Please Answer Me - Chapter 145

Arman draped his arm over Iselle’s neck and whispered secretly, “Next time, make sure to discuss things like that with me first. You don’t know any more than I do, so I’ll teach you everything.”

Iselle smoothly slipped out of his arm’s hold. It wasn’t the first time he had done this. “So, what brings you here today?”

“I’m giving you a chance to reconcile with Rosetta.”

“A chance?”

“There’s a jousting tournament tomorrow, and Rosetta said she wants to attend. I was originally planning to go as well, but I’ll skip it so you can go with her. If the two of you, as a soon-to-be-married couple, attend together and show a good image, those rude rumors will die down.”

“A jousting tournament…”

Iselle recalled the last time he saw Rosetta riding a horse. He had been too distracted at the time to pay much attention, but now that he thought about it, it was quite surprising. Even if she had learned how to ride, it had only been for about a month, yet she was riding quite steadily. Perhaps she had a natural talent for horseback riding.

“Rosetta probably doesn’t even know how a horse gallops. She’s only ever ridden in carriages, so what would she know? Stay close to her and explain everything. That should lift her spirits.”

Arman was the only one in the family who didn’t know about Rosetta’s secret. To him, Rosetta was more fragile and ignorant than a flower raised in a greenhouse. This was also how Iselle and the family had treated Rosetta until now.

Suddenly, Iselle understood Rosetta’s feelings a bit better. She had discovered she could fly, yet they were still forcing her to live inside a small cage.

That’s why you should never have let her out of the cage in the first place. Once a bird takes flight, it will try to fly again.

“Fine.” Iselle accepted Arman’s suggestion. He needed to soothe Rosetta’s feelings in some way before the wedding.

Then, suddenly, a question occurred to him. “But why did Rosetta suddenly say she wanted to go to the jousting tournament?”

Until now, Rosetta had stayed within her palace unless it was absolutely necessary. Just because he hadn’t visited her didn’t mean he hadn’t been keeping an eye on her.

Arman shrugged his shoulders. “Who knows? Last time I asked, she seemed indifferent, but recently she came to me out of the blue and said she wanted to see the jousting tournament. Maybe she got a little bored because you’ve been neglecting her?”

“……”

While Iselle was lost in thought, Arman picked up Iselle’s bow and toyed with it. He shot an arrow, but it missed the center by a long shot.

“Oh, by the way…” Arman turned to Iselle and said, “I heard you told His Majesty that you would personally lead the charge if he were to reconquer Arden?”

Iselle smiled. “Yes, and if I get the chance, I absolutely intend to do so.”

“Why all of a sudden? You’ve always wanted to wash your hands of the Arden issue.”

Arman knew that Iselle had been secretly handling certain affairs related to Arden under the King’s orders. Iselle had always found the work tedious and had even expressed his desire to pass it on to someone else if possible.

Iselle’s eyes narrowed. “I’ve decided that I want that land. No, I must have it. For Lysa and Hezen, and for Rosetta and me.”

“Hmm, well, it’s true that it’s close to Hezen. If you lead the charge and claim it, Hezen might be able to take a portion of the territory.”

Arman burst out laughing as he added, “If you’ve made this decision for Rosetta’s safety, I commend you as her brother. It’s a commendable attitude. I’m glad to entrust Rosetta to you.”

Arman handed the bow back to Iselle. The two soon left the area and moved on to another place.

***

When Rosetta entered the nanny’s room, she was asleep after taking painkillers. Allen, who had been sitting by the bed, stood up.

“Why are you here? You were injured more than she was. Why aren’t you resting in your own room?”

At Rosetta’s scolding, Allen laughed. “It looks worse than it is; the wounds themselves aren’t that deep. It seems the Queen took care to make sure the blows weren’t too severe.”

Rosetta sighed. “‘Took care’ when hitting you… What kind of strange statement is that? Just be angry.”

“I’m really fine. The nanny will feel much better after a good sleep. Although she’ll be in pain for a while.”

Rosetta nodded. “Let’s talk outside for a moment.”

They moved to Rosetta’s bedroom. Once the door was closed, Allen urgently asked the question that had been on his mind, “What happened after we left? What did you talk about with the Queen?”

“I asked my mother for help.”

Allen’s face turned pale. “Help? Don’t tell me you revealed the plan for tomorrow?”

Rosetta shook her head. “No, I didn’t. I haven’t received a response yet on whether she will help or not. If I don’t get an answer by tonight, we’ll proceed with the plan tomorrow as intended.”

“Won’t she try to stop us?”

“If that was her intention, she would have already taken action. I think she’s just really confused right now, especially after seeing the power I displayed earlier… You must have been surprised too, right?”

Allen clenched his fists. Honestly, he had been shocked. He had never imagined that the princess possessed such power.

Taking a deep breath, he said, “I don’t know the details, but I’ll follow your lead, Princess.”

“Good. Then don’t come with me to the Colosseum tomorrow.”

Allen was taken aback. “What?”

“Go to Rashid with the nanny first. In your condition, you won’t be much help anyway.”

“I’m fine. I told you the wounds aren’t that deep… Ugh!”

Rosetta gently touched Allen’s back, causing him to wince and twist in pain. “See? How can you protect me in that state? Right now, you’re more of a burden to me.”

“Princess…”

Despite Allen’s pained expression, Rosetta firmly cut him off.

“Allen, going to watch the tournament and then returning to the palace midway is something any adult can do.”

“But….”

“You just need to leave the arena exactly two hours after the jousting starts. Stop treating me like a child.”

“…Yes, I understand.”

Allen, though disappointed, acquiesced to her decision. Perhaps seeing her power had made him more willing to listen.

Rosetta smiled and said, “Now go back to your room and rest. We have a long journey ahead tomorrow.”

“Yes, Princess.”

After Allen left, Rosetta finally took a deep breath.

It had been a long and exhausting day. The thought that Allen could have lost an arm forever still made her feel dizzy.

The one who holds the power.

It was because of what Tanit had said that Rosetta realized she had the ability to control the magic stones. This also made her suspect that the incident with Allen’s sword stopping in midair at Edirne Castle might have been related.

Tomorrow, I must do this on my own.

Rosetta clenched her lips tightly. Even without Allen and the nanny, she had to leave the Colosseum and meet Rashid as planned.

If this plan failed, countless lives would be lost.

***

The Queen got up from the bed and sat on a chair.

It hadn’t been long since she had left her husband’s side before he noticed her absence. Reaching out to the empty space next to him, he felt around for her and saw her sitting alone in the darkness in front of the dressing table.

Still half-asleep, he muttered, “Hmm, dear… What are you doing over there?”

The Queen looked at him and smiled faintly. “I’m just looking at something.”

“At this hour… what could you possibly be looking at…?”

“I’ll be back soon. Go ahead and sleep.”

“Alright, but don’t take too long…”

His voice soon faded, replaced by the soft sound of his breathing. The Queen, after confirming that he had fallen back asleep, opened a drawer.

The drawer wasn’t filled with gold or jewels, but with various trinkets. There were stones, snail shells, pinecones, and even insect shells.

The Queen gently touched each item with her hand, then pulled out a feather from the very back of the drawer. The golden feather shimmered faintly in the darkness, as if sprinkled with gold dust.

“If the child manifests the power, we must give up on that child. Let’s be content with the two children we’ve safely brought into the world.”

When she had defied her husband’s wishes and carried their third child, he had finally confessed the secret of the Lysa royal family. Only then did she understand why her husband, who she thought simply didn’t want more children, had been so reluctant.

He had even suggested that it might be better to end the pregnancy. The Queen had agonized over the decision thousands, no, millions of times, but in the end, she chose to give birth. After all, it was a life that had already begun, and there was a chance that this child could be born normal, just like their first two.

She prayed fervently that even if this child faced trials, they would be strong enough to overcome their destiny and live their own life.

After giving birth, she thought to herself that she was truly fortunate not to have ended the pregnancy.

The child she bore was truly an angel incarnate. With a particularly gentle and kind heart, this child never once threw a tantrum and always considered others’ feelings first.

Despite the many duties she had as Crown Princess, which kept her from spending much time with the child, the child never asked for more attention. Instead, knowing that her small gifts brought a smile to her mother’s tired face, she diligently gathered treasures for her. The collection had grown so much that it filled the drawer.

How could she not love her?