Chapter 5 (Part 5)

William’s words were reasonable. Tampering with the Masterpiece was too dangerous. No one knew when or where something might happen.

The chances of her succeeding in her plan and reconciling Montague and Capulet might be infinitely low. But if she gave up just because of the odds, could she have survived ‘Romeo and Juliet’?

She wouldn’t write a story that seemed likely to break the Masterpiece. But maybe she could find a reason for reconciliation that even the Masterpiece would acknowledge. There was no risk in pondering a method. If she couldn’t find anything, she would give up, but she wanted to try first.

“Please prepare as quickly as possible. I want to go right now.”

William had said he would come to see her now. But she seemed incapable of just sitting and waiting.

William, for some reason, was in the garden. Juliet looked at him with a bit of curiosity. She hadn’t intended to do anything in someone else’s garden, but it was too early for a walk. He was doing nothing, just looking outside the fence. She approached him cautiously.

“William, what are you doing here?”

Startled, William turned to look at her, seemingly unaware of her approach. He blinked as if he didn’t understand the situation.

“Juliet? How are you here at this hour…?”

Juliet smiled sheepishly. It wasn’t a time to visit someone else’s house, no matter how generously one looked at it. But having stayed up all night making a decision, she wanted to tell him as soon as possible.

“Let’s try.”

William seemed taken aback by her abrupt words. But then he realized what she meant and hardened his face.

“If you insist on doing it, I understand. But Juliet, please think it over again.”

William’s response was the same as yesterday. Juliet quietly looked into his eyes. There was something she had found strange since yesterday.

‘Romeo and Juliet’ was a Masterpiece crafted entirely by William’s hand. Surely, he felt many times more responsible than she did.

Of course, some people might think it doesn’t matter what happens to others as long as they’re safe. But the William she knew wasn’t like that.

With his firm conviction as a writer, he must have felt an unavoidable sense of responsibility for the situation caused by his writing. Yet, his words and actions didn’t match the ‘William she knew.’

“Why is a Capulet wandering around from the morning?”

A sudden voice from outside made Juliet look up at the fence. She wondered if the words were directed at her, but it seemed not. Two men, appearing to be in their twenties or thirties, were glaring at each other on the road not far from William’s house.

“That’s not something a Montague should say.”

It was a fight for no reason. The men, raising their voices in argument, soon brushed past each other’s shoulders and left. Juliet, watching them in disbelief, turned to look at William.

He wore an expression like a helpless herbivore. He seemed both terrified and unable to hide his sadness. Juliet finally realized why he was in the garden from the morning.

Shakespeare’s mansion was located between the Capulet and Montague households. He was watching the results of his writing. Watching them, feeling pain, guilt, and fear. Juliet suddenly grabbed William’s hand.

“Juliet?”

Startled, William looked at her. Without responding, she asked him.

“William, why don’t you want to write?”

Ignoring William’s attempt to reply, she spoke again.

“I know it’s dangerous. But isn’t it worth trying? You also think that situation needs to be resolved somehow.”

At her continued words, William bit his lip. Then he spoke with difficulty.

“Juliet. Everything that’s happened is my fault. You don’t need to risk yourself because of my mistake.”

“How can you be sure it’s dangerous? The magic might break, and everything might return to normal. Even if something bad happens, it might end with just losing memories.”

Without intending to break the magic, her frustration led her to speak recklessly. And William’s face contorted as if he was about to cry.

“That’s what I’m afraid of, Juliet.”

His words, squeezed out, left her speechless. William continued in a fading voice.

“If the magic breaks and the memories disappear with it, Juliet, will you remember me?”

She finally realized something. She had come to know William after the Capulets and Montagues became enemies, that is, after ‘Romeo and Juliet’ began. If all memories related to the Masterpiece disappeared, she would forget William. And William, who started writing ‘Romeo and Juliet’ after seeing her, would remember her.

“Juliet, I don’t want to be forgotten by you.”

At his pitiful confession, she wrapped her arms around his shoulders.

“William, but even if you don’t write anything, you won’t be happy. I probably won’t be able to live joyfully either. We already know the problems happening around us, and maybe we know how to solve them. If we do nothing despite that, we’ll continue to live with guilt in some corner. I don’t want that.”

In her words, which implied using the Masterpiece, a hint of despair flashed in William’s eyes.

“But I won’t do anything that would make you forget me. I promise. I won’t do anything with a high risk. Honestly, I don’t have the resolve for that.”

William slowly lifted his head to look at her.

“But we can at least try to find a way, can’t we? Maybe we’ll come up with a story that anyone would have to accept. I won’t write any uncertain stories.”

“…”

“Earlier, I said in frustration that there’s no risk, but how can it not be risky when no one knows what might happen? We can’t guarantee that something like ‘The Masterpiece was destroyed, and everyone involved was destroyed too’ won’t happen. The people who became enemies without knowing anything are pitiful, but it’s better for them to fight and live than to die.”

She released her arms from around him and took a step back, holding his hands together.

“William, let’s put in just that much effort.”

William slowly held her hands in return. A faint smile seemed to spread on his face.

“Thank you, Juliet.”

William and Juliet sat facing each other day after day, brainstorming stories. They had thought of several stories, but none could confidently answer the question, ‘Is it a masterpiece that even the Masterpiece would acknowledge?’

Even when they thought, ‘This is it!’ and came up with a story, William would poke holes in it and dismiss it all. She didn’t have the talent to outwit the legendary storyteller.

“From the start, these people were only willing to reconcile if both families’ children died, so it’s not easy to reconcile them.”

Today, too, Juliet sat across from William in the Shakespeare garden and sighed deeply. No matter how much she moved the pen, no story worth writing emerged. She eventually slumped over the table.

Spending days thinking of only one story was honestly a very dull task. It was even more so in a situation with no right answer and no time limit.

“But please don’t think about dying.”

William said in a gentle voice. He had now become stable enough to make such jokes. Or rather, every time she despaired over not coming up with a solution, he seemed to become more stable.

He had agreed with her words, but it was evident he still didn’t find it appealing. But she couldn’t help finding it annoying, so she looked at him with a dissatisfied gaze.

“If there’s one fortunate thing, it’s that my father is willing to reconcile. He even proposed reconciliation on the day of the trial. If only we could change the Montague lord’s mind, reconciliation would be quick.”

The problem was that she couldn’t think of a suitable way to persuade the Montague lord. She picked up the pen again and looked at the paper in front of her. The paper was filled with circles, triangles, and squares of various sizes.

She needed to write words. She acted tough, but the reality of having no viable method remained unchanged. She sighed and added another circle to the corner of the paper.

“Juliet!”

While she was scribbling, someone called her name loudly. The sound didn’t come from within the garden. She instinctively looked outside the fence.

“Romeo?”

There stood Romeo, clutching the Shakespeare garden fence. 

What was that fool doing there?

“Juliet, I’ve missed you.”

Romeo, looking thinner than before, gazed at her with desperate eyes. She avoided his gaze, knowing her heart would race if their eyes met. If it weren’t for the Masterpiece, she could easily ignore this fluttering and turn away from him.

“Juliet, please look at me.”

Romeo called to her repeatedly, but she ignored him and stood up. Eventually, he was taken away by Montague’s men who appeared shortly after. It was a relief that Capulet’s people didn’t find him. If someone from her family had seen Romeo talking to her, he would have been taken straight to the court.

“I’d rather die than not be able to meet you!”

He shouted to her until the end. Only after his voice completely disappeared could she return to her seat.

“Having one’s mind and body act separately is truly inconvenient.”

Her playful complaint eased William’s tense face. She, too, wasn’t entirely free from the magic. Though she was usually fine, her whole body reacted to Romeo when she faced him. Knowing it was the Masterpiece’s trick, she understood Romeo’s situation too. Romeo’s situation. Suddenly, a terrifying thought crossed her mind. 

What if he really died?

She suddenly regretted ignoring him earlier. He was a man who could despair over unattainable love and die. And that was his role.

Romeo dying. While considering that possibility, a thought crossed her mind.

“That’s it!”

She exclaimed involuntarily. William looked at her in surprise. His eyes were filled with curiosity. Ignoring his gaze, she reviewed her recent idea from all angles. She couldn’t find any flaws. Even after reconsidering it several times, it was a perfect idea. She opened her mouth, filled with excitement.

“We just need to kill Romeo!”