Please Answer Me - Chapter 134

The fragrance was fresh and floral. Unlike most flower scents that seemed sweet, this one was exotic and elegant, enveloping the surroundings in its warmth. It was intense yet comforting, heavy yet alluring.

Rosetta’s gaze followed the scent to one of the piles of silk laid out before her. As she looked in that direction, a maid quickly brought the fabric to her.

At first, Rosetta was drawn to the familiar fragrance, but as she examined the silk more closely, she realized it was more than just the scent that intrigued her. The deep violet color, so intense it seemed as if it would leave a mark if pressed, was none other than something she had crafted with her own hands. It was from Edirne.

Her lips trembled.

“…This is…”

The maid answered quickly, “This was supplied by the Artz Trading Company.”

“The Artz Trading Company?”

“Yes, Your Highness. Would you like to speak with the merchant directly?”

“Yes.”

At Rosetta’s command, the maid spoke to the assembled merchants. “Her Highness wishes to speak with someone from the Artz Trading Company. Please step forward.”

A woman among the merchants stood up. Even from a distance, she appeared tall. As she approached Rosetta, she immediately bowed deeply.

“You may lift your head.”

At Rosetta’s command, the woman slowly raised her face. The moment Rosetta saw her eyes, unusually playful and sparkling, she gasped quietly.

‘Sika?’

To Rosetta’s astonishment, the person standing before her was unmistakably Sika. Or, to be precise, a woman who looked exactly like Sika.

“……”

Rosetta stared at her, unsure if she was seeing a hallucination or if this was someone who merely resembled Sika. As Rosetta remained silent, the woman glanced around cautiously before subtly gesturing with her finger, twirling it in a small circle—a signal Rosetta had seen before. It meant to keep talking, to not stop.

“…Did you bring this silk?”

The woman smiled gently, her eyes crinkling at the corners. “Yes, Your Highness. Do you like it?”

Amazingly, even the voice resembled Sika’s. The tone was unmistakably his, but pitched higher than usual, more like that of a slightly husky woman’s voice than a man trying to sound like a woman.

Only then did Rosetta fully realize that the person before her was indeed Sika.

‘Oh my…!’

While Sika maintained a composed smile, Rosetta felt as if she might faint. Not only had Sika managed to infiltrate the palace, but he had done so disguised as a woman!

“Rigaina, I’m an expert in infiltration. This is nothing. I’ve even disguised myself as a woman and snuck into enemy territory to gather intelligence.”

Rosetta suddenly recalled Sika boasting about this in the past. Perhaps because he had dressed as a woman so many times before, Sika now displayed an astonishingly natural feminine appearance. Even knowing that he was a man, Rosetta couldn’t help but see him as a stunningly beautiful woman rather than a man in drag.

Had Sika’s features always been so delicately beautiful? With his slender frame, there was no hint of the warrior who wielded two swords with terrifying skill.

Moreover, whether it was due to the makeup or not, Sika appeared to be in his mid-twenties rather than a teenager. Rosetta wondered if Sika had calculated this as well, knowing that someone too young would attract undue attention.

Amidst these swirling thoughts, Rosetta glanced at Allen, who was the only one here who had seen Sika’s face before. Not only had he seen him, but they had also crossed swords in close combat.

Fortunately, Allen didn’t seem to recognize Sika at all. He stared at her intently, showing no change in expression. Perhaps it was because their previous encounter had taken place at night, or maybe Allen had been too preoccupied to take a good look at Sika’s face. Or maybe he simply hadn’t imagined that Sika would dare come here disguised as a woman.

In any case, it seemed unlikely that Sika’s identity would be discovered, and Rosetta breathed a sigh of relief.

“Yes, the color is quite beautiful.”

But as she spoke those words, her heart ached. The last time she had seen Sika, he had been gravely injured, bedridden, and unable to move. Although she had visited him several times, he had always been asleep, so she had left without being able to say a proper goodbye before coming here.

It was such a relief. The fact that he had made it here meant he must have recovered well.

Then, with a bright smile, Sika spoke, “Your Highness, if you don’t mind, I would like to explain the silk to you.”

“Go ahead.”

Normally, merchants would take this opportunity to extol the virtues of their goods, talking endlessly about their value and rarity. But what Sika said was entirely different.

“Your Highness, what color does this silk appear to you?”

Rosetta looked at the silk in her hand.

“…It looks purple.”

In truth, Rosetta knew that wasn’t the correct answer. During a banquet at Edirne Castle, Sika had asked her a similar question.

“Rigaina, what color is lavender?”

Even though she knew it wasn’t the right answer, Rosetta deliberately gave the same response she had before. She couldn’t afford to let anyone in the audience chamber realize what was really going on.

As expected, Sika smiled, the corners of her lips curling upwards. “Is that so? But to me, it doesn’t look purple.”

“Why is that?”

“Because this silk, filled with the scent of lavender, reflects the eyes of the person you love. To your beloved, this silk would probably appear as a beautiful green. Just like your eyes, Your Highness.”

Rosetta realized what Sika was trying to convey. During the banquet at Edirne Castle, Rashid had sung and played the lute for her. Sika had claimed that Rashid had deliberately altered the lyrics of the song.

“And the color you see now is undoubtedly the eyes of the person you love most. That’s what makes this silk special. In fact, it’s imbued with a powerful magic!”

“Pfft!”

One of the maids standing beside Rosetta suddenly burst into laughter. She immediately realized her mistake and bowed to Rosetta, apologizing. “I-I’m sorry, Your Highness.”

The maid, her shoulders hunched, quickly tried to explain. “It’s just that hearing someone say that a fabric, which anyone would see as purple, looks different to Your Highness because of love… It sounded so romantic and whimsical that I couldn’t help myself…”

Allen joined in with a laugh. “I agree with the maid. I’ve heard many sales pitches from merchants, but I’ve never encountered one as creative as this. Now that I think about it, the silk looks like a very pretty brown to me.”

The entire audience chamber erupted in laughter. One of the merchants even looked at Sika with genuine admiration, as if realizing that selling goods wasn’t just about listing their features but also about capturing the imagination.

Iselle’s eyes were a deep reddish-purple, so no one here suspected that Sika had any hidden motives.

Only Rosetta understood the true meaning behind Sika’s words.

“You’re wrong. Lavender isn’t purple; it’s blue and green.”

On the day of the banquet, when Rosetta had said that lavender was purple, Sika had corrected her.

“When we talk about lavender here, we describe it as blue flowers with green stems.”

And then, pointing to Rashid and Rosetta, Sika said, “Riga just sang, ‘The lavender, full of fragrance, is the light in my two eyes.’ Perhaps he was referring to the color of your eyes, Riga and Rigaina.”

Rosetta bit her trembling lips, trying to keep her expression neutral. While the silk might look purple to others, to Rosetta, it was a vibrant blue. Because the person she loved, Rashid, had blue eyes.

But Rosetta couldn’t understand why. Why had Rashid sent Sika here and orchestrated all of this?

It was undoubtedly Rashid who had scented the fabric to draw attention and discreetly conveyed a story known only to Rosetta under the pretense that the silk was enchanted. But why on earth did he do such a thing?

After receiving that letter, it would be natural for him to hate and resent her, but instead, he had sent Sika to convey that his feelings for her hadn’t changed.

As Rosetta struggled between laughter and tears, Sika spoke in a serious tone, “Your Highness, when you meet your beloved, please give him my regards. I’m sure he’ll be very happy to hear it.”

Rosetta stared at Sika, bewildered. How was she supposed to meet him while she was confined in the Lysa palace?

“Could it be…”

She wanted to ask if Rashid had entered the palace as well, but there were too many eyes around. As Rosetta fell silent, the maid asked carefully.

“Your Highness, would you like to purchase this silk?”

Rosetta realized then that it was time to let Sika go. Keeping him any longer would surely raise suspicion.

“Yes, I will purchase everything they’ve brought.”

A soft murmur spread among the merchants in the chamber. With Rosetta’s decision to buy everything from the Artz Trading Company, it meant that there would be no opportunities left for the others.

Sika stood up and bowed deeply. Then, smiling at Rosetta, he said, “Your Highness, we’ve brought quite a large quantity of goods. It would be greatly helpful if we were allowed to enter and leave the palace over the next few days.”