Chapter 4 (Part 3)

Another reason why now was a good time was the Tybalt issue. By playing the reconciliation card now, Tybalt’s punishment could be quietly dismissed. It was a win-win method, achieving what they wanted while avoiding punishment.

The only thing she couldn’t understand was why her father wanted reconciliation with the Montague family. 

Why did he suddenly have a change of heart?

“Lord Capulet, I fully agree with that thought. I, too, wish for reconciliation with the Capulet family.”

Romeo’s eyes shone with joy. If the Capulet and Montague families were no longer enemies, there would be no obstacles between them. At the same time, a certain hope arose within her. 

Reconciliation between the Capulet and Montague families. It meant the complete disappearance of the cause of the tragedy in ‘Romeo and Juliet.’

“Hmm, if that’s the case.”

The Lord nodded and spoke. Everyone present had aligned interests. Romeo, who wanted to marry her. The Lord, troubled by the Capulet and Montague feud. And her father, who, for some reason, desired reconciliation.

The Lord raised the gavel and spoke. Once the verdict was given, she would be completely freed from the tragedy. She awaited his next words with a hopeful heart.

“Nonsense!”

At that moment, a voice filled with anger came from behind her. She turned around in surprise. It was a familiar face. The head of the Montague family. She hadn’t noticed him sitting behind her, but he was present. As the head of the family, it was only natural.

“I will never reconcile with the Capulets as long as I live! No way!”

His vehement opposition caused a stir. No matter how much Romeo agreed, if the head of the Montague family was present, his opinion took precedence. Romeo bit his lip in frustration, and the Lord’s face hardened. Her father seemed both displeased and as if he had expected this outcome.

The Lord struck the gavel forcefully. The noisy spectators fell silent instantly. His eyes were filled with anger.

“Following the head of the Capulet family’s wishes, I intended to replace punishment with reconciliation between the two families, but since the head of the Montague family opposes it, this cannot proceed.”

Her father nodded as if there was no other choice. The head of the Montague family smiled contentedly.

“However, both families must bear the punishment for disturbing the peace in the domain. Since the head of the Capulet family has acknowledged that this incident was due to the discord between the two families, they must accept the punishment that follows.”

The Montague head’s relaxed face stiffened instantly. He truly was an unpredictable man.

“The domain will be divided into two at the boundary of the Shakespeare residence, and entry into each other’s territory will be prohibited. Thus, the verdict is concluded.”

The gavel sounded twice. The session was over. The faint hope she had seen disappeared completely.

She tried to calm her sinking heart as she approached her father. Her father’s actions today seemed strange no matter how she looked at them.

“Father.”

At her call, her father approached her with his usual expression. He was calm, as if the Lord’s anger moments ago was nothing. As if he had anticipated this outcome.

“You seem to think I acted strangely.”

She nodded without speaking. It wasn’t ‘as if he had anticipated.’ Her father certainly knew there was a possibility of this outcome.

“Why did you make a statement that seemed to acknowledge the Capulet family’s guilt?”

Her father was the head of the Capulet family, which meant he would never do anything that would disadvantage the Capulet family. So his actions this time were even more incomprehensible.

“What do you think would have happened if I hadn’t done so?”

Her father, unusually talkative, didn’t kindly provide an answer. In the original, the trial concluded with Romeo’s banishment. That was because everyone except Romeo had died. So what would happen now that Tybalt was alive?

“Would Romeo and Tybalt be banished?”

Her father nodded as if she had the correct answer. Was it to prevent Tybalt’s banishment? There was something unsettling about it. Just as she was about to voice her protest, her father spoke again.

“I know you’re seeing Romeo.”

His unexpected words froze her. She stopped what she was about to say and looked at her father’s face. Her father was looking at her with his usual expressionless face.

“If you could be happy, I thought I could endure being the first to seek reconciliation with the Montagues.”

After finishing his words, her father offered no further explanation. But she could understand his feelings well enough. A warm feeling filled a corner of her heart. It would have been even better if there wasn’t a misunderstanding that she liked Romeo. No, even if it was a misunderstanding, he had done what was best for her in that situation. If it weren’t for the Montague head, they might have smoothly escaped the bad ending.

“But I no longer see a way for you and Romeo to meet and be happy.”

Her father suddenly spoke with a stern face. A slight anxiety spread within her slightly warmed heart.

“Soon, I will bring your fiancé. This is a decision as the head of the family.”

Fiancé. At those words, a name suddenly came to mind. Count Paris. A character from the original who had not yet appeared.

After finishing his words, her father walked away. She decided to walk for a while after sending the carriage ahead.

When she came to her senses, the story had returned to the original. She could no longer meet Romeo, and she had a new fiancé. 

So would I end up dying like this?

It felt like watching a myth. The more she struggled to escape fate, the closer she got to it. It was frustrating, unjust, and terrifying.

She sat down in an alley behind the courthouse. It was the first time she did something like this since becoming Juliet. The dresses here were too fancy and uncomfortable to sit on the street like this. But when facing death, what did it matter if the dress got dirty or if a bit of petticoat showed? She sat with her knees up and buried her face in them.

“Juliet?”

Someone spoke to her with her head down. When she looked up at the familiar voice, William was standing in front of her.

“The culprit.”

Tears flowed at the sight of his face before she even realized it. Before she could stop them, words spilled out of her mouth. He wouldn’t even understand what she was saying.

She saw William’s bewildered face. Well, from his perspective, it was a situation where he suddenly faced resentment from someone crying. It was no wonder he froze with that personality.

She urged herself. She needed to fix her clothes and compose her face. She had to stand up and respond as if she had never sat down. That was how she had learned to behave as Juliet of the Capulet family over the years.

But she didn’t want to do that. She felt empty and scared, wanting to cry endlessly in a place where she felt safe.

At that moment, a warm hand wrapped around her shoulder. Startled, she looked up to find his face close to hers.

“Don’t cry.”

His voice was soft, like a whisper. His soothing voice enveloped her warmly.

“No, you can cry, but I’d like you to tell me why. So I can help.”

William kept talking to her. He comforted her, calmed her, and called her name. His slightly anxious voice was so kind that she felt a bit relieved.

“I want to help you. I want to make sure you don’t cry.”

It was strange. All of this happened because of William, yet she found herself believing that he would do anything to help her.

She cried in his arms without saying anything. Perhaps because she felt relieved, soft sobs escaped her. He gently patted her back. She had finally found a place where she could cry in peace.

After shedding tears in William’s embrace for a while, she could finally return to being the original Juliet.

“I apologize for my rudeness.”

She tidied her clothes, straightened her posture, and thanked him. William seemed as surprised by her sudden change as when he first encountered her crying. She pretended not to notice and just smiled.

“Juliet, are you really okay?”

“Yes. It’s nothing.”

William asked several times if she was okay, but she could only answer that she was. He seemed concerned about why she had cried, but she pretended not to notice. It was something she couldn’t tell the truth about anyway. The Masterpiece wouldn’t allow it.

Without showing any disappointment at her building a wall after he had comforted her, he guided her to the carriage. It wasn’t the Capulet carriage she had sent away, but the Shakespeare carriage. His carriage naturally headed to her house. It was such a natural kindness.

William escorted her until she got off the carriage at the Capulet mansion.

“Juliet, if you need help, please let me know anytime. I’ll definitely help with anything.”

William earnestly reassured her, concerned. She nodded and smiled. Seeing him more anxious than she was somehow lightened her heart. She decided to prepare a thank-you gift and visit his house tomorrow.

* * *

[I paused my writing and recalled the events of the day. Juliet’s smiling face seemed strangely distant. What had made her cry? Was it because she could no longer meet Romeo?

Juliet seemed unaware, but I was also present at the courthouse. I was concerned about the incident that had occurred exactly as I had written.

But that no longer mattered. I remembered her face turning pale as the verdict was given. But she quickly hid that face and approached the head of the Capulet family, seemingly having a serious conversation.

I wanted to make sure Juliet didn’t have to hide her vulnerable side. I wanted to be someone who could help her. I wanted to get close enough to comfort her.

I looked down at the desk. The writing I had done earlier was visible. I tore out the entire page and started writing again. Writing the story I truly wanted to tell.

The story I wrote was both very satisfying and very nauseating.]