/
After putting Siena in a dungeon, Anastasia immediately called a doctor and checked Wilhelm’s condition.
“Don’t worry too much. If he gets a good rest, he’ll be fine.”
Fortunately, the examination results were normal. She expected it to be, but she was more relieved after seeing the doctor.
“I apologize, Your Majesty. It’s all my fault. I should have figured out that Lady Youngae had such an impure intention…”
Colton, who belatedly heard of the incident from Anastasia, blamed himself for the immoral sin.
Anastasia comforted Colton.
“It’s not Lord Colton’s fault. And, Lady Orangtin is the lady-in-waiting at the Central Palace. You didn’t even have a reason to refuse.”
“I should have been careful, though, His Majesty almost had a major mishap.”
“…I’m glad I stopped it before that.”
What would have happened if she had been a little late. It was terrible to think about.
Anastasia said after biting her lips well.
“Get out of here, Lord Colton. You must have been very surprised, but you’d better take a break.”
“What? But…”
“Don’t worry, I’ll be by the Emperor’s side.”
“…Your Majesty?”
Colton looked at Anastasia with a look of great surprise.
Anastasia asked with a quizzical look on her face as if she had heard something she couldn’t hear.
“Can’t I?”
“Oh, no! It’s not that, but…”
It’s so unexpected…? Colton still stared at Anastasia with his eyes wide open.
‘Are you sure you don’t care about the Emperor?’
Obviously, according to his intelligence. The Empress stared at the Emperor like a cow would a chicken.*
*TN: indifferently
‘Even if it were to block the effect of the potion… … You don’t even need to take care of him, do you?’
While Colton was stunned by the incomprehensible development, Anastasia asked, her eyebrows slightly narrowed.
“You’re not going out?”
“What? Oh, yes!”
In the end, Colton had to rush out of the bedroom without further discussion.
Anastasia, who was left alone, breathed a deep sigh of relief.
“Phew….”
The palace doctor said he would probably wake up in an hour or two.
‘That means I’ll be able to see Wilhelm for another hour or two.’
Thinking about it, Anastasia’s lips involuntarily put a smile on her face.
‘It’s so nice.’
Of course, there were many moments when they were alone before that.
But Wilhelm was awake at the time, so she tried to act cool and indifferent to him as much as she could. Saddened by the inevitable reality of having to do so.
But it was different now. Because Wilhelm wouldn’t know what kind of emotions she has and see what’s in those eyes of hers.*
*TN: affection
Even if he opened his eyes later, there were plenty of things to talk about because of the situation.
So Anastasia stood still on the spot and looked at him with a smile in her tender eyes.
This will probably be the first and last time she’d be able to look at him so freely, so she had to capture it deeply with all her heart so that she wouldn’t regret it.
At one point, Wilhelm’s expression was strangely distorted. He began to groan and sweat.
‘Are you having a nightmare?’
He often had nightmares before her return.
‘What do I do?’
Anastasia, who was contemplating for a moment, soon held Wilhelm’s hand cautiously.
She wrapped his icy hands tightly around hers and delivered the warmth of her hands.
‘Before my return, he was a little better…’
However, it was because he had a bond with her at the time, and it was not known whether it would work even now.
She just hoped it worked.
Because she didn’t want him to suffer.
“Ah….”
Then at some point he began to show signs of waking up, and Anastasia hurriedly took her hand off him.
“Oh!”
And immediately, he opened his eyes with a deep groan.
Anastasia, surprised, asked Wilhelm carefully, who was breathing roughly.
“… … Your Majesty, are you awake?”
Then he turned and looked at her.
‘… ah.’
Bloody eyes she hadn’t seen in a long time. It felt like her heart was dropping.
Eyes anxious and terrified as if being chased by a wild beast. Eyes as if they had barely escaped from a terrible hell.
It was his eyes that made him sad and painful every time she met him. So it was the eyes that comforted him and removed him for a long time.*
*TN: the sight of her soothes him and took him away from the bad dreams
In an instant, a strong impulse arose. The urge to hug him tight like she did back then and pat him and say it was okay now.
However, she held onto the hem of her dress and endured it as much as she could.
Now is not the time. Now it was time to get back to reality.
Anastasia slowly opened her mouth.
“I’m glad you woke up early.”
“… Why are you here?”
“Can you remember the last moment at all?”
“last? … ah.”
At that moment, feeling his headache, Wilhelm frowned and touched his forehead.
Anastasia licked her lips in bewilderment, and after a while she asked.
“…Are you all right?”
“I’m okay.”
Wilhelm soon lifted his head casually and made eye contact with Anastasia.
Anastasia was unknowingly nervous by the strangely thickened gaze.
“I remember. You…”
The corners of his mouth twitched. She didn’t know what kind of emotion it was.
“You kissed me.”
“…”
“I remember it clearly.”
At the end of the story, there was a moment of silence.
Anastasia broke her silence after choosing her words carefully.
“I’m afraid you’ll misunderstand.”
“Misunderstanding?”
“I kissed you to save Your Majesty.”
Anastasia explained the situation clearly.
“Lady Orangtin gave Your Majesty a love potion. If one drinks it, they fall in love with the person in front of them within five minutes.”
“I’ve heard of it.”
Wilhelm narrowed his brows in displeasure.
“I drank that?”
“Your whole body got hot as soon as you drank it, right?”
Wilhelm nodded.
“That’s proof. And there’s a way to neutralize the drug… It’s just a kiss with your spouse. Ironically.”
“So you kissed me?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“…what?”
“You don’t have any interest in me, don’t you?”
Anastasia was speechless for a moment and could not answer.
In the meantime, Wilhelm quickly continued.
“Just a few hours ago. I remember clearly what you told me at the banquet.”
He spat out every word Anastasia had told me without missing a word.
“Let’s not try. I don’t want that. It’s comfortable as it is. Let’s live as usual.”
“…”
“The Empress who said this, and the Empress who told me to do whatever I wanted even if I wanted a paramour.”
Wilhelm, who had been talking so far, smiled briefly as if he was dumbfounded.
“Why the hell did you come to save me? I thought you wouldn’t mind if I fell in love with Lady Orangtin.”
“…”
“Are you still concerned? Let me….”
“I came to rescue Your Majesty.”
Anastasia gently cut off Wilhelm and expressed her position.
“Purely because of my loyalty.”
“Loyalty?”
“I won’t care if Your Majesty fell in love with Lady Orangtin with a sane mind.”
“…what?”
“But controlling your opponent’s mind with magic pills is low-key and cowardly violence. As a servant of the Emperor, I cannot just watch you get involved in such things.”
“…so.”
Wilhelm asked in a voice that seemed somehow distant.
“You don’t have any personal feelings?”
“It’s okay to look at it that way.”
After Anastasia’s answer was finished, a dead stillness lingered between the two of them for a while.
The heavy silence seemed to strangle her throat, but no one thought to open their mouth first.
“… … Thank you so much. I didn’t know the Empress was so loyal to me.”
The word came out after quite a long time.
At the strangely sarcastic tone, Anastasia tried to look at Wilhelm with an expressionless expression on her face. He was staring at her with a somewhat displeased face.
“I will make sure to repay this favor someday.”
Leaving behind the words he had left behind, Wilhelm got up from his seat and went outside.
Anastasia, who was suddenly left alone in Wilhelm’s bedroom, breathed her long sigh of relief.
Then she stood up slowly, staring at his seat.
“If loyalty is love, then it would be love.”
After a brief recitation, Anastasia soon left the place as well.
~~~~
The unfortunate thing that happened on Anastasia’s birthday quickly spread throughout the social world.
It was also because Wilhelm, furious, charged Sienna Orangtin for attempted murder of the Emperor and ordered her to be exiled.
After investigation, it was revealed that the fire at the Cysteine Palace was also an arson committed by Siena to bring Wilhelm into the Central Palace.
The burning of the palace was a felony among felonies, and when it was revealed that the Orangtin family had cooperated, the Orangtin family, which was involved in central politics, fell completely.
The Marquis Orangtin was eventually stripped of his title. In order to raise his status, he pushed his daughter into the Central Palace as a lady-in-waiting, but in the end, the family collapsed.
No one objected to Wilhelm’s decision, as this was a serious matter that could even lead to treason in a broader sense.
As unfortunate incidents occurred one after another, the remaining three maids resigned before they were notified of their expulsion.
In the aftermath of such events, not only the central political circles but also the social circles could not recklessly talk about the heirs of the emperor and his wife or the paramours.
Just in time, winter came, and winter was the rest period for all social parties.
Thanks to that, Anastasia was able to enjoy a fairly comfortable and quiet life for a while.
She didn’t go to social parties, so she didn’t see Wilhelm or anyone else.
From time to time, she held auctions and listened to the flattery of people eager to show themselves off.
Meanwhile, time passed quickly, and the following spring finally arrived.