Please Answer Me - Chapter 91

If things continued as they were, the fall of the Grand Elder was inevitable. The elders who followed him quickly grasped this reality. They knew it was best to flee from a collapsing house.

The cause of the Grand Elder’s downfall was surprisingly simple. He only made predictions within the scope of human capability. Rashid was far more obsessed with that woman than the Grand Elder had imagined, and Rosetta possessed abilities unknown to him. At most, the Grand Elder anticipated that Rashid would either give her up or follow in his father’s footsteps to die with her. The possibility of Rashid entering the Monster Forest and returning alive with the woman never crossed his mind.

Knock, knock.

At that moment, a knock echoed through the room. Responding to the command to enter, Thelma appeared.

“Thelma.”

It was rare for Thelma to visit the office. Rashid easily sensed that she had something to say.

“I was just about to thank you, nanny. It’s good that you’ve come.”

Thelma walked up to Rashid’s desk. “What do you mean by that?”

“I heard it was you who informed my grandfather about the monster hunter. Without you, we might have missed him. If that had happened, capturing and imprisoning the Grand Elder would have been difficult.”

“I never imagined my past as a slave would be useful in this way.” She smiled bitterly and soon lowered her head deeply. “In fact, I came today because I have something to tell you, Master Rashid.”

She suddenly knelt. “It concerns your mother, Lady Elysia.”

Taking a deep breath, Thelma continued, “It was my fault that Lady Elysia was kidnapped in the past, which led to Lord Lycaon’s death.”

Recalling that day over twenty years ago, Thelma closed her eyes tightly.

When the Basque chieftain proposed peace and visited in person, the entire Quat tribe was in a festive mood. There was a dream of one day forming a united kingdom strong enough to stand against Lysa if the two tribes harmonized like this.

The banquet hall was filled with alcohol. Attendees continued to drink until the jars ran dry and dawn broke.

Lycaon, Rashid’s father, was no exception. However, no matter how much he drank, he never lost his mind. It was later discovered that a drug had been secretly applied to his cup.

The Basque chieftain’s initial plan was to kill Lycaon once he lost consciousness from the drugged drink. If he had invited Lycaon to the Basque territory, he would have aroused suspicion. Thus, Ragetti, under the guise of peace, came directly to Quat land.

However, as the banquet ended, Lycaon appeared to maintain his composure instead of collapsing. Ragetti eventually changed his plan to kidnapping Lycaon’s wife, Elysia. He thought using the wife, whom the chieftain dearly loved, as bait would ensure success.

Ragetti had met Elysia once before. Having secretly desired her beautiful appearance, he saw this as a good opportunity. Even if the Quat chieftain did not come to retrieve his wife, possessing such a beautiful woman would not be a bad outcome for Ragetti.

After all, Lysa was behind Basque. Ragetti had nothing to fear.

While maintaining his composure in the banquet hall, Lycaon collapsed onto his bed the moment he entered his room. Thelma was the first to find him. Entering the room to place water, Thelma had no idea he was drugged. She merely thought he had drunk too much, given that he was not one to be weak with alcohol.

As she moved to comfortably lay Lycaon on the bed, his eyelids opened. Seeing her reflection in his eyes, Thelma involuntarily held her breath.

Elysia was always by his side. And Thelma was always near Elysia. Thelma often watched them from a distance, witnessing their happy smiles and even the moment Lycaon proposed to Elysia.

“Elysia…”

As he smiled while calling out Elysia’s name, Thelma realized her dark desires. She had harbored feelings for him for a very long time.

Just this once.

With trembling hands, Thelma gently caressed Lycaon’s face.

I won’t be greedy beyond my means ever again, just this once, please.

Though she knew the drunken Lycaon was seeing Elysia instead of her, it didn’t matter. He was smiling at her.

However, when he suddenly laid her down on the bed and began to fumble with her clothes, she sensed something was terribly wrong. Noticing his unusually clouded eyes, Thelma realized Lycaon had ingested something strange. As she struggled to free herself, the door opened.

Elysia stood there, unable to believe her eyes as she saw the two of them in bed together. Yet, even with Elysia’s presence, Lycaon did not stop, and Elysia’s face contorted in horror.

Elysia ran out of the room. Thelma searched for her desperately, but Elysia was nowhere to be found. Hours later, it was discovered that Ragetti had kidnapped Elysia while she wandered outside and took her to Basque.

The rest of the story was well known. Lycaon, upon waking from the drug, understood everything too late. He feared that if he did not go to Elysia immediately, she might make a drastic decision under a grave misunderstanding.

Thelma clenched the carpet beneath her. “If it weren’t for me, none of this would have ever happened…”

“I had an inkling that you liked my father.”

The sudden words startled Thelma, and she looked up at his face. “How, how did you…”

“You always looked for my father’s face in mine. Although I’ve been told I resemble my mother, you always said I looked like my father. At first, I thought you were saying that because my origins were unclear, but soon I realized it wasn’t just that.”

Rashid rubbed his eyebrows with his fingers and sighed deeply. “Yesterday, my grandfather confessed to me, and today it’s your turn, Thelma.”

Thelma was taken aback once again. “What do you mean?”

“My grandfather told me everything yesterday. My mother died because he forced her.”

“……”

Thelma was too shocked to speak. She never imagined Elder Calante would confide that in him.

Why?

Then, Thelma realized. Elder Calante had similar thoughts to hers.

They had been watching Rashid with anxious hearts. Though he was fulfilling the responsibilities of the Riga perfectly, he always seemed precarious. Just as the sturdiest tree is the first to break in a storm, they feared that living a life of mere endurance and patience would eventually break him.

But since emerging from the Monster Forest, Rashid showed no signs of such instability. Yes, he now possessed a strong will to live. He was no longer merely fulfilling his duties out of necessity but actively shaping his life.

And so, it was time to speak. They were now confident that he would be fine even without the protection of the two people who had always guarded him.

“I should tell you what I told my grandfather yesterday.”

Rashid rose from his chair and approached Thelma, still kneeling. Though he had never shown her much affection, even in childhood, he reached out and embraced her.

“I know that was the best you could do. Even if it wasn’t the best back then, you did everything to protect and care for me afterward. I’ve moved on from the past. I hope others, too, will no longer be bound by it.”

He spoke gently to the stunned Thelma, “And you know, Thelma, I have already fallen in love with the daughter of my enemy.”

Ultimately, it was Rigaina who changed him so profoundly. It was astounding how one person could transform another in such a way.

“Master Rashid, you are sincere to Rigaina…”

“Yes, I love her.”

Seeing him so openly declare his love made Thelma chuckle. It was rare for a Quat man to speak so openly about his feelings for his lover. From what she knew, only Lycaon frequently expressed his feelings to Elysia.

“Indeed, Rashid, you resemble Lycaon so much. Saying such sweet things without a hint of embarrassment…”

Rashid laughed lightly at this. “Really? Then I’m glad I take after my father. She truly loves it whenever I express myself like this.”

He no longer denied his resemblance to his father, which was a testament to how much he had moved on from his past.

***

“Good heavens, ha!” Benny clicked her tongue repeatedly. Feeling embarrassed, Rosetta only wiggled her fingers submerged in the water.

“The Riga really went too far. How could he make you look like this in three days, what the hell is this?”

“It’s not that bad…”

“Shall I bring you a mirror?”

“…No.”