The party was already in full swing when the host family finally arrived. The guests peppered them with applause, but Juliet didn’t really feel interested. She nodded at every praise given to her as taught— a gracious smile, a graceful bow, generic ‘thank yous.’ It was the same familiar, boring script and the same boring parties.
‘God, can something even remotely interesting happen tonight? I’ll die of boredom at this rate.’
Juliet then felt someone grab her hand. She looked to the side, ready to fling whatever insult she could come up with (Her darling parents would never ground their precious daughter), but found herself practically swallowing her words seeing a very handsome man holding it gently.
“Such beautiful hands, almost holy in their creation, that I feel unworthy of holding them in my unworthy one. I apologise if this action offends you.”
Quite a poet on top of his looks. Juliet bit her lower lip, feeling something thrill travel to her chest as the man eyed her lips. She usually hated it when people approached her, but this young man stood out: his light brown hair framed his face, his honey-brown eyes were striking, and he had a distinctive jawline. He towered over her, but his gaze made her knees weak, relishing the attention.
“Good sir, you are being unfair to your own hand. You hold me with such gentleness, and it shows your devotion. Palm to palm, isn’t this way the pilgrims’ kiss?”
Romeo can’t really think straight; it was as if he swallowed cotton and clogged his brain. He’s also feeling slightly dizzy, but he chalked it up to the heavy-perfumed air. The only thing that seemed to get past the fogginess in his mind was ‘I could listen to her voice forever!’
“But aren’t pilgrims and saints had lips?”
“To use for their prayers, yes.”
“Then allow me to offer you a prayer by kissing your hand.” His lips trembled slightly, but his kiss felt almost too fleeting. Juliet could feel her heart beating faster, her breathing hotter. What is this?
A rather loud and awkward coughing made the two pause. Juliet wanted to curse whoever it was.
“Um, my lady,” Madelene called awkwardly. “Your mother’s looking for you.”
Juliet tried to control her face as she was pulled away by her nurse. “What are you doing?! You ruined a really perfect mood right there!” She cried when they were already a distance away.
“I’m sorry, Lady Juliet, but you shouldn’t be talking with that man. He’s—”
“I was having fun right there, hanging with a really cute guy, and you decided you could cut us off?!”
“My lady, I was trying to say—”
“Shut up, I don’t care!” the girl stomped away with a pout. “I’m going back to my room. Inform my parents.” And she’s gone. The first exciting thing she ever had, and she had to cut it short. Her chest also hurts for some reason, and it’s adding fuel to her anger.
Madelene was left there, unsure of what to do as she looked back to where the young son of Montague was talking with two people. Probably more Montague. She often saw the young man outside town. Word has it he was trying to court Lady Rosaline. Why was he here, and why was he trying to flirt with the daughter of a rival family?
Madelene had a feeling something bad would happen soon.
---------------------------
“Are you raging mad, cousin? She was Capulet’s daughter! We’re attending her engagement party!” Benvolio said as he shook Romeo back to his senses. “Stop smiling like an idiot, damn it!”
“Ah, beautiful Juliet. . .”
“I don’t think he’s listening to you, Ben,” Mercutio added with a slight slur in his words. He was holding a glass of wine. How many does this make?
“Yeah, thanks for pointing that out,” Benvolio replied as he shook his cousin harder. “Romeo? Romeo, we’re leaving now, okay? Come on.”
“What? But I want to stay here for a bit. The party’s only starting,” Mercutio whined.
“We’re. Leaving.” Benvolio hissed. He grabbed Romeo by the arm and Mercutio by the collar. They needed to get out of here before—
“Well, well. . . Who would we have here?”
Damn it. “Good evening to you, too, Tybalt.”
Tybalt smirked, arms crossed. He was built like a soldier: nearly a foot taller than Benvolio, with broad shoulders and strong arms. His many fights with branch families made him as famous as his presence. Benvolio hoped no fight would break out tonight.
“Sneaking in to find some dirt on us, Montague? Never thought you guys could sink that low,” Tybalt said in a mocking voice.
“Hold your tongue, Capulet, before I actually cut it for you,” Mercutio hissed.
“Mercutio,” Benvolio warned.
“Forgive us, Tybalt. We were merely curious about the celebration. Many townspeople were speaking about it today.” Benvolio was pleasantly surprised when Romeo suddenly spoke in a cool manner. Thank goodness, he seemed to snap out of his delirium earlier.
Someone called on Tybalt’s name before he could reply to that. He looked at his back for a moment, looking irritated, before he looked back at them in disdain. “You should really watch yourselves, Montague, or you’ll drop dead without even noticing it.”
The three of them stiffened at the warning, Mercutio looking more pissed off before Tybalt walked out.
‘That guy really pisses me off,” Mercutio commented in a bitter voice, glaring at the man’s retreating back. He then noticed some of the guards eyeing and pointing at them. “We gotta go,” he said, and the three of them walked briskly out, watching as the guards started running to them.
They quickly ran past the garden, pushing through the guests as more guards blocked their way. They quickly made a turn to the other side of the garden and jumped over the hedge, landing outside the large estate. They continued running until they were considerably far before stopping to catch their breath
After almost a minute, “Wait, where’s Romeo?”
Mercutio looked at Benvolio and noticed that it was only the two of them who were standing together.
“I thought he was running with us earlier?”
The two of them looked at each other before looking back at the Capulet mansion.
------------------------------
Ella looked around her as she walked through the familiar-but-not hallway, wondering where the ballroom was again. She’s not sure if she’d already passed this way or if it’s her imagination. Damn rich bastards. Why do they always build houses with too many rooms? It’s not like anyone would use all of it.
She wondered what time it was now. Titania warned her that the magic she used on her would be gone by midnight and told her to mind the time. She really should go home before her family sees her, or she’ll be in trouble.
Her glass slippers—she’s not really sure if Titania’s being serious or what, because, really? Glass? At least it’s comfortable to walk on, and it helped cool off her feet after walking around like a headless chicken.
The hallway led her to a small rose garden with a white marble fountain at the center and a few empty benches. Roses of different colors were in bloom, and their fragrance permeated the air. She took a seat by the fountain, watching her own reflection in the water. The usual soot that smudged her cheeks was cleaned, and her golden hair was pulled in a beautiful bun, pinned with silver flower pins. She touched the pins, feeling her cheeks warming as a small smile bloomed on her lips.
It felt surprisingly amazing and freeing to look beautiful. Even if it was for only half a night.
She remembered the young man from earlier, the one who offered his handkerchief. Ella thought he looked quite cute. Her smile widened. I... should have taken that offered handkerchief.
Somewhere, Ella heard the bell ring, signalling midnight. She looked at herself and, sure enough, her dress was starting to lose all its glimmer. She sighed, shoulders dropping. She should really start going home now.
She yelped in pain as something crashed into her, throwing her to the ground. She shook her head a bit, rubbing the dirt from her eyes and—
“Oh come on, really now?” Ella whined. It was the same guy who bumped into her earlier in town. “Do you have something against me or something?”
Romeo groaned as he sat up, rubbing the back of his head. “What? What are you on about—”
The sounds of men shouting and footsteps getting closer made Romeo stand up quickly. He grabbed Ella by the wrist and pulled her with him behind a large pillar. They crouched down, hoping that the tall bushy plant would help conceal them. Putting a hand on Ella’s mouth and gesturing for her to stay silent, Romeo watched as some of the guards stopped to check the vicinity before running off.
Romeo let out a relieved breath, feeling his shoulders sag in relief. He felt something squirm in his hands and noticed that he still had his hands in her mouth.
And that they were too close together.
He quickly let go of her and stood up, dusting off his clothes. He looked back at the. . .maid? He could have sworn she was wearing a gown earlier...
Ella grumbled as she tried to tie her hair in a ponytail. The spell had just broken as she was already back in her old dress and apron.
Romeo cleared his throat, “Apologies, I didn’t see you earlier. You’re not injured or hurt anywhere, are you?”
Ella eyed the young man suspiciously, but he looked worried enough. She sighed, “Yeah, I’m fine.” She accepted the hand offered and straightened herself up. The guards seemed to be nowhere around as he looked around.
“Were you being chased by those guards? Did you get in trouble or something?”
“Well, it depends on how you think of the concept of trouble,” Romeo answered as he plucked some twigs stuck to his clothes. “To enlighten you, I kind of snuck in the celebration without any invitation.”
Ella raised one of her brows at that, “Brave of you. You do know whose house this is?”
Romeo rolled his eyes, “Of course I know, thank you very much. I was with my cousin and friend earlie—wait, where are they?” Romeo looked back from where he had come from, but found not a single clue where his companions were.
“Um, don’t tell me you’re lost?” Before he could answer, they heard the sounds of footsteps from up above them. Light flooded from what appears to be a veranda. The two of them quickly hid under it.
------------------------------
Pacing around her room, Juliet twirled around her pen as she closed her eyes, trying hard to concentrate on what she wanted to write.
“You should not force together meaninglessly, my lady. Poetry is a literature where words sing in the pages,” her tutor said to her. He’s not really sure why the young Lady Capulet pounded on his door in the middle of the celebration—he opted to skip it because of his sinus—grabbed him by the wrist and demanded that he teach her how to write a poem.
Lady Juliet usually loses her attention in any activity that would take time, the tutor thought as he watched the young lady scribbled some lines before crossing them out again. I wonder what changed?
The furrow in Juliet’s brows was getting deeper by the minute as she kept writing and crossing out words. They’d been at it for more than half an hour, and the room was littered with crumpled paper.
“Do not force it, my lady, just let it flow from your mind and relax,” the tutor reminded her. “Breath in through your nose and exhale through your mouth.”
Juliet inhaled a lungful of air, held on it for a second, then exhaled.
“No, no, hold it longer. Hold your breath longer.”
Juliet inhaled and held it.
“Okay, good. Stay like that for a second.”
Juliet nodded.
“Just a second.”
Juliet raised her head a bit.
“Just a second.”
Her face started to redden.
“Just a second.”
Now she looked like a ripe tomato.
“Just a second. And. . . let it out.”
Juliet gasped as she quickly caught her breath. “Were you trying to kill me?! How does holding my breath help me in writing a poem?!” She threw her pen in the general direction of the tutor’s head and stomped out to her balcony, feeling irritated.
The tutor hastily picked up the pen, “But my lady, patience is the secret key to writing a master literary piece! It is not an art that should be pushed through in haste without so much as a trace of grace.”
Juliet huffed. “Or maybe you are just incompetent in teaching me the art, oh, good sir,” she told him in a clear, sarcastic voice.
Below her, Romeo perked up at the sound of her voice, “I know that voice.”
“My hands are starting to cramp from all that writing, and yet I couldn’t write even a single stanza!”
“As I thought, it is Juliet!” Romeo whispered. “Oh, it was as if I hadn’t heard her lovely voice in years!”
Ella raised one of her eyebrows, noting how he looked as if he wanted to jump. “Okay, you sound like a ridiculous mush of potatoes. Also, I don’t know about you, but I think she sounded more arrogant than lovely,” she whispered. Romeo looked offended and gave her a glare. But then his eyes widened and he smiled, “I need your help!”
“What? Why?!” Ella cried as he pulled her by the wrist.
“Oh, this is such an embarrassment! I, Juliet Capulet, am the sole daughter of the most powerful family here in Verona, where one’s name holds weight in terms of power and wealth. Mother said that I should be a queen rose in a field of flowers, a sweet point that surpasses the smell of every normal rose. And yet I find myself proved inadequate by merely composing poetry?!”
The tutor’s eyes were like saucers now, with how wide they were. This young lady was so coddled by her parents that she probably never tasted any failures before. And—oh God, are those tears at the corners of her eyes?! He was only a tutor! He’s not equipped to handle spoiled, rich kids having existential crises!
“Then allow me to be the receiver of your words!”
Both Juliet and her tutor gave a high-pitched shriek as they looked at the young man holding himself up from her balcony. Below, Ella grunted as she tried to hold one of Romeo’s legs as he put his other one at the branching ivies on the column. “Why the hell should I have to do this?” She grunted in effort.
“You are the man I talked to at the party,” Juliet said. “Montague’s only son and heir.”
The tutor blinked, and then his eyes widened and his jaw fell to the floor. Did she just say Montague?!
“Indeed,” Romeo answered as he tightened his grip on the balcony. “My name is Romeo Montague, son of the Lord Montague and the enemy of your family. And yet I found myself falling for the daughter of my family’s enemy, and as such, I feel great pain and love.”
“What are you doing here, and how did you get here? The walls around here are too high to climb over!”
“Indeed, but love gave me wings to fly and be by your side.” Romeo heard a snort below him. “Love can never be caged by those walls; it is not a difficult obstacle a man in love cannot defeat.
Juliet blinked a couple of times. “A minute,” she said as she quickly turned towards her tutor. “Quick, what should I reply to him, something that sounds poetic?”
From the balcony, Ella demanded, “Would you come down now? I was too shocked to say anything when you suddenly demanded to be helped up the balcony, but you’re heavy!”
“Wa-wait, give me a minute more, please? I haven’t talked to her properly yet!” Romeo cried
“You already spouted rose-colored nonsense to her earlier, and my hands are getting tired! What kind of a guy are you, letting a woman heave you up just so you could flirt with the daughter of your archenemies?” Actually, why was she helping him again? She should go now before more guards arrive. She needs to get back home before her stepfamily comes back home.
Romeo yelped, and Ella unconsciously held his leg to steady him. She wanted to cry in frustration. If she leaves now, this will only eat at her conscience.
After a minute, Juliet cleared her throat and looked at Romeo. “Forgive me, my lord, I am deeply embarrassed to know that you’ve heard me. I would like to keep up my manners towards you and just deny everything but, umm. . .” She looked back at the tutor as he tried to silently urge her and mouth some words for her to follow. “I, aahh, umm, wanted to know if your proclamation of love for me is true? For if it is, then I’ll believe your word.”
Ella never rolled her eyes that much. She could swear she actually saw her brain.
“They say the god Jove laughs when lovers lie to each other, so if you do love me, then say it to me truthfully. If you wish for me to play hard-to-get, then I’ll do so right this second!”
The tutor slapped his hand on his forehead.
“I mean, um, that I would like for you to win me and swear your love to me, and so be willing to play hard-to-get. Oh, but please don’t misunderstand, I do like you! I mean, well, yes, I do like you, and I’ll be faithful! I promise that it’s serious and you’re totally handsome, had anyone told you that?” Okay, no, Juliet was like a second away from bolting out of the room from embarrassment.
Ella managed to hold her snort down.
Romeo, however, looked quite smitten. “Then, I’ll swear to the—”
“Oh, you don’t have to! I mean, I meant for it earlier to be a figure of speech, so I don’t mean anything about it—no wait! I mean everything about what I said earlier! Just that, you know, not literally, and maybe just swear on yourself because you’re really hot, and I should just close my mouth, sorry. It’s. . . a bit too sudden.” Juliet’s entire face looked like an apple with how much she was blushing. “I should... probably go. I mean, you should go. Before, um, my relatives found you.
“That was probably the most awkward love confession ever,” Ella murmured to herself.
Then, as if on cue, someone knocked on Juliet’s door, “Lady Juliet, are you in there? Your mother would like to know why you retired from the party early.”
“Oh my God, you have to go. Now,” Juliet said she walked towards Romeo and tried to push him. The tutor whimpered in fright as his head whipped from Juliet to Romeo, who was still clinging to the balcony.
“Wa-wait, would you really let me leave in an unsatisfying manner?” Romeo asked as he looked at Juliet as if she had just said she was about to break up with him.
Juliet didn’t move an inch as she tried and managed to push Romeo down just before her nurse entered the room. “My lady, your mother would like to see you now.”
“O-oh, right. Um—a minute of privacy to let me freshen up,” She shooed her nurse. Madelene tilted her head to the side in confusion before shrugging and exiting the door, followed quickly by her tutor.
Juliet heaved a relieved sigh, then remembered that she had just pushed Romeo from her balcony from the second floor. She leaned down and called Romeo to see if he’s alright.
“Yeah, I’m fine,” Romeo called as he stood up and shook his head to get rid of the floating stars in his eyes. For a moment there, he thought his neck snapped. He walked backwards until he could see Juliet’s face again, and in less than a second, he forgot his throbbing head as he smiled at her stupidly.
“My mother calls for me, so you have to go now.” Juliet twiddled with her thumb, “Wh-what time would you like me to contact you tomorrow?”
Romeo looked like he had just won some competition. “Morning, nine o’clock. I’ll be waiting at the fountain at the center of the plaza.”
“Then I’ll meet you there.” Juliet then closed the door on her balcony and left the room. Romeo stood there for a minute, still smiling, until Ella hit him in the arm with the heel of her glass shoes.
“You actually just let me lie there after you fell down on me, the second time, while you flirted with little Miss High-Nose? You almost broke my ankle!”
Romeo rubbed the spot where she hit him, “Well, you look fine to me.”
“You want me to hit you in the head with this again?”
They heard the sounds of feet scuffling coming from the left. The soldiers were returning!
“Let’s go.” Romeo grabbed Ella’s wrist and ran the opposite way, her glass shoes falling from her hand and left on the grass.
Just then, Paris rounded the corner. He had been looking at the beautiful lady earlier, but couldn’t find even a shadow of her. Thinking that she might be back on the dance floor, he turned around and stopped as something caught his eye. It was a glass slipper, beautifully shaped and designed. He turned it around, noticing how it sparkled from the moonlight, much like that mysterious beautiful woman earlier. No mistake, this was her shoe.
He felt himself smiling. Oh, what would she do if he returned this to her? Would she be happy? Would she give him a kiss as a reward? That would be the greatest reward! Paris quickly went back to where the party was. This night might probably turn out to be the best one in his life.