Chapter 76
But does the fact that there has been no contact so far mean that something happened there?
“I thought if I stayed here, they’d come to rescue me soon….”
Rashid’s jaw tightened for a moment at the casual muttering. Rosetta realized that he might take what she had just said the wrong way. He might think that she had been here waiting for Allen to come to her rescue.
“I’m….”
But Rosetta quickly realized that she had nothing else to say to make excuses. Either that, or she was thinking about a future with him. That was not the case. She’d always thought that even if she broke up with Iselle, she wouldn’t be able to be with him. Her parents would never allow it.
She’d been waiting for Allen to come anyway, vaguely thinking that once the promised period was over and the Croa chief had taken Rosie off his hands once and for all, she’d return to Lysa with him.
Rosetta bit her lip hard. She reached for the hem of her skirt, then remembered what he’d said before and hid her hand behind her back. He’d told her not to show her hands if she didn’t want to be read. And her eyes too.
But even if she could hide her hands, she couldn’t bring herself to look at him with unconcerned eyes. If she looked at him now, she felt like tears would spill over. Rosetta looked away.
“…What are you going to do now that you know who I am?”
When she’d first met him, she’d thought that once he realized who she was, he’d take advantage of her and make unreasonable demands on her. It was a relationship built on ill will. If she really was behind what happened to his parents, he wouldn’t want to blow such a good opportunity. Holding her life in his hands meant that he was playing into King Lysa’s weakness.
As she waited for his answer, he suddenly spoke up.
“A few days ago, a delegation came from Basque. They wanted their kidnapped bride back.”
Rosetta looked up and looked at him in surprise.
“A delegation from Basque? I’ve never heard of such a thing.”
“Because I sent them back. They only made it as far as the outer gates before they turned back without setting foot inside.”
She wanted to ask him why, but she couldn’t; his answer would break her heart.
“At the time, I just thought the unexpected visits were strange, but maybe…. No, right. Now I know for sure: the delegation came to pick you up, Princess Lysa, not the daughter of the Basque chief.”
“Was, was there a man named Allen among them?”
“Allen?”
“Allen is my escort, so if they were really here to pick me up, he must have been there.”
“Is he the one you mentioned before as an old friend or something? So he’s not a friend, but an escort.”
He remembered everything about her from before, down to the smallest detail. Everything, down to the tiniest detail.
“I don’t know if he was with the delegation. But it’s likely he was.”
There was a pause. He seemed to be thinking about something, and then he asked a question.
“So who is Iselle?”
Rosetta clasped her hands together at the sudden name. She could no longer hide the fact that her hands were shaking violently.
Even more than the question of how he knew the name, she felt terrible that she had to answer this question. It was all too obvious what he would think of the way she, a woman who already had a fiancé, had treated him so far.
“…Iselle, Iselle, is my fiancé.”
“Duke Iselle Scallion, the next Archduke of Hezen?”
“Yes.”
He didn’t look angry, nor did he try to question her further; he simply closed and opened his eyes slowly, as if organizing all his thoughts based on the information he had so far.
“…I see.”
After a moment, he stared at Rosetta in silence. Nothing could be read in his clear blue eyes.
“I will summon the delegation back.”
His expression was calm as he looked at Rosetta, and his words were soft.
“They will not have reached Basque yet, so I’ll send a swift messenger to catch up with them. When they arrive, you’ll leave here with them.”
Rosetta looked at him blankly. There was no way she could keep up with this pace.
“You want me to… leave here with them?”
“This is entirely my mistake, my fault, and I will do everything in my power to ensure that you are not harmed by it. If you want me to keep what has happened a secret, I will, and if you want an apology, I will formally apologize to Lysa, but in any case, your reputation will be protected. You came here under a misunderstanding, but as a guest, you were treated with great care.”
He closed his lips for a moment, then opened them again.
“And if this should result in the breakup of your engagement, I will make ample material compensation….”
“Enough!”
A sharp voice cut through the air. Rosetta bit her lip until it bled, her eyes burning, but she managed to keep the tears from spilling over.
“I don’t even want that.”
I wish he’d be mad at me for lying about my identity on purpose. Or criticize me for playing tricks on him when I had a fiancé.
Then I could have used that as an excuse to cry.
“I mind my own business, which means it’s none of your business.”
Or, he could have tried to take advantage of Lysa’s weakness, and I wouldn’t have felt so abandoned. At least then he’d still have the will to hold on somehow.
Right now, he was disposing of her as if she were an item that had outlived its usefulness. Without any emotion, as if to say that the damage was done and he would make it up to her. It made Rosetta feel even more miserable.
So this is what he’s like, to cut a person’s ties.
So easily. So quickly.
“Then do what you want. I’ll reveal your identity after you leave, so I expect you to keep it a secret until then. And until the delegation comes, you’re free to stay as free as you’ve been until now. You….”
He looked like he was chewing on a grain of sand for a moment before returning to his normal expression.
“…If you need anything while you’re here, Princess, I’ll try to accommodate you as best I can. Just speak to Benny or Thelma as you have before.”
She’d thought of that when she’d first met him, seeing how rude he’d been to her. How surprised he’d be to find out she was a princess, and how refreshing it would be to see him be so polite.
But when the time came, it wasn’t a pleasant surprise or a pleasant feeling at all, only the realization that there was an unbridgeable gap between them.
“Then, rest.”
As he turned away, Rosetta said, her voice trembling.
“…You don’t have to call me Princess.”
His steps toward the door halted.
“I don’t even need an honorific. Just do what you always do.”
Swallowing hard, Rosetta said, feeling a churning in her chest.
“My name is Rosetta. Just call me Rosetta.”
Rashid didn’t say anything in response; he just walked out of the room without looking back. Left alone in the room, Rosetta burst into tears she had been holding back.
***
[…Something’s not right.]
The moment Mark’s words fell, Sika and Benny simultaneously looked at him.
[It’s really weird, isn’t it?]
[As expected, I wasn’t the only one who thought so!]
The atmosphere within the castle had been really strange lately. To be precise, the relationship between Riga and Rigaina.
Their relationship had been strained before, but not to this extent.
These days, it was like walking on thin ice every day, and the castle’s workers, keenly aware of their masters’ moods, barely made a sound.
[Rigaina lost her smile altogether….]
Benny muttered in a somber voice. Rigaina’s daily routine was not much different from the usual. In the morning, she would wake up, eat a light meal, and learn to ride. In the afternoon, she helped with the dyeing, learned Ardennese from Benny, and then went to sleep. Riga used to be part of this routine, but lately he had been completely absent. At the same time, the laughter disappeared.
When the usually sunny person stopped smiling at all, even those who didn’t pay much attention to her became concerned. What’s going on?
It was as if a winter cold snap had suddenly arrived before summer had even ended. It’s strange, because she’s been with them for less than a month, and the atmosphere itself has changed just by her not smiling.
[Sika, how are things going on the training ground?]
At Mark’s question, Sika wrapped his arms around himself and sulked.
[Scary. I’m really scared of Riga these days!]
The man who was usually strict but never pushed his soldiers too hard was now gripping them like they were rats, and they truly felt their lives were in danger, especially when they dueled with him. It was only now that they realized just how much he had been wielding his sword with consideration for his opponents.
[He swung his sword without giving any consideration, and I thought someone was going to get killed. My fellows kept asking me to fight Riga because I was the closest to him, but I only did it once or twice. Last time, I blocked Riga’s attack and ended up on the floor, and wouldn’t you know it, the sword ended up between my legs. If I hadn’t been a second too late, it would have gone right through there! At that time, I thought I would become a eunuch….]
Suddenly, Benny shouted indignantly.
[D- Don’t be a eunuch!]