Please Answer Me - Chapter 113
The innkeeper, after observing Rosie for a moment, added, [If there’s anything you need, just call for me. As long as you’re in Quat territory, you’re our Rigaina.]
His tone was friendly. Rosie realized that Rosetta had earned quite a favorable reputation among the people here. The innkeeper must have heard some rumors, as he wouldn’t show such kindness just because she was their Rigaina.
Rosie cautiously stepped outside the inn. If there was nothing suspicious inside, perhaps something was being planned outside. However, after thoroughly inspecting the stables and the area around the inn, she found nothing amiss.
‘Maybe I’m just being paranoid…’
Rosie was about to give up and head back inside when she noticed two children playing in the front yard of the inn. They appeared to be the innkeeper’s children, holding something shiny in their hands. Rosie approached them.
[What’s that in your hand?]
The little girl smiled brightly at Rosie. [Do you want to see? It’s really cool.]
The girl opened her clenched fist, and the shiny stone floated slowly into the air. Rosie’s head tilted upward as she followed the stone’s ascent.
[…Where did you get this?]
[In the forest.]
[The forest?]
The girl pointed to the nearby woods. [We found it over there.]
[Was it always there?]
[No. We only saw it today. It wasn’t there before, right?]
The younger child, presumably her brother, nodded. Rosie covered her mouth with her hand, her body trembling.
So this was it. This was what the Duke had prepared. He had set this up and led them here.
But she still didn’t understand what he intended to do with it. She knew something extremely dangerous was imminent, but without knowing what it was, she felt helpless.
Rosie realized that the most practical thing to do would be to leave the inn immediately and head for Basque. But she knew Fertan wouldn’t listen to her. He would likely mock her, thinking she was out of her mind.
[…Kids, is there a quick way to send a message to Edirne?]
She decided to inform Rashid first. He wouldn’t want the complications that would arise from the Basque chieftain’s son dying here, so he would find a way to handle it.
[To Edirne?]
The children thought for a moment and then pointed to a distant hill. [I heard that if you light a torch there, people from Edirne will come.]
Rosie realized it was a beacon fire to signal danger.
[Thank you!]
She hurried to the stables, mounted a horse, and rode swiftly toward the hill the children had mentioned.
***
Rosetta sat in the carriage, waiting for the camp preparations to be completed.
Today was much like yesterday. They traveled towards Lysa, stopping at dusk to set up camp. Only when her accommodations were perfectly arranged did Rosetta step out of the carriage. She entered the tent without speaking to anyone.
Tomorrow morning would be the same. Allen would bring her everything she needed in the tent before escorting her back to the carriage, and they would set off again.
This routine was not unusual for Rosetta. Before coming to Quat, she had lived a similar life in Lysa. The etiquette for meeting a member of the Lysan royal family was strict, requiring even high nobles to go through cumbersome procedures to converse with royalty. Conversations with those of lower status were rare, except for her nanny and her escort.
Rosetta realized that she had engaged in conversations with a wide variety of people in Quat: maids, stable boys, children, and even a dye craftsman.
As she smiled faintly at the memories, a voice called from outside the carriage.
“Princess, everything is ready. May I open the door?”
“Yes.”
Allen opened the door and extended his hand to Rosetta. As she stepped out, the knights lined up on either side, placing a hand on their chest and kneeling on one knee. Rosetta sighed lightly.
She wanted to tell them to skip these unnecessary formalities until they reached Lysa. But Iselle would oppose it. He disliked breaking established rules. So, it was better to leave things as they were.
Suddenly, Rosetta realized she was overly concerned with Iselle’s opinions. She was about to forgo even suggesting her own ideas because of him. She had always done this—abandoning actions he disapproved of and avoiding things she thought he wouldn’t like.
Why had she done that?
“…Omit these greetings until we arrive in Lysa. Use this time to attend to your duties instead.”
Her sudden order drew sharp breaths from several knights. One knight quickly stepped forward and knelt before her. He was a knight who always accompanied Iselle and was familiar to Rosetta.
“Speak.”
“Thank you for your great consideration, Princess. However, please retract that order. Surely Lord Iselle will say it is not allowed.”
“It seems you are mistaken…” Rosetta frowned slightly. “I spoke only of what should be done in my presence. Do as you please before the Duke; it matters not to me.”
“But—”
“Or are you implying that I must seek the Duke’s permission for my actions?”
“N-no, Princess.”
The knight quickly retreated, and Rosetta walked into her tent. Allen followed, watching her closely.
“Would you like something light before dinner? Shall I bring it to you?”
“No, I want to rest.”
“Very well…”
As Allen turned to leave, Rosetta stopped him with a question.
“Allen, where is Iselle now?”
“Lord Iselle is out on a reconnaissance mission.”
“Iselle himself?”
“Yes, he said he had much to inspect…”
“When he returns, tell him to come to my tent.”
“Yes, Princess.”
After Allen left, Rosetta sighed deeply. Yesterday, there had been no chance to tell Iselle.
Today, she intended to speak with him. She planned to tell him she wanted to break off their engagement.
***
“Allen.”
As soon as he stepped out of the tent, Allen was approached by a knight. It was the same knight who had spoken to Rosetta earlier. Since he often served Iselle closely and was the same age as Allen, they had become quite close.
“How is the Princess feeling?”
“She seems a bit tired. She said she wanted to rest.”
“What happened with the Princess earlier? She wasn’t like that before, so it was a bit surprising.”
Allen thought about the earlier incident. When the knight spoke in front of the Princess, Allen had similar thoughts. Skipping the formalities was something Iselle would not approve of.
But the moment he heard the Princess’s words, it woke him up. The Princess was talking about the etiquette in her presence. Why did they need Iselle’s opinion on that? The Princess might see him as an older brother, but he wasn’t her real family. In terms of status, it was right for him to follow her opinion. This would remain true even after their marriage since her royal status wouldn’t change.
“No, it’s just… I realized we haven’t been thinking things through, just like you.”
“Huh?”
“In the future, be careful. Trust your master, but don’t act rashly towards the Princess.”
“What? I didn’t…”
Allen questioned him, his expression uneasy, “Did Sir Bellario go on reconnaissance with Lord Iselle?”
“Yes, they should be back soon.”
Allen pondered why Iselle had personally gone out instead of sending someone else. He asked again, “But why didn’t Sir Bellario come to Edirne with Lord Iselle?”
After Nazar Quat rejected the envoy’s negotiations, Sir Bellario had gone to inform Iselle separately. Iselle then returned to Edirne alone. Sir Bellario joined later.
“I’m not sure. I don’t know the details…” He suddenly remembered something. “Oh, Sir Bellario mentioned that something unusual is about to happen within the Quat tribe. Maybe that’s why he was away.”
“…Something unusual? What do you mean?”
The knight shrugged. “That’s all he said. I don’t know more. When the Duke returns, you should ask him. If you ask, I’m sure he’ll answer.”
***
The reconnaissance mission concluded swiftly. Their primary objective wasn’t truly reconnaissance but rather finding a quiet, secluded spot. At a suitable location, Iselle halted his horse, and Bellario took out a letter from his coat.
“I have carried out all the orders without fail. The clan chief there has sent this letter for you, Duke.”
After reading the letter, Iselle asked, “What was your impression of the place?”
“…I couldn’t understand much due to the language barrier, but there seemed to be some unrest. It looked like the mining operations weren’t running smoothly.”
Iselle laughed at this. “It seems what’s written in the letter is true. Recently, their chieftain has started investigating something. That’s probably why they’re being cautious.”