Chapter 87
“I told you, you saved my life yesterday, so I’ll take care of everything. You don’t have to worry about anything, just get some rest.”
Rosetta nodded. Just hearing those words seemed to take away all the cares in the world. She would be absolutely safe with this man by her side.
“And….”
Rashid paused for a moment.
“I’ve been thinking about us all morning, but I still don’t see a way out. I even thought about kneeling before your father.”
Rosetta’s eyes clouded over. She couldn’t imagine this proud man kneeling before his father. He shouldn’t have to do that, not as chieftain.
I would rather have been the daughter of an unknown merchant. Why are we destined to meet in this way? I can’t blame him for giving up so easily. I know that giving up is the right thing to do in the grand scheme of things.
If they refuse to give up, the worst that can happen is that Rosetta will be taken to the palace and forced to marry, but Rashid will truly lose everything.
“…But let’s do our best to find a way. There must be a way for us to be together,” Rashid said, turning his head to the side.
He added, “I realized this time. That the right choice is the one you don’t regret. I never regret choosing you.”
Rosetta’s eyes burned red. She hugged his neck, her voice trembling as she answered.
“Yes!”
Rashid lifted his head, looked ahead, and smiled.
“There’s people.”
True to his word, a group of people, including soldiers, rushed toward them. At the head of the pack was Sika.
“Riga!”
Sika called out, his voice filled with tears.
“Rigaina!”
Rashid muttered softly, “There’s an unharnessed colt running at us. You’d better avoid him, it’ll hurt if you get hit by him.”
Rashid set Rosetta down on the ground. Sika leapt at the laughing pair.
8. Dream
Iselle’s expression remained steady as she listened to the knight’s report. Only at the end did he smile a little twistedly.
“He makes easy things so difficult.”
Iselle ran a hand through his hair somewhat nervously. The fact that the man refused to give up his bride, even after offering to compensate her for anything, must mean he coveted her as a woman. Or he had noticed something.
This is why I shouldn’t have let her go on a trip or anything.
He hadn’t realized that Rosetta was secretly making such plans. He knew she was interested in the outside world, but he hadn’t expected her to do something so bold.
Under the impression that Rosetta was preparing for her marriage in Lysa, she had bribed someone at the resort where she was supposed to be staying to ensure that her absence would not be noticed, and then she changed her plans and headed west to the sea.
If Iselle had been in the royal palace at the time, he would have prevented her from traveling. That was the problem with King Lysa. Too weak and indecisive. In many ways, he was the opposite of his predecessor, so much so that it was hard to believe they were of the same blood.
“You’re like me.”
Iselle’s jaw tightened as he remembered what the late king had once said to him. It had offended him deeply, but he had to admit, he recognized it at first sight. That the late king was the same kind of human as he is.
Perhaps that’s why. That even though their reasons and methods for wanting to own Rosetta are different, their essence is the same.
And now he knows for sure. That a precious jewel is lost the moment it slips from one’s grasp.
“Sir Iselle.”
The knight’s call brought Iselle back from his reverie.
“So, Allen and my men have decided to move on as planned?”
“Yes. They’ll pretend to be moving away from Edirne, and then sneak back into the castle with their identities hidden.”
“…I see. You’ve worked hard to get here. Go and rest.”
The knight saluted and walked away from him. Iselle lowered his eyebrows and stared out into the dark garden, lost in thought. A man approached him with a glass in his hand.
“Why is our noble duke out here alone, away from the banquet?”
That’s Vasa, the chief of the Katan tribe. Despite the sarcasm in his voice, Iselle laughed softly.
“The breeze is cool. I was just realizing that this is what the Arctic winds are like.”
The corners of Vasa’s mouth turned up at that.
“Come in the winter, and you’ll feel it for yourself. It’s a crystallization of wind mixed with snow and ice, and those who have lived in warmer climes would run away in a cold sweat the moment they caught it.”
“I take that to mean you’re inviting me back for one more winter, and I’ll gladly accept.”
Vasa laughed merrily. He liked this young duke quite a bit, coming here alone, in what was almost an enemy country, with no fear. He is young, but not cowardly, and he is not afraid to take a man by surprise.
“I will give you an answer to the offer you made me yesterday.”
Vasa tilted the glass of wine in his hand and continued, “You said that if I could bring Nazar Quat to you in a certainty, you would rip out his heart. Are you sure of that?”
“Of course, and not only that, but I’ll make sure you get the food for this winter as promised.”
“I don’t need food. Once Nazar Quat is down, we’ll just take what we need from the Quat tribe.”
Vasa gripped the glass with a violent grip. The bronze glass clattered as the red wine ran down his arm.
“All I need is to rip out his heart. I will squeeze out every last drop of his blood, soak his body in wine, and his flesh and organs will be salted.”
Vasa growled, revealing his deep anger toward Rashid. He had been crushed in a great battle five years ago, and in the last battle, he had been miserably trampled by Nazar Quat. Even in a one-on-one confrontation, Vasa had been mortally wounded and rushed to flee.
It was humiliating. He was worse than a scared puppy running for its life. For this, Vasa was almost removed from his position as chief.
He had to repay this insult and disgrace somehow, even if it meant selling his soul to the devil.
“I’ve heard rumors that he’s quite fond of the Basque chief’s daughter. It would be all the better if he were to suffer the same fate as his father.”
If the man abandoned his wife, that was no bad thing either, as he would be irreparably dishonored. In that case, the elders of the Quat tribe who disliked him would take matters into their own hands. If the tribe became so disorganized, he could simply swallow them whole.
“That’s right. Nazar Quat is going through all of this because of the Basque chief’s daughter.”
The corners of Iselle’s lips twitched upward; he was going to erase Rosetta’s presence from this. He hadn’t intended to leave her in the middle of these nasty rumors in the first place. If anyone was taken by Nazar Quat, if anyone was kidnapped again in the chaos of the border, it would be Rosie, the Basque chieftain’s daughter, not Rosetta.
All that remained to be done was to get rid of the aftermath.
Iselle took a sip of wine. His red eyes glowed darkly. He was ready to do anything for Rosetta.
How could he not, after all he’d done for her ten years ago, after all he’d been through?
***
When they arrived at the castle, everyone poured out to greet them. Some cried, some smiled, and some were too surprised to speak, too stunned that they had both made it out of the rainy Monster Forest unharmed.
Benny was the former. As soon as she saw Rosetta and Rashid, Benny burst into tears and ran toward Rosetta at a terrifying speed.
“Rigaina, you have no idea how worried I am….”
But Benny couldn’t touch Rosetta by a hair’s breadth. Rashid stretched out his long arm and blocked Benny.
“I’m sorry, Benny, but Rigaina is mine for the time being, so you’ll have to postpone your reunion for a few days.”
There was a stunned look on everyone’s faces. Not tomorrow, but in a few days. Rashid continued, turning everyone’s speculation into certainty.
“And no one is to come near my door until I give you permission.”
The workers weren’t the only ones surprised. Rosetta stared at Rashid with her mouth open. He must be crazy. What the hell is he talking about right now, in front of all these people!
“Rashid….”
But before Rosetta could speak, Rashid grabbed her hand and turned to go somewhere. There was no doubt that they were heading to his room now, in broad daylight.
Rashid practically scooped Rosetta up, disappearing from their sight in a flash. After a moment of silence, Benny spoke up.
“…I think it’s a monster devouring Riga and pretending to be him. There’s no way he’s our Riga right now!”
Thelma, who would normally have scolded her for saying such a ridiculous thing, could not argue with her, for she was thinking something similar.
Until now, Rashid had never shown his affection for Rigaina in public; he was extremely cautious about revealing his feelings to others. But he had just blatantly said that he was going to hug her for a few days, and that no one should disturb them.