Chapter 70
In a flash, Rosetta was dragged into the warehouse. It wasn’t until her back was pressed against the door with a thud that she recognized the face of the man who had brought her here.
“Rashi…”
His lips were on hers before the words were finished. Gently, he bit her lip, then his tongue darted inside.
Her eyes closed of their own accord. Rosetta kissed him, forgetting what she’d been trying to do just a moment ago. It was always like this. When their lips were locked like this, she couldn’t think of anything else.
After a moment, he slowly pulled away. He gently brushed his thumb across her wet lower lip. Rosetta opened her closed eyes and stared at him.
“W- What was that?” Rosetta grumbled, feeling embarrassed in hindsight.
“You grabbed me all of a sudden while I was walking. Is kidnapping your hobby?”
Rashid laughed softly. “And your hobby is ogling men’s naked bodies like a voyeur?”
At that, Rosetta panicked. “I’m not a voyeur! I just happened to see them on my way!”
Soon, Rosetta realized something important and glared at him. “But did you know I was hiding behind the flower bed?”
“I’ve already told you, I’m very sensitive to when someone is hiding.”
He knew everything, but how could he pretend not to without a single change in expression?
“Again, I didn’t do it on purpose. I had no idea that the men were shirtless like that, so it was just an unavoidable accident of chance.”
“Yeah.”
Rosetta wanted to defend herself again as he only responded with “Yeah,” but then gave up. Even if she thought to herself, her reasoning sounded too unreasonable.
“Are you done with your training?”
Rashid nodded. He ran his fingers playfully through her golden hair.
“Why were you giving the younger boys such a hard time earlier?”
“They were complaining that they were bored of doing the same posture over and over again.”
“That’s mean, though. You could have said something in moderation.”
“Sometimes things are better done than said.”
He sounded strangely sweet. The words themselves were dry, but the look in his eyes and the tone of his voice created an unusually erotic atmosphere. The constant twitching of his fingers against her lips also contributed.
Rosetta quickly lowered her eyes and avoided his gaze. He looked like he didn’t mean it, but he would say and do things that subtly baffled her.
Rashid noticed that Rosetta’s fingers were stained red and took one of her hands in his.
“What is this?”
“It’s from the safflower flower water. I helped them do the dyeing.”
“You’re so eager to do everything.”
“It was pretty fun. Later, when we were done dyeing, we had to go to the river to wash the fabric.”
“To the river?”
“Didn’t you know? That’s because we have to wash off the dye under running water.”
Rashid smiled at Rosetta. He brought her red fingers to the tip of his nose.
“Your hands smell good. Fragrant.”
Look at this. What is this man doing?
Rosetta’s mouth dropped open as she realized he was performing an advanced technique that would make the libertines in the Lysa Kingdom weep. Rashid didn’t stop there, kissing her fingertips, his moist, slick tongue licking them lightly.
Who the hell is this man?
Rosetta looked up into his face, stunned. She couldn’t tell if the man in front of her was a wolf or a fox. She could almost see a thick fox tail wagging behind him.
Rashid pressed his lips to Rosetta’s again. Unlike a moment ago, this time his tongue dug in from the start.
Rosetta tilted her head back and accepted his kiss. Her legs felt weak and she needed something to hold on to.
Red, flowery fingers fumbled at his shirt, then slid down to his waist. The ends of his shirt were unusually untucked, perhaps because he wore it roughly after training.
Rosetta clutched the shirt at his waist. As the kiss deepened, the shirt rolled up in her hands. Her fingers grazed his bare skin. The hard muscles she’d only seen a moment ago twitched under her fingertips. Rashid broke off the kiss abruptly as Rosetta’s hands roamed his back and waist.
-thud.
“Ah!”
Rashid pushed Rosetta against the door. Trapping her between his body and the door, he began kissing her more roughly than ever before. She willingly wrapped her arms around him as he pounced on her like he was going to take all her breath away.
Why do I keep accepting this man?
In her foggy mind, Rosetta listed the questions. Her future with Rashid is unclear. Even if he is sincere in this relationship, he doesn’t even know her name. How would he react if he realized she was not the daughter of the Basque chieftain, but the Princess of Lysa? She hadn’t forgotten how he had once expressed his intense dislike for the Lysa royal family.
Even if he took all this with him, it would not be the end of it. Her father and mother would never approve of this marriage; in their eyes, Rashid was merely a barbarian chieftain. The idea of leaving Iselle and marrying a barbarian was nothing short of insanity.
They would be furious and force her to marry Iselle. And maybe, just maybe, this man would be mad at her too.
So I know I shouldn’t do this, I should push him away, reject him, but…
The large hand that had been brushing Rosetta’s ear and cheek slid down to rest on her breast, and she sucked in a hot breath. His body pressed closer, and it awakened even more erotic sensations in her.
Rosetta knows that what happens between a man and a woman does not end with just a kiss. That her body wanted more, and he could give it to her.
But was it because she instinctively knew that if she gave in here, there would be no turning back, or because she felt some sort of remorse for her fiancé?
The moment his hand slipped under her skirt, she flinched. Rashid realized that she had stiffened, and this time he stopped everything. No more stroking, no more kissing.
Rosetta cautiously opened her eyes. Sunlight slanted in.
And she could see his face, right in front of her. His face had returned to its usual expression, the fire of a moment ago gone. But his sun-dappled blue eyes were glowing with intense heat, and he was looking at her as if he were trying to engrave every detail of her face.
Rashid reached out and gently stroked her hair and cheeks. As he did so, her rapid breathing and racing heart slowly subsided. But Rosetta was dimly aware that he still hadn’t resolved anything. Down below, a part of him was clearly making its presence known.
“…I’m sorry.”
“What are you sorry for?”
Rosetta’s face turned red at his question. “For not being able to ‘help’ you,” she replied.
“…That’s true, but that’s not a reason to apologize. You tend to apologize too much.”
“Ah, I’m sorry.”
Rosetta covered her mouth, realizing that she had unwittingly said another apology. Rashid laughed a little, then took her face in his hands and kissed her forehead.
Then he took a step back. “You go first. I’ll come out later.”
Rosetta realized he needed time. She nodded and walked out of the room.
Not long after Rosetta left, Benny’s voice rang out, “Where have you been? I’ve been looking for you for ages.” The voice was heard for a moment, then faded away.
Rashid leaned back against the wall and closed his eyes.
It was taking him a long time to calm down. He wondered how much longer he could hold back, if he couldn’t stop himself in the middle.
Once Rashid’s breathing was under control, he opened the door and stepped out of the room. As he climbed the stairs beside it, he had a clear view of the backyard: dyeing materials were piled everywhere, and dyed fabrics were laid out in rows on one side. Rosetta sat down next to an old woman and listened intently as she explained the process. A gust of wind blew the blue fabric into the air, and her smiling face was hidden by it.
“Riga? I’ve been looking for you for a while.”
Rashid turned at the voice coming suddenly. Sika was running toward him from a distance, and Rashid’s face stiffened slightly when he saw the unusual expression on his face.
“What’s going on?”
Sika stood in front of him, took a breath, and then spoke quickly, “There is a delegation from Basque, and they are outside the castle right now, waiting for permission to enter.”
Rashid frowned. “From the Basque? For what?”
Sika shook his head vigorously. “I don’t know, I was just told to come to Riga. Elder Calante is only allowing one delegate for now, so I think you should meet him in person.”