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“You’ve been through a lot, Your Majesty.”
“…”
“It’s all over now.”
He realized it the moment he heard it. Beside all the misfortunes he experienced this year, he knew that she was always with him.
She seemed to be just watching him one step away, but she always stood up for him and comforted him when he needed it.
So it was concluded that he should no longer wait for her to agree to improving their relationship.
So, he deliberately went to Louis’ room at the time she came and waited, and first visited the Empress’ Palace to go to the Great Hall together.
He decided he should approach her first. Maybe she also had a story that she couldn’t tell like himself.
Maybe that was why she was pushing him away.
He didn’t know what it was, but he was sure there was something.
He could be sure of the expression that became serious after meeting the high priest, and the way she was sobbing alone in the room after dismissing the maids.
He was sure she had a big secret on her own.
What was it?… What made her cry so sadly?
But now, hugging the woman came first. He wanted to comfort her in a hurry.
Whatever the secret she carried, it wasn’t more important than that.
“It’s alright.”
Perhaps she would have done so if she had been in the opposite position.
She might think it was funny if she knew what he was thinking, but yeah, funnily enough, he was convinced.
“Stay where you are.”
He patted her after her crying for a long time, and as her crying subsided, he heard her absurd lies.
“I bit my tongue while eating candy.”
He looked at her face because he was amazed by the excuse that even a child wouldn’t believe.
The fact that she didn’t want to tell him the truth caused a strange sense of pride, and he was going to tempt her to tell him honestly this time…
‘…’
As soon as he checked her face full of tears, unknown emotions hit him like waves.
The identity was not known exactly, but the fact that it was never pure was certain. Surprisingly, it was a sultry and dangerous feeling.
Wilhelm’s hand naturally went to her cheek.
Soft cheeks wet with tears moved his heart in an unknown direction.
His stomach was aching, and his heart was beating fast.
“Don’t hold it in.”
Who on earth was that to?
Though he thought it was a terribly hypocritical remark, his soaring instinct fueled him in a sinister direction.
At that moment, he decided to change the direction of temptation.
“I can fix it for you.”
Before he could solve his curiosity, he felt like he had to solve something else, something more urgent.
“It’s not like you did it on purpose.”
No, she was wrong. He couldn’t confess that to her because he thought he would look like trash in front of her, who was muttering innocently.
The kiss was like drinking seawater.
It was still not enough to swallow her, like thirsting even after drinking seawater.
He couldn’t even guess how much more he had to drink to get rid of this thirst. He wanted a bigger one, a deeper one, a more stark one.
The moment he unwittingly reached down at the foot of such desire-
“Ah…”
The soft moan that had penetrated deep into his ear pierced his brain like a thunderbolt, and at the same time, he had a hunch.
If he didn’t stop now, he didn’t know how far he’d go.
So he hurriedly stopped the situation. He squeezed every last drop of reason and separated from her.
Although it took some time as instinct was still persistently holding on to him, the situation ended safely.
The problem was next.
“Ha…”
The warmth of that time, the sound of that time, and the scent of that time, vividly dominated his brain even as time passed. It was as if that time had been stuffed in its original form and engraved in his head.
Wilhelm was bewildered as he thought of her, thinking of her from time to time, or more often than he thought.
He didn’t expect to do something he didn’t do even when he was an adolescent boy before he turned thirty.
An unexpected addiction appeared as an unexpected withdrawal phenomenon, stimulating and tormenting him from time to time.
“…Is it because I’ve been overdoing it lately?”
“I think so.”
He was muttering to himself.
Wilhelm turned his head in surprise when he heard a familiar voice answering. Colton was approaching him with an innocent face.
“Your face turned red. You’re not old enough to hit menopause yet.”
“…”
“Get some more sleep.”
It was a reasonable point. Maybe he went crazy because he slept too little.
He shook his head quickly and sprayed the perfume he had left on the desk twice.
Colton snapped when he saw it.
“You wear that perfume often these days.”
“Yes.”
“You seem to like it somehow.”
“Well.”
What’s that rude answer? If you don’t like it, there’s no reason to spray it for days.
In response to the unkind answer, Colton tilted his head, narrowing his brows.
But his unkindness wasn’t the thing of yesterday and today, so he didn’t have to ask more. Instead, he posed another question.
“Where are you going?”
“To the Empress.”
…ah?
Only then did Colton made an expression of understanding.
“Oh, that’s why…”
“What is that reaction?”
“That’s why you put on perfume.”
Colton smiled significantly.
“You usually don’t care about things like that.”
“…what are you talking about?”
Wilhelm replied with his brows narrowed.
“Usually it was just annoying.”
“Yes, if you say so.”
Colton shrugged his shoulders, not losing the smile.
“And that would mean that now is a situation where you’re willing to bear the annoyance.”
“…”
“Well, there’s nothing that can be liked like a fragrance.”
“… what?”
“No, good idea anyway. So, you’re going to the Empress’ Palace?”
“…”
A quick-witted child.
Wilhelm sighed briefly and then opened his mouth as if making an excuse.
“It’s my… … own effort. Anyway, I decided to approach her first.”
“Well, that’s a very good decision. Any improvement in your relationship is always welcome.”
Colton added with a smile.
“Of course, you shouldn’t start with fluttering.”
“… Noisy.”
“Anyway, you often go to the Empress’ Palace these days. It seems that you are really determined?”
“Then what do you mean?”
Wilhelm replied with a snort.
“I haven’t seen her once this week.”
~~~~
After Anastasia agreed, Wilhelm went to see Anastasia steadily.
Honestly, without an official event, they wouldn’t be able to meet, so gosh couldn’t see each other’s faces unless either of the two decided to visit the other’s palace or meet in Louis’ room.
Anastasia agreed with Wilhelm’s proposal during the last Goddess’ memorial service, but she never thought of coming his way first.
‘Then I have to go first from my direction.’
Wilhelm headed for the Empress’ Palace, taking it lightly. Every step he took, the scent he chose based on Anastasia’s taste was gently scattered.
But…
“Sorry, Your Majesty. But Her Majesty…”
“Are you saying she’s not here today?”
“Yes…”
Selene bowed her head in front of Wilhelm, helpless with a bewildered face. Wilhelm looked astonished but now there was no surprise.
‘…again.’
For a week, she was absent every time he went.
At first, he thought it was just a coincidence. However, as it was repeated over and over again, no matter how much he tried to ignore it, he had no choice but to realize.
‘You’re avoiding me.’
The evidence was that she never visited him, even though she must have heard from the maids.
“Where did she go?”
“What?”
“Where did the Empress go?”
Wilhelm said no more.
“I’m going to go see her in person.”
He couldn’t figure out what the hell she was doing.
‘Was your consent just empty words?’
He didn’t think she would have done something like that to fool him… … He didn’t want to think too much.
But for now, it was true that such a thought was inevitable.
He was secretly angry, but Wilhelm decided to suppress it for now.
He was planning to withhold any judgment until he met in person and looked at the situation.
But Selene’s next answer was unexpected.
“Ah, that… … she went to the prayer room.”
Wilhelm narrowed his brow in disbelief.
“…Prayer room?”
After she became Empress, she had never visited her prayer room.
All of a sudden? Did she now have a sense of faithfulness that she didn’t have?
“You’re not lying, are you?”
“That can’t be true. What kind of safety…”
Selene replied hurriedly.
“She has been going to the prayer room frequently for the past few days. It’s true.”
“… continuously?”
“Yes. Once she goes, she will come back after hours.”
A woman who never even walked into the prayer room suddenly came to camp there for hours?
Wilhelm went to the prayer room, wondering if she was crazy. He couldn’t understand why this was happening.
In the Imperial Palace, there was a small palace where prayers could be offered to the goddess Rosenia, arranged in a prayer room near the Goddess’ garden.
Wilhelm went there, without hesitation, looking for the place where Anastasia could be, and moved on.
[Praying]
There was only one of the many prayer rooms with a door with a sign hanging on it.
After thinking for a while, he finally sighed and stopped on the spot.
No one there could disturb the prayer carelessly.
He quietly waited on the spot for the door to open.
How long had it been?
– Click.
With the sound of the door opening, someone appeared, and Wilhelm’s gaze, who was looking elsewhere, immediately turned to the door.
“Ana…”
Wilhelm, who was about to call her name in a rather stiff voice, saw her face at last, and was greatly bewildered, and froze on the spot.