Please Answer Me - Chapter 126

“So, did you already know, Riga? That Rigaina is marrying the Duke?”

“What? Rigaina is getting married to another man now?” It was only then that Mark understood the content of the letter and shouted in disbelief.

“…I knew the wedding would proceed as planned.”

Upon hearing Rashid’s response, Sika’s gaze shifted back to the letter in his hand. Still unable to believe it, Sika’s lips trembled as he spoke, “So, everything written in this letter is true…”

“That can’t be!” Benny suddenly raised her voice, rejecting Sika’s words. “The wedding might be true, but at least the words written in this letter are not Rigaina’s true feelings. She would never hurt someone like this!”

Benny pointed to a word at the end of the letter with her finger. “Look at this. She referred to the Riga as a lowly barbarian. How can that be possible? She has never once looked down on us!”

“What? A lowly barbarian? Rigaina wrote that?” Mark, who had been lagging behind in understanding, exclaimed loudly while pointing to the wrong part of the letter. Thelma sighed quietly in exasperation.

“Anyway, Benny’s right. No matter what is written in this letter, it certainly isn’t Rigaina’s true feelings. In all my years, I’ve gained two things: the skill of handling horses and the ability to judge people. Rigaina would never say such things!”

“Everyone, quiet!” Finally, Thelma issued a stern warning. “No one speaks until the Riga has spoken!”

They all fell silent, turning their attention to Rashid. They hoped he wouldn’t believe the contents of this letter. No matter how they looked at it, the words didn’t seem like Rigaina’s genuine feelings. Surely there must be some reason behind it.

However, what Rashid said after a long pause was completely unexpected.

“It’s about time we went on a trading expedition. We have some recently dyed silk, so we should take those with us.”

Everyone’s mouths dropped open in shock. His wife was about to marry another man, yet he was suddenly talking about trade?

“…Riga?” Benny asked in a daze.

However, Rashid ignored her and turned to Sika with an order. “Sika, do you think you can ride a horse in about a week? If it’s too much for you, you can skip this trading trip.”

Sika quickly shook his head. “N-no, it will be fine. I’ll be able to ride by then. But Riga, that’s not what’s important right now…”

“Then, Thelma, get in touch with the merchants and prepare only the valuable goods.”

Thelma responded to the sudden command, “Yes, that’s not difficult, but…”

“And this time, Mark, you’ll come along too. We need someone who can properly take care of the horses on such a long journey.”

“Yes, understood. But…”

“Lastly, Benny.”

Benny, who had nothing to do with trade and had been feeling out of place, was startled when her name was suddenly called.

“Yes? Me? Am I going with you too?”

“You’ll stay here with Thelma and prepare while we’re gone.”

“Prepare for what?”

“Prepare to welcome Rigaina.”

Everyone stared at Rashid in astonishment. It was only then that Thelma realized she hadn’t asked him the most important question.

“Where is this trading expedition headed? Could it be…”

Rashid answered with a nonchalant expression, “To the capital of Lysa, Terra. This time, I’m thinking of selling directly to the Lysa royal family.”

Sika was horrified as he realized Rashid’s intentions. “Y-you’re planning to kidnap Rigaina from there?”

Although they had a history of abducting the Basque chieftain’s daughter, kidnapping the princess of Lysa from the royal palace was an entirely different matter. The risk was much higher, and the aftermath would be even worse. Would Lysa sit idly by if their princess, who was about to marry, was abducted?

“It’s not kidnapping; it’s picking her up.” Rashid took the letter from Sika’s hand again, folding it neatly as he spoke, “She wrote that I should come and get her, so I must go.”

Everyone was speechless for a moment. They began to wonder if Rashid had lost his mind. It was hard to believe they had read the same letter.

Sika pointed to the letter with trembling fingers. “Riga, you mean that letter? I think you might have misunderstood. Maybe you should read it again… Or perhaps you’re too tired now, so you should rest and read it later…”

“I read it correctly, so stop looking at me like I’m crazy.”

It was only then that they realized Rashid knew exactly what was written in the letter but had chosen to interpret it his way. They had been worried that he would believe the contents of the letter, but that concern was completely unnecessary. Instead, the letter’s message had been perfectly reimagined in his mind.

And they realized something else: their Riga was more obsessed with Rigaina than they had thought. He was even willing to plan to retrieve her from the Lysa palace, something that could bring harm to the tribe.

“Luckily, we have the map Asion made for us, so it’ll come in handy this time.”

Rashid, lost in thought with his chin resting on his hand, seemed to be already planning how to infiltrate the Lysa palace. Watching him, Mark suddenly burst into hearty laughter.

“Great. With the gods on our side, what do we have to fear?”

Since the recent fire incident, strange rumors had been circulating in Arden. These were the results of consecutive miracles. Their Riga and Rigaina had entered the Forest of Monsters on a rainy day and returned unharmed. During the recent fire, the raging flames had suddenly vanished. The golden veil that covered the night sky was visible even from afar. Some even claimed to have seen a golden bird flying away into the distant sky after the fire was extinguished.

They now believed that the gods were with Arden. And as long as the gods were with them, there was nothing to fear in this world.

“Alright, let’s hit them hard and make sure they feel it!” Sika shouted excitedly, followed by Benny’s cheer.

“Don’t worry about anything here. Thelma and I will keep everything safe!”

Amidst the overly optimistic group, only Thelma rubbed her head and let out a deep sigh. However, even she didn’t oppose the plan.

“Just return safely. That’s all I ask.”

11. Night Visit

Princess Rosetta’s palace had visitors for the first time in a long while. The princess had formally invited the Grand Duke and Duchess, who had arrived in Lysa, for a meal together before the wedding.

As the four of them dined together, laughter and conversation filled the air. The conversation was primarily between the princess and the Grand Duchess.

“Your Highness has become even more beautiful. Seeing you bloom day by day makes me realize how remarkable Poet Asion’s judgment truly was.”

“You are just as lovely as when I saw you in my childhood, Grand Duchess. It’s truly astonishing. Is there perhaps a magical spring in Hezen that keeps one from aging?”

The Grand Duchess laughed modestly, covering her mouth with her hand. “I’m overwhelmed by your kind words, Your Highness. You have always been so gracious, always saying such nice things.”

“You sent Iselle to me, so this is the least I can do to repay you. I’m sorry that all I can offer are words, pleasant as they may be.”

It was the Grand Duke who spoke this time. “How could you say such a thing? For us, it is a great honor that Your Highness will marry Iselle and come to Hezen.”

Rosetta responded with a smile, “Thank you for saying that. Recently, I’ve been learning from my mother about the things I’ve lacked. I may not know much, but I should at least be able to manage the affairs of the Hezen estate. I’ll have much to learn from the two of you when I arrive in Hezen, so please guide me.”

“Of course. We will teach you everything you wish to know with all our hearts,” Grand Duke answered politely, but he kept glancing at his son, who was quietly eating beside the princess.

The Grand Duchess did the same. Although the meal appeared to be filled with harmony, the two of them felt as if they were walking on thin ice. Rosetta noticed that Iselle was unusually quiet today and addressed him.

“Iselle, why are you so silent?”

Although he wasn’t usually very talkative, Iselle was good at engaging in social conversations when necessary. But today, he was strangely quiet, even though his own parents were present.

The Grand Duchess quickly responded to Rosetta’s comment. “Your Highness, Iselle is always like this. He only speaks when he’s with you; otherwise, it’s rare for us to hear his voice.”

After thinking for a moment, Rosetta nodded. “Iselle has been here since he was young, so that might be why. Iselle, since the Grand Duke and Duchess have come such a long way, please take care of them.”

Iselle smiled softly. “Alright.”

“I’ve heard that my mother prepared many things for the guests visiting the palace this time. There are quite a few sights to see, so why don’t you personally guide them?”

“I’ll take care of it, so don’t worry. You don’t look well; are you alright?”

As Iselle pointed out, although the princess had been smiling all along, she did seem somewhat tired and drained.

“It seems the preparations for the wedding have been exhausting for Her Highness,” the Grand Duchess remarked.

Rosetta gave a small smile. “Yes, there are so many things to prepare that it’s quite draining. No matter how much I do, there always seems to be more to finish.”

“That’s how wedding preparations are. It’s stressful, and even if you leave most things to the servants, there are still many details you need to handle personally. I was the same. After my wedding, I was so exhausted that I fell ill.”

Suddenly, Iselle stood up from his seat.

“We’ll take our leave now so you can get some rest.”