Chapter 5 (Part 6)

The carriage heading to the outskirts of town rattled violently. Juliet was on her way to Friar Lawrence’s church with Romeo. Riding in a shabby carriage that no one would imagine held Montague and Capulet. This short journey was called ‘elopement.’

William had accepted her proposal. And as promised, he used the Masterpiece. The next day, Romeo came to see her. On the balcony where he whispered love, he suggested they elope. It was a rare nervous face from him. Of course, it was natural.

Though she knew the outcome of this elopement, for him, it was a decision to give up everything he had. Juliet held Romeo’s trembling hand as William had written. And so, they were on their way to Friar Lawrence in this old carriage.

After traveling for a while, the carriage stopped near the church. A wedding was in progress at the church. Perhaps the story of the statue of the Virgin Mary bringing eternal happiness, as Friar Lawrence had mentioned last time, wasn’t all bluster; a couple who seemed to have just been married was praying in front of it.

If all the countless couples who had wed before that statue truly loved each other eternally without a single separation, it would indeed be remarkable.

“I wanted to pledge eternity with you there.”

Romeo murmured. A faint pain could be felt in his voice. Knowing that all of it was a lie made his suffering even more pitiful. Even if the plan succeeded and the Montagues and Capulets reconciled, he would continue to love her after coming back to life. 

Would he have to endure pain for the rest of his life? 

Having some idea of the answer made it all the more bitter.

“Let’s go this way.”

Romeo led her towards the back door of the church. After all, they were in the midst of an elopement, so drawing attention wasn’t good. She followed him to the back of the church.

Having infiltrated the church, they held their breaths, waiting for Friar Lawrence to discover them. Since the ceremony was still ongoing, it seemed it would take some time before the priest noticed them. Sitting crouched and hidden, her legs were starting to go numb. A sigh escaped her without her realizing it.

Friar Lawrence was an essential part of this plan. He was the only one who possessed the ‘poison’ that could kill Romeo. She recalled the time when they were planning this.

“You’re going to kill Romeo?”

William’s blue eyes shook with confusion. His already pale face seemed to turn even whiter. What’s suddenly happening? Although puzzled, she continued explaining.

“In the original, the two families decide to reconcile because of Romeo and Juliet’s deaths. But my father has already agreed to reconcile. We just need to change the Montague lord’s mind. Did the Montague lord decide to reconcile in the original because of my death? If only Romeo dies, he’ll change his mind.”

William seemed to understand her explanation, yet he still shook his head with a troubled expression.

“But you can’t just kill someone recklessly…”

“Oh, that’s okay. We’ll use poison.”

Realizing what William was worried about, she added lightly. However, William’s face continued to look like he was about to cry.

“Whether it’s poison or a sword, it’s the same.”

William replied weakly. Only then did she realize she had left out the most important part.

“Oh, the poison I’m talking about isn’t real poison. It’s the poison Juliet drank in the original.”

“Ah!”

Finally understanding what she was talking about, William let out a small exclamation.

“After drinking it, he appears dead, but after some time, he wakes up as if nothing happened. While Romeo is ‘dead,’ the Montagues and Capulets can reconcile. Once Romeo comes back to life, it truly becomes a happy ending for everyone, right?”

Moreover, this scenario hardly diverged from the original. The potion that brings someone back to life was indeed present in the original, and the reason for the Montague lord’s decision to reconcile with the Capulets was the same. This meant the risk of causing problems with the Masterpiece was extremely low. William, too, seemed unable to find a reason to oppose this time. After contemplating for a while, he nodded.

“Indeed, the possibility of problems arising seems low.”

Though he still looked uneasy, it was the first time he had given an okay sign. He opened his mouth several times but eventually swallowed his words. She could quickly guess what he wanted to say, but she pretended not to know.

Discussing the potential risks or one-in-a-million chances was meaningless now. She wouldn’t write a story she didn’t find coherent. But if there was a well-thought-out story that seemed plausible, she wouldn’t hesitate. That was the promise from the start.

“Then, William, please continue writing ‘Romeo and Juliet.'”

* * *

“Romeo? What brings you here?”

While lost in thought, a familiar voice called out to Romeo.

“Friar, I need your help.”

Romeo’s serious tone made Friar Lawrence’s face harden. He seemed to realize something serious was happening.

“If things continue as they are, Juliet will marry another man. Please help us keep the vow we made before you.”

“So, you couldn’t overcome the feud between the two families.”

Friar Lawrence sighed. It was impossible for him not to have heard about Vernerk being divided in two.

“My father is trying to marry me off to another man. If I can’t keep the promise made before God and have to marry someone other than Romeo, I’d rather die.”

Words she could never say sober. Thank goodness for being under the spell at times like this. Words flowed out of her mouth without her having to act.

“Juliet!”

“Don’t say such things.”

Romeo and Friar Lawrence simultaneously tried to stop her. As she looked at them with determined resolve, Friar Lawrence hesitated for a moment before speaking as if he had no choice.

“Miss Capulet. If you are truly prepared to risk your life, there is one way. But this method is very close to death. Are you truly ready to risk death?”

“I am ready to do anything.”

At her answer, Friar Lawrence finally opened a drawer and took out a vial of potion.

“If you drink this potion, it will spread through your bloodstream, stopping your pulse and cooling your body temperature. Your breathing will stop, and your skin will lose its color, making you appear like a corpse. Everything that proves you are alive will temporarily disappear. Temporarily. After 48 hours in this state, you will wake as if from sleep. When you open your eyes, you will already be in a coffin.”

Romeo swallowed hard at Friar Lawrence’s words.

“Everyone will think you are dead. They will be too preoccupied with the funeral to pay attention to people coming and going. During that time, Romeo can take you out of the coffin and escape. Leave Vernerk and go far away. Miss Capulet, can you do that?”

“I can. It wasn’t a lie when I said I’d do anything.”

Up to this point, it followed the story of the original. But if she took the potion, the plan would fail.

“I can’t let Juliet do such a thing!”

From here, it was William’s revised story.

“I will take the potion. I will pretend to be dead and immediately escape to find Juliet once I wake.”

“Then it will be much more urgent than if Miss Capulet took the potion.”

“Then I’ll move faster.”

During the process of changing the story so that Romeo would take the potion, she asked William several times if it wouldn’t cause any problems. If it was really okay. William nodded confidently, a rare occurrence.

“Juliet took the potion in the original because Romeo wasn’t by her side.”

“Because he wasn’t by her side?”

“No man can stand idly by while the woman he loves enters a coffin because of him.”

“Not for a single moment could I bear stopping your breath, Juliet.”

Romeo said firmly. Perhaps because of the thought that just crossed her mind, his words felt like William’s words to her. Her heart raced. She couldn’t be sure if this heartbeat was due to the Masterpiece or the thought of William’s face that had just come to mind.

* * *

“Juliet!”

William stood in front of the Capulet household as she returned from parting with Romeo. His face was filled with worry.

“Nothing happened, right? Even though I was sure nothing would, I was worried you might have been harmed.”

Seeing William carefully examining her, she couldn’t help but let out a laugh. Despite being so sure, he couldn’t shake off his worries and waited for her, which somehow seemed endearingly cute.

“I’m back.”

She said. A smile was already spreading across her face. William paused his stream of worries and faced her.

“Welcome back.”

William’s face, as they faced each other, was faintly smiling too.

The next day, the news of Romeo Montague’s death spread throughout Vernerk. The Montague who delivered the news couldn’t be harshly turned away, even by her mother. Before being the enemy of the family, they were parents who had lost a child. What could one possibly say in the face of the sorrow of losing a child? After offering a glass of water with a leaf floating in it, her mother finally spoke like a sigh once the visitor had completely left.

“I don’t know if we should really go. I’m worried we’ll only make things worse for someone who’s already upset by visiting.”

“They invited us because they wanted us to come. Since it’s a difficult occasion, we should go to offer our condolences.”

She reassured her mother. Her mother muttered, wondering if the Montagues truly wanted their comfort, her face filled with undisguised concern. Indeed, ordinarily, her mother would have been right.

Inviting the Capulets to any event hosted by the Montagues was typically considered either a formal invitation or a duel disguised as an invitation. The Capulets’ choices were to either ignore the invitation or attend fully prepared for a fight.

But this time was different. The Montagues sincerely wanted the Capulets to attend. Romeo likely mentioned her name.

She, her mother, and her father headed to the Montague household dressed in mourning attire. The carriage was silent. Her father, as usual, was silent, and her mother seemed conflicted between sympathy for the bereaved parents and hostility towards the Montagues. And finally, the Capulet carriage passed through the Montague’s gates. It was the first step towards reconciliation.