Romeo and Rosaline - 39

The top chamber of Neche, which should have been the most sublime and sacred, was filled with all kinds of golden ornaments. The bed, piled high with silk, was no different.

After his treatment, Romeo immediately called for Rosaline. Perhaps bothered by her flinching every time their bodies touched after he forcefully took her, he decided to lie on top of her, pressing his body against hers, not allowing even a tremor.

His sharp nose pressed against her cheek, and his warm breath circled her ear. The close contact of their bodies made her feel the dampness of their sweat-drenched skin.

“You’re lost in thought again.”

A heavy voice resounded. Rosaline blinked her eyes, which rarely caught colds, several times before asking him.

“Can you die too?”

After a moment of silence, an answer came.

“…I’ve lived countless lives.”

As Rosaline turned her head in his direction, she came face to face with Romeo’s smile, so close that their noses almost touched.

His smile felt suffocating, as if the smell of gunpowder that could ignite everything in front of her could be sensed at any moment.

“And in those countless lives, I have been in this position. Becoming the sun god they desire, doing what they want.”

His red eyes softened and swept up and down her body.

“But the ending was always the same. Humans wanted one thing, then they wanted ten, then they wanted everything. In the end, they wanted me to become the sun.”

With words that were almost a whisper, Romeo’s fingers touched Rosaline’s trembling jaw and the corner of her eye. As if adding a finishing touch.

“Even if it means killing me.”

Romeo let out a short laugh.

“You look like you don’t believe me.”

“…….”

“You’ve cast me from heaven to hell with just your soft words and delicate gestures, and you don’t think there’s a single person who could kill me?”

He usually felt more aggressive when he raised his voice, but today he seemed as sensitive as a trapped animal.

“There were always those who feared me, and those who did not fear me.”

“…….”

“They killed me.”

He caressed her cheek as if he was about to shatter it. Her pale face seemed to bring him joy. It felt like he was stabbing himself with a dagger.

“After I die, those humans who thought they held the sun will walk the path of destruction among themselves. That’s always been the story of those who coveted the sun. It never changed, not even once.”

“…….”

“Thus, my fate becomes a verse in a new myth that will serve as a lesson for the surviving humans.”

Like characters in a story created by humans… his words grew longer.

“To that extent, the role of a god is quite insignificant.”

He expected her to be frightened. However, as her hand caressed his lips, she gently held his cheek.

“…Rosaline?”

Romeo’s eyes held doubt, confusion, and a faint sense of satisfaction. But there was also a hint of cautious pleasure. She whispered as she carefully touched him, as if stroking a blade of grass that had not yet fully grown.

“This time, you won’t die tragically… It’s true…”

Those who do not fear him will be the ones to kill him. Since Rosaline did not fear Romeo, it was undoubtedly she who would end his life. And all she had to do was disappear before he did.

She smiled at him, keeping the well-crafted dagger in mind.

It was a sad truth that her existence could only bring pain to anyone she was with, but she was genuinely happy to have something she could do for her beloved.

“Rosaline, it’s been a while since I saw you smile.”

Romeo, mesmerized by Rosaline’s smile that he hadn’t seen in a long time, murmured.

“…It’s beautiful.”

Rosaline tilted her head and gently brushed her lips against his.

If I cannot be your blissful love, I will remain as the one who granted you life, even if it means enduring pain.

In between their kisses, she smiled wholeheartedly.

* * *

The procession from the north was lavish enough to suggest a wealthy emissary. Kata sat in a roofless carriage led by dozens of people, looking down indifferently at the enthusiastic citizens cheering for him.

However, his gaze was solely focused on Rosaline standing behind him. She would be standing upright, barely revealing her chin, wearing a cloak.

From a certain day onward, she started smiling more.

Despite all the torment he inflicted upon her, she began to graciously smile at him. Every time she did, he would react with astonishment, only to gently stroke her cheek or suddenly become aggressive and kiss her.

As always, Rosaline accepted everything he did. Romeo found her attitude both willing and unsettling. But no matter how much he provoked her, she expressed nothing but affection towards him. Even when he acted sharp or blushed, he devoured her like a famished beast.

Perhaps that’s why, even though the path was like an icy surface, relatively peaceful days continued.

“I can do it myself….”

This morning, while getting dressed for the procession, she looked at her reflection in the mirror and hesitantly spoke. Romeo had pushed her into a chair and fiddled with her makeup.

Her black hair was styled with a few strands left hanging, and a silver chain ran along the parting of her hair, glistening whenever it caught the sunlight.

At first glance, compared to Romeo, with his dark tan skin that seemed to have a deep golden hue, wearing a matching gold necklace and ring, and an earring adorning one ear like a decoration, she appeared rather plain. If he was extravagant, she was serene, like the moon in the middle of the night.

Romeo blurted out impulsively in that moment.

“When the procession is over, you will regain your name as well.”

He thought Rosaline would be pleased to hear that the Umbran shackles were being lifted. Yet, even as he expected her to be happy, he intentionally provoked her. He knew very well that he was no better than her five-year-old sibling. Still, he couldn’t stop himself.

He wanted to test the limits of how much she would accept him, because seeing her look at him instead of focusing on his back made him feel incredulous. It felt like his back might break from the anticipation of being observed.

Since this life, like the previous one, would not be long, he decided to indulge in vanity. He convinced himself that this was truly his last existence.

– Romeo.

The moment her lips parted felt like an eternity. Say it. Thank you, thank you for finally freeing me from the shadows. He had reached a point where he could only feel relieved if she told him she was leaving. Because that would be her sincere intention. It was better to hear painful truths than sweet lies.

However, contrary to his expectations, Rosaline gently stroked the back of his hand resting on her shoulder and shook her head.

– There’s no need for that. I’m satisfied with being the greatest shadow created by the sun.

– …

– Romeo?

Why is it so difficult to distinguish falsehood from truth? Why is it so blinding?

– You…

– …

– You were never just a shadow to begin with.

He heard a voice calling from outside. In an instant, he sighed at the abrupt return to reality and took a few steps towards the door. But he didn’t hear the accompanying sound of footsteps. When he reached for the doorknob and turned around, Rosaline was standing just two steps behind. Despite the efforts put into her appearance, she was wearing a hooded cloak, reminiscent of what Umbras wear.

Only her chin and lips were visible, but he could sense her gentle smile. Like the moon that shines only at night, as if she would vanish before the sun…

She is by his side now, with nowhere else to go. Determined to stay with him until the end, she couldn’t leave as long as he was alive.

Since her destiny was fulfilled when Juliet rejected her, she no longer had to suffer from a fate beyond her control.

But why does he feel so uneasy…

– Rosaline?

– Romeo.

The sunlight reflected through the window, casting shadows on her cloak as her crimson lips gently parted. The entire sequence of events was exquisitely beautiful, stealing Romeo’s attention once again.

– The few days I spent with you have become everything in my short life.

– …

– I truly love you, Romeo.

Romeo thought she was cruel, capable of reducing him to nothing with just a few simple words. Without opening the door to move forward, he turned around and removed her cloak. He reluctantly stepped into the shadow she created and met her fragile gaze.

Fierce kisses followed. They were delightfully dreadful, yet he wanted to inflict pain. In an act of revealing his emotions, he slightly tore his lower lip. He apologized without uttering a word, repeatedly wiping it clean.

“Kata, aren’t you happy?”

Romeo’s sweet reminiscence was shattered by William’s intrusive voice. In an instant, he regained his senses on the carriage and William continued speaking to him.

“Everyone praises you. Ah… truly…”

William couldn’t hide his pure joy and undeniable jealousy, as if he himself were the one receiving praise.

“You can do anything…”

Romeo looked down at the ground as the people shouted Kata’s name. Behind their laughter, thousands of lives, William’s desires, and thousands more ambitions intertwined in a tedious manner.

Praise? Admiration breeds as much hostility as its magnitude. Those who praise the sun can harbor hostility towards the sun’s shade, and even the most merciful can become cruel.

Excessiveness always brings about destruction.

It is the law of mythology, fate, and humanity.

Disgust surged within. Although he averted his gaze from the sea of blood-like humans, the thunderous cheers that felt like tearing continued. Fearing that everything would be torn apart, he looked at Rosaline, who allowed him to breathe while choking his neck.

On the shaky carriage, she remained in the same position. As Romeo observed her motionless figure, a shiver unexpectedly ran down his spine. Such familiar unease. It felt as if all the strength drained from his body, starting from the tip of his toes.

He slowly stood up and approached Rosaline. Someone tried to restrain him, but they could only scratch his firm skin and failed to stop him.

“Rosaline.”

Amidst the chaotic cheers, he stood frozen in place, trembling. Why doesn’t she embrace me when I am so unstable? Why doesn’t she call my name with tender arms and a gentle voice?

As he focused entirely on her, the surrounding noise seemed blocked out.

He grasped the edge of the cloak that covered her face. In that brief moment of uncovering it, he noticed that her lips, which should have borne wounds, were smooth.

A golden moment passed through Romeo’s mind.

“…Ka, Kata. I… forgive me….”

The terrified woman knelt down and grabbed onto his thigh. She had black hair and brown eyes resembling Rosaline, and even her physique resembled her.