony was an action she considered too cruel.

She entered the study following William. The lights in the study were on, as if he had been there until just now. His writing notes were scattered messily on the desk. It seemed she had indeed interrupted him. But she pretended not to notice and sat down to read the notes. After all, interrupting William’s writing was her goal. There was no point in maintaining appearances now.

She opened to the scene of Tybalt and Mercutio’s fight. Tybalt found Mercutio. They quarreled. Romeo, who discovered them, tried to intervene. Tybalt stabbed Mercutio, and Romeo retaliated against Tybalt.

What William wrote matched exactly with what Tybalt had explained to her. And no one died.

“It was quite thrilling. When Tybalt drew his sword, I was really worried that someone might die.”

She threw out a probing comment. William’s eyes widened in surprise at her words.

“Sharp observation. Actually, Mercutio was supposed to die in this scene.”

William’s answer seemed both expected and unexpected. It wasn’t surprising that William intended to kill Mercutio. After all, that’s how the original story went.

“Oh my, then is there a reason you changed your mind?”

This was the point that concerned her. 

Why did William change the progression?

At her question, William unexpectedly blushed. She hadn’t asked anything embarrassing.

“It’s thanks to you, Juliet.”

It was an unexpected answer. She couldn’t understand why her name came up at this point.

“You said last time that precious characters should be treated preciously. I still don’t completely agree with that. I cherish all the characters in my story, but I think the story itself is more important.”

Then why did he change the progression?

She quietly waited for his continued words.

“But after hearing your words, I thought about it again. Is this death really necessary? If it can be replaced with something other than death, wouldn’t that be better? And…”

William paused for a moment. Then he smiled at her. A pure smile that couldn’t compare to the one she forced.

“Because the protagonist of the story, Juliet, you want it that way.”

She found herself staring into his eyes as if captivated. When she came to her senses, a few seconds of awkward silence had passed.

“By the way, something big happened when I got home today. My cousin Tybalt actually fought with Mercutio and got injured. I heard Mercutio was also badly hurt.”

“What? What’s going on?”

She explained the situation to William. He frowned and muttered in a serious tone.

“That’s strange. It’s as if my writing came true…”

William’s words were a very natural reaction. If something he wrote actually happened, especially if it was a bad thing, one would naturally feel uneasy.

But she felt a strange sense of incongruity from his reaction. While pondering what it was, a thought crossed her mind.

“My engagement to Romeo also happened according to what you wrote, William.”

“What? That must be just a coincidence.”

William replied indifferently to her statement. He looked a bit lonely, but that was probably because of her engagement, not this conversation. Now she knew exactly what the incongruity she felt was. She spoke again.

“It’s quite a coincidence that Tybalt and Mercutio fought just as you wrote.”

“Yes. Though it’s not my fault, it does feel a bit unsettling.”

Now it was certain. William’s current state was strange. Or rather, he was reacting very normally, which was strange.