At the peak of the fateful negotiation between Esther and Mordecai, the chain of communication is suddenly broken. After Esther delivers her hesitant reply about approaching the king, the narrative shifts unexpectedly. The single messenger who had been carrying their words back and forth vanishes from the story, replaced by an unnamed group of messengers. This sudden change raises a compelling question about what happened to the original messenger and who stepped in to take his place.
The primary approach among commentators explains his absence through a psychological rule of etiquette: one does not deliver bad news. Because Esther initially refused Mordecai's request to go to the king, the messenger did not want to be the one to bring back such a disappointing answer [תורה תמימה, מנות הלוי, אור חדש]. To avoid this unpleasant task, he passed the mission on to other people [מלבי״ם, תורה תמימה]. Alternatively, his name was intentionally left out of the record so he would not be remembered as a bearer of bad news, even though he was actually part of the group that delivered the message [אור חדש].
From a more practical standpoint, others suggest the messenger was afraid to make a third trip. He worried that Haman would notice his movements and suspect him of plotting with the queen. To protect him, different people were sent instead. Esther specifically chose to send multiple messengers together to ensure her reply would reach Mordecai, even if one of them backed out [אור חדש]. These new couriers were likely two of Esther's officers [אבן עזרא] or her maidens, as relaying this straightforward message no longer required the original messenger's unique wisdom [אור חדש].
A more dramatic tradition suggests that the original messenger paid for this mission with his life. When Haman noticed him frequently coming and going, he suspected the courier was working on Mordecai's behalf and secretly had him killed. Following his murder, God sent the angels Michael and Gabriel from heaven to complete the task and deliver Esther's words [יוסף אבן יחיא, מנות הלוי, אור חדש]. These angels delivered the message harshly, as they were angry at Esther for refusing Mordecai. Because angels only know what God directly reveals to them, they were unaware of Esther's deeper thoughts and hidden reasons for hesitating [מנות הלוי].
Finally, a unique allegorical perspective suggests there were no external messengers at all. Instead, the group delivering the message represents Mordecai's own mental faculties. Esther's logical arguments had permeated his mind, and all his inner thoughts gathered together, unanimously agreeing with her points and presenting her arguments back to him [מחיר יין].