Please Answer Me - Chapter 115

“You’ve been looking for me.”

Iselle appeared as calm and gentle as ever. Seeing Rosetta standing, he looked concerned. “You must be tired. Why are you standing? Is something bothering you?”

“No, it’s not that…”

Her initial resolve faltered. She didn’t know where to begin or how to ask him.

“Iselle, do you know anyone within the Quat tribe?”

“Someone within the Quat tribe?”

“…I heard you’ve been exchanging letters with someone there.”

“Ah…”

He smiled, as if it was nothing significant. “Rosetta, while Lysa doesn’t officially trade with the Quat tribe, essential goods do pass between us. Since Hezen is close to the Arden region, I’ve often acted as an intermediary.”

“What kind of goods are you talking about?”

“Various things. Grain, salt, dyeing materials… The Quat tribe is quite advanced in dyes.”

“Like the Denpa tree, for instance?”

“Yes, that would be included.”

“Iselle, you’re lying to me. Or at least, you’re not telling the whole truth.”

Iselle’s face stiffened slightly. He hadn’t expected such words from her.

“The Quat tribe never exports Denpa trees. Lysa has tried to acquire them before but was denied.”

That was something she’d learned from Thelma when she first arrived in Edirne. She’d picked up much more during her time working with the dyers.

“I didn’t spend the last month locked away in a room like at the palace. I’ve learned far more than you think, and I know a lot about trade with the Quat tribe. Rashid controls all of that. Are you saying you did all this without his knowledge? That doesn’t make sense.”

She stepped closer to him. “Who were you corresponding with?”

“……”

“What are you planning to do to the Quat tribe?”

Instead of answering her question, Iselle replied coldly, “Why do you care about that? They’re just primitive savages.”

Rosetta stared at him in shock. She’d never heard him speak like this before. He’d always been kind to everyone, even those of lower status.

“You’ve left that place, so don’t concern yourself with what happens to those insects.”

“Don’t speak like that. They are different from us, not inferior. Such disdain is not right.”

“Even after they kidnapped you, you can say that?”

“Rashid kidnapped me to break the marriage alliance. He never threatened me.”

“And he treated you well? That’s not true.”

With a sharp remark, he suddenly approached her. Instinctively, she took a step back.

“Why are you backing away?” Iselle’s smile turned a little fiercely. Rosetta didn’t know how to respond. She didn’t understand why she was afraid of him.

This Iselle was terrifying. He was so different from his usual self. Even though she knew he wouldn’t harm her, something felt terribly wrong.

“You seem confused.” A crooked smile tugged at his lips. “Do you finally see me as a man? Or should I say, now you understand what a man is?”

Rosetta realized the meaning of his words. Iselle knew she had spent the night with Rashid.

Iselle reached out and grabbed her shoulder, his fingers brushing her exposed skin.

“Oh, you’re flustered because I found out. If you didn’t want me to know, you should have covered it better.”

Rosetta realized that the spot Iselle touched was where Rashid had kissed her during their bath, and she flinched, hastily pulling up her clothes to cover the mark. Her face burned with embarrassment. She wasn’t ashamed of what she had shared with Rashid, but discussing it with Iselle felt awkward and disconcerting.

“…There’s something I need to tell you first. Yes, this is the right place to start.”

Rosetta lifted her head to look at him. “I’ve fallen in love with someone. So, I want to break off our engagement.”

It was difficult for her to say, but Iselle didn’t seem surprised at all. His red-violet eyes only seemed a shade darker today.

“I’m really sorry. I know it’s unfair to you, especially with the wedding so close. But…”

“Rosetta, you’ve had your fun. You’ve had your little adventure,” Iselle cut her off, his voice dry and dismissive. “Playtime is over. With this trip ending, your little rebellion ends too.”

“Rebellion? I’m not taking this lightly!”

“Your feelings don’t matter. Why should they? You’re a princess. Your marriage isn’t about love, it’s about duty.”

He struck a nerve. This was the part Rosetta struggled with the most, where she felt the least confident.

“The king wouldn’t have cared who you married as long as it was beneficial. You knew that, right? Your marriage was never going to be about your desires.”

Back then, she had no one she wanted to marry, no one she cared about. She thought she could marry anyone. But things were different now. Her world had completely changed.

“Things are different now. I’ll tell my father and mother myself that I want to break off the engagement. They’ll be angry at first, but they’ll understand. They love me.”

“Yes, Rosetta. They love you deeply, more than any ordinary royal family would. More than anything else. They’ve always done everything for you.”

Iselle’s tone was measured, almost affectionate. “And that’s why it can’t happen. That’s why you can’t leave Lysa. Hezen is as far as you’ll ever go because I’m there.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Your parents never intended to marry you off to anyone within Lysa’s nobility. It could cause too much trouble. But I’m different. I’m not a noble from Lysa, I know everything about you, and we’ve already been through a lot together. If it weren’t for me, they wouldn’t have considered anyone for you. So, you see, there’s no one else but me.”

Iselle looked at Rosetta, his voice softening. “So forget what happened there. You and he were never meant to be. I’ll help you forget him.”

As he stepped closer, Rosetta took another step back. “I, I don’t understand what you’re saying.”

“You don’t need to understand. You don’t need to do anything.”

Hearing that, Rosetta felt as if she were being wrapped in a sticky web. Her jaw trembled. No matter how much she tried to escape, the threads clung to her, rendering her immobile.

“Just stay in the safe garden we’ve created for you. You were content there.”

“No, I wasn’t,” her voice burst out. “I always felt stifled and wanted to escape. That’s why I ran away under the pretext of seeing the sea. I don’t want to live in ignorance anymore!”

Rosetta was shocked at her own outburst. She had never yelled at him like this before. Probably for the first time. She clenched her fists tightly.

“I’ll ask you again. What have you done to the Quat tribe?”

Iselle looked at her before speaking slowly. “It’s already done. That deed you’re asking about.”

“What do you mean?”

“It’s too late. I left them a gift. A very precious one to them. I thought long and hard about how to use it, and the perfect opportunity presented itself.”

Iselle smiled. “Don’t worry. They won’t know what hit them. The explosion will happen after we’ve already left, so they won’t even suspect us.”

“…Explosion?”

“Yes, explosion.”

“Did you use magic stones?”

This time, Iselle’s expression hardened. He asked Rosetta, “You know about the magic stones? How?”

Rosetta suddenly realized that Iselle was more deeply involved in the royal family’s inner workings than she had thought. He knew all the secrets of the Lysa royalty long ago.

She was about to answer his question but then shook her head vigorously. This wasn’t the time. There was something more urgent at hand.

“Answer my question first. Where did you place the magic stones?”

Iselle’s eyes turned icy cold. Rosetta had never seen him look so devoid of warmth.

“Tell me. Where did you put them?”

Under her persistent questioning, he finally spoke, “In the forest near Edirne. I told them to scatter the contents of a wagon evenly.”

Rosetta’s mouth fell open. The contents of an entire wagon? That could destroy an entire village and more.

“Why would you do such a thing…?”

“If you scatter bags of magic stones in a place like that, they’ll naturally ignite in a day or two. With all the trees around, it will burn very well. Due to the nature of the magic stones, putting out the fire will be difficult. In the worst case, it could burn for months.”

“People will die. Many people will die….”

“Yes, they will. And they won’t even know why they’re dying. They have no idea what magic stones are.”