Chapter 71 Montague & Capulet (3)
North Balcony, Montague Residence. Golden dusk.
Romeo stood with his back to the setting sun, dressed in an unusual formal attire. Before him stood Lady Vivienne Capulet—elegant in her black gown, like a shadow of the night dancing with the last light of the day. Inside her heart, Vivienne felt a profound burden of sorrow, haunted by memories of her lost husband in the family feud, leaving wounds that remained unhealed.
"Romeo," she said, gentle yet cold, "I come not as your mother's enemy, nor as the guardian of Juliet's grave." In her mind, she recalled the moment her husband was slain, a never-ending battle that claimed so many lives. "I come as a mother who understands the deep sorrow of loss and the danger of this hatred."
Romeo lowered his gaze slightly, clenching his fists. "But what do you come as, Lady Vivienne?"
She offered a faint smile, though pain lingered beneath it. "As a mother... willing to trade a crown of land for a crown of heart." She sensed the tension between them, a feeling of guilt stirring within her soul. Deep down, she wondered if she could sacrifice everything to save the youth from the same hatred.
She presented a small crystal—containing an image of the Calestrium mine sparkling from the air, viewed from the height of a bird. Surrounding it, floating glyphs of magic signified the blessing of a rare magical energy. "Grant us permission to mine again, and this mine will belong to two families. Not just the Capulet family, but... Capulet-Montague." She felt a fleeting hope, only to be overshadowed by the doubts that plagued her mind.
Romeo gazed at the crystal. Then Vivienne looked into his eyes—sharp, beautiful, and cruel in its truth. "Marry Juliet. Not as lovers, but as protectors of the land. As a symbol binding two dynasties." She bit her lip, struggling to hold back tears that were about to spill. In her heart, she wrestled between the desire to protect her family and the unbearable pain of losing her husband.
Romeo fell silent. Then his voice emerged, soft and cracking:
"And what if I refuse? What if our love doesn't want to be bound by the chains of land and blood?" At that moment, Lady Vivienne felt the uncertainty stir within her. The blend of her past and future made her head spin, and she understood that every decision carried dreadful consequences. All she could do was hope, somehow, to avoid the same tragedy that had marred her own life.