For the Beautiful Juliet

 

 

Like most children, Juliet also harbored fantasies about her future spouse. It was the fantasy that a handsome, kind and courteous man would be waiting for her.

Driene said as she helped her sister make her bed,

 

“If he’s a creep, you’d better not.”

“Oh, brother, you’re so negative!”

 

Juliet exclaimed playfully, even though the person hadn’t appeared yet; he’s already being treated as a weakling!

But Driene shook his head.

 

“You’ll see when you become a parent.”

“Well, I don’t want a man like Urgas, either.”

 

Urgas was competent, but too self-righteous. It might sound harsh to speak ill of a man who sacrificed his life for love, but Yellen had her reasons for not wanting him.

What’s the point of insisting if she didn’t like him in the first place? 

If he had given up on Yellen, he wouldn’t have faced tragedy. Juliet yawned loudly; she was very tired because it was late at night.

 

In a drowsy tone, she said, “I’ll marry a man who listens to me very well.”

“Our princess, your dreams are big. Such men are rare,” Driene remarked sarcastically.

 

Most men of that kind were just loud, without any substance.

It was quite a blunt statement, but Juliet didn’t bat an eyelid. She knew that it was all meant to scare her.

 

“I’m a princess. Who wouldn’t listen to me?”

 

During Urgas’s time, it was the era of heroes, and a man who didn’t give up on a woman he loved might have been considered brave. But not now.

Even knights much larger than her obeyed her every word as if it were the law. No one could force her to do something she didn’t want to do.

Driene nodded in agreement. 

 

“That’s true.”

“Besides, brother, you also listen to your wife very well.”

“Well, Iasonia can be scary when she’s angry, you know.”

 

You didn’t see her shooting a bow last time? I’ve never seen anyone shoot like that in my life.

Despite the exaggerated shaking of his shoulders, Driene had been very fond of his wife since they were young. Their relationship was like that of friends. They covered each other’s flaws and lent each other a shoulder to lean on.

Juliet liked her kind sister-in-law, too, because Iasonia was always there to defend her when Driene brought her strange nourishment.

Besides, whenever there was trouble brewing, all she had to do was hide by her side. Nine times out of ten, she wouldn’t receive a reprimand, and on the other occasions, she might receive some nagging.

Anyway, the important thing was that Driene listened very well to Iasonia.

Juliet closed her eyes contentedly.

 

“Then I’ll just have to get very scary when I’m angry.”

“You’ll need to be very healthy for that, so you’ll have to eat more tomorrow.”

 

Oh, another lecture. Juliet frowned and covered her ears with her hands, then turned to lie on her side.

 

“I’m going to sleep now.”

“Oh dear, who taught you this kind of behavior?”

“I’m already asleep. If you talk to me, I’ll wake up.”

“The noble princess has fallen asleep. Shouldn’t I be careful?”

“Yes, you should be very careful.”

“You don’t take after anyone, do you?”

 

Although Driene grumbled, he didn’t forget to plant a kiss on his sister’s forehead.

Juliet felt her brother’s soft hair and the warmth of his affection, even if they were brief.

 

“Sister, have sweet dreams, and if you ever see something bad, just come running to your big brother.”

 

Of course, she didn’t respond, as she was pretending to be asleep.

But she couldn’t hide the smile creeping across her lips. Driene surely noticed it.

Driene got up from his seat, gently stroking his sister’s forehead one more time before leaving.

Before his footsteps faded too far, Juliet whispered.

 

“Good night.”

 

It was a small voice, but Driene wouldn’t have missed it.

 

✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧

 

How beautiful those days had been. Just thinking about that moment made Juliet’s heart melt. Knowing it was a happiness that would never return made it even more poignant.

Several years later, she married a very obedient man and learned to express her anger fiercely.

But if asked if she was happier than before, she couldn’t say yes.

Juliet, feeling melancholic, turned over. The maid looked at her with worried eyes and asked,

 

“Should I read another book?”

“Forget it, stop reading.”

 

It must be one of those days when she couldn’t concentrate. Even though Juliet had been using that excuse lately, everyone knew there was another reason.

However, no one would argue with her, no matter what she said. Thinking about it made Juliet a little more melancholic. It was strange, considering that she was usually happy when everything went her way.

It was then that the voice of the knight guarding the door was heard.

 

“Your Highness, a guest has arrived.”

 

The unusually quiet room made it easier to hear the words than usual.

Juliet fell silent for a moment. The maids gathered around her were the same.

There was only one person who would visit at this time.

And everyone remembered how the last meeting with that person had ended.

Juliet had mocked, lashed out, and sulked at the man who had asked for her hand.

The maids, who had been by her side at the time, had witnessed it all.

Because she was so preoccupied with trying to forget, Juliet didn’t notice that the expression of the knight was different from usual. The knights guarding the bedroom door were the man’s people, and they always addressed him as “Your Highness,”  which was an easy detail to overlook.

At that moment, Juliet thought the man had come back to see her. Just as before, he persisted in knocking on her door.

So Juliet couldn’t help but hesitate to let him in. Though she hated to admit it, the fact that the man had hurriedly left the room before had affected her, making her reluctant to make a decision.

But simply telling him to go away wasn’t appealing either.

She could have thought about the reasons why, but Juliet deliberately attributed everything to her own temperament, thinking that it was just another one of her whims.

After contemplating, she instructed the maid,

 

“Tell him to come in.”

 

✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧

 

Even when someone entered the room, Juliet remained lying down.

As a result, she didn’t notice that the person was wearing a cloak that covered their face, or that it wasn’t the person she had expected.

But unlike their indifferent mistress, the maids, who had been watching to see who would enter, were immediately wary of the stranger.

 

“Who are you, sir? You must identify yourself, or you will not be allowed to pass further.”

 

Juliet turned around in surprise, but before she could say anything, the other person replied.

 

“Of course.”

 

Juliet’s eyes widened as she heard the voice speaking in her native language.

The man’s voice, which was using the native language, was speaking in the Rosenta Palace dialect, which was only used in the palace.

That in itself wasn’t surprising. All of Juliet’s maids and knights were palace residents and spoke palace dialect.

What really surprised her was the familiar voice speaking that language.

But as she struggled to catch her breath, Juliet thought to herself. It’s impossible. Her brother is very far away. How long would it take for him to come all the way here?

Besides, he’s the crown prince. Crown Princes can’t just move around casually.

 

I must have heard wrong.

 

Has she been sick for so long that her desires have grown stronger, leading to hallucinations?

Still, she couldn’t take her eyes off the figure whose face she couldn’t even see.

Rising from the bed with support, Juliet asked in a small voice, 

 

“Brother?”

 

Rather than responding to her words, the figure unveiled the cloth that covered their faces.

When familiar black hair cascaded down and a familiar face was revealed, Juliet almost gasped.

 

“……my sister.”

 

It felt like a hammer blow. The maids from Rosenta kneeled down.

 

“I greet His Highness the Crown Prince.”

 

This couldn’t be happening.

Juliet blinked her eyes rapidly while thinking. This… this is impossible. His brother is supposed to be in Rosenta…

 

“I, finally.”

 

Had she finally lost her mind?

Suddenly, that suspicion crept in.

Juliet knew she had become more unstable lately.

But she didn’t think she had gone insane, yet now it seemed she was wrong.

Without some sort of confusion, there was no way someone from her homeland could be seen here, so close.

As she was puzzled over this, Driene approached her. Juliet recognized her brother’s familiar figure, sitting on the edge of the bed.

His cheeks were illuminated by the lamp, and his familiar green eyes glistened slightly.

As if he were real.

 

“Sister.”

My sister, my dear sister.

 

With watery eyes, Driene lowered her head. His lips lightly touched her forehead, and the familiar scent wafted up to Juliet’s nose.

Sandalwood mixed with the scent of rain, wind, and earth.

The scent she never thought she’d never smell again until her dying breath.

Reflexively, tears welled up in her eyes. Juliet blinked to clear her blurry vision.