Chapter 32
Rosetta was brought to the bed in his arms. She wanted to tell him that it was her hands that hurt, not her feet, but by then she was already in bed.
“You should have told me if you had a mild fever.”
With a mild reprimand, Rashid returned with the vial the doctor had left behind, and with his hand on the back of Rosetta’s head, he held it to her mouth.
“Drink it all in one gulp.”
Rosetta did as she was told and swallowed the medicine in one gulp. Then he patted her on the back as if she had done a good job. For some reason, she felt like he was doing this on purpose, and it was clear from his next words that it wasn’t just her feelings.
“You took the medicine well, so let’s reward you. Where’s the candy…”
There was a faint hint of mischief in his slow, mumbling voice.
“Are you kidding, I don’t need any of that!” Rosetta said, waving her bandaged hand in the air.
She added, “And is there any candy in this room? You look like you’re not even going to touch anything sweet.”
Rashid laughed out loud. He grabbed Rosetta’s arm and brought it down nicely in one place. He laid her right down on the bed, pulling the covers up to her neck.
“You must be tired, you should get some sleep.”
Whether it was the medicine or his words, a sudden wave of exhaustion washed over her, but just as her eyelids were half closed, her eyes snapped open at his words.
“I’m going to sleep in the other room, so you can get some rest.”
“Hey, ouch!”
Rosetta groaned at the bitter pain as she hastily caught him trying to get out of bed. Rashid’s eyes shot open, but before he could get angry, Rosetta spoke up.
“Don’t go anywhere else, stay with me tonight.”
“……”
He looked at Rosetta as if he’d forgotten what to say for a moment. For some reason, she’d seen this look on his face often enough, so she spoke again, “You’ve been with me all this time.”
I don’t want to be alone in this strange place, sick as I am. Rashid was the only person I could trust here, and my instincts were screaming that it was safest to stay with him.
Rashid groaned and put a hand on his forehead. “It’s just that we were on the road, so I couldn’t help it.”
“We’re a couple in the eyes of the world, don’t you think people will think it’s weird if we’re newly married and have separate rooms?”
Looking at Rosetta, he managed to come up with one crude reason why he shouldn’t be in the same bed as her.
“I haven’t even bathed yet…”
“That’s okay, I’m used to it.”
Rosetta gave him a side of the bed after boldly striking back. Rashid looked at her with a very perplexed expression, until eventually, he let out a long sigh.
“Only until you fall asleep, then.”
She’ll be asleep soon enough anyway.
With that thought, Rashid lay down next to her, putting some distance between them. Rosetta smiled, as if that was enough.
Rashid kept his eyes closed. He planned to leave the bed as soon as she fell asleep, but after a while, a soft voice rang out.
“You know, I think you’ll make a really good husband and a good father later on,” she mumbled, her voice already sounding sleepy.
She added, “I don’t have to see it to know how good you’d be to someone you really loved, seeing as how you’re so good to me.”
It wasn’t long before he heard the sound of soft breathing. Rashid turned toward her when he thought she was fully asleep, and lay down at an angle.
She was already deeply asleep and didn’t stir at his movements. As usual, this woman was so defenseless once she fell asleep.
How could a daughter like you be born to such a vile man…
She’s a good, sweet girl. She is kind-hearted by nature and has no malice at all. That’s why his heart was more complicated. If she was cunning and cruel, like her father, he would have treated her accordingly.
She may not realize it, but there are not many people who could have acted as she did today: she plunged her hand into the flames to save another’s keepsake, and she stood barefoot in front of a sword to protect a young maid she had barely met.
Most people would have chosen to turn away or hide in her situation. Moreover, this was not her homeland, but the middle of an enemy land. It’s natural to protect oneself first, yet she threw her own body for people she didn’t even know.
On the one hand, this selflessness, this indiscriminate kindness, worried him. There were good people in the castle, but there were also many who would find her unwanted. If she was going to stay here until her marriage to Chieftain of Croa was completely broken, she’d better be more careful with people in order to stay here.
No, more than anything else, the person she should be most wary of was himself.
Rashid sighed heavily. What the hell was she doing sleeping so comfortably next to a man? What if something were to happen to her in her sleep? Did she even have any sense of caution when it came to men? I don’t think she did at first, but somehow…
“Masha…”
It was then that a small voice drifted out of her sleep. Rashid propped his elbows on the bed and looked closely at Rosetta’s face up close.
For the past few days, she had always looked so peaceful in her sleep. But now, somehow, she had a pained look on her face, and she was calling someone’s name over and over again.
“Masha, Masha….”
The name ‘Masha’.
“Don’t… please…”
The pleading voice was followed by small sobs. It was a mixture of deep emotions: sadness and desperation.
Wondering if she was having a nightmare, Rashid shook her.
“Hey, wake up.”
But maybe the medicine was keeping her from waking up. Rashid’s heart raced.
“Rosie, wake up…”
At that moment, she burst into his arms and buried her face in his chest. Rashid stiffened, then realized she was trembling.
Unable to help himself, he gently placed his hand on Rosetta’s shoulder. She let out a long breath in his arms. Over time, the trembling subsided. The nightmare had fled, and she was soon back to normal.
Rashid stared at the face of the woman in his arms. Calm and unconcerned, it was the only face he had ever known her to have. And yet, what he saw a moment ago was so foreign to him. She looked as if she had never faced any hardship in her life. Perhaps behind her bright face was a past unknown to others.
Rashid reached out slowly. He stroked her hair gently as it fell across her forehead. The golden locks were soft, and a gentle glow traced their curves.
She had complained before that it tangled quickly, but in Rashid’s eyes, her hair was the most beautiful he had ever seen. This may be what the phrase “fairy hair made of golden threads,” often used in the songs of bards, refers to.
Suddenly, it occurred to me. That I might have made the biggest mistake of my life. That I should never have brought her here in the first place…
He told himself that he would leave the bed as soon as she fell asleep, but the thought was a distant memory.
Rashid rested his head against hers. With a low sigh, he closed his eyes. Little by little, drowsiness poured in, and he gradually drifted into a deeper sleep.
***
Rosetta woke up like any other morning. The first thing she saw was a crisp white quilt. Not the dusty blanket she’d been carrying around with her the entire trip, but proper bedding.
Rosetta remembered arriving at the castle yesterday. And how, after all she’d been through, she’d taken medicine and fallen asleep.
She stretched and yawned loudly, realizing that Rashid was already gone, as he always was.
“Haaahhh…. Aaaah!”
Instead of yawning, a shriek escaped her mouth as she realized with a start that there was someone next to her. Rosetta instinctively twisted to the side to avoid him. Just as she was about to roll back under the bed, Rashid reached out his arm.
“……”
He succeeded in pulling her back up onto the bed, but they were still facing each other in an embrace. Just then, the door burst open without a knock.
“Rigaina, what’s going on…”
It was Benny who opened the door. Benny ran into the room and her eyes widened even wider as she realized that Rashid was now on top of Rosetta.
“I- I’m sorry!”
Benny blushed and covered her face with her hands.
“I’ll be back in a little while!”
Benny stammered in her surprise and then slammed the door behind her.
Rashid heard the door close with a thud, and after a moment, he slowly pushed himself up. Rosetta tried to follow suit, but she didn’t feel like getting out of her uncomfortable position without using her hands. It wasn’t until he helped her up that she was able to sit properly on the bed.
Rosetta shouted at the top of her lungs. “What are you doing here?”