Chapter 151 – Meeting In The Western Kingdom (2)
That moment, Rashta was at the western tower with Sovieshu. There were several other n.o.bles present, along with two journalists.
“These are the people claiming to be your parents, Rashta.”
Sovieshu presented the couple to Rashta. She exchanged a few words with each of them carefully, and Sovieshu calmly watched.
He didn’t know whether the Blue Bohean couple were truly her parents. He had had them interrogated, and there were several plausible reasons why Rashta could be considered their biological daughter. Amba.s.sador Lingall also confirmed this information advance, and reported it a few days after the couple arrived.
Whether they were Rashta’s true parents or not, Baron Lant’s couple had to confess that they were fake. If both couples were revealed to be frauds, then another couple would have to be brought in again. At least this time, they could claim they found out about Rashta through the newspapers…
“Ah.”
Rashta’s sigh entered Sovieshu’s ears, and he turned and glanced at her. Her eyes were wet as she stood in front of the door of the Blue Bohean couple’s cell.
“I think these are my parents.”
The n.o.ble couple also began crying.
“We don’t know how long we have been searching for you.”
“We could only think about how much you had suffered.”
It was a truly emotional reunion. The journalists’ hands quickly flew over their notebooks, and several n.o.ble onlookers were dewy-eyed. None of them asked for proof of a blood test, as doing so was considered shameful among both n.o.bles and commoners. It was never used except for the most necessary of circ.u.mstances.
After the brief reunion, Sovieshu ordered the prison guards to open the cell door. The n.o.ble couple walked out, and they pulled Rashta into their arms and cried again. Sovieshu waited a moment for them to calm down, then issued them a warning in a low voice.
“If you are frauds, keep in mind that your necks will be on the execution stand.”
The Blue Bohean couple’s eyes were wide with fright, but they nodded. Rashta guided them away to her room. As Duke Elgy advised, she would treat them just like her parents. Just for now.
However, when they arrived in front of her chambers, an unpleasant man was standing right outside her door. Rashta stiffened at the sight of him, but she kept her voice steady.
“What’s going on?”
“I came as your guardian. What is this?”
“My guardian? Why are you my guardian?”
Rashta calmly presented her new parents.
“These are my guardians.”
“Guardians? Are they the ones in the newspaper? They claimed to be your parents?”
“I’m not arguing with you.”
Viscount Roteschu huffed angrily.
“No, they’re frauds!”
Viscount Roteschu’s outburst gave Rashta a sense of satisfaction. It made her gleeful to see him squirm.
“My parents are not frauds!”
Rashta yelled at him outright, and Viscount Roteschu only grew even more purple in the face.
“Parents!”
Instead of answering, Rashta took her parents into her room.
“He’ll go away.”
When the door closed, Martha, one of the parents, spoke in concern.
“Are you alright?”
“Fine.”
Rashta answered in a brusque manner and gestured for them to sit on the couch. She sat across from them and looked at each of them awkwardly.
“Martha and Gillimt…is that what you said your names were?”
“Yes.”
“Thank you for saying we’re your real parents, Miss Rashta.”
They conversed for a while. Marsha and Gillimt had very kind personalities—was it because Duke Elgy had chosen them? They were so warm and caring that Rashta wished that they were her real parents. The more she talked with them, the more she wished it was real.
“I don’t know if you’ve heard from Duke Elgy, but we really lost two daughters.”
“We were forced to flee when we were attacked by a group of bandits. Each child was taken by a nanny…and we have never heard of them since.”
“We had been looking for our daughters all this time.”
“We looked for so long, and shamefully used up the entirety of our fortune.”
Marsha and Gillimt each took one of Rashta’s hands and held it tightly.
“One child is the same age as Miss Rashta. The second is a few years younger.”
“We’re still looking for her.”
“There’s still one more daughter.”
After briefly sharing their story, they asked about Rashta; what she liked, how she had been, why her hands looked so scarred…
As Rashta talked about the past, she cried and hugged her parents. Although they were fake parents hired to wipe away her past ident.i.ty, being loved by these people filled her heart. She had been worried whether they wanted to use her like Viscount Roteschu, but it seemed like she wouldn’t have to worry about it.
“Rashta is an orphan…but if I had my parents, they would be the same as you.”
***
Viscount Roteschu returned home in a much fouler mood than Rashta. He would never forget her rejection. He had been a.s.saulted and maimed by Koshar because of her, while she enjoyed herself as she covered up her ident.i.ty and took in fake parents.
This was unacceptable. What ideas would she get later after she gave birth to the Emperor’s baby?
“I must take the initiative.”
***
Koshar finally arrived in the capital of the Western Kingdom, and was pa.s.sing through the palace gates. In just a few days, the man who escorted him had fallen in love with Koshar and regaled him with various stories. The man had heard rumors Koshar was a terrible rogue, but didn’t find it to be necessarily true. Koshar indeed had a fiery personality and a short temper, but he wasn’t as extreme as the rumors suggested.
However, the man was most enamored with Koshar’s fighting abilities. The decisive incident occurred when they encountered a group of bandits at the border. Koshar easily dealt with the ten bandits by himself, and to the man’s eyes, he was the attractive villain in a hero’s story.
“If I were a woman, I would certainly fall in love with Lord Koshar.”
“I want you to carefully consider my thoughts.”
“Something good?”
“I see you have no regard for them.”
“Hahaha! I actually have a sister who looks like me. She’s not yet married.”
“Did we arrive? Ah, there.”
“Lord Koshar? Lord Koshar! Not that way! Come back!”
The man managed to catch Koshar and bring him to the prearranged meeting place.
To Koshar’s surprise, King Heinley was already waiting for him there. A message was sent when Koshar had pa.s.sed through the main gates, but he didn’t expect the king to welcome him at his immediate arrival.
Why was King Heinley so eager to see Koshar Lilder Troby?