1. Waking from a Dream

Rosaline, a servant of the Capulet family, had no father.

It was only speculated that the stableman or the butler was her biological father. In fact, when her mother was pregnant, there was a brief rumor that the head of the Capulet family might be her biological father. But it quickly disappeared.

That was because her mother was the best friend of Lady Capulet in her lifetime. Although her mother was from a commoner background, she was famous for her deep friendship with the lady.

So deep that, when Lady Capulet died shortly after Juliet was born, she volunteered to be a nanny and gave Juliet more love than just feeding her.

Juliet, who had received even more milk and love than Rosaline, was perfect. She was kind and beautiful and faithfully fulfilled her duties as the heir, and especially cherished Rosaline, her milk sibling, calling her sister.

Of course, they had nothing in common except for their black hair, which made the word sister seem meaningless.

Juliet had a height above average, skin as white as jade, and blue eyes like a cloudless sky. She was not only beautiful, but her eyes and speech were filled with power and courtesy, and at the age of an adult, she also had the wisdom and knowledge of the next family head.

But Rosaline was, as her mother said, a woman ‘without a shred of charm’. Although she had a pretty face, her gloomy brown eyes and expressionless face made her seem more like Juliet’s shadow than a person. Even her height was a span taller than Juliet’s, which often made her hear people say that she offended the pride of the young men.

But Juliet kept Rosaline by her side, not as a mere servant but as an attendant, and worked with her on many things and cherished her. The nanny did not like this, because she was worried that Rosaline, who was of a lowly bloodline, would ruin Juliet, although she was her own daughter.

Every time she was kind to Rosaline, she would nag her like this.

“That child is going to be a nun anyway. Don’t give her too much affection.”

In fact, Rosaline was receiving education to be ordained at her mother’s insistence. The cost of becoming a regular priest could not be covered by her mother, who was just a nanny, so the Capulet family supported everything. It was because Lord Capulet was quite impressed by the nanny who worked hard for his daughter.

Her mother was going to send Rosaline away to a monastery as it was, but Juliet’s opposition allowed her to study at home and go back and forth between the house and the school.

“It’s natural that I’m indifferent to you.”

One day, her mother confessed to young Rosaline.

“Having you was a coincidence… no, to be honest, I was just unlucky. If the master and his wife hadn’t accepted me, I might have been kicked out of the Capulet family. It’s all thanks to Lord Capulet and the young lady that we, who are as stupid and humble as us, can even beg for food to eat.”

She grabbed Rosaline’s cheek and strongly told her.

“So, my daughter, you have to do well. You must live with a grateful heart. That is the way of a human being.”

Rosaline agreed.

Considering how many children were abandoned according to her mother’s words, she was lucky. Not only did she receive education that an ordinary home could not learn, but above all, she had Juliet.

Juliet Capulet. Beautiful to the point of being unspeakable, with a good nature and a strong heart like that.

“You are my sister, Rosaline.”

Juliet, who sometimes held Rosaline’s hand and whispered these affectionate words, was a woman she could not help but love. Rosaline swore to pray for her master for the rest of her life and kissed the back of Juliet’s hand.

“Thank you, my lady.”

However, in the year Rosaline turned twenty-three, when she was ordained and became a regular priest, an official letter came down from the central diocese, stating that Rosaline’s residence would be decided.

Once the residence was decided, Rosaline had to go to a monastery, study for a few months, and then spend the rest of her life at the assigned temple.

In a situation where she didn’t know where she would go, Juliet stepped up. She lobbied the diocese with a huge amount of money so that Rosaline could be assigned to a temple not far from home.

“You d*mn girl, instead of being helpful to the young lady, you’re just wasting money.”

Her mother, who heard the news, slapped Rosaline’s cheek, saying that it must have been her who asked for it. Rosaline did not resist. She wanted Juliet, who found out about the situation, not to worry, and she also understood her mother’s anger. How could the lowly daughter, who stuck close to the noble young lady, be so unpleasant?

But to understand, it was even better to be by Juliet’s side.

Because she had to constantly remind herself that ‘Mother could only be like that because of the lovely Juliet.’ And she thought that if she stayed by her side, her mother would surely understand her, who had to be like this.

“Rosaline, why is your face like that?”

The next morning arrived. As usual, Rosaline went over Juliet’s schedule in her room. Documents flipped beneath Juliet’s fingers as she listened, and her gaze brushed Rosaline’s cheek. A frown formed, and she stepped closer.

“It’s swollen.”

Rosaline covered her cheek with the back of her hand and smiled before Juliet’s hand could touch her.

“My skin is getting dry because it’s almost autumn.”

“…Did the nanny do that? You don’t think I’m going to take you….”

Juliet sighed, looking at the fatigue that was cast over Rosaline’s eyes. She couldn’t understand the nanny’s hatred for her daughter. But she also couldn’t rebuke the nanny who loved her more than her own child.

Juliet clicked her tongue at the situation where she could neither do this nor that.

“I’ll talk to the nanny for you.”

“You don’t have to. Mother will only get more angry.”

Rosaline slowly shook her head and smiled.

“I’m really okay, Juliet.”

She grabbed Juliet’s shoulder, who was full of dissatisfaction, and slowly pushed her towards the seat. When Juliet sat down, as if she couldn’t help it, Rosaline gestured at the desk full of documents.

“You have a lot to see, Lady Capulet.”

It meant to mind her own business and do her work. Juliet, without giving up, grumbled.

“…Did you put ice on your cheek? Did you put on the ointment?”

“Yes, enough.”

Juliet, letting out a long sigh, leaned on Rosaline’s arm. Now, her worries had moved from Rosaline to the household chores. She tapped the pile of documents with her hand and said.

“I don’t understand. Why do the Montagues hate us so much?”

The Montagues were a family that had traditionally held the position of knight, and they had not been on good terms with the Capulet family for a long time. This was because, in the past, when polytheism was practiced, the Montagues and Capulets worshipped different gods. The Montagues had worshipped the sun god Kata, and the Capulets had worshipped the moon god Tivre.

But that was a hundred years ago. As time passed, the Capulets, a merchant family, became indifferent to religion itself, and even the king who ascended to the throne about 30 years ago declared the sun god Kata as the main god, and most of the people, including the Capulets, were baptized as believers of Kata.

“Think about it! We don’t have to fight over religious issues anymore, right? We’re baptized and make offerings for Kata.”

Juliet, who was speaking enthusiastically, counting her hands, turned around. Then, the chair she was sitting on creaked along with her. In response to the owner’s eyes asking for an answer, Rosaline pretended to be troubled and rolled her eyes.

“…Perhaps it’s become a habit because they’ve been ostracizing us for so long.”

Emotions are similar to habits. Love and hate alike, when sustained over a long time, become embedded in the body, making them difficult to change, much less discard.

“Hatred, in particular, is a very bad habit, and bad habits are hard to correct. It is like a child who always looks for sweets before going to bed.”

When Rosaline compared the Montagues to a child who couldn’t change a habit, Juliet’s eyes widened.

“…Rosaline, I didn’t know, but it seems like you dislike the Montagues more than I do.”

At Juliet’s point, Rosaline felt a sense of incongruity. Come to think of it, she had only been annoyed by the Montagues. Unlike others, she didn’t particularly hate them with all her heart. First of all, Juliet didn’t want it, and she couldn’t find a reason to do so.

But the moment she mentioned the Montagues, a sharp sense of unease pierced deep into her heart. She covered her face to avoid being embarrassed.

“Just because I didn’t say anything doesn’t mean I have no feelings.”

“I didn’t know you would be like that.”

Juliet raised her eyebrows as if she was surprised.

“Anyway, you’re right. Father seems to be waiting to fight with the Montague kids out of habit.”

The Montagues, who had produced knights from generation to generation, were wealthy, but they couldn’t compare to the Capulets, who were the heads of a huge merchant association. However, the Capulets were also involved in finance, which was considered a dishonorable act. Now, that perception had diminished, but it was still far from the image of being sublime because it was all about handling money.

Therefore, the Montagues treated the Capulets as vulgar merchants who only knew about money, and the Capulets regarded the Montagues as foolish nobles who lacked a sense of reality.

“…It will change when the young lady becomes the head of the family.”