Romeo and Rosaline - 30

The solid chest of the strong man pressed against her chest. She could feel his sweaty skin and the mingling breaths from their entwined bodies, as well as the forceful thrusts of their hips colliding.

Rosaline tried to catch a glimpse of his face, moaning uncontrollably. However, he ignored her hand as if refusing it, focusing instead on firmly intertwining their fingers and pushing himself deeper.

When he pressed on a sensitive spot, her waist instinctively arched, and her toes curled.

“Ah!”

She felt his gaze on her, as if he was captivated by her reaching the peak. His eyes couldn’t hide the pleasure, as if they were penetrating her skin.

In the heat of the moment, he kissed Rosaline passionately. As he rhythmically moved his hips, savoring the internal contractions, he eventually reached his climax. For a moment, his heavy body made it difficult for her to breathe. He released his lips and whispered.

“…Ti.”

“Ti?” Rosaline was puzzled by the nickname he used so clearly. When their eyes met, even faintly, she realized that she knew him.

He was the man who always pursued her. He carried a sword like a third arm, always exuding the scent of blood, someone who would always seemed to be alone with her when she touched him. Some days he was a mercenary, other days a knight, and sometimes just an assassin.

But she had never met such a man, so how did she know him? No, how could he be a mercenary one day and a knight the next? In the flow of her indiscriminate consciousness, she met his red eyes. They were filled with longing and desperation.

Am I afraid of him?

No, this isn’t fear…

He opened his lips as if to call her name again, but the sound of a tearing bell prevented her from hearing it clearly. Just as he seemed frustrated and tried to call her name again, Rosaline woke up from her sleep.

“Gasp!”

He was just a lingering presence in her dream, but the resounding bell was a reality. Hastily sitting up and standing, Rosaline covered her ears without a moment’s hesitation.

Dang-dang-dang.

Although the frequency of the bridge opening to Arsha had decreased recently, it was the first time so many bells had rung at once.

The noisy bell continued to ring three more times before finally stopping. The sudden silence of the surroundings took some time to register, as the noise had been so loud.

“The Crown Prince has been defeated.”

The Umbra who shared the room with Rosaline spoke in a trembling voice. There were four of them, and this particular Umbra was the oldest among them. Mostly commoners, they trusted the words of the old Umbra, who was undoubtedly experienced in military affairs or had a different background.

“It means Princess Jasmine has become the new queen.”

“…So the civil war is over?”

Another young Umbra, who had been startled by the bell, asked in a dazed manner. The old Umbra nodded his head.

“It’s over, and we’ve won. It was a predetermined outcome since the moment Prince William obtained the Incarnation of Kata.”

His words brought a noticeable change in the atmosphere of the room.

In fact, ever since Prince William brought the Incarnation of Kata into the battle for the throne, it could be seen as a struggle between the royal family and the temple.

As a result, a confrontation between the royalists who sided with the former Crown Prince and the conservatives who sided with William arose among the clergy. Naturally, the factions also clashed among the Umbra, who were no different in their loyalty.

While there were Umbra like Rosaline who leaned towards the neutral center, it seemed that the Umbra who shared the room with her were part of the conservative faction.

“It’s finally coming to an end!”

“If we’re lucky, we might be set free too.”

In the kingdom, on the year when the war ended or when a new king ascended the throne, some Umbra were given back their names and freedom. The Umbra seemed to hope that they would be pardoned during the coronation ceremony or the inauguration of the new king.

Rosaline also let out a sigh of relief.

It wasn’t because of the hope of being set free. The fact that Prince William had emerged victorious undoubtedly meant that Romeo Montague, who would unquestionably be on his side, was safe.

Although she couldn’t guarantee that he was still alive, she didn’t think he would have perished in a smaller-scale war compared to the battlefield where he was known as Kata.

Surely, he must have survived.

“It’s not over yet.”

The old Umbra clicked his tongue at the excited Umbras who couldn’t even raise their voices.

“Not over? What do you mean?”

Rosaline, who had been silent all this time, suddenly asked.

Not over? If it’s not over, Rosaline thought that she might be able to confirm Romeo’s fate through Lawrence. The old Umbra, who usually didn’t say much, looked at Rosaline as if surprised by her unexpected question.

“There are remnants left. It seems there’s enough determination to completely eliminate the remaining enemies.”

Since most of the Umbra were of commoner origin, there was no one who fully understood his words. Rosaline was no exception. He laughed, saying he would see all those fools.

“Now is the period of prolonged suffering.”

Indeed, when Rosaline stepped outside not long after, she was confronted by a temple turned into a battlefield.

The clergy who had been wandering around the temple just yesterday were now trapped, and soldiers and paladins were mingling and carrying supplies on the bridge connected to the tower. They were all people who had come up from the capital.

The resounding clashing of metal and the fierce cries of rebellion pierced through the harsh winter wind. Lost in thought, someone grabbed Rosaline’s trembling shoulder.

“Hey.”

It was a knight in gray armor. He scanned Rosaline up and down, as if assessing her position. The black tunic with rough navy fabric. It was clear what it represented.

“Umbra.”

Rosaline nodded subtly. She avoided the unfortunate mistake of blurting out, ‘Yes, I am.’

“I permit you to speak. Have you ever served under any clergy?”

“No.”

“Where are you from?”

“…Verona.”

As the knight was about to inquire further, a clergy member suddenly emerged from afar.

“Wait, sir!”

It was Gabriella, who Lawrence mentioned as his fellow in the monastery. She came between the knight and Rosaline and lowered her head.

“I vouch for her identity.”

“Why would you vouch for the identity of a mere Umbra?”

“Oh my, sir.”

She let out a chuckle.

“Are you blind? Can’t you recognize she’s from the capital’s temple?”

The knight’s scrutinizing gaze landed on the hem of her mantle, which was dyed in white, symbolizing the capital’s temple. It seemed that he regarded her as a lower-ranking clergy member.

Gabriella laughed sharply.

“Well, well. Now that you’ve shed some blood beneath the Divine, you think you’re Kata? Did you forget that in front of the god, an Umbra or a scum like you are in the same position?”

“…As I am alone without any attendant…”

“Ah, treating clergy members as if they were lesser beings. Looks like you need to be educated from scratch. State your affiliation.”

“…Yes, sir.”

“You will remain here until I say so.”

Ignoring the pensive knight, Gabriella gestured to Rosaline with her eyes. She seemed tired.

“Umbra, you go to the Neche. There will be guests coming soon. It needs cleaning.”

The Neche was a central residence located next to the Divine Temple, mainly used by high-ranking clergy members. Even if the purpose was cleaning, an Umbra couldn’t enter alone. When Rosaline hesitated, Gabriella pointed out the direction where the priests who were chasing after her were located.

“You can follow those brethren.”

“Yes, sir!”

The designated priest teared up with a sense of injustice.

“You want me to take this Umbra? And even clean your body?”

“Half of the temple’s priests and attendants are tied up, so if not an Umbra, who should I assign? Are you going to scrub the floor?”

“I’m sorry.”

“Fuck, there’s no one who listens to a word I say.”

She muttered something like “Anyway, Lawrence…” but no one heard. The swaggering priest took the lead.

“Follow me, Umbra.”

Moving along with the priests, the surroundings had transformed into campsites for knights and soldiers. Various noises and curses pierced the ears, but as they entered Neche, it became quiet as if all the noise had been blocked.

Inside Neche, familiar faces of Umbras and their attendants, with weathered hands, were polishing the stone floor. Even by the mere sound of their friction against the massive hall, one could sense their intense tension. It felt as if they were standing on a frozen lake covered in thin ice.

“What on earth is happening? Even His Excellency seems to have lost his composure… Arsha has turned into a military camp…”

Ascending the stairs, the priest muttered in a disgruntled voice. Similarly, Rosaline was completely disoriented.

‘Is Romeo alright?’

While considering finding out through Lawrence, his wounded voice brushed her mind.

“Do you not love me?”

In that moment, my breath caught, making it hard to breathe properly. Do I have the right to worry about him?

“What’s wrong? Feeling unwell?”

The priest who was walking ahead asked abruptly. Rosaline nodded, indicating that she was fine. Swallowing the dry saliva, he continued walking forward.

“I see you’re just as frightened as I am, Umbra, but I’m sure you’ve picked up something.”

He sighed.

“I heard that everywhere the foot of Kata touches has turned into a sea of blood. But think about it, Umbra. The sun represents virtue and light. Can a god, who is supposed to exist without personality, wield a sword and kill people?”

If she wasn’t mistaken, he seemed overwhelmed by fear. Despite his chatter, the priest moved steadfastly and stood in front of a massive door. Placing both hands on the thick door, he slowly exerted force.

“It’s surely a lie. They say Prince William is causing the war and attempting to seize the temple. They are ruthlessly suppressing the priests as if offering sacrifices. Just maintaining the status quo… Wait, what is this?!!!”

Suddenly, he exclaimed in astonishment. It was because a pungent metallic smell emanated through the slightly opened door. Before identifying the source of the smell, something hot and viscous splattered on Rosaline’s face.

It was blood.

As her eyelids blinked due to the blood entering her eyes, the wide-open door revealed a headless neck one after another.

The priest who had just been chattering had his throat cleanly severed. His headless body collapsed like a loose doll. Beyond the open door, along with several corpses, blood formed a river.

“It’s a time of purge.”

The words spoken by the elderly Umbra echoed in her ears like a curse.

“Shut up, you little rat.”

A jaded voice came from behind the door. It had a languid and slightly drawn-out tone. Rosaline’s body, which had been frozen in shock, began to tremble with another surge of tension.

Rosaline slowly blinked her eyes. As droplets of blood fell from her eyelashes, the figure of a man appeared on the doorstep, imprinted on her retina. With sinewy arms and a chest tanned by the sun, a loose-fitting cloak stained with dried blood and beneath it… crimson eyes.

Romeo.