Please Answer Me - Chapter 93

“We can’t just sit back and do nothing. If the supply of Magic Stones is cut off, the whole world will know the truth. They’ll realize that what we’ve been wielding isn’t divine power granted by the gods but merely the power of these stones!”

Their conversation continued. Despite her young age, Rosetta understood their words perfectly. What they said contradicted everything she knew. It was all a lie. The royal family of Lysa didn’t possess any special powers from birth. They had been pretending to be special by using the power of Magic Stones.

The unbreakable swords, the palace and roads that remained intact for a thousand years, all these were not the work of the royal family’s power but the incredible magic of the Magic Stones.

“We should have dealt with those bastards back then.”

Her grandfather’s voice, filled with hatred, sent shivers down Rosetta’s spine.

“Or if ‘it’ had been born at a time like this, it would have been helpful.”

Rosetta was pondering what he meant by ‘it’ when her grandfather suddenly stopped speaking.

“Something’s strange. The Magic Stones seem to be reacting to something…”

Hearing his low voice, Rosetta hurriedly covered her mouth. The sound of footsteps grew closer. As Rosetta was about to pass out from fear, she heard a cat’s meow nearby, followed by the shriek of a dying rat.

The footsteps stopped abruptly. Her grandfather muttered softly, “It was reacting to the blood. How on earth did a cat get in here?”

After a brief conversation, they left. Rosetta sighed in relief, but just then, the lid of the box suddenly opened.

It was her father. Rosetta felt a mix of guilt for doing something wrong and relief at seeing her father.

“Rosetta, you must never come here! You must never let your grandfather see you!”

He grabbed her arms and shook her, yelling furiously. His words were too fast and too agitated. The terrified Rosetta understood only two things clearly: she must never come here again, and she must avoid her grandfather as much as possible. She etched those two things deeply into her heart.

She remembered that clearly, so why did she go back there again? For what reason?

Rosetta sighed softly. When she heard that Lysa was trying to extract something from Arden, she immediately knew it was the Magic Stones. They must have accidentally discovered that the land here contained Magic Stones. More than ten years ago, the supply was already running low, so Lysa must have been desperate for them.

That was why she couldn’t tell Rashid. Despite her feelings for him, she couldn’t reveal Lysa’s secret as a princess.

If this secret were to be exposed, the authority and sanctity of Lysa’s royal family would plummet. It wouldn’t just be a loss of authority. The nobles of Lysa, who had been oppressed by the royal family, would rise in rebellion, and neighboring countries would no longer fear Lysa.

Lysa had already lost much of its influence over its former colonies, Arden and Katan. Now, they were under threat from the eastern tribes. If the true nature of the royal family were revealed in this situation…

Twilight.

Rosetta recalled what Rashid had once said about Lysa. He had said that Lysa was in its twilight, burning beautifully just before everything sank. That’s what he meant. Things she couldn’t see from within Lysa were now visible. Perhaps Lysa had already exhausted its strength. It might fall sooner than expected, struggling to hold on.

Rosetta was momentarily surprised at herself. While Rashid could view things coldly from an outsider’s perspective, how could she, who was born and raised in Lysa, think this way?

Trying to shake off her gloomy thoughts, Rosetta scribbled with her pen again. This time, she wrote Rashid’s name in Levantine script. In fact, this name was hers as well. When read in Lysa’s language, it became Rosetta, and in Arden’s, it was Rashid. She understood what Asion meant when he titled his song only after learning this script.

Looking at the name, Rosetta smiled bitterly.

I suppose I must return to Lysa for now…

Rashid had suggested they find a way to be together, and Rosetta had been contemplating this earnestly. How could they be together?

No clear solution came to mind. But one thing was certain: if she stayed here any longer, Rashid would eventually be seen as a shameless barbarian who kidnapped his wife.

This might not be a significant issue here, but in Lysa, it was a different matter. His honor would be tarnished, and her family would never accept it. No matter how much they pleaded their case, no one would believe them.

Of course, returning home didn’t present a clear solution either. But it seemed too irresponsible to stay hidden here and let Rashid take all the blame. Perhaps it would be better to return and find a solution before the planned travel period ends. That way, Rashid could cover up the fact that he had kidnapped her, and she could declare her intention to marry him.

To show that she truly loved him.

Rosetta added more letters in front of Rashid’s name on the paper.

I love Rashid…

“What are you writing?”

“Ah!”

Startled by the unexpected voice right beside her, Rosetta quickly covered the paper with her body. When had he come in? Rashid stood next to her, looking at the paper.

“What’s this? Why sneak up on me and spy without making a sound?”

“I knocked. You didn’t hear.”

Rashid bent over to get a better look at the paper, and Rosetta covered it even more thoroughly. He made a thoughtful noise, rubbing his chin.

“But I think your spelling is wrong. The last letter should be angled outward, not inward.”

“Oh, really?”

The moment Rosetta inadvertently moved, he snatched the paper away.

“Really? Are you serious?”

Rosetta jumped up and reached for it, but he held it high, flaunting his long arms. Ignoring the other haphazardly scribbled words, he focused intently on the last sentence and chuckled.

“I love Rashid?”

“That’s my name, not yours!”

Dodging Rosetta’s flailing hands, Rashid pointed to the first-person pronoun at the beginning.

“But it says ‘I.’ Were you trying to write that you love yourself?”

“Didn’t you know? I have incredibly high self-esteem.”

Finally snatching the paper back, she slipped it into a book and quickly closed it. Rashid, uncharacteristically, looked rather displeased.

“I tell you I love you ten times, and you hardly ever say it. Now you won’t even write it?”

“…I’ll write you a letter later.”

Still too shy to say “I love you,” Rosetta found it easier to promise a letter, making Rashid beam.

“Really?”

Rosetta nodded, wondering if it was really that big a deal.

“When?”

“…Someday.”

“Can’t you do it now?”

“Do I look like your personal scribe? Not now.”

With that, Rashid slipped his hands under her knees and lifted her up.

“Then I’ll hold you now.”

Even though he’d do it anyway, his pretense was endearing. Smiling, Rosetta kissed his cheek.

Rashid laid her on the bed, burying his face in her neck. Rosetta stroked his hair and asked, “Is everything with the Grand Elder settled now?”

The once powerful Grand Elder’s family had fallen completely during the days she was confined to this room. He was imprisoned, and disarming his private soldiers had ended without major conflict.

Rashid’s promise to handle everything was no idle boast. Rosetta realized anew that Rashid was a man who always achieved what he set his mind to.

“Yes, you don’t need to worry about it anymore.”

The hidden meaning in his words made Rosetta smile softly. As his lips trailed downwards and her breathing quickened, Benny’s words suddenly came to mind.

“By the way, the meat pie I made for you before… was it really rabbit meat?”

Rashid paused, lifting his head with a curious look. “…Why bring that up now?”

“Benny mentioned it. She said it was actually something else, but she couldn’t tell me and said I should ask you. What was it, really?”

Rashid burst into laughter, his eyes sparkling mischievously. “Want to know? Do you really want to know the exact name of that meat in Lysa’s language?”

“…What was it?”