She wouldn’t have minded handing it over, but when her mother came at her so viciously, Rosaline reflexively hid the item.

“What are you hiding? Did that man spout nonsense about regarding you like a daughter? Is that why you’re so pleased with yourself?”

“Why are you like this! It’s just a fountain pen. A gift because I’m going to the grand temple!”

“Doing filthy things behind everyone’s back, yet snatching up gifts like a demon. I didn’t raise a daughter—I raised a beggar brat.”

“Mother, what on earth……!”

By this point, not wanting to have it taken, she resisted fiercely. Then her mother raised her hand as if to strike her cheek. Frightened by her mother’s viciously contorted face, Rosaline couldn’t even think to block it. She was curling up to hide the gift when—

“Hah, haah. Aah!”

Her mother suddenly clutched the arm raised in midair and rolled on the floor as if in agony. When her mother gasped for breath like she was dying, Rosaline forgot her fear and grabbed her mother, throwing aside the gift.

“A-are you alright? Mother!”

She cried out for help, but the annex was normally empty and far from the main building. Looking around for anything that might help, her sleeve was grabbed.

“Hah, ngh, crazy b*tch… what are you meeting… demon, f*cking a demon……”

Even in this state, her mother was busy condemning Rosaline. Sorrow, resentment, and worry crashed over her at once, tears flowing endlessly. Why does she hate me so much? Even in this urgent moment, it felt like walking a path with no answers.

Her mother’s eyes rolled back, then with tremendous strength she broke free from Rosaline and lunged toward the box containing the fountain pen. Rosaline reacted too late, filled with draining weakness throughout her body, and couldn’t catch her mother. Honestly, she didn’t even have the will to snatch it back.

“Romeo?”

But when his name came from her mother’s mouth, her throat constricted and she jerked her head up. In her mother’s hands were the fountain pen box and the brief notes Romeo had written. They must have fallen from her coat during the struggle.

Seeing Rosaline’s face turn pale, her mother laughed like someone deranged.

“Romeo, the Montague heir! I thought I was going mad… I……”

Sarah had never been so glad to know how to read. Even knowing a man definitely met with Rosaline, when she tried to sneak into the annex she’d get lost, and when she lingered near Rosaline, surrounding presences became unrecognizable as if fog had descended. When she tried to raise her hand or strike, tremendous pain assaulted her entire body like just now.

Like she was cursed.

She’d thought she’d truly gone mad, that there was no man for her naive, foolish, stupid daughter, that she was seeing and remembering phantoms. But no.

Filthy girl. Wicked girl. She glared at Rosaline and smiled until her mouth split.

“Ungrateful wretch, you could live even this much only thanks to Miss Juliet, yet you betray her like this.”

“……Ah, please… Mother……”

“I’ll tell the master everything the moment he returns. If I beg that I’m ashamed you’re my daughter, at least he won’t have you whipped. Right?”

What she’d only imagined came crashing down, and heavy fear crushed her mind. She knew how hard Miss had worked to bridge the gap between Montague and Capulet. Thinking of her disappointment made Rosaline’s breath catch.

But even more frightening than that was……

‘Romeo.’

For some reason she didn’t know, temple people had gone to the Montague household. There were even holy knights clearly from the inquisition—if the Capulets accused Romeo of defiling a future priest, he’d be in trouble before anything could be done.

No matter how weakened the temple’s power had become, the remaining evil practices didn’t disappear easily. One of them was punishment for violating divine law.

Rosaline pushed past her mother blocking the way and ran to the annex.

“Where are you going? Get back here!!!”

Ignoring her mother’s screams, she arrived breathlessly at the garden’s side gate. Romeo wasn’t there as expected. But she couldn’t just wait obediently. She had to go to the Montague estate and meet Romeo somehow.

She opened the gate and rushed through the streets as the sun began to set. How should she get in when she reached the Montagues? Should she climb the wall, or shout to call him?

Running frantically, her vision suddenly darkened. She nearly collided with a figure blocking her path. Rosaline tried to pass without even looking at who it was.

“Rosaline!”

But both her shoulders were grabbed and she couldn’t move. Startled by the fierce grip, she looked up to find Romeo in a disheveled state no different from her own. Backlit by the sunset, he examined her with concern.

“What’s wrong? What happened?”

She wanted to ask him what was wrong. But this wasn’t the time. Rosaline grabbed his clothes and clung to him, overwhelmed by fear rushing in like a storm.

“Romeo! You have to leave right now.”

“……Rosaline.”

“Mother found out you and I have been meeting. She says she’ll tell everyone! No matter how much you say you don’t care about titles or honor, if they find out you had relations with me, you could face trial before the inquisitors.”

No matter how low-ranking a priest she was, not even assigned yet, she was still one of the clergy registered with the diocese. Moreover, with the royal family and temple checking each other, if a knight who deployed under royal command touched a priest, it wouldn’t end with simple punishment.

On days when she thought they wouldn’t be caught, her attitude had been “let them come.” But now the inquisitors, religious wars, and even prophecies of Kata’s incarnation arriving came flooding back, bringing heavy reality crashing down.

Rosaline whispered, terrified,

“They might make you an umbra.”

Umbra—meaning shadow, a term for the temple’s criminals. They were treated like slaves.

“Romeo, you have to go. Leave.”

“Calm down, Rosaline.”

“Mother……”

Romeo suddenly embraced her waist fiercely. He pressed her head to his chest and bound her tightly, and Romeo’s fierce heartbeat resonated through her.

“Why do you only tell me to leave? What will you do, staying here?”

Like someone standing alone on a watchtower, his voice was desperate and low.

“Rosaline, you’re not a monk confined to the house, nor are you called an attendant or butler despite doing all manner of work. You’re called the nurse’s daughter, yet that mother doesn’t even treat you as if you exist.”

It should have sounded cruel, but his tone was so low and gentle it only sounded sad. Rosaline whispered through thick tears,

“Because I was nothing, I tried to become something.”

She smiled, unable to erase her sadness.

“It’s all over now. Please go, Romeo.”

“It’s not over yet.”

Romeo didn’t move, rooted in place, and grabbed her cheek to lift it. He spoke while making her meet his gaze.

“Become my love, Rosaline.”

Why, now? Rosaline felt her heart tearing. In contrast to her distress, Romeo looked relieved, like bursting old, rotten pus. He was even shedding tears. The single tear cutting down his cheek looked like a well-drawn line.

“Leave with me. Cast off everything that torments you, leave those who say you’re nothing, and live with me.”

Rosaline shook her head in his grasp.

“Romeo, if you leave like this, you’ll lose everything. Family, glory… you could lose everything and spend your life fleeing. Aren’t you afraid?”

“Not at all.”

He kissed her crushingly and pressed his forehead to hers.

“The only thing I fear is you.”

She’d thought so from the beginning. No—from when she met him after regression, so insufferably arrogant—Romeo Montague possessed speech that bewitched people. Not full of excess and lies like herself, but a surprisingly crude and honest man.

Juliet was honest like that too, but not as dark. Rosaline admitted it. She loved Romeo, with his incomprehensible melancholy and emptiness, with deficiencies like her own.

She surrendered to her heart again and nodded in Romeo’s grasp.

“I’ll go. I’ll leave.”

Romeo smiled broadly and showered her with kisses. He grabbed her jaw, unable to overcome his passion, saying he loved her between breaths. She was embracing his neck, frantically mixing words and tongues when—

“Find Romeo!!!”

From the direction he’d come, the sound of scraping metal and rough voices began mixing and growing louder. In the sharp noise, shouts calling for Romeo rang out distinctly.

Romeo hardened his face and gripped Rosaline’s shoulders firmly.

“Rosaline, come to the temple at midnight. I’ll be waiting there.”

“Romeo.”

“No matter what, whatever happens, you must come to me, Rosaline.”

The black eyes that always bound her didn’t waver even slightly.

“There’s no time now, but when we meet I’ll explain everything.”

“It’ll really be alright?”

“Yes. Trust me. Don’t I work magic?”

He kissed her forehead like branding it.

“Parting is such sweet sorrow.”

Rosaline ran to avoid the noise, leaving him standing alone. Perhaps because she was going back where she’d come from, perhaps because she’d left him behind—her chest felt stifling, burning.

The tears wouldn’t stop.

Her tensely wound body kept trembling, making even simple packing difficult. By the time she’d finished packing everything, the surroundings had grown dark. Rosaline placed a letter with her final farewell to Juliet on the desk.

Though her mother had been cruel to her, Miss had not been. Though she’d only been slightly more tender toward her than others, without her Rosaline would have lived her whole life not knowing warmth.

“I’m sorry, Miss. I’m truly sorry.”