KK
5. PAWKY

The palace became quieter. Living with gold is abundant in every corner of his space as a life. Without all that, this giant building could not stand. Two sons of the king who got along so well in one room, they are not usually so. Sometimes Dennis the older brother felt annoyed that Rosalina continued to follow him wherever he went.

Seeing the gauze tying Rosalina's arm, it changed Dennis's nature and mindset all of a sudden. He felt sorry for what his sister had experienced.

"Actually who, the hell, would dare to hurt you?"

"I don't know who she is" Rosa answered, playing her toy on a bed covered in mosquito nets.

"But, you must remember what the man looked like."

"What do you want the kid to do?"

Dennis thought for a moment before answering Rosalina's question.

"Returned. Ahhaha..."

"Don't" said Rosalina whose gaze turned to the boy beside her.

Without the need for Dennis to ask 'why', Rosa was quite understanding by looking at the expression her brother was addressing.

"If you return the child, you will be furious."

"really?"

"of course. Brother will be thrown into the river, drown, and will not return. Brother can be eaten by snakes."

"Then I'll go."

"Where?" asked Rosa in a shrill voice."

"Returned."

"Impossible."

"Impossible what?" Rosa is upset, because she seems to be being played by Dennis with questions that are actually rhetorical.

"Snake!!!" rosalina shouted loudly. Even a soldier who stood guard at the door of his room was forced to go inside. Meanwhile, Dennis immediately smothered the blonde girl's mouth using both of her small palms.

"What's up, sir? Um.. Miss?"

"There's nothing" replied Dennis quickly.

"B-well, sir."

The man in iron clothes rushed out of Rosa's room. After staying alone, Dennis releases his hand to coincide with Rosa licking his skin.

"Ew... Rosa! Disgusts." He wiped the entire hand with a handkerchief lying on the nightstand.

"That's mine!" exclaimed Rosa who realized that her thing was captured by her brother. The 14-year-old boy shies away from the resistance that his younger brother might have put up.

"Whoa..."

Bruk...!

Rosalina groaned in pain as her hands supported the body that was about to hit the floor. As a result, the pain again spread throughout the arm. Responding, Dennis helped the little girl back into bed. From outside the room a guard came in for the second time impolitely. Dennis looked over after successfully raising Rosa's body.

"I told you there's nothing. I'm in charge of looking after Rosa this time. Don't you understand?"

The soldier nodded and turned out of the room.

"Sister just said it."

"What?"

"Sister's in charge of looking after me, but I just fell out of bed."

"That's your own thing."

"Pst... Rosa. Shh... The man will come back if you yell."

"Why indeed?"

"You better get some sleep."

"I'm not sleepy."

Dennis sighed. He took the bench and sat on it. One of her hands attempted to grab Rosa's arm, but was rejected. Rosa shuffled from the right side of the bed where Dennis was.

"I'm sorry" said Dennis regretfully.

"So bad boy."

"What kind of a starling?" asked the boy while threading the bed sheet with his index finger.

"Something." Only that word came out of Rosa's mouth. Instead of continuing the conversation, he pulled his thick blanket and tilted his body to the other side so that Dennis could not see his face anymore. Feeling isolated, the boy moved out of his sister's room by slowly closing the door. Unknowingly, the doorkeeper of the princess' room was busy watching her.

"What look-look?!"

The man shook his head in fear until his iron helmet rang. Dennis rushed over to the other room while throwing an astonished look. Although it only came from a pair of eyes belonging to a 13-year-old boy, but the soldiers guarding the entire corner of the castle always shuddered in horror. Worried that Dennis was complaining to the king.

***

"You told me about Jean to Vasco?" Bill manages to break Bellena's daydream. "Maybe that's why."

The woman took a deep breath, then said, "I always tell Vasco not to carry any sharp weapons of any kind. I expected it. Whether intentionally or unintentionally is the same. Thankfully, I still have enough money. Honestly, I'm still traumatized by the tragedy of Cornelis I's death."

On the phrase "enough money", Bill responds with his initial question mark expression. But then, he responded to those two words which he found rather astonishing. "What did you say?" Bellena. "Enough money?"

"Yes. There's no other way but to bribe the king."

"I knew. So, you-"

"I don't care if I have to starve, as long as Vasco comes back. I know he's not wrong. From his plain look. I mean, too plain. Of course he told the truth. The night I had to scold him, Vasco admitted his mistake. But, it wasn't because of purpose."

Bill nodded in understanding.

***

From the pocket of a merchant who bought fresh fish from Bill's ship, out a few pockets that rattled the contents. He distributed the money to Bill and Bellena. After that, they waltzed away as Bellena brought a box of her rations to sell.

"It's okay if I owe you a fish?" ask Bellena.

"Bring it up first as trading capital. If you have made a profit, pay your debt."

"Alright," he replied. "Thank you, Bill."

The man shows his thumb and splits with Bellena who is going to the village. He did not know why the box he was carrying felt so heavy. Maybe because I'm not used to it? Fortunately, Bellena got a horse-drawn carriage ride, because the distance from the coast to the village is quite time-consuming and draining of sweat if only had to walk.

"May I hitchhike?"

"Sure, Madam," replied a cart owner's grandfather whose back seat contained the same fish box as Bellena's. Only the inscription on each of those wooden boxes indicated ownership.

After Bellena arranged her most comfortable seat, the figure of a large man who had just stepped off the ship carried a similar wooden box. He stared at the woman. His beard is thicker than Bill, but his body is muscular like a bodybuilder.

After putting the object down, the man gave a slightly fierce glance. As such, Bellena shuddered in horror at seeing him. Although he had tried to take his eyes off, but his eyes were locked and forced to continue observing the man until he turned his back on him, then disappeared in the crowd.

The carriage began to move, its wheels creaking, and crunching as the leaves of the dried coconut tree were oppressed by it. The coachman smashed the bridle to the brown horse's body until the animal obeyed his orders.

The movement of the vehicle he was riding made drowsiness immediately crashing. Moreover, the goods carrier is not accompanied by a roof. So, the wind easily hits. Moreover, the smell of the ocean that is still smelled even though their train is away. The fishy smell on the fish boxes was defeated by the comfort Bellena felt. Slowly but surely he began squinting his eyes until what he saw was only dark and empty.

One word that Bellena could deduce today was enough. Hopefully everything he gets both new experience and money, can meet all the needs that always make him dizzy every time.

***