While she hesitated, he said,

“Entrusting such important ledgers to you when you’re already busy with temple work. Even if we eventually bring you into the household as a priest, it’s not appropriate for a priest to do this kind of work.”

“……I’m sorry.”

“Ah, no. I didn’t mean you should apologize. Rather, it’s a burden on you.”

Lord Capulet smiled kindly, lifting his eyes from the documents to look at Rosaline.

“I’m grateful. Juliet nearly grew up without a mother or other siblings, but thanks to you and your mother, she grew up receiving more than her share of love.”

“Grateful?”

Rosaline waved her hands in confusion, shaking her head this way and that.

“I also nearly grew up without siblings, but thanks to Miss Juliet, I wasn’t lonely. Being able to serve someone like Miss Juliet was the greatest fortune of my life.”

“I’m glad you think so.”

At his kind expression, Rosaline felt inexplicably warm and nodded.

“If you need anything else, just say so.”

She thought of the countless things she needed, but though they clearly existed, they weren’t clear enough to express in words. It felt stifling, like a tangled ball of fur stuck under her tongue.

“……I have enough. Thank you for your concern.”

Lord Capulet gazed at Rosaline for a long time, then nodded and turned his eyes back to the documents. With a rustling sound, he murmured quietly,

“I’m truly sorry to you.”

“……”

“And to your mother, Sarah.”

Sarah—it had been so long since she’d heard her mother’s name. Sarah. Right, her mother’s name was Sarah. Though all Rosaline could see was his ear and gaunt cheek, she could feel his sincerity.

But they were employees hired for money. A light word of thanks would be one thing, but there was no reason to apologize.

“There’s no need.”

She saw his shoulders flinch. But Rosaline spoke sincerely.

“As I said, I’m the one who should be grateful and feel fortunate. When I go to the temple today, I’ll pray for the Capulets.”

“……Yes, if you say so.”

Hearing Lord Capulet’s low laugh, Rosaline poured tea into his empty cup. He pressed lightly on the back of her hand as she tried to take the teapot away, meeting her eyes again.

“That’s enough for today. You may go. Aren’t you busy with temple work?”

“……Thank you.”

Rosaline didn’t refuse and left the room. When she went out to the garden in her priestly robes, Romeo was waiting as always. He leaned against the wall reading a palm-sized book, which he immediately closed and tucked away when Rosaline appeared.

“What is it?”

“A novel William told me to read. Nothing special.”

He strode over, pulled her waist close, and kissed her lightly.

“Romeo.”

“There’s no one around. Why not?”

Romeo acted shamelessly, lowering his hand to grasp her buttocks. The black fabric of her habit crumpled in his grip.

“Actually, when you come out dressed like this, I get more excited—”

“……You’re insane. You don’t deserve to be called Kata.”

“I don’t care about that title.”

After kissing her bridge of nose and eyelids in turn, he tilted his head.

“But why such a sullen face? Dazed like a goose that’s had its food stolen.”

“……It’s nothing.”

“Did that old man say something?”

“Old man? Don’t speak carelessly.”

Rosaline lightly scolded him and grasped the doorknob to leave the garden. But he embraced her from behind, so she couldn’t open the door. His large hand gripped her wrist, his thumb gently stroking the inside of her palm.

“He really didn’t say anything?”

“You weren’t eavesdropping, were you?”

“I wasn’t.”

He raised both hands to show his innocence.

“I swear to god, I didn’t listen.”

“……He said he was sorry to me. And to my mother too.”

Rosaline opened the door as if to say “satisfied now?” and went out. Romeo emerged a few beats later, walking alongside Rosaline while wrapping his hand around her waist and pulling her close. His determination not to separate even a little was almost admirable.

“He must have been grateful for your mother and daughter’s devotion.”

“If he’s grateful, he’d say thank you, not sorry.”

“No need to get unnecessarily serious with that small head of yours. Maybe that’s just how he talks.”

When Rosaline looked up, Romeo kissed her lightly on the bridge of her nose.

“If anything, shouldn’t you be the one who’s sorry? Calling the Montague heir to your room every day and going at it like a dog in heat.”

“Romeo!!!”

He quickly captured her mouth as it opened to shout. He clutched her waist and pressed the corners of her mouth, wrapping his tongue around hers. Even as he adjusted the pace so she could breathe, accommodating her still-clumsy responses, her mind went blank all the same. At least it calmed the restlessness she’d felt with Lord Capulet.

“Why don’t we just go to your room and finish doing things we should be sorry for?”

He pressed his *rect lower half against her thigh and rocked his hips slowly like a dog in heat. Rosaline leaned her forehead against his chest and turned her head away—to avoid having her lips stolen again.

“Stop saying useless things. I’m so tired from not sleeping because of you lately.”

“I couldn’t sleep either, taking your stuff out.”

“What are you—”

“Your body is meant to become god’s. A man’s seed shouldn’t remain inside, should it? While you were sleeping, I—”

“Stop! Stop!”

Horrified, Rosaline covered his mouth with both hands and lifted her head. He grinned. While she lost herself in his innocent smile, her lips were stolen again. Only after he’d had his fill did their lips finally part. Rosaline realized getting angry would only excite him more, so she stroked his jaw and cheek soothingly.

“Romeo, I really have to go. Father isn’t there today either, so I have to prepare everything.”

“……Hah.”

He held Rosaline tightly without gaps and pressed his lips to her ear in acknowledgment.

“Do you know how hard it is to guard an empty room while you’re gone?”

In her absent room, rubbing his c*ck against blankets that still held her scent had only been enjoyable for a day or two. She’d forbidden him from following her after their fight, and Romeo felt frantic enough to go mad.

This was the first time they’d been so close for so long.

“……Do you Montagues really have nothing to do?”

“How heartless of you to say.”

Really makes me want to devour you. Romeo sighed and was about to let her go when her hand lightly touched his forearm.

“Romeo, don’t tell me you stay in my room the whole time until I come back?”

“Yes.”

“Alone?”

“Yes.”

Watching Rosaline slowly wrap her arms around his neck, Romeo swallowed his laughter. So foolishly, Rosaline pitied him. Like a rabbit pitying a lion—but more foolish than the rabbit-like her was Romeo himself, clinging to such meager sympathy.

“……Romeo, what if I write you letters?”

“……Letters?”

“If you’re going to keep staying in my room like that, I’ll write letters for you to read before I leave. You sleep late in the mornings anyway.”

Romeo wasn’t a late sleeper. He only pretended to sleep while watching Rosaline slip from his embrace to prepare for her day.

Freshly awakened Rosaline—gone was her shyness. She rose n*ked, stretched, and gazed down at him for a long while. She’d tuck him in, arrange his messy blond hair, playfully trace his cheek, then get up.

After dressing in well-pressed clothes, she’d tie her hair back so tightly it looked suffocating. That appearance others found endlessly modest struck Romeo as obscene enough to make his head throb. He couldn’t miss this raw landscape only he could see.

Sometimes when she kissed his forehead before leaving, he remembered she’d done the same for Juliet. Jealousy and l*st boiled together. He vowed never to speak of this emotion until death and forced a beaming smile.

“Sounds good, Rosaline. I’ll look forward to it.”

Rosaline brightened, having expected him to scoff at the idea of letters. She grew cheerful enough to walk all the way to the temple stuck close to him. Come to think of it, though Romeo had visited the temple uninvited in the dead of night, this was the first time they’d gone together in broad daylight.

“You’ve never seen the temple in daylight, have you?”

“No. It’s not really worth coming to see.”

Romeo surveyed the old temple and sneered.

“It was terrible at night, but seeing it in daylight is quite a sight. The city is wealthy, yet the temple is falling apart.”

“……Ah.”

It did make one sigh involuntarily. Dense trees surrounded the temple, and both inner and outer walls had quite a few cracks from age. The air around it was always damp, like rain might fall any moment. Like Rosaline, Laurence had a separate residence in the city center, creating a hollow atmosphere.

“……It’s not that bad.”

“It is. It wouldn’t be strange if it suddenly collapsed.”

Romeo seemed uncomfortable with Rosaline coming to the temple at all.

“Don’t be like that.”

She took hold of his index and middle fingertips and led him inside. He followed with feigned reluctance as she brought him to the back where the entire temple interior could be seen. Stained glass windows taller than trees and the statue of the god Kata came into view at once.

Carved from plaster, Kata held a long spear and gazed downward rather than up, like the sun itself. On the large altar supporting the statue, candles, flowers, and various reliefs were neatly arranged.