Chapter 24
2. Edirne, the Capital
The journey on horseback continued the next day.
Over the past three days, Rosetta has spent more time with a horse than she has in her entire life combined. As a result, she’s gotten to the point where she can fall asleep on them.
At first, riding with Rashid was very uncomfortable, but after a while, she got used to being held by him. His arms were warm and reassuring. Most of all, she trusted that this man would never let her fall off the horse.
As she slept in Rashid’s arms, Rosetta was awakened by a gentle touch on her cheek. She rubbed her eyes and looked around in a daze.
“This is…”
“Edirne.”
They were standing on a hill overlooking a panoramic view, and the evening fog was thick on all sides. Rashid pointed his finger at a distant place shrouded in fog.
“That’s Edirne, the capital.”
As the wind picked up and the fog dispersed, the tall buildings rising in the distance became visible. Rosetta’s eyes widened in surprise as the scene gradually revealed itself, and suddenly a cloth was placed over her head.
“Why is this…”
“Hold on tight, we’ll run fast until we reach the castle,” Rashid said and started running down the hill. The others followed suit, urging their horses into a full gallop, galloping toward the misty city.
A large wall surrounded the outskirts of the city, and a wide road led to the gates. Ahead of them, Shika pulled a large cloth from his chest and unfurled it.
And the gatekeepers shouted, “Riga has returned!”
The gates swung open. They continued on through the gates at the same speed they had been running.
Just inside the gates, the road was straight. Shops and other buildings of all sorts lined the flat road, and countless people, horses, and carts passed around them.
-pooh-pooh.
A horn sounded, and everyone on the street moved to the side of the road. Like an ebbing tide, the crowds cleared away, and Rosetta and the others moved quickly down the wide street. Slowly, Rosetta pulled the cloth over her head and took in the sights around her.
Up until this point, she had vaguely assumed that the people here lived far below the standards of the Lisa Kingdom. It was considered a complete backwater, and she had assumed that at best they could barely make ends meet based on herding or farming.
Her assumptions were based on what she had read in books and what she had heard from people. Of the lands surrounding the Kingdom of Lisa, the only ones that were known to be civilized were those to the south of Lisa.
Here in the Ardennes region, to the west of the Kingdom, the land had yet to take shape: scattered tribes, fighting amongst themselves, and plundering across the borders of other nations at every opportunity. That was the general perception of this place in the Kingdom of Lisa.
But now that I’ve seen it for myself, it’s nothing like those rumors.
The city’s appearance was unexpectedly well maintained, its streets clean, and its supplies plentiful. The shops were stocked with food and goods, and the carts that traveled the streets had a wide variety of goods.
At the sight of it, Rosetta naturally thought of a city she knew: Terra, the capital of the millennia-old Kingdom of Lisa.
On the rare occasions she’d ventured out of the palace, Rosetta had always found herself gawking at the scenery outside.
Rosetta would look out the small window of the carriage and see the city of Terra, which was much larger and more colorful than this one. It was a city with a long history, full of traditional buildings and bustling with people.
But every so often, dirty, almost-naked people would be spotted among the crowds. They seemed to have come to catch a glimpse of the rarely-seen royal procession, and their thin bodies suggested that they hadn’t been eating.
Rosetta wondered then. ‘Why are there so many poor people in Terra, which is said to be the richest city in the world?’
She’d asked her parents about it, but the answer was always the same: “You don’t need to care about such things. You shouldn’t care about such things.”
On the other hand, most of the people here are cleanly dressed. It seems like they are well-nourished, looking at their bright faces and energetic expressions.
As she watched the sights of the city, Rosetta became aware that the eyes of the crowd standing on the sidewalk were on her.
Someone was pointing his finger at her and chattering. The stares, full of surprise and curiosity, were definitely a different kind of stare than the ones that had been directed at the tribesmen.
‘That’s why he put a cloth over me. Because I caught people’s attention instantly.’
Recognizing Rashid’s meaning, Rosetta pulled the cloth up to her head again and hid her face against his chest.
By the time they reached the castle, dusk was beginning to settle in all around them. The castle of Edirne loomed before them, built of a solid stone of black, brown, and white.
It was a far cry from Lisa, where all the buildings were made of pure white marble. The architecture was also very different. The roofs here were mostly pointed, whereas in Lisa there were many columns and the buildings were stacked in a square shape.
“Master Rashid!”
As they entered the gates, a group of people rushed out from inside. The first to come running out to greet the man they all called Riga by his first name was a petite, middle-aged woman, her face beaming with relief and delight.
“I was afraid you wouldn’t come back in today. How did things go with the Basque tribe?”
Stepping closer, she looked surprised to see Rashid on horseback with someone.
“Rashid, she is…”
The moment the middle-aged woman opened her mouth to speak again, Rashid dismounted. He immediately grabbed Rosetta’s waist and lowered her to the ground.
In the awkward silence, Rosetta carefully removed the cloth covering her head. The moment her gorgeous blond hair and green eyes were revealed, people started to buzz.
“My wife.”
Rashid’s voice broke the stunned silence. He spoke again, “Once she was the daughter of the Basque chieftain, but now she is my wife, your Rigaina.”
Having understood what he meant, the people around them were in deep shock. In a silence so thick you could hear a needle drop, Rashid turned to the middle-aged woman.
“Thelma, I’ll explain more later, but for now, take my wife to her room and take care of her. She’s been running for three days with no proper rest, and she’ll be tired.”
The woman named Thelma quickly wiped the look of surprise from her face and replied politely, “I understand, but are you not coming along, Master Rashid?”
“I have some work to do.”
As Rashid turned to leave, Rosetta unconsciously grabbed the hem of his shirt.
“Where are you going, do you have to go now?” she asked.
The thought of being alone in this big place suddenly made her feel uneasy. After everything that had happened, it was clear that they would not take kindly to her.
It was to be expected, given that she was the enemy’s daughter. The thought of having to deal with the bottomless pit of hostility in a place where Rashid wasn’t even there made her eyes glaze over.
“I don’t know where you are going, but…”
Rosetta was about to ask if she could follow when she felt piercing eyes on all sides.
They looked even more surprised than when she’d been told earlier that she was the daughter of the Basque chieftain, and their eyes were all drawn to her hand clutching the hem of Rashid’s shirt.
Rosetta realized in hindsight what she had done. It was the behavior of a child, even in the Kingdom of Lisa. Rosetta’s face flushed at the realization of her immature behavior. She sank back into her own disappointment.
Why do I always end up like this, so weak and dependent on others…
“I- I’m sorry.”
Rosetta was about to pull her hand back in dismay when Rashid grabbed it, and he spoke in the softest voice she’d ever heard.
“I have something to discuss with the Elder, and I’ll be back as soon as I’m done, so you can rest first. If you need anything, tell Thelma, she’ll take good care of you. Won’t you, Thelma?”
It was an order for Thelma to take charge and look after Rosetta until he returned. Thelma stepped forward and bowed her head.
“Yes, sir, I will take care of Rigaina to the best of my ability.”
Rashid stroked the back of her hand lightly, then slowly withdrew his hand from hers and turned to leave with the others.
Rosetta watched him walk away, dumbfounded. She hadn’t expected him to be so openly affectionate in this way. She’d just hoped he wouldn’t insult her publicly.
The soft, melting sound of his voice still tickled her ears. The place where his fingers touched moments before was still burning hot.
“Rigaina.”
The sudden call made Rosetta look to the side. Thelma bowed deeply at the waist.
“Now you can follow me.”
***
-stomp, stomp, stomp.
In the quiet hallway, only the sound of footsteps echoed softly.
All the way down the hall, Thelma kept a sharp eye on the woman following her. Unlike her, the woman was busy scanning her surroundings, her face no longer showing the slightest hint of wariness or fear.
Is she deliberately pretending to be okay?
The thought crossed her mind, but the woman’s expression was too honest for that. Her eyes were constantly sparkling, and she even made the occasional exclamation.
She even stopped walking at one point to touch the wolf-shaped stone statue in the hallway, much to Thelma’s surprise.
“…do you have any questions?”
At Thelme’s question, the woman turned her head, her green eyes twinkling. Her hand was lovingly stroking the wolf’s black nose.
“Oh, and what is the stone used for this statue, I assume it’s the same kind used for the building?”
“It’s granite, I believe. Granite is abundant here.”
“Wow, that’s amazing, I’ve heard that granite is much harder to work with than marble.”
“……”
Thelma coughed low to hide her bewilderment. It was an unexpected reaction for a bride who had been plundered and brought to the man’s home.