Answer Me, Please

The man in a plain white shirt and black pants—not as black as yesterday—stood in the morning light, making a huge difference between day and night.
Even though his striking eye color and overall appearance were the same, the atmosphere itself was very different.

The man in front of her now had an atmosphere so neat that she couldn’t believe he was a savage predator of the night before.
In particular, she could feel his dignity, perhaps because of his long hair tied loosely over one shoulder.
Even if he just changed clothes and go to the palace, there is no sense of incongruity.

Rosetta soon realized that it was not only because of the man’s handsome looks but also because of his straight posture and steady gestures.
Even in the Kingdom of Lisa, those who come from the outskirts are bound to lack something.
Compared to the central aristocrats, who are thoroughly educated from a young age, their gestures are always clumsy, and lacked confidence.

But this man, a barbarian on the outskirts, is not even in the royal palace, yet he is filled with dignity as if all this vast meadow belonged to him.

As Rosetta stared blankly at the man with that thought, a low voice rang out.

“You slept so soundly last night, so I thought I should wake you up myself, but luckily you’re awake.”

With that said, Rosetta pointed at herself with her finger.

“I slept soundly? Did I?”

“You did.
Even when I lifted you up to move you, it didn’t wake you up.”

Rosetta’s mouth wide opened without her realizing it.

“Well, well, here last night you and I—”

“Didn’t I tell you that I’m not interested in a child?”

“I’m not a child!” shouted Rosetta.
She was sick of being treated like a child by her family, but even a man she met for the first time said that.

She continued, “I already had my coming-of-age ceremony this year.
Why do you keep calling me a child…”

“It’s definitely a child who curled up in a corner and sniffed.”

Rosetta’s mouth hardened.
This man had not slept until then and had been watching everything.

“It’s morning.”

The man held out what he had brought.
Only then did Rosetta realize that the man was holding something in his hand.
Knowing it was food, she turned her head straight away.

“I’m not hungry.
I won’t eat—”

-growling sound.

But at that moment, a strange sound came out of her stomach.
Rosetta’s face flushed red in a flash.

“Eat this or not, I’ll leave this here,” said the man as he put a bowl on the floor.
“But remember that you will be riding all day with a little rest today.”

The man left the tent after saying so.
Rosetta immediately gave a low cry and punched the ground.
She always wanted to face situations like her brave and wise older sister, but in reality, she couldn’t do anything in front of that man.

Then a delicious scent flowed into her nostrils.
She tried not to pay attention, but soon all her nerves were focused on it.
And the maddening hunger came in an instant.

Rosetta crept over to the food.
Inside the large bowl are some vegetables and shredded meat with lots of broth.
It looks so shabby that it can not be compared with the sumptuous food she ate at the royal palace.
Nevertheless, she was very hungry, probably because she had not eaten anything since last night.

She suddenly had a thought.
‘What if I only tasted it once?’

Food made by barbarians can’t possibly be delicious.
Then your appetite will be lost.

Rosetta scooped out a little broth to taste.

“…it’s quite tasty.”

It doesn’t look like it was seasoned properly, but the thick meat broth had a deep flavor that she had never experienced before.

I don’t know if it’s because I’m hungry, but I found this to be much tastier than the food I’ve had at the royal palace.

Without her realizing it, Rosetta drank the broth and ate the meat.
Her empty stomach filled with food in an instant.
When Rosetta came to her senses, the bowl was already showing its bottom.

As soon as she put the spoon down on the empty bowl, Rosetta felt a deep sense of shame for herself.

Having said that she would never sleep, she fell asleep so deeply that she did not even know that the man lifted her up and laid her down on the blanket.
She refused to eat, but she ate it so cleanly that there was no need to wash the dishes.

He will definitely look at me ridiculously…

As she was tormented by that thought, the man entered the tent again.
Rosetta thought he would laugh at her, but surprisingly, he showed no reaction.
Instead of taking the emptied bowl, he simply threw a wet cloth.

“Use this to wipe your face.”

The cloth is warm as if it had been soaked in hot water.
As Rosetta was surprised by the unexpected consideration, the man threw something made of cloth at her again.

“This…”

“I got it from a nearby village.
You can’t keep wearing those clothes.”

When told that it was obtained from a nearby village, Rosetta gave up all hope for it.

“We’ll be leaving again right after you put it on.”

After he left the tent, Rosetta unfolded the clothes.
Unexpectedly, the condition was quite satisfactory.
It isn’t as expensive and nice as the ones she wore in the royal palace, but it’s clean and there are no holes.
Besides, the ribbon on the chest is pretty cute.

“Does he like cute things like this? It’s quite different from what he looks like.”

Rosetta wiped her face with a wet cloth and dressed quickly.
The clothes are a little too big for her body, but with the sleeves folded, she managed to wear them.

After getting dressed, she smoothed her hair.
Even during the trip, her curly hair, which her nanny worked hard to comb every day, tangled in just one day.
Rosetta tried to comb her tangled hair several times with her fingers a few times but soon gave up due to a throbbing pain in her scalp.

However, I can’t just leave my hair as it is.
In contrast to the man’s thin hair, mine is exceptionally thick and tangled frequently.
If I ride a horse like this, I might end up having to cut my hair.

She wanted to tie it up, but no matter how hard she searched, there wasn’t anything that looked like a hair tie.
Just as Rosetta was looking around her, the man came in.

“If you are ready—”

“Wa- wait a minute.
I don’t have anything to tie my hair up… My hair gets tangled pretty easily.”

Rosetta looked around hurriedly, fearing that the man might drag her out at any moment, but could not find anything to replace a hair tie anywhere.

The man saw her eyes wander and snapped his fingers up.

“Come here.”

Rosetta was taken aback at the gesture that seemed to call for a puppy.

I’m not someone you can treat like that!

But contrary to the thought in her head, Rosetta quietly approached the man when he snapped his fingers again.
As Rosetta approached, he raised his index finger in a circular motion this time.

“Turn around.”

Rosetta turned around thinking she really wanted to give him a slap.
Soon she felt a rough touch on the back of her neck.
With his calloused hands, the man tied her hair up with something.

As soon as the man withdrew his hand, Rosetta ran a hand through her hair.
Her hair was tied with a long ribbon, judging by the touch, it seems to be made of silk.

Rosetta turned and saw that the man’s hair, which had been tied up a while ago, was loose.
Only then did she realize that the man had given her the hair tie he had been wearing.

“Is there anything you’re uncomfortable with?”

At the unexpected question, Rosetta hurriedly shook her head.
It was unexpected that he tied her hair himself, he was a man who was surprisingly attentive.

“I’m fine.
Thank you…”

“Make sure to return it later.”

Her gratitude was about to come out, but she put it back in.
Rosetta immediately went into a rage and shouted, “Are you worried that I might steal or take something like this?”

“It’s my mother’s keepsake.”

And the man’s words that followed made Rosetta’s mouth shut again.

It was derogatory to say that the keepsake left by his mother as “something like this.” Rosetta wanted to apologize right away, but the man had already turned around and walked out of the tent.

“Excuse me…”

As soon as Rosetta followed him outside, all the other men waiting in front of him looked at Rosetta simultaneously.
Rosetta flinched and took a somewhat defensive stance.
Considering what happened last night, it was natural.
Unexpectedly, however, they showed a completely different attitude from yesterday.

“Good morning.”

Instead of blaming Rosetta or throwing sarcastic remarks as they did yesterday, they stood in a line and greet her.
Of course, their expressions weren’t so good.
Most of them were full of discontent and showed the least courtesy.

One of them pointed to the horse.

“Rigaina, get on your horse.”

Rigaina? What is that?

At that moment, a man who was dismantling the tent came out with a bundle of cloth and handed it to the chieftain.

“Riga, how can you not take care of something as important as this? You have to take the evidence from the first night.”

It was only then that Rosetta realized the reason for that man’s inexplicable behavior last night.
The man sliced his own forearm to make evidence of the first night, that is, virgin blood.

The man silently took the cloth and put it in the pocket next to the saddle of his horse.
Then he lightly climbed onto his horse and reached out to Rosetta.

“……”

Rosetta looked at the man.
His long, untied hair fluttered in the wind.
The man’s expressionless face was still unreadable, but his blue eyes in the sunlight are shining with a different feeling than yesterday.

He’s a man I don’t understand in many ways.

No one here would have criticized him if he had fulfilled his lust overnight without the need to injure himself and make fake bloodstains in a predatory marriage anyway.
No, it would have been simpler.

Rosetta reached out and took his hand.
The man grabbed her by the waist and sat her down in front of him, just like yesterday.
And he gave orders to the men,

“Let’s go.”