Please Answer Me - Chapter 99

09. Reunion

Some houses were blackened and charred from fire. The market, which had been bustling with people just days ago, now lay in eerie silence. Iselle gazed at the scene with indifferent eyes.

“The damage to the village doesn’t seem as severe as I expected,” Iselle remarked.

The man following behind him responded, “The villagers fled to the castle upon seeing us approach. They fled with remarkable speed.”

The villagers had quickly evacuated upon seeing the Katan tribe approach. Women, the elderly, and children were the first to hide, while the men moved goods from the storage and fought back before finally retreating to the castle. This indicated that they were well-prepared for emergencies.

“We were ordered to merely stir up the village, so we didn’t pursue them aggressively,” the man added hastily, fearing Iselle might blame him for any inadequacies. Iselle nodded lightly.

“This is precisely what I wanted,” he said, stepping further into the village. The man followed Iselle closely, scrutinizing the unexpected arrival from two days ago.

Initially, he had thought this man was insane to reveal his identity in such a far-flung northern region. The idea that someone from Hezen, so far away, and soon to be the son-in-law of the King of Lysa, would appear here was beyond belief.

But there was more. Iselle carried a letter with the seal of Basa, the leader of the tribal alliance. It commanded obedience to Iselle. Moreover, one of the two men who had accompanied him was unmistakably Basa’s subordinate.

‘What schemes are being plotted behind the scenes for a Hezen noble to issue orders?’

Though perplexing, the man’s orders had to be followed. As the chieftain of a small tribe, his power was limited, while Basa still wielded significant influence over all the Katan tribes. Disobeying could mean being torn limb from limb.

“According to the plan, Nazar Quat will arrive within three days, correct?”

“Yes, sir. Likely by tomorrow or the day after. But…”

The man hesitated and moved closer to Iselle.

“Are you sure about this? I doubt the Duke fully understands our situation here. Nazar Quat is truly fearsome. If he decides to attack us, we’re as good as dead…”

“He won’t have the time for that,” Iselle interrupted.

“Pardon?”

Iselle’s violet-red eyes glanced at him. “He’ll have to return to Edirne soon after arriving here because he’ll have to deal with the repercussions of his theft.”

Though the man didn’t fully grasp Iselle’s meaning, it was clear that plans were in place.

“That’s a relief!” he exclaimed with a laugh of relief. Just then, he noticed movement among the ruins of a collapsed house. Initially thinking it was a dog, he saw a small arm emerge.

It was a boy, about ten years old, bleeding from his leg. It was a wonder he had survived with such a wound.

“Ah!”

The boy, seeing a man in Katan tribal garb, was terrified. His eyes then turned to Iselle, and he crawled toward him, clinging to his leg and crying out.

[S-save me, please!]

The man clicked his tongue. It seemed being handsome and well-groomed had its advantages. It made people instinctively seek protection.

But what to do with the boy? His leg could be treated, and he might make a useful slave…

Just as the thought crossed his mind, Iselle reached for his waist. In an instant, he drew his sword and slit the boy’s throat. The small, round head separated from the body and fell to the side.

“……”

The man gulped. Iselle gazed impassively at the small hand still clutching his leg. With a flick of his foot, he dislodged the hand and spoke.

“Enough. Let’s go back.”

“…Yes.”

Keeping a cautious distance, the man followed Iselle, his spine tingling.

‘This guy is dangerous!’

It wasn’t just because he killed someone. There were many who would kill women or children if necessary.

What made Iselle truly frightening was his eyes. He showed no guilt or hesitation in killing the boy. There was no attempt to flaunt his power. His eyes, devoid of human emotion, suggested he did not regard people as humans.

The eyes of a bloodthirsty slayer.

The man instinctively realized that the Duke possessed those very eyes.

***

Rashid had left.

Life hadn’t changed much after his departure, except for the noticeable absence of many soldiers who had been guarding the castle alongside him.

In the meantime, Rosetta had finished the final stages of dyeing. She and Benny packed the beautifully dyed fabrics and threads into boxes.

“So, we’re going to show these to the Lysa nobles?” Benny asked.

“Yes.”

“Do you think they’ll like them? They’ve only ever seen the best of everything.”

“They’ll love them. They’re so beautiful, even to my eyes,” Rosetta replied, caressing a piece of rose-colored fabric with a smile. She could already envision the nobles’ excitement when they saw the samples, predicting they would sell like hotcakes.

“True, they are gorgeous. Anyone would think an angel descended from heaven if they wore clothes made from this,” Benny marveled, gazing at the fabric with an enchanted look. While the two women discussed the fabrics, Sika, sitting nearby, kept yawning, his eyes watering from boredom.

“Sika, if you’re sleepy, you can go rest,” Rosetta suggested.

Sika shook his head vehemently. “No, I can’t. Riga told me to stay close to you and keep you safe.”

Since Rashid’s departure, Sika had not left Rosetta’s side. Allen had been overprotective, but Sika was even more so.

“Leave him be. It’s not like he has anything else to do anyway,” Benny remarked.

“Hey, I do a lot of things! I’m busy keeping an eye out for any suspicious people,” Sika retorted.

“How could there be any suspicious people when we’re inside the castle? Just don’t fall asleep and make sure you protect Regina while Riga is away,” Benny said.

“I agree. Anyway, Riga worries too much,” Rosetta added.

She felt the same way. It would have been better if Sika had gone with Rashid, considering his Katan background might have been useful. She couldn’t understand why Rashid had insisted on leaving Sika behind, especially since the Grand Elder was already taken care of.

After spending the entire day indoors, Rosetta took a light stroll around the castle in the afternoon. The breeze felt cooler, reminding her of the passage of time.

During her walk, she heard a commotion near the castle gate.

“What’s going on?”

Sika quickly ran to check and returned shortly. “It’s nothing for you to worry about, Regina. Someone is causing a scene, demanding to be let into the castle.”

“Who is it?”

“It’s Ethel’s father.”

Rosetta remembered Rashid’s words from before he left, saying he would prevent the man from entering the castle during his absence.

“Why is that man behaving like this? He made such a fuss about wanting a divorce, and now he’s refusing to go through with it,” Benny fumed.

As Benny said, Ethel’s father was now stubbornly refusing the divorce, tearfully claiming he still loved his wife and wanted to start over. Given the laws and customs favoring men, the divorce process was dragging on.

Despite her love for Rashid and this place, Rosetta disliked such customs. She wished she could change things, not just a one-time thing like rescuing Ethel and her mother, but in a way that provided ongoing, meaningful help to many.

That night, lying in bed, Rosetta pondered these thoughts. She wanted to make this place better, to enrich not just materially but to transform its societal structures into more just and progressive ones.

Ah, so this is what it means to have will and hope, she thought, smiling to herself. For the first time, she had something she earnestly wished to accomplish. Even if she couldn’t change the world, she wanted to fill the gaps and correct the wrongs for those around her.

She fell asleep with these thoughts, only to be awakened by a loud bang.

Bang!

Rosetta opened her eyes to a darkened room and felt a sense of foreboding. Sharp noises and shouting echoed from afar. She threw off the covers and placed her feet on the floor just as the door burst open.

Sika entered and quickly turned away, noticing she was only wearing a tunic.

“Put something on, quickly,” he urged.

Rosetta hurriedly threw on a housecoat and approached him. “Sika, what’s going on?”

“I’m not entirely sure. It seems a group has entered the castle…”

Bang! A loud noise sounded again, much closer this time. Sika listened at the door for a moment, then quickly locked it and barricaded it with a table. He led Rosetta to the innermost part of the room, pressed her against the wall, and stood in front of her, drawing his swords from both sides of his waist.

“What about Benny and Thelma? Are they safe?”

“I told them to stay hidden until it’s safe. They know coming out would only cause trouble, so they’ll stay put.”

Sika, with his two swords crossed and eyes fixed on the door, looked entirely different from his usual self. Gone was the young boy; in his place was a battle-hardened warrior. His cold gaze sent chills down Rosetta’s spine.

Rosetta brought her trembling hand to her lips. Who could it be? Was it the Grand Elder’s faction, or perhaps a group from the Katan tribe? If Sika didn’t know, there was no way Rosetta could either.