Rosaline said with conviction. This was not a wish, but a fact. It was because the friction between the families had decreased since Juliet began to take over half of the Capulet family’s affairs.

Juliet sternly punished the employees if they got into a fight with the Montagues, and she often invited members of the Montagues and treated them with great care. Of course, there was also opposition within, and the Montagues refused dozens of times, but Juliet was as tough as iron.

Purple silk from across the sea, wine that couldn’t be touched with just any connection, and finely crafted jewels. The Montagues, who couldn’t overcome the Capulets’ material offensive, gradually became more flexible.

Thanks to this, it seemed that the gap between the two families was being filled little by little.

“Then… okay. I’ve decided. We’re going to hold a banquet to coincide with the day Tybalt returns.”

Juliet clasped her arms firmly and sat down at the desk. Then she grabbed a few sheets of paper from the pile of documents and began to write something down roughly.

“The Montague’s weak prince is said to have come down with the real royal family. We’ll invite everyone this time and declare that the relationship between the families is smooth and peaceful.”

Rosaline slightly frowned.

‘The Montague’s weak prince?’

She felt a sense of incongruity that was as strange as she was. While she was embarrassed because she couldn’t control her expression properly, Juliet, without taking her eyes off the desk, said.

“Rosaline, don’t you have to go to Father Laurence now?”

Rosaline was being educated by Laurence at the temple in Valher. Although she had finished her formal education after being ordained, she had to go to the temple at the appointed time to help the priest.

However, Rosaline had no time to think about the priest because of the increasingly clear sense of incongruity. When Rosaline didn’t answer, Juliet leaned in. Only then did Rosaline, who had come to her senses, quickly bowed her head.

“Yes, but I’ll bring you some refreshments……”

“It’s okay. I already have plenty. Go quickly.”

Rosaline, who was chased out as if she was being pushed, tried to come to her senses. But the more she walked, the more her anxiety grew. It was to the point where her heart ached.

‘Who is the weak prince?’

Rosaline tried to think of a person among them who would be the weak prince, but it didn’t come to mind as if she was blocked by something. Even though she knew almost nothing about the Montagues, her heart was beating like a person in fear.

Thinking that it was because she was scolded by her mother yesterday, Rosaline hurried her steps.

* * *

The Montagues’ and Capulets’ mansion was located in the city of Valher.

Although both families had many territories in other places, they stayed and did not leave Valher, where their roots were.

Valher is divided into regions based on the long river that flows through the center. The downstream of the river was the bustling city, and if you went northwest from there, the old town would appear as the highlands became lower. The terrain became rougher as you went upstream, and a forest appeared, and that was where the temple of Father Laurence was located.

Rosaline returned to her room, put on a neat black robe, and went outside, wearing a cloak that reached her waist.

In fact, she could train while going back and forth between the house and the temple, which was also thanks to the fact that the religious world’s influence was relatively weak compared to the past. That’s because, after the manifestation of Kata had not appeared for more than a hundred years, the temple, which had no way to prove its sanctity, was trying to ease the strict regulations and gather believers.

So, most of the priests living in the city lived a life that was not much different from that of ordinary people. Even Laurence lived in his own home, not in the temple, and he only took care of the temple and Rosaline when there was a mass.

However, Rosaline insisted on an ascetic and regular life like some monks, and she attended the temple every day as much as possible. It was because when she looked at the statue of Kata standing alone in the old temple, it was as if her sorrow, loneliness, and overflowing dark emotions were flying away. Later, the statue of Kata felt like an old friend she could confide in.

So, if she knelt down in front of the statue and prayed, the tension that rarely subsided seemed to disappear.

When she arrived at the temple, hurrying her steps,

“Rosaline!”

Father Laurence, who had come to meet her, welcomed her from the entrance of the temple. Rosaline took off the cloak she was wearing on her head and calmly went to his side.

“Father Laurence.”

“Welcome, you came early today.”

“The young lady sent me early.”

The moment they were about to enter the temple, Laurence’s voice suddenly whirred and rang in her head.

– I gave Juliet the medicine. It’s a potion that makes her look like she’s dead for a while. It’s all my fault. If I had told Romeo in advance, he wouldn’t have died.

Rosaline frowned at the voice that was heard in her head, not her ears.

“What did you say?”

“What did I say……? I greeted you.”

“You just said, ‘He wouldn’t have died.’ Romeo… no, who is Romeo?”

As Rosaline spoke like a frightened person, Laurence gently embraced her shoulder.

“You’re saying strange things. If you’re talking about Romeo, are you talking about that Romeo of the Montagues?”

– Juliet also ended up committing s*icide.

“Aah!!!”

Rosaline grabbed her black hair and stepped back. What a terrible thing to say. Amidst the confusion, a foul smell came. A sweet floral scent and the smell of blood. Even though it shouldn’t be possible in the temple, it wasn’t unfamiliar.

Rosaline entered the center of the temple as if possessed. Someone is on the altar, which should have been empty. Not one. Two, three. Two of them were people she knew. Romeo and Juliet, lying on a bed of countless violets. And the person crying out to God above them…….

It’s me. It’s me.

Following Rosaline in the illusion, her gaze slowly moved. However, there was only cold air in the place where the statue of God should be. Something went wrong.

“Juliet, Juliet!!!”

Terrified, Rosaline ran towards the landscape that was unfolding like a hallucination. She had to check Juliet’s condition right away.

But in three steps, the scenery of the temple was covered with black darkness.

“Juliet, my lady! Please… where are you!!!”

Rosaline, shouting with all her might, fell over her own feet. She tried to get up again and again, but her legs were weak and she couldn’t even lift her waist. Powerlessness and fear surged through her whole body.

How could she forget?

The Montague’s weak prince, he was Romeo.

Rejected by Rosaline, he fell in love with Juliet at the banquet at first sight. The passionate and clumsy courtship was successful, and Juliet answered his feelings with love.

And,

Died.

Both of them died.

Juliet, ah. Juliet! If you hadn’t met Romeo from the beginning……!!!

“Rosaline.”

A horrifyingly low voice fell from above her head. For some reason, the way he called her seemed to be laughing. Before she could come to her senses, a huge foot approached her as she was lying down and crying. She tried to lift her head and look at her face, but everywhere was covered in darkness.

“Promise. You must keep it.”

A hand rose from the silence covered in black and flicked her forehead. As Rosaline’s head fell over, she lost consciousness again, as if she had fallen into a bottomless pit.

* * *

The voice of Juliet, calling her in the flickering consciousness, pierced her ears. Rosaline, Rosaline. At the gentle and transparent voice calling her name, Rosaline opened her eyes with all her might.

“Rosaline!”

The beloved young lady’s eyes filled Rosaline’s blurry vision. Then, as Juliet’s familiar and beautiful face became clear, Rosaline’s eyes became wet and trembled. Am I dead too? If not,

Is Juliet alive?

“Juliet…….”

As Rosaline mumbled, Juliet burst into tears and hugged her tightly. The warmth of the living penetrated Rosaline.

“Rosaline. Ah, Rosaline. I thought you were dead.”

Rosaline blinked her eyes blankly and recognized her surroundings. This was her own room, which was separately prepared in the annex. Behind the clear voice of the young lady ringing in her ears, her mother with an unpleasant face and the employees who were worried about her were standing.

The final truth she reached was that Juliet was alive.

Originally, she would have discreetly pushed Juliet away while watching her mother’s eyes, but she couldn’t do that now. Rosaline not only embraced Juliet, but also touched her face.

“I thought you were dead, Miss. Tell me if this is a dream. I will never wake up.”

As Rosaline, in a state of desperation, floundered in her excitement, Juliet seemed puzzled by Rosaline’s reaction.

“Rosaline, you were the one who almost died. You were badly injured after getting caught up in a fight between our servants and the Montague servants on the street, don’t you remember?”

A clear memory came to mind in Rosaline’s head, who paused. A few months before Juliet died, Rosaline had been caught up in a fight between servants on her way to the temple. She had been badly cut on her back and neck, and she had hovered near death for a month.

Juliet, sensing the seriousness of the situation, decided to hold a banquet, instead of widening the gap with the Montagues, she should narrow it.

“Miss, what day is it today?”

“…Why suddenly……”

Juliet seemed flustered by the sudden question, but when she saw Rosaline’s face was extremely serious, she immediately answered.

“September 5th.”