Please Answer Me - Chapter 127

“Iselle!” Rosetta, startled, grabbed his arm. They hadn’t even been dining for long.

“There’s no need to push yourself. We can always dine together another time.”

“It’s not that bad.”

After forcing him to sit back down, Rosetta turned to the two guests with an apologetic smile. “I’m sorry for making you both worry. I’m not as weak as I was when I was younger, but the people around me still tend to worry excessively.”

“Rosetta…”

Seeing that Iselle still seemed reluctant, Rosetta smiled warmly at him. “Alright. I was originally planning to show the garden to the Grand Duke and Duchess after our meal, but we can skip that. However, we will finish the meal.”

Only then did Iselle pick up his fork again. The couple couldn’t hide their surprise at this sight. They already knew that Iselle was devoted to Princess Rosetta, but this behavior was new to them. It seemed as though Iselle was completely at the mercy of Rosetta’s every word.

After the meal, the Grand Duke and Duchess moved with Iselle to the quarters prepared for them. Once inside and sure that no one else was present, the Grand Duke finally spoke. Although they had exchanged brief messages through letters, this was the first time they were discussing the matter face to face.

“Iselle, are you certain that the princess, or any of the royal family, is unaware of what we’ve done?”

The Grand Duchess spoke next. “Yes, it’s clear that Princess Rosetta doesn’t know, but it’s crucial that not only she but also the other royals never find out.”

Iselle, who had been facing away from them, remained silent. Growing anxious, the Grand Duchess reached out to touch his arm, but Iselle sharply shook off her hand. When he finally turned to face them, his eyes were cold, causing the couple to catch their breath.

“Only Princess Tanit knows that Princess Rosetta traveled to the Arden region. Neither she nor Princess Rosetta is aware of what you’ve done, and they never will be.”

“Th-thank goodness,” the Grand Duchess breathed a sigh of relief, placing a hand over her heart. But her relief was short-lived, as a sharp voice soon followed.

“Why did you do such a thing?”

Iselle’s gaze was a mix of resentment and anger as he looked at his mother. It was the first time he had looked at her in such a way, and the Grand Duchess was visibly shaken.

The Grand Duchess clasped her trembling hands together as she replied, “I wanted to give you a greater opportunity…”

“An opportunity?”

“I thought that if your marriage to Princess Rosetta fell through, you might have a chance to marry Princess Tanit instead.”

As Iselle’s face twisted in disgust, the Grand Duke stepped forward, shielding his wife. “Don’t blame your mother. I too believed that marrying Princess Tanit would be more beneficial for both you and Hezen. We were blinded by excessive ambition, but we realize now how foolish we were. We’re truly sorry.”

“Princess Tanit, you say.” Iselle’s lips curled into a sneer. “You have no idea how terrifying that woman is, do you, Father? Princess Tanit is the one who most closely resembles the former king. If you had ever attended a council meeting and witnessed how she handles those seasoned old ministers, you wouldn’t have dared to imagine such a thing.”

The Grand Duchess quickly interjected, “But Iselle, Princess Tanit has liked you for a long time. I’m certain of it. I’ve confirmed it many times.”

“I know. I’m aware of her feelings for me,” Iselle responded in a dry tone. “But what does that matter? The one I love is Rosetta, not her.”

Only then did the couple realize how deeply Iselle’s feelings for Princess Rosetta ran, far deeper than they had imagined. Until now, Iselle had never clearly expressed his desires. In fact, they wondered if he had ever truly wanted anything.

The tutor who had taught Iselle as a child had always told the Grand Duke and Duchess the same thing: This child was far ahead of his peers in intelligence but so different from other children that it was almost frightening.

Unlike other children his age, Iselle never whined for things he wanted, nor did he throw tantrums. Even at a young age, his eyes were filled with boredom, and he never seemed satisfied with anything. This had pleased the Grand Duke and Duchess, who didn’t want their son to be content with the small nation of Hezen.

“This is your first and last warning.” Iselle’s red eyes, devoid of any warmth, glared coldly at them. “If something like this happens again, you won’t live to see another day.”

Hearing such words from their own son left them speechless. Iselle’s eyes made it clear that he meant every word.

As Iselle left the room, the Grand Duchess collapsed into her chair. It wasn’t until he had disappeared from view that she was able to breathe properly again.

“Are you alright, my dear?” the Grand Duke asked, helping her to her feet.

“Yes, I’m fine,” she replied, but her body trembled with fear.

Only now did she realize the gravity of their mistake. They had crossed a line with Iselle that should never have been crossed.

***

After the meal with the Grand Duke and Duchess, Rosetta took a walk in the garden. Normally, she would have just sat in her room in a daze, but her nanny had insisted she take a walk, practically pushing her out the door. The nanny had always encouraged Rosetta to walk in the garden since childhood, believing that fresh air and exercise would improve her health.

As soon as Rosetta entered the garden, white rabbits that had been hiding in the bushes hopped over to her. A yellow cat soon followed. The cat and rabbits had been raised together since they were young, so they got along well. They would groom each other and sleep curled up together. However, these shy animals only appeared when Rosetta was in the garden, just like Masha.

“I’ll give you some food under the tree.”

The rabbits and the cat perked up their ears and then dashed ahead, leading the way. They stopped under a large oak tree. This tree, which was said to be over a thousand years old, had been a favorite play spot for Rosetta since she was young.

After distributing the snacks she had brought, Rosetta looked up at the tree. A cool breeze rustled the branches and leaves, which were beginning to turn a reddish hue as autumn approached.

It was around this time of year when she first met Masha. She had wanted an acorn from the tree and climbed up secretly, away from the maids. She lost her footing and fell, but Masha caught her, leaving her unscathed.

“Masha.”

She called his name, but there was no response. Since that night, Masha had not appeared before her again. No matter how many times she called his name, he no longer came.

Rosetta leaned her forehead against the tree, closing her eyes as she whispered softly, “You didn’t want to show yourself, but you had no choice when I fell from the tree, did you?”

Only now did she understand why he had never appeared in front of others. He had known that if he returned to the world, she would be unhappy. Perhaps he had even been responsible for her losing her memories, hoping she could live a normal life, just as her parents had wished.

“I shouldn’t have told Mother about you…”

A careless remark from her childhood had led to irreversible consequences. After that, her parents had strictly warned Rosetta never to mention seeing the golden bird again. However, after the day she played hide-and-seek and wandered into the temple’s underground, her father realized that it was no longer safe to keep Rosetta in the palace. He had tried to send her away quickly, but that only drew her grandfather’s attention.

“In the end, I’ve lost my only friend.”

Masha had been her only friend, both then and now. That realization made her feel even more bitter. Power didn’t matter. The pain came from knowing she could no longer see someone who had always been by her side.

Just as Rosetta was about to turn away, something caught her eye near the base of the tree. She knelt down to take a closer look. It was something she had seen before.

“Because you didn’t know it existed until now. But now that you’ve seen it, you’ll keep seeing it.”

Rosetta remembered Rashid’s words as she removed the cicada shell attached to the tree.

He was right. Once noticed, something couldn’t be unseen. The emotions she hadn’t known existed had now taken root deep in her heart, and no matter how hard she tried, it was impossible to go back to a time when she didn’t know them.

The more she tried to forget, the more she thought of him. The more she tried to erase him, the more his face appeared in her mind. Even now, she missed Rashid terribly. She wanted to throw a tantrum and beg him to take her away, even after saying such harsh words without a second thought.

But now, she had to accept that there was no longer a dear friend or a beloved lover in this place.

As Rosetta buried her face in her knees, the animals gathered around her. The small, warm bodies pressing against her were her only comfort.

Iselle came to see Rosetta again later that evening. Surprised by his unexpected visit, Rosetta widened her eyes as her nanny informed her.

“At this hour? Iselle?”

“Yes, it’s unusual, so I was a bit taken aback myself. I’ve shown him to the drawing room. Would you like to change your clothes?”