Please Answer Me - Chapter 125

“It’s okay if you don’t love me, Rosetta.”

Rosetta’s hand, which had been gently stroking his hair, stopped.

Iselle looked up at her. “I’m just grateful that I can see you as you are now.”

Rosetta looked down at Iselle with eyes full of tangled thoughts. After a moment, she spoke, “Iselle, I remember your back being soaked in blood the day we escaped from the underground of the temple. Why was that?”

At her words, Iselle slowly rose to his feet. He began unbuttoning his shirt from the top and soon removed it entirely. When he turned around to show his back to Rosetta, she gasped softly.

His back was covered in scars. They looked like the marks left by a whip.

“This is…”

“That day, when I was getting you out of the underground, the plan was discovered. The former king did this to me with a whip, demanding that I tell him everything.”

The former king, who was always suspicious, seemed to have noticed something odd in Iselle’s behavior. He had secretly placed someone to monitor Iselle, and on the day of the escape, the plan was ultimately exposed.

The king, unable to believe that a 14-year-old boy could have orchestrated such a scheme on his own, subjected Iselle to harsh torture, demanding to know who was behind it. The Crown Prince proceeded as planned, setting fire to the temple, and in the ensuing chaos, Iselle was able to reach Rosetta.

“I have no regrets about that day. Even now, I believe it was the right choice to get you out of there.”

Rosetta stood up and reached out to gently touch the scars on his back. As her fingertips traced over the old wounds, the skin around them twitched and trembled slightly.

“…You carried me and ran with that body. You were so young back then too…”

Rosetta whispered in a voice tinged with tears and bit her lip, “Iselle, I have nothing to give you, but are you still okay with that?”

Iselle turned around and looked at her at the sound of her voice.

Rosetta gave him a faint smile. “If you’re still okay with it, then let’s get married.”

Just as Tanit had said, Rosetta chose to maintain the current peace by giving up the person she loved. And this was the outcome Iselle had wanted as well. He had wished for Rosetta to stay by his side, regardless of what was in her heart.

Even though he was finally hearing the answer to his long-desired proposal, he didn’t feel much joy. Perhaps, as Tanit suggested, it was because he had become greedier.

“Yes, Rosetta. Let’s get married.”

Even so, Iselle pulled Rosetta into his arms. Rosetta didn’t resist as she was enveloped in his embrace. For now, he decided to be content with that.

***

Rosetta stared at the paper on the table for a long time. Then, after making up her mind, she picked up the pen.

Yes, after all, this is just returning to the beginning. So, this is nothing more than restoring things to their original state.

Rosetta began filling in the blank space on the white paper.

[After leaving that place and coming here, I realized how foolish I was. Now, I deeply regret the time I spent there.]

Tears welled up and fell onto the paper. Rosetta wiped them away and pulled out a new sheet. This time, she bit her lip to keep from crying as she wrote.

[I once promised to write you a letter someday. Back then, you smiled brightly and asked me to write it right away.

If I had known this would happen, I would have written you even a single line back then. If I had, the first letter I’m sending you wouldn’t be like this.

I have already forgotten all about you.

I will marry my betrothed, Duke Iselle Scalion, as planned, and I will consider everything that happened between us as if it never existed. If you have any conscience at all, you will not spread any shameful stories about my past. You should be grateful that a lowly barbarian chieftain was even able to briefly be considered a match for the princess of Lysa.]

After writing that much, Rosetta wondered if it would be enough to hurt him.

She hoped he wouldn’t be hurt by such words, but at the same time, she wished he would be deeply wounded by them. That way, he would hate her and forget her quickly.

Is this really the only way? She thought about it again, but no other path came to mind.

The reason covenant bearers, despite their immense power, were always subjected to the Lysa royal family was because their power was in the hands of mere children. Maiastra usually chose a human before the age of five, and it was around that time that the child would be confined to the temple. The covenant bearers, trapped in the underground of the temple, were never taught anything, so they didn’t know what power they held or how to use it.

That’s why Maiastra could only watch the situation without being able to do anything. As a divine being, he couldn’t easily intervene in human affairs.

Rosetta was the second person to possess that power after becoming an adult, despite not being a king. The first was the original covenant bearer. After his death, without becoming king, the fate of covenant bearers was one of two things: either become king or spend a lifetime trapped underground.

Rosetta, too, was originally destined to rot underground for her entire life. That fate was changed by the efforts of Iselle and her family. The ordinary life she now enjoyed was built on a foundation of blood and sacrifice. So she couldn’t afford to be greedy anymore. Marrying Iselle and living quietly, as they wanted, was the best path.

It was also the best choice for Rashid. To prevent Lysa from coveting the magic stones again, Rosetta was prepared to do whatever was necessary with Tanit’s permission. Although she didn’t yet know what abilities she possessed or how to use them, if Tanit realized there was an easier way, she wouldn’t go so far as to steal magic stones from a distant land. After Rosetta’s death, they would need the magic stones again, but until then, she could only hope the Quat tribe would gain the strength to stand against Lysa.

More than anything, Rosetta couldn’t bring herself to tell him that her father had personally done that to his parents. She hoped he would never learn of it.

Rosetta folded the letter, placed it in an envelope, and sealed it. Only after sealing the letter did Rosetta realize she could finally cry as much as she wanted.

***

The quiet castle suddenly became lively when a letter arrived from a distant place.

The letter was handed to Sika, who was loitering near the castle gate. After confirming the sender’s name on the envelope, Sika ran at full speed toward the office.

“Sika!”

Just then, Benny, who was passing by with a pile of laundry, saw him and shouted, “Didn’t I tell you not to run yet? I’ve warned you several times that the stitches could come undone and—”

“Benny!”

Suddenly, Sika hugged Benny, causing her to drop the basket she was holding. Benny was about to explode in anger as she watched the freshly washed laundry get dirty, but Sika shouted, “Rigaina sent a letter!”

“What?”

Benny completely forgot about the laundry on the ground and quickly snatched the letter from Sika’s hand.

“…It’s true. This is Rigaina’s handwriting. No doubt about it.”

“Not only that, her name is written here. Rosetta Viard Lysa.”

For a moment, they stared at each other, then they hugged each other tightly and screamed.

“Let’s take it to the Riga!”

The two of them dashed toward the office, and on the way, they ran into Mark and Thelma. In no time, the group of two became four, and they all burst into the office.

They handed the letter to Rashid and watched with bated breath. They had no doubt that the letter contained good news. It had been two weeks since Rosetta had left. Surely there would at least be a greeting.

However, as Rashid read the letter, his expression grew darker. Finally, he placed the letter on the desk with the darkest expression they had ever seen.

“What does it say? What’s written in the letter to make you look like that…?”

Even Thelma’s question couldn’t pull Rashid from his deep thoughts. Finally, Sika’s patience reached its limit, and she grabbed the letter.

“I’m sorry! You can kill me or spare me later! But I have to read Rigaina’s letter!”

Rashid didn’t stop Sika from taking the letter. As Sika quickly unfolded the letter, the other three gathered around him. A heavy silence soon descended upon them.

Mark, the only one who couldn’t read, nudged Sika’s arm. “Sika, what does it say to make the atmosphere like this?”

Sika, who had been silently staring at the letter, suddenly let out a loud scream when Mark nudged his arm again.

“This can’t be happening!”

Sika crumpled the letter in his hand and thrust it toward Benny.

“This can’t really be a letter from Rigaina. Someone else must be pretending to be her. Benny, look at the handwriting again!”

But Benny, who had been staring intently at the neat handwriting on the letter, shook her head. “It’s Rigaina’s handwriting. I’m sure of it.”

This time, Thelma cautiously spoke up. “Couldn’t she have written it under duress? She would never write a letter like this otherwise.”

“Can someone please just tell me what it says…?”

Just then, Rashid interrupted Mark. “Not long ago, we received some news from the Hezen side. The Grand Duke and Duchess have departed for Terra to attend the wedding of the Duke and the Princess of Lysa.”

It was just over a month before the princess’s wedding. So, it wasn’t unusual for the Grand Duke and Duchess to be heading to Terra for the wedding now. Guests invited to royal weddings often arrive a month in advance to enjoy a series of banquets.

And that meant the princess was marrying the Duke of Hezen as planned.