Please Answer Me - Side Story 3
“Why did you order the trees in the garden to be removed?” Rosetta asked as she lifted her head. The sudden removal of the trees earlier today had been Rashid’s order. Even the other servants in the castle didn’t know the reason.
“More importantly, how did Iskar play today?” He subtly changed the subject, and Rosetta, sensing that there was something he wasn’t telling her, didn’t press the issue.
“Yes, today Dian stood up on his own, so now the two of them will be roaming the castle together.”
Rosetta recounted the small events of the day, including the amusing incidents between Benny and Sika. Rashid, who usually listened attentively to Rosetta, burst into laughter when he heard about that particular episode.
Afterward, they shared a meal and spent time with Iskar. For Rashid, the evenings spent dining and playing with Iskar were the most cherished moments of his day.
Later, as they were preparing for bed, Rashid froze when he saw Rosetta approaching with a bottle of wine.
Rosetta waved the bottle cheerfully. “Let’s have a drink together! We have wine right here.”
His gaze briefly flicked to the bottle before returning to Rosetta’s face. “…Tonight?”
Seeing his cautious reaction, Rosetta nodded enthusiastically. “We made a promise when we went to the sea last year. We couldn’t go this year, so let’s at least do this.”
On their way back from the sea last year, Rosetta had mentioned that she was sad to leave the sea behind. Rashid hadn’t blamed her for the sudden change of heart, despite her earlier insistence on returning home quickly. Instead, he had promised that they would visit the sea again next year. However, with his duties making it difficult to leave the castle for more than a week, that promise was one he couldn’t keep.
Rashid sighed lightly, then nodded. “Alright.”
As soon as he agreed, Rashid closed the curtains over the window, as if to ensure that nothing happening inside the room would be seen from outside.
Rosetta, while curious, poured the wine into a glass. The fragrant aroma of the wine filled the air. As she lifted the glass to her lips with a blissful expression, Rashid caught her wrist.
“Slowly, drink it very slowly.”
“I know. I’ve already collapsed from drinking too fast before. Don’t you think I’ve learned my lesson?”
Rosetta dismissed his words as nagging and took a sip of the wine. After savoring the taste for a moment, her eyes widened.
“I didn’t notice it last time because I drank it too quickly, but it’s really delicious.”
“Just one glass. No more than that.”
Rosetta chuckled. “Alright, alright.”
They slowly sipped the wine and chatted about various topics. Lately, their main focus had been on reorganizing Arden’s system and curtailing the elders’ power. This was a necessary step for Arden to evolve from a tribal state into a centralized kingdom.
The elders had strongly resisted, but Rashid’s previous investments in commerce had paid off. The wealth generated from commercial activities provided solid support, and, most importantly, the backing of numerous merchants helped strengthen their position. Establishing a bureaucratic system and expanding the standing army required substantial funds, and Rashid had already laid the foundation for that.
Rashid and Rosetta also leveraged their marriage strategically. The exchanges with Lysa had increased significantly compared to before. As a result, Lysa’s culture and systems naturally began to flow into Arden, gradually preparing it for a new era.
“I’m getting sleepy…”
Rosetta’s eyelids grew heavy as she finished half of her glass. She nodded off, looking as if she might fall off her chair at any moment.
Rashid gently took the glass from her hand and carried her to the bed. As he gazed down at her, her cheeks flushed and eyes closed, he realized with a wry smile that he was a bit disappointed.
What had he expected from someone who was drunk?
Just as he shook his head, Rosetta suddenly opened her eyes. She looked at Rashid with her clear green eyes, then, out of nowhere, grabbed his collar.
Rashid braced himself for another kiss, as she had done last time. But when his perspective flipped, he realized this time was different.
Rosetta had straddled him, smiling seductively. The sight was so alluring that Rashid felt dizzy.
“…Rosetta?”
“Take off your clothes.”
This time, instead of undressing herself, Rosetta began to unbutton Rashid’s shirt. Rashid realized that her drunken habit was to undress herself or anyone else.
If she ever made this mistake with someone else…
Unconsciously gritting his teeth, Rashid resolved that he would never let Rosetta drink another drop of alcohol again. Never, ever.
As Rashid silently clenched his teeth, Rosetta continued to fumble with the buttons on his shirt. Rashid grabbed her hands, which were struggling to unbutton his shirt.
“Stop it. We’ll do this later when you’re sober.”
“Why? You’ve undressed me countless times.”
“I’ll let you have your fill later. But when you’re sober, you’ll definitely regret this.”
“I don’t care.”
Rosetta stubbornly tried to continue undressing him, but Rashid stopped her. In response, Rosetta frowned and threatened him in a way that wasn’t intimidating at all.
“If you keep this up, I’ll tie you up!”
Rashid was so stunned that he froze for a moment, during which Rosetta reached behind his head. Since he had been growing his hair out, it was now long enough to be tied back with a ribbon. Rosetta grabbed the ribbon as if she had just stolen a weapon from her enemy.
“Now, don’t move!”
She tried to tie his hands with the ribbon, but in her drunken state, it wasn’t easy. The ribbon ended up loosely draped over his wrists, offering no real restraint.
“Why won’t this tie properly…?”
The feel of her soft body pressing against him and the sweet scent of her breath finally broke Rashid’s resolve. If he didn’t have her right now, he might die.
“Ah!”
With Rosetta’s startled cry, their positions were reversed once again. While she was still disoriented, Rashid firmly bound her wrists with the ribbon.
Realizing what had happened, Rosetta struggled. “Let me go! I was supposed to do this to you…”
“Rosetta.” Rashid held her chin with two fingers, his expression serious. “I’m warning you, if you don’t stay still, you might experience something far worse than a broken bed.”
Rosetta’s eyes widened, and she gulped nervously. Only then did she realize she might have gone too far.
“And don’t pretend you won’t remember this tomorrow. I’ll make sure you remember every detail.”
With that, Rashid kissed her, deeply and passionately. From that point on, there was no room for thoughts or words.
The next morning, Rosetta awoke feeling somewhat disheveled. Even the slightest movement made her wince in pain.
Why is my whole body aching? She wondered as she brushed her hair back and noticed faint marks on her wrists. She gasped in shock.
As she tried to recall how she had gotten those marks, the events of the previous night came flooding back. She remembered everything—the way she had drunkenly climbed on top of him, tried to restrain him with the ribbon, and ended up being tied up herself.
Just as Rashid had warned, she remembered it all. Unlike before, when he would stop once she was tired, last night, he had shown no mercy, pushing her to her limits. Whenever she tried to pass out, he would thrust into her with renewed vigor, continuing until she was on the verge of tears, begging him to stop.
If only the bed had broken, she might have been able to escape, but it was far too sturdy. She couldn’t even run away with her wrists bound. And it had all started because she drank and provoked him first.
By the way, what time is it? It was already bright outside, so it must be well past morning.
Just then, she heard the door open. Rashid entered the room, and Rosetta, still exhausted, greeted him with a weak voice.
“What time is it?”
“The sun is already high in the sky. How are you feeling?”
Rashid sat on the edge of the bed and gently brushed her hair aside. He softly stroked the red marks on her wrists. Rosetta couldn’t help but feel a bit exasperated by the tenderness of the man who had been so relentless last night.
“I’m not okay. I can’t move at all.”
“I’ve already informed the servants that you’re unwell and will be resting for the day.”
“Well, thanks for that.”
Rosetta groaned and covered her forehead with her hand. A hangover was now adding to her discomfort.
“…I understand now why you told me not to drink. I promise I won’t touch alcohol again.”
As Rosetta shook her head, Rashid burst into laughter. She tried to crawl back under the covers, but Rashid suddenly wrapped her up in the blanket and lifted her into his arms.
“Where are we going?”
“There’s something I want to show you.”
“What do you want to show me?”
Rashid carried her to the window. Wondering what could be outside, she was puzzled as he drew back the curtains, revealing a scene completely different from the day before.
“Ah?”
The spot where the trees had been removed was now filled with a sea of purple lavender.
“It’s beautiful…” Rosetta’s face lit up with a bright smile.
Rashid looked satisfied. “I chose the flowers that most closely resemble the color of the sea.”
“The sea?”
“Since it’s difficult to visit the sea every year, I thought I’d bring a little piece of it here.”
Come to think of it, the lavender field, with its abundant purple hue mixed with blue, did resemble the waves of the sea.
“So, that’s why you ordered the trees to be removed?”
“Yes, but the work was progressing too slowly, so I had to hurry them along.”
Feeling a tug at her heart, Rosetta wrapped her arms around his neck. He was always so thoughtful, always trying to give her whatever she desired. He had fulfilled her wish to see the sea, and since they couldn’t go this year, he brought a small sea to her.
Compared to him, who always gave her so much, Rosetta felt guilty for not being able to give him anything in return.
“…Don’t you desire the power that I and the magic stones possess? With that power, you could become equal to the royalty of Lysa.”
With that power, he wouldn’t have to struggle against the elders. Unifying the Basque and Croa tribes would be much easier, and ultimately, he could even fulfill his long-held ambition of bringing Lysa to its knees.
Rashid calmly responded to Rosetta’s sudden question. “But with that power, there’s a risk that we’d have to sacrifice our children, just like the Lysa royal family did.”
“Most people would be willing to sacrifice a few for such immense power.”
“If I were that kind of man, you wouldn’t have chosen me in the first place.”
Rosetta looked up at him, a smile forming on her lips. Indeed, she had chosen to stay by his side because he wasn’t that kind of person. Even if she had been forced to marry Iselle, she wouldn’t have been able to endure it.
“I’m not interested in clinging to a power that will eventually fade away. Miracles only have meaning when they come from heartfelt actions.”
Rosetta nodded in agreement with his words. Power given to those who do nothing but wait only brings misfortune. Lysa had already experienced that.
Now, this fading power might one day return as a miracle to someone with a truly desperate heart.
Rosetta leaned her head against his chest and let out a small sigh. “I’m hungry.”
Rashid looked at her, startled by the sudden comment. Seeing his incredulous expression, Rosetta’s face flushed.
She knew. She knew that saying she was hungry at a moment like this, when words of love would not be enough, was completely ruining the mood. But her stomach had been growling since earlier, and she needed to resolve that before the sound reached his ears.
“Right now, I could eat a rabbit, a teddy bear, or anything.”
Rashid laughed heartily. Then, unable to resist her cuteness, he kissed her face multiple times before carrying her back to bed.
“Rashid, why are we going back to bed…?”
Her small protest was silenced by his lips. Rosetta finally satisfied her hunger about an hour later, but only after Rashid had thoroughly indulged himself first.
The End