Romeo and Rosaline - 19

Juliet’s fiancé, Count Paris, was five years older than Juliet, but he possessed a handsome appearance, a gentle personality, and owned a southern road linked to the income of the merchant companies. He was the perfect groom.

Above all, he sincerely loved Juliet. When Juliet became Capulet’s heir and their engagement was almost broken off, he promised her that he would share Capulet’s surname and be committed to her.

Count Paris, who had come to Verona to travel with Juliet, couldn’t hide his excitement in the parlor. Eventually, he gently took Juliet’s hand, sitting next to him.

“Juliet, they say the sea of Apulia is emerald green. I wanted to show you that place. I’m happy that we’re going together.”

Juliet, who had been feeling awkward, finally smiled comfortably when she saw her father, Lord Capulet, looking pleased from the opposite side.

“Count, sometimes you speak like a young boy.”

“…Ah.”

“I’m not blaming you for being a little childish. It’s a compliment. I can’t stand men who act too serious.”

“Juliet, you can be as childish as you want with me.”

“Is that so?”

“Oh! I’m sorry. I, um…”

Paris didn’t know how to handle the situation and his ears turned red. Juliet teasingly twisted her lips as if to make fun of him, but Tybalt intervened.

“Uncle, please stop Juliet. Otherwise, Count Paris will be reduced to ashes.”

Haha, Lord Capulet, with a hearty laugh, extended his hand towards Juliet. He was Juliet’s father, bearing a striking resemblance to his daughter with his black hair, blue eyes, and gentle smile.

“Yes, Juliet. Stop now. At least look at your father and Tybalt, who will take over while you’re gone.”

As her father sided with Tybalt, Juliet glanced at him.

“Well, alright. Anyway, from today, it will be just the two of us.”

Lord Capulet, finding Juliet charming as she delicately sipped from her teacup, opened his mouth with a solemn gaze.

“Count, it may be late, but I express deep gratitude to you.”

He placed his hand on Tybalt’s shoulder. His expression revealed remorse, bravery, and sadness.

“The reason my beloved nephew, Tybalt, could return unharmed from the war is because of you. You carried provisions and secured the supply route.”

The expression on Count Paris’s face, which had been present in his memory, also visibly sank.

“I simply did what I had to do.”

“Count, humility is a luxury in this situation. My life owes its existence to you, Count.”

As Tybalt sided with his uncle, he became serious and intervened. Lord Capulet, with a nod of his head, reached out and touched Paris’s knee.

“I want to give you the wine made by the queens of Hargogne.”

“…If it’s Hargogne…….”

It was one of the most famous wine regions, and the most accomplished artisans there were called queens. It was a pricey wine, but one that not even a king could afford.

“If you offer it, I will gratefully accept. But I must say this.”

Trembling, Paris fixed his gaze on Juliet.

“I will not deny that my actions may be criticized as unfaithful, but I assure you that love for you was the foundation of everything I did. I did it to protect the cousin you love and the country where you reside.”

In the room, the sensation of love permeated simply by listening. Such was the fervor and intensity of Paris’s love. Rosaline, who had been quietly waiting in the background, glanced at Juliet with a fleeting look.

From what she knew, Juliet regarded Count Paris as nothing more than a longtime friend, not a lover. But the current confession seemed to shake even Juliet herself. Her cheeks blushed like a shy girl.

Rosaline had a premonition. Juliet would lead a special yet mundane, occasionally painful yet enjoyable, long life. She would turn her back on the upper class she led, ignore her family’s cries, and follow her beloved to her death, leaving them to their fate.

It was an unexpected ending. What could be the reason for such profound sadness? Was it because Juliet ultimately chose to leave her? Because the one she had admired like the sun no longer shone upon her alone?

Rosaline had initially wished only for Juliet’s happiness. But it could all have been hypocrisy. She had wanted to be by Juliet’s side, even if it meant being an invisible moon beside the sun.

But their world was so different from Rosaline’s. Walls and boundaries that could never be crossed were clearly visible. Rosaline realized this only now. Even if she didn’t leave, she could never be Juliet’s moon.

As she absently observed the glassy world, Lord Capulet smiled and gestured for her to bring the box containing the packaged wine.

“Bring it here.”

As Rosaline tried to take the well-packaged wine, her mother swiftly snatched the bottle. It seemed that she hesitated that Rosaline get too close to Juliet or the Capulet family.

Rosaline’s mother valued Juliet more than her own life, but she didn’t particularly like Lord Capulet. Although he treated her mother kindly, her mother strictly maintained the boundaries of employer and employee, never once showing a common smile.

‘Does my mother think that Lord Capulet killed her closest friend?’

The madam was a close friend of Rosaline’s mother when she was alive. It was only natural for her to resent the husband when her healthy friend gave birth to a daughter and died.

“Ha-ha.”

A sudden laughter escaped. It was a very small laugh, but she covered her mouth with the back of her hand and pretended to cough.

Isn’t it ridiculous? Rosaline’s mother, who detested Lord Capulet, went to his side with the wine herself. How much does she dislike her daughter, despise her daughter?

“She’s about to leave, yet you’re smiling in front of your employers.”

Rosaline ignored her mother’s words. God, Romeo’s filthy personality must have rubbed off on her. While stifling her laughter and staring into the air, she heard a familiar name in the conversation between the Capulet family and Count Paris.

“…Lord Montague was initially a knight without a single soldier. He had only made hasty vows. No one even knew his name.”

Tybalt spoke. Given that Romeo looked like a fool who only mocked the lower class, there were many who looked down on him, saying that he must have been kicked out of the family . Looking back, there was no nonsense. He was one of the few men who didn’t seek women on the battlefield.

“The barbarians cursed our nation, pointing out our fading faith and said that the darkness brought by the god of the moon, Tiber, would engulf the land. At first, I thought that curse might come true as the front lines were pushed back…”

He let out a sigh-like breath.

“There was nothing but the light of victory where Romeo Montague was.”

Truly, it was astonishing. As Tybalt added to his words, Count Paris’s eyes sparkled with interest. Meanwhile, Juliet maintained a sullen posture, but Tybalt smoothly smiled and spoke.

“Instead of executing Romeo, who was acting outside of orders, we placed him in a commanding position. It was an excellent choice. After all, we emerged victorious.”

He laughed, reminiscing the past.

“We called him Kata.”

Kata, the name of the sun god.

Bold enough to be nicknamed after a god’s name, standing alone in a battlefield of blood and ashes, he was regarded as the sole light and savior.

“It’s strange. Someone with such outstanding achievements in public, yet there are plenty who don’t even know his name.”

Paris, who quietly listened to Tybalt’s story, swallowed his saliva and expressed his doubt.

“Normally, with that level of accomplishment, rumors would spread. But unless you investigate, you wouldn’t know.”

“As I mentioned earlier, Romeo was someone who acted outside of orders. He didn’t even listen to his comrades, let alone superiors. At that time, the system was so chaotic that such a thing was possible, but if such behavior had continued, it would have been Montague’s disgrace.”

“So, are you saying… he wouldn’t even listen to the king’s commands?”

“That’s correct. He was cast out of the king’s sight. His achievements were overshadowed by an angered king, and Romeo himself remains quiet because he doesn’t particularly desire a remarkable position.”

The king wanted Romeo Montague under his control by any means necessary. Since there was no princess available, he attempted to marry Romeo to one of his cousins, but Romeo refused all these requests and returned to his hometown.

“Is the prince by his side just to persuade him?”

“Yes. But the prince isn’t particularly passionate about it either. He was simply curious about Romeo, who is his friend, or perhaps about his hometown.”

A hint of interest appeared on Juliet’s previously expressionless face. She gestured with an open palm, as if telling Tybalt to speak. Tybalt chuckled, seemingly understanding her question, and scratched his chin.

“I know that ‘Montague’ is a big deal, but even the royal family would give up on him if he refused. So why attach the prince to him?”

“Well, you see, a prophecy came out that the incarnation of the sun god, Kata, would soon arrive at the Temple. To be precise, the prophecy came out a long time ago, but the Temple kept it hidden.”

Everyone present gasped in surprise. Tybalt continued speaking without paying much attention to his employees.

“Once the royal family learned of this, they needed a powerful adversary against the growing influence of the Temple.”

“You don’t mean… this war as well?”

“That’s right. We can say it now, but the religious war was more like a play staged by the Temple and the royal family.”

The royal family, concerned that the Temple’s influence would rise due to the incarnation, staged a war as a show of force. The problem was that the barbarians were stronger than the king had anticipated.

“Romeo is a suitable figure. And it would be a good show if the man who earned the title of Kata’s guardian deity was loyal to the royal family before the manifestation.”

“The king and the cardinal are both crazy. How many died in that war?”

Juliet expressed her disgust, her brows furrowed. Count Paris didn’t know what to do beside her, but Lord Capulet didn’t stop his daughter. Merchants were the most sensitive to wars, and it was natural for his fiercely reactive daughter, who would eventually become a prominent merchant, to react strongly.

Tybalt let out a bitter laugh.

“I, too, as a despised Capulet from a merchant family, joined the war to prove that I could have another honor. What’s the difference between me and the king.”

A contemplative silence hung in the air. Lord Capulet was the one to break it.

“So, why did Romeo Montague come here?”

His question was valid. It wasn’t as if he had left his home for no reason or returned here out of loyalty to his family.

“Well, even the prince seemed quite curious about that.”

Tybalt chuckled and swept his hair back with his hand.

“No one knows what that guy is thinking.”

A few more words were exchanged about Romeo, and the atmosphere began to loosen. Seizing the opportunity, Count Paris tightly held Juliet’s hand.

“Juliet, we should leave now. If we leave right away, we can reach the first inn before sunset.”

“Yes, you’re right.”

Juliet brushed off her seat, stood up, and exchanged greetings with Lord Capulet and Tybalt. Meanwhile, Rosaline kept her gaze fixed on the floor, lost in thoughts about Romeo.