Chapter 29
“Ahh!”
Rosetta let out a small groan of pain. Rashid took a closer look at her hand, holding it by the top of her wrist. Her palm was already blistered and the back of her hand was red all over. It was clearly a burn.
“Why is your hand like this?”
A sharp question rang out. Rosetta hunched her shoulders, avoiding his gaze.
“Your hand, why is it like this?”
Despite repeated questions, she bit her lip and didn’t answer.
Deciding that it would be impossible to get the answers he wanted from her quickly, Rashid turned to those gathered around him.
[Explain to me what is happening here.]
At his command, they glanced at each other, but no one stepped forward. Rage washed over him. Did they, like Krell, attack her?
[Then I will ask a different question. Who made her like this?]
When no answer came, Rashid drew his sword. The servants and maids gasped in surprise and immediately dropped to their knees.
[Ri- Riga!]
[I won’t ask twice, who is it that has made my wife’s hand like this?]
While everyone was trembling, Benny staggered forward, her face bloodless and white. She fell at her feet and burst into tears.
[It’s- it’s my fault, it’s all my fault.]
Tears flowed from Benny’s eyes.
[Please forgive me, I really didn’t realize it was such an important item…]
[Important item?]
Benny raised her head and sobbed facing Rashid.
[If I had known, I would never have told them to burn it. I really didn’t know].
As Rashid narrowed his eyes, Rosetta jumped to her feet. And with her arms wide open, she stood in front of Benny.
“It’s not Benny’s fault. It’s all because of me. I left the ribbon carelessly.”
“…a ribbon?”
She held out her left hand to him. On her reddened palm lay a half-burnt purple silk.
“I really tried to save it…”
She began to sob, her voice trembling slightly. “By the time I got here, it was already burning in the fireplace, so this is all I could save.”
Rashid looked at Rosetta, who was now sobbing softly. Only then did the situation begin to make sense.
“…you mean you put your hand in the fireplace to save it?”
Rosetta nodded. “I’m sorry, it’s really important to you…”
“Why did you do such a thing…”
“It’s the only thing your mother left you.”
“But you put your hand in the fireplace! Are you stupid…”
Rashid barely suppressed the urge to yell at the top of his lungs. Instead, he glared at Rosetta.
Strangely, I couldn’t help but feel angry. I was angry that this woman kept getting hurt, and most of all, I couldn’t understand why she’d put her hand into a blazing fireplace to save a piece of cloth.
What the hell led you to do this?
And who the hell are you?
Why did you put yourself in danger to do this for me?
“Master Rashid.”
A calm voice rang out behind him. When he turned, Thelma stood by the door. She quickened her pace.
“You can ask me about this later, but for now, it’s best to tend to Rigaina’s wounds. It will leave scars on her delicate hands if not treated immediately.”
Rashid realized that Thelma was right; it was time to put everything else aside and tend to the woman’s wounds.
“Ahh!”
Rashid put his hand under Rosetta’s knees and scooped her up, his other hand supporting her back.
As she struggled with where to place her hands, he said, “Put your arms around my neck, but be careful not to touch your wounds.”
Rosetta immediately wrapped her arms around his neck and clung to him. As she buried her face in his neck, Rashid stepped forward.
“Thelma, bring the doctor to my room right now.”
“Yes, Master Rashid.”
As they left, the remaining servants and maids all swept their chests in relief. In the midst of them, Benny was still silent, her face pale as if her soul had been sucked out of her.
Looking at her, Thelma said, “Benny, prepare everything needed for the treatment and follow me. We must both ask Riga and Rigaina for forgiveness together.”
***
As Rosetta sat on the bed being treated, Rashid remained silent. Aside from briefly asking what she needed, he stood at the side of the bed with his mouth pressed tightly shut and glared fiercely at the treatment.
Rashid felt like he was on thin ice, as did the doctor, who broke out in a cold sweat. When he finally finished bandaging, he immediately exclaimed.
“It’s all done, now you need to rest and not use your hands at all for a while.”
“Will it leave scars?”
At Thelma’s question, the doctor glanced at Rashid, not at Thelma. He spoke in a voice as low as a mosquito’s.
“Well… the backs of her hands should be fine as they are only lightly burned, but her palms, which were burned by direct fire…”
Seeing Rashid’s bright blue eyes widen, the doctor added urgently, “O- of course, I’ll do my best not to leave any scars. Don’t worry too much!”
The doctor packed up his medical supplies, and before he left, he set down a vial of medicine.
“This is a sleeping medicine that has a painkilling effect. Later, when the medicine wears off and the pain gets worse, you can take another bottle. If you take this, you will forget the pain and fall asleep soon afterward.”
After the doctor left the room, Rosetta, Rashid, Thelma, and Benny were left alone in the room. In the chilly atmosphere, Thelma made the first move. She knelt in front of Rosetta and Rashid.
“This is all my fault. I told Benny to burn the clothes Rigaina was wearing, and she only did what I told her to do, so punish me.”
Then Benny ran over and knelt down beside Thelma, her head bowed low.
“Nanny only told me to burn the clothes, but I was the one who gave the ribbon to burn, so it’s my fault.”
Seeing this, Rosetta spoke up, “It’s because I put the ribbon together with the clothes in the first place. If I had put it separately, nothing would have happened. So this whole fault is on me…”
Rashid raised his hand. The mouths that had been blaming themselves fell silent at once. He looked at the three of them and sighed softly.
“I fully understand. This is no one’s fault, so you don’t have to worry about this anymore.”
But Rosetta still felt a deep sense of guilt. He said it wasn’t anyone’s fault and there was nothing to worry about, but she couldn’t help but feel bad.
If only she could have gotten there sooner, she could have saved the ribbon.
When she looked into the fireplace, the ribbon was already burning along with the rest of the clothes, and she couldn’t think of anything else but that she had to get it out of there right away.
Rosetta reached in and pulled out the burning ribbon. Without even realizing the pain, she quickly struck the flames with both palms to extinguish them. Half of it was saved, but the other half was already in ashes.
He says he’s fine now, but it’s clear that he was really angry back then, given that he pointed his sword at people. And rightfully so. Who wouldn’t be angry about losing their mother’s only keepsake in such a ridiculous way?
As Rosetta’s expression grew darker and darker, an unexpected sound rang out.
-rumbling.
It was a huge rumble from inside Rosetta’s stomach, and as much as she didn’t want to believe it, it was real.
Still frozen, Rosetta slowly raised her head. She hoped the others hadn’t heard it, but the surprised looks on everyone’s faces told her otherwise.
As Rosetta’s face flushed bright red, the unexpected words rang out.
“I haven’t had dinner yet, so I’m pretty hungry.”
Rashid said very awkwardly, and then he stiffly raised his hand and brought it to his stomach. The gesture was also very awkward.
“Thelma, go get dinner, for two, because she’ll need to eat too.”
Thelma only blinked, then hurriedly bit her lip and replied, “Yes, I understand, I’ll get it right away.”
Even Benny had to hold back a laugh as she and Thelma left the room. Rosetta realized that they both already knew, and were deliberately acting like they didn’t.
“…I tried my best, but I think I’ve been found out: that sound came from my stomach, not yours.”