Please Answer Me - Chapter 102

“Throw them in the dungeon,” Rashid commanded.

With those final words, the soldiers bound the intruders and led them away.

Rosetta and Rashid went straight to Sika. When they arrived, the doctor was already treating his wounds.

“How is he?” Rashid asked.

The doctor let out a low sigh. “It’s hard to say yet. He lost a lot of blood. But it’s fortunate that the first aid was done well. The skill was exceptional. They accurately found the pressure points to stop the arterial bleeding. Without that, Sika would already be dead.”

Ironically, it was thanks to Allen, the one who had injured Sika, knew how to treat such wounds that Sika had survived. Most knights only knew how to kill, not how to save lives.

“…Are you telling me that Allen performed the first aid?” Rashid asked, incredulous.

Rosetta nodded, then looked at him quizzically. “But how did you know it wasn’t me?”

“Well, last time when you bandaged me, your skill was… less than perfect,” Rashid said, hastily closing his mouth as he saw Rosetta’s eyes narrow.

In the meantime, the treatment was completed. The doctor said they needed to keep an eye on Sika for a few more days, but his final words were hopeful, which made Rosetta sigh in relief.

When they opened the door to move Sika, Thelma and Benny, who had been waiting outside, rushed forward. Seeing Sika’s body wrapped in bandages darkened their faces. Benny grabbed Rosetta’s arm and asked urgently, “How is Sika?”

Her voice was filled with sobs. Rosetta gently patted Benny’s back. “They said we need to watch him a bit more, but he has a good chance of recovering. Don’t worry too much.”

Benny, tears welling in her eyes, nodded. “I want to take care of Sika personally. Can I leave your side for a while, Rigaina?”

“Of course. Stay with Sika and take care of him,” Rosetta replied.

“Thank you!” Benny followed Sika, her relief evident. Although the gratitude was meant for allowing her to care for Sika, it left Rosetta with a bittersweet feeling.

“This room will take some time to clean up. I suggest you both use the room next door tonight. I’ll bring everything you need. First, Rigaina, you should wash and change out of those clothes,” Thelma said, noticing Rosetta’s bloodstained attire. True to her nature, Thelma quickly set about her tasks, even amidst the chaos.

While Rashid finished dealing with the remaining matters, Rosetta took a bath, assisted by Thelma. As Thelma attended to her by the tub, she suddenly staggered, and Rosetta cried out in alarm.

“Thelma? Are you alright?”

“I’m fine. The tension just released all at once….” Thelma replied, gazing at Rosetta’s face. She took Rosetta’s hand from the water and held it gently. “It’s such a relief. If Rigaina had left the castle, Master Rashid wouldn’t have been himself.”

Thelma shuddered, not wanting to imagine such a scenario.

“I’m sorry. Because of me…” Rosetta’s voice was heavy with guilt.

“No, it’s not your fault. As I said, it’s a blessing you stayed in the castle. Just being here, Rigaina, you’ve done your part,” Thelma said urgently.

But even Thelma’s comforting words didn’t ease Rosetta’s heart. People had been injured and killed because of this incident. If something similar happened again, the consequences could be far worse.

Rashid returned to the room just as the sky outside the window began to lighten with dawn.

Rosetta, curled up on the bed, looked up as soon as the door opened. Rashid entered, closing the door behind him, and sighed wearily upon seeing her. He walked slowly toward her.

“Why are you still awake at this hour?” Rashid asked.

“I couldn’t sleep…,” Rosetta replied, quickly rising from the bed to approach him. Rashid looked down at her for a moment before gently guiding her to sit in a chair.

“How did you get here? You were supposed to be in Traka.”

“I received a letter while on my way to Traka. It was from someone I’d ordered to track the envoy’s whereabouts,” he explained.

“What did it say?”

“There’s a small village called Delos between Quat and Basque. The letter informed me that the chieftain’s son from the Basque tribe was found there, along with details about their current plans.”

Fertan had been terrified and spilled everything he knew. He confessed that Duke Iselle Scallion had visited the Quat territory, and that he had gone to meet the Katan tribe as a backup plan in case the envoy’s proposal was rejected.

“The sudden movement of the Katan tribe wasn’t a coincidence. They intended to lure me away and use the absence of our forces to help you escape. So, I sent the necessary personnel to Traka and returned here immediately.”

Rashid’s blue eyes, now somber, locked onto Rosetta’s. “I was informed that Iselle Scallion is currently in Traka.”

Rosetta stiffened, then swallowed hard. “Iselle is there?”

“Yes, he was the one orchestrating the Katan tribe’s actions.”

“How could Iselle…”

Could Allen have reached out to him? Hezen wasn’t far from here, so it wasn’t impossible.

“He was also the one who sent the envoy demanding your return. He anticipated my refusal and had already enlisted the Katan tribe.”

Rosetta covered her mouth with a trembling hand. Iselle’s involvement ran deeper than she had imagined. The only reason he would go to such lengths was to take her back to Lysa.

Avoiding Rashid’s gaze, Rosetta lowered her head. She was about to utter an apology similar to the one she’d given Thelma when Rashid gently lifted her face.

“Don’t apologize. All of this happened because I brought you here. It’s my responsibility to handle it.”

“But people…”

Not only the people in the castle but also the residents of faraway Traka had lost their lives. All because of her.

“Did you think this wouldn’t come with consequences?”

Seeing the tears welling up in her eyes, Rashid’s expression hardened. “I anticipated this and worse. This won’t be the last time something like this happens, so don’t shed tears over something like this.”

Instead of comforting her gently as usual, Rashid’s words were harsh.

“So, Rosetta, if you wanted to leave, you should have done so when I was willing to let you go. It’s too late to regret now. I will never let you…”

Rosetta hugged his waist tightly. Her desperate embrace quickly softened his stern demeanor.

Why does it always come to this? Rashid sighed and gently stroked her hair. He had been excessively on edge. The fear that she might have already left when he arrived had haunted him. He had taken out his frustration on the wrong person.

Lately, his emotions had been a whirlwind, flaring up and down countless times a day. Every time he saw Rosetta pulling away from him, it drove him to the brink of madness.

“Rashid, I’m not trying to abandon you.”

Her sudden words made Rashid freeze momentarily.

“I’m constantly thinking about how we can be together without causing harm to others. So, please, don’t be angry.”

And with her words, Rashid finally realized what he had been fearing all along.

It wasn’t Rosetta leaving that terrified him. It was the fear that she might abandon him. In his attempt to hide this fear, he resorted to threats and anger.

The realization that she had seen through his facade made his face flush with shame. He had thought he knew what she was thinking, but it was Rosetta who truly understood the depths of his heart.

“…I’m sorry for getting angry.”

Rosetta lifted her head at his awkward apology. When Rashid kissed her forehead, a smile finally blossomed on her face.

Seeing her smile, Rashid had another realization. He was utterly vulnerable to this woman. If she smiled and asked for his heart, he would willingly split open his chest and offer it to her.

“So, what happens to Iselle now?” she asked.

“I’ve sent a message for him to come here directly. The decision is his.”

Rosetta knew Iselle to be a man of lofty pride. He wouldn’t be swayed by simple provocations, but when faced with a direct challenge like this, he would never back down.

“Then Iselle will come here.”

The knowledge that Iselle was coming weighed heavily on her heart like a stone. Along with it came a surge of guilt and remorse.

***

As the fire arrow soared into the sky, the Katan camp quickly descended into chaos. The archer who had fired it disappeared into the darkness.

A soldier rushed to extinguish the fire and was puzzled by the solitary arrow. Soon, he discovered a note tied to the arrow’s shaft. He immediately brought it to their chieftain, who was in his tent with a recent visitor. The soldier handed the note to the chieftain.

[This was attached to an arrow fired from the direction of the Quat territory.]

[From the Quat tribe?]

All their conversation was in the Katan language, which Iselle couldn’t understand. While the chieftain read the note, Iselle, lost in thought, suddenly had the note thrust in front of him. It was the same note the chieftain had just been reading.