Chapter 28
Rashid lifted his head and looked at Calante.
“You yourself told me, grandfather, that twenty years ago when you fought the Basque chieftain, you saw a golden aura shining from a sword that only a member of Lisa’s royal family could possess.”
At this, Calante sighed softly. “I see you still have that on your mind. Yes, that’s right. I saw it with my own eyes, that’s for sure.”
After the former Riga died on the land of the Basques, the Basques pushed into the land of the Quat. At that time, it was Calante who rallied the tribesmen who had lost their leader overnight and slashed the heads of the enemies in front of them.
He single-handedly saved the Quat, so much so that the other elders could not ignore his request to wait until his daughter gave birth to decide on the next Riga.
In that war, the Basque chieftain had a man with him at all times, covered from head to toe in black cloth. Surprisingly, the chieftain, who held the highest position in the Basque land, not only feared the man but also obeyed his orders.
Curious about the man’s identity, Calante lured him away and attacked. In desperation, the man drew his sword, which glowed with a dazzling golden light that he had only heard rumors about.
“As you know, Rashid, a holy sword is proof that a man is at least a royal family member or holds an important position. What happened twenty years ago was by no means the work of the Basque chieftain alone; Lisa was pulling the strings behind the scenes.”
“That’s what I’ve never understood, why Lisa would have to do that.”
The Kingdom of Lisa had long ago withdrawn its forces from the Ardennes, unable to cope with the growing power in the east. Like the Ardennes, the easterners, who lived in tribal groups, had united the tribes and even created a land called Toulouse. With the threat still remaining, the Kingdom of Lisa encouraged the Basques to wreak havoc on the land.
“Then there was a lull for a while, and now the Basques are on the move again, and I’m not sure if it has anything to do with Lisa Kingdom. There are important reasons we don’t know about, and we have to dig deeper to find out.”
Calante nodded. He understood Riga’s every word. “All right. I’ve reached out to ‘him,’ and I’ll let you know as soon as I hear from him.”
With that, the story is all over. The moment Rashid got up from his seat, Calante threw an unexpected word.
“By the way, when are you planning to hold the banquet?”
“A banquet?”
“A banquet to celebrate the marriage, isn’t that a natural procedure to do?”
Calante looked at Rashid, who only blinked, then smiled. “I guess you didn’t think of that at all. Everyone will think it strange if you don’t throw a welcome banquet for your new bride, even if she’s a temporary one. Leave it to Thelma to organize it. She’ll make all the necessary preparations.”
“Yes, I will.”
Calante went to the front of the mansion and saw him off. Returning to his room after sending Rashid off, he was deep in thought for a moment; then he said,
[Is anyone outside?]
At his call, a servant came straight in.
[You called for me, my lord?]
[Go to the castle tomorrow and see the child. Tell him to find me as soon as possible.]
[Yes, sir.]
After the servant left the room, Calante stroked his beard thoughtfully. A rather strange expression came over his face.
***
When Rashid returned to the castle, it was pitch black. Looking up at the castle in the darkness, Rashid thought of her.
I wonder what she’s doing now. She must be very tired and is sleeping, so soundly like when she didn’t know she was being carried.
A smile appeared on his face, and then he paused. Rashid furrowed his brow and pondered why he had just smiled, then suddenly realized that this was the first time he had ever been like this.
In all his years of leaving and returning to the castle, he had never once thought that someone would be waiting for him, yet he had thought of her as soon as he had arrived.
Why such a useless thought…
“Thank you for your hard work. Have a good rest until tomorrow.”
“Yes!”
After giving the order to disperse, Rashid himself led his horse to the stable. He wanted to take care of his horse, who must have been tired and exhausted from the long journey.
[Riga!]
As he opened the door and stepped inside, a man in the corner of the stable stood up with a pile of hay. The man quickly put the hay into an empty bucket and staggered towards him.
[W- when did you get here? I was just about to go to see you, but time has passed…]
His bulbous nose was ripe like a bright red strawberry. His entire body exuded the smell of alcohol. Rashid squinted at him.
[Mark, I see you’ve been drinking again.]
[Eh, that, that…. really was just a sip!]
[It wasn’t a sip, but a keg.]
He scratched the back of his neck, unable to find anything to say in response to the conviction in Rashid’s words.
Meanwhile, Rashid lowered the saddle from Akal’s back and freed the gag from his mouth. Clean water and hay were already prepared. Rashid watched from the side as Akal was feeding.
[You must be tired from the long journey, go inside and rest, I’ll take care of him.]
[Will Akal listen to a drunkard?]
Akal is sensitive to smells and has a habit of becoming more sensitive when people who have been drinking alcohol are around. Mark chuckled at Akal’s unusual gaze.
[I don’t care if he doesn’t like it, I’m the only human he’s allowed to be around besides Riga.]
[Wrong. There’s another one, and she likes him just as much as you do.]
[What? Who are you talking about? No, there’s no way Akal would do that.]
Mark’s eyes widened. Instead of answering, Rashid smiled briefly, and then said, as a sudden thought occurred to him.
[Come to think of it, is there a good horse, a mare with a gentle temperament and not too big?]
[Why all of a sudden?]
[There’s someone who wants to learn to ride.]
[Who?]
[My wife.]
[Oh, your wife… what? Your wife?]
Mark stared at him with his mouth gaping open, then poked his ear hole with his finger.
[I think I just heard something strange, is it because I’m not sober yet?]
[You’re the only one who doesn’t know what the rest of the world knows. That’s why you should drink in moderation.]
[Oh my God, does that mean it’s true?]
Without a word, Rashid left the stable with an empty bucket. He wanted to make sure Akal had enough water for the night.
Mark hurriedly followed behind him, panting.
[Who is she? What family is she from?]
[Mark, where did I just come back from?]
[You’ve been to the Basque land, haven’t you? But why?]
Rashid let out a short sigh. Mark hadn’t yet realized what his grandfather had realized in just a second.
When they reached the well, Rashid threw the pail hanging above into it. As the water was being drawn up, Mark’s urging continued.
[Tell me. What made you rush into a predatory marriage?]
[Not a predatory marriage, she’s the daughter of the Basque chieftain…]
Just then, one of the maids came running down to the well in a panic. Not realizing who they were because of the darkness, the maid ran up to them and was startled to see a familiar face.
[Ri- Riga!]
Looking at Rashid with a pale face, the maid exclaimed as she came to her senses when she noticed the cold, clean water in his hand.
[Sorry, I’ll take this!]
The maid transferred the water from the pail into a bucket she had brought with her. Then she left the place in a hurry, saying,
[Rigaina is badly hurt!]
Of the two who remained frozen, Rashid was the first to move.
[Riga!]
Mark ran after Rashid, who was already out of sight.
When Rashid reached the kitchen, the servants and maids were gathered around, but she was nowhere to be seen.
[Riga!]
The castle servants and maids realized that Rashid had arrived and hurried to make way for him. As they parted and stepped back, he finally caught sight of her.
She was crouched in front of a fireplace, dipping her hand into the cold water that had just drawn.
Rosetta looked up, aware of the sudden silence around her. Her eyes locked with Rashid’s and she sucked in a small breath.
“Ah…”
Her green eyes fluttered with panic. Rashid frowned at her condition. She was barefoot, wearing nothing but a thin tunic on her body. Her half-damp hair was disheveled and covered her shoulders and back.
Rashid couldn’t understand why this woman, who should be resting or sleeping in her bed by now, was doing this in this place. She looked like she had been dragged out of her room by force.
Could it be that the people in the castle were harassing her in groups because of her father?
Rashid’s eyes narrowed for a moment, and he strode over and grabbed her hand from the bucket of water.