Chapter 84
Thelma was surprised for a moment that he didn’t know of a monster hunter, but then she realized. That non-slaves don’t know much about the existence of monster hunters.
[Monster hunters are those who take the pelts of monsters and sell them, and because their pelts are hard, they can fetch a pretty penny. They don’t have the skill to hunt, so they either take the pelts from dead monsters they come across, or they dig traps and get the pelts of monsters caught in them. This is usually done by slaves who want to become free, since they have to risk their lives to go into the monster forest.]
Once, Thelma had gone there too, wanting to be free. If she could buy her way to free status, she would, and if Elysia hadn’t freed her from her slave bonds, she might have taken the risk.
[I have heard that monster hunters, to avoid being attacked by monsters, make a lair in advance, hide there, and come out when it is safe. If he used that method, he might still be alive.]
[Then he might try to sneak out of the forest tomorrow morning.]
[Yes.]
Calante stroked his beard thoughtfully.
[Very well. I’ll have the soldiers stand by and tell them to capture every single human that comes out of the forest. If this is indeed the work of Perce, then there must have been money exchanged behind the scenes. We should start searching the homes of all the monster hunters for evidence.]
[You are right.]
[I will move my private army to watch Perce and surround the forest. Thelma, you will secure a list of the monster hunters and see to it that you get solid evidence. I’ll lend you my name, but if any of them don’t cooperate or get in your way, don’t look the other way, and deal with them all at your own line.]
[Yes.]
[If we do well, we might be able to get rid of Perce on this opportunity; we must succeed.]
With a job to do, a glimmer of hope seemed to appear in the otherwise lightless darkness. Thelma replied with a face full of determination.
[Yes, I understand!]
***
Rashid started walking with Rosetta on his back. Just as he had on his way here, the monsters backed away and made a path, as if to avoid him.
But Rashid knew that he was not the reason for the monsters’ retreat. The monsters were clearly afraid of the woman now on his back.
Perhaps this is the power of Lysan royalty, and perhaps this is why there are no monsters in Lysa. But Rosetta doesn’t seem to know anything about it; she’s so unaware of the power she possesses.
Why? How come her family never told her anything about it?
Masha.
And suddenly, Rashid remembered the name. The name she’d called in her sleep one night.
Of all the names she’d said unconsciously, it was the only one she couldn’t identify. She had given the same name to her horse, not even realizing that she already knew the name.
Masha. It was a typical Lysan pet name, a shortening of a name beginning with ‘Maia’. Masha and Maiastra. Is it just my imagination that I feel a connection between these two names?
Masha, the scar on her back from an arrow, from a bird hunt at Lysa palace. Maiastra, the incredible power to make monsters run away.
I’m convinced that all of this is connected in some way. I can only guess now, but Rosetta must be at the center of it all.
The blessing she had given Rashid on the night of the banquet had ultimately saved his life. If it hadn’t been for that blessing, he would have had both of his arms cut off by now, and he would never have made it here alive.
“…Rosetta?”
Suddenly he realized how cold her body was on his back. He reached for her outstretched hand. It was like ice.
“Rosetta, you can’t fall asleep now!”
Rashid shouted, and Rosetta responded in a small voice.
“Mmm….”
But her consciousness didn’t return. Rashid shouted at her a few more times, but each time she only nodded her head slightly and then became unresponsive again.
Rashid realized that she had been left in the rainy forest for too long, a time when he wouldn’t be surprised if she had already collapsed from hypothermia before he arrived.
He had to calculate how long it would take to get out of the forest, and then how long it would take to get to the castle. Maybe if the horse is there, but if not, it will take longer.
“Rosetta, I’ll get you warm in no time, but please hang in there.”
At the words, almost a plea, Rosetta opened her closed eyes a little. She wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly, trying to steady her fading consciousness.
Rather than continue through the forest, Rashid began looking for a place to shelter from the rain and build a fire. Fortunately, a small cave came into view shortly afterward. He made sure it was clear of animals and laid Rosetta down on some moss on the ground.
Rashid found some wood that hadn’t been soaked by the rain and made quick work of lighting it. When the fire was finally roaring, he moved Rosetta closer to it. He looked at her rain-soaked clothes for a moment, then made a decision.
“I’m sorry, but I’m going to undress you. Your clothes need to dry, and it’s the quickest way to get warm.”
Rosetta nodded her head slightly in agreement. Rashid sighed in relief and reached for her clothes. He pulled at the straps at her chest and the blouse quickly fell loose.
He paused when her shoulders were exposed, revealing the white skin that had been hidden beneath. He swallowed hard, then shook his head vigorously. You’re crazy. What the hell are you thinking in the middle of all this?
From then on, Rashid barely looked at her body, concentrating only on undressing her quickly. Her blouse was undone, her skirt and underwear were pulled down together, and they were laid out around the fire to dry as quickly as possible.
Coming back to Rosetta’s side, he pulled off the shirt he was wearing in one swift motion and pulled her into his arms, massaging every inch of her body.
He rubbed her limbs and shoulders, and after what seemed like an eternity, warmth began to return to her icy body. Rashid breathed a deep sigh of relief as he saw a trace of color return to her pale face.
“Haa….”
Rashid leaned his head back against the cave wall and closed his eyes. He felt as if half his life had been shaved off by the events of the day. He’d deliberately kept his eyes closed to avoid looking at Rosetta’s naked body, but when she didn’t move, he began to worry.
I wonder if she’s already fallen asleep. Her body temperature seems to have returned, so it wouldn’t matter if she’s asleep, but if there’s something wrong….
“Rashid.”
Rashid opened his eyes at Rosetta’s sudden call. Rosetta’s body was pressed tightly against his, so there wasn’t much of her that he could see, thankfully. It was also helped by the fact that her rich, long hair covered a lot of her body.
“Your body, it’s so warm….”
Rosetta burrowed deeper into his arms, like a young animal seeking warmth. Hugging his waist, she let out a small breath against his chest. Rashid released his hold and lifted his hand to stroke her hair. The soft, half-dried hair curled around his fingers.
Rashid remembered Rosetta from earlier in the forest. She sat curled up in a ball under a tree. No matter how many times he called her name, there was no answer, no movement, and in that brief moment, Rashid’s insides burned black.
“Rosetta….”
Rashid tried calling her name again. How he had feared he would never have another chance to call her by that name.
“Rosetta.”
As he mumbled the name over and over again, Rosetta laughed softly in his arms. Rashid was glad she had recovered enough to laugh, but he wondered why she was laughing.
“Why are you laughing?”
“Because it’s so strange to hear you call me by that name. It’s a name that only my family used to call me.”
As the Princess of Lysa, she was probably more familiar with the title than the name. Just as he had always been called Riga, not Rashid.
“I’ve always wondered what your real name is, Rosetta. It suits you so well.”
At the sound of his voice muttering to himself, Rosetta lifted her head to look at him.
“What do you mean? You’ve always thought I was Rosie.”
Rashid brushed her hair away from her forehead.
“I’ve known for a long time that you’re not the real bride. I only recently found out you are Princess of Lysa.”
Rosetta’s eyes widened.
“How did you know that?”
“Because of what you said, Maiastra.”
Rosetta still didn’t understand.
“What do you mean by that?”
“We don’t call it Maiastra here, but Ataraxia. At least that’s not the Ardennese way of saying it.”
“…So you knew it on the day of the banquet?”
Rashid nodded. A look of surprise crossed Rosetta’s face.
“My God, that long ago, already….”
“At first, I thought you were a merchant’s daughter, as you claimed, and after the delegation came, I thought you might be a Lysan noble, but I never dreamed you were a princess.”
“Why didn’t you tell me? You could have told me when you first found out I was a fake.”
“Because I feared you’d ask me to send you home.”