Anastasia was embarrassed to hear that. And before she could express it, Wilhelmâs words continued.
âItâs not good to be so cold to someone who welcomes you. Do you not like your aunt?â
ââŠNo..â
âThen youâd better be nicer to your aunt. There could be a misunderstanding.â
âIâm sorry, Your Majesty.â
Then another voice came from the side. Anastasia turned her head and looked at the owner of the voice.
She had her coveted olive hair half-tied and her golden glistening eyes.
Olivia Fontaine.
It was Louisâ aunt. A woman who had not married after the death of the Emperor and his wife and was taking care of Louis on Schweig Island.
âHis Highness is extremely wary of people who are not familiar with him because he only grew up on the island. Please be generous.â
âI donât think the environment one grew up in  can excuse a childâs rudeness.â
Wilhelm replied with a blank face.
âAnd no matter how unfamiliar she is, isnât she his aunt?â
âOf course, Your Majesty. I will put more effort into his education.â
âIâm fine, Your Majesty. The prince is still youngâŠâ
But at that moment, Anastasia couldnât say anything more.
It was because Wilhelm suddenly held Anastasiaâs hand.
Anastasia was so surprised that she stopped breathing.
When she looked at Wilhelm, she could only see him looking at her without saying anything.
But she could tell from that look.
Donât cut in here, he was saying.
And as Anastasia was about to sweat with extreme tension, she fortunately let go of the hand that Wilhelm had held.
And he explained the situation to Anastasia as if he had not been able to talk.
âLady Fontaine just sent me a letter. Prince Louisâs condition has improved, and he wanted to return to the capital.â
ââŠyouâre feeling better?â
But in the original book, he died at this time of year because his condition deterioratedâŠ
Anastasia asked Olivia in a panicked voice for confirmation.
âIs that true, Lady Fontaine?â
âOf course, Your Majesty. I got permission from the doctor. Weâll be able to live a normal life at the palace.â
ââŠIâm glad to hear that.â
But it was uncomfortable. Why is it suddenly different from the original?
âItâs Melinaâs betrayal. She didnât know what happened, so even if itâs possibleâŠâ*
*TN: talking about the possibility that Melina changed Louisâ future
The physical condition was not something that could be hidden or manipulated.
Of course, it was a real pleasure and a relief that Lewisâs health improved, but apart from that, it was somewhat awkward.
âThen will the Prince stay at the Imperial Palace from now on?â
âYou should. Youâll stay at the Imperial Palace.â
âItâs a good thing itâs close to the Empressâ Palace. Iâll take care of him.â
âYou donât have to.â
Then Olivia cut in and said,
âThe Empress is busy with your project, we canât trouble you. I wonât let you worry about the Imperial Palace too.â
âNo, Lady Fontaine.â
Anastasia said with a smile.
âPrince Louis is my nephew. As an aunt, isnât it natural for me to take care of him?â
ââŠâ
âIsnât that right, Your Majesty?â
When Anastasia looked back at Wilhelm and asked, he asked back with a slightly perplexed look.
ââŠare you serious?â
âWhat do you mean?â
âNo, if heâs a childâŠâ
âThey are a handful. But kids around Prince Louisâ age look so cute these days.â
Anastasia, who quickly intercepted the words, smiled, and Wilhelm slightly narrowed his forehead when he saw it.
âŠwhy the hell did he hate it so much.
âHer Majesty loves children?â
Then, Oliviaâs voice came in amazement.
âItâs amazing. I thought it was the other way around.â
âWhat do you mean?â
âI thought you hated children. Isnât that a famous fact?â
âIt used to be.â
Anastasia coughed a lot to hide her embarrassment.
âNot now. I really like kids. Enough to set up a school for children. I donât know if you heard that because youâre only on Schweig Island.â
ââŠâ
âIâve changed now. It means that Iâm the person Iâve been before. So you donât have to worry.â
âWhat do you mean, worry?â
âWerenât you worried that I wouldnât be able to take good care of Prince Louis? I mean itâs okay.â
âIâm glad to hear that, Your Majesty.â
Olivia said with a smile.
âIâm surprised you changed all of a sudden.â
âNot all of a sudden.â
Wilhelmâs voice interrupted.
Anastasia and Olivia stared at him in surprise. In fact, Wilhelm continued to speak with a wistful look.
âSheâs been slowly changing since last year. The lady was only in Schweig, so she wouldnât know.â
ââŠI see. I didnât know.â
Olivia replied, smiling awkwardly.
âIâm sure Iâll find out if I keep checking. But, Your Majesty, if you donât mind, may I step down from here today? Actually, we just arrived and came to greet you right away, so I think His Highness must be very tired.â
âYeah. Youâd better go get some rest.â
âThank you, Your Majesty.â
When Wilhelmâs permission was given, Olivia bowed gracefully and greeted him. Strangely, the greeting was directed towards Wilhelm.
Immediately Louis and Olivia left.
The people in the banquet hall naturally began to talk about Louisâ sudden appearance.
Anastasia peeped at Wilhelm, but he had a mysterious look on his face. As always, in fact, he was more anxious than usual today.
âIâll take care of the prince, so donât worry too much.â
Wilhelm remained silent for a long time until he commented.
ââŠyes.â
The answer, which barely came at the end, was brief in contrast to the complicated innermost thoughts.
~~~~
After leaving the banquet hall, Olivia held Lewisâ hand tightly and headed to the palace.
No matter how much of a prince he was, he could not ride a carriage inside the palace unless he was the current Emperorâs son.
Olivia was very upset about the fact.
And she decided to replace this anger in a much more productive way.
âYou did a great job today, baby.â
Olivia praised Louis in a friendly voice, looking forward only with empty eyes.
âYou acted well in front of the two people, as I said. We have to act like today in front of them. Got it?â
ââŠYes.â
âRemember, the present emperor is the one who killed your father and mother. The empress is a woman with such an emperor. Both are your enemies.â
The remark distorted Lewisâs expression. Olivia didnât miss the moment and kept talking.
âDidnât the Empress embrace you earlier, pretending to be tender? She dared to, without hesitation!â
Olivia, who rose in a rage, unknowingly tightened her grip on Lewis.
âItâs all pretense. Her acting, to my disgust.â
âActing?â
âOf course, baby. Even if that happens again, you should never be fooled. Sheâs the woman whoâs hiding a knife behind her arm.â
Olivia spoke in a low voice as if she were telling a very secret story.
âSheâll hate you and only think about getting rid of you. She thinks of you as a political opponent to take her husbandâs place. Sheâll stab you in the back and stab you hard whenever she gets a chance.â
With Oliviaâs provocative choice of words, Lewis shrank back, as if frightened.
Olivia gazed at Louis with satisfaction, smiled, and then hugged him gently.
âOh, my baby, you donât have to worry. I will protect you for sure.â
As she patted the afraid Louisâ body, Olivia whispered in Louisâs ear in a friendly voice.
âBut to do that, baby, you have to behave yourself. Just like I said. You know what I mean, right?â
âYes⊠âŠokay.â
âGood boy, my baby.â
Olivia reiterated in a laughable voice.
âYou have to keep my words in mind and follow them. Then there wonât be any problems.â
~~~~
It was a great pleasure, one way or the other, that Louis was alive.
However, apart from that, the situation was not good.
âThe original is offâŠâ
That fact most disturbed Anastasia.
It was a bit of a cruel idea, but it wasnât hard to guess why the author killed Louis.
This was because if the heroine, Avelin, marries Wilhelm and gives birth to the prince in the future, there could be a problem in the succession structure.
Of course, in principle, it was right for the Prince of Avelin to succeed to the throne.
But Lewis could be a source of trouble just by his existence.
The author probably wanted to remove the bud.
âIâm sure Avelin wonât welcome Lewis in three months either.â
When she thought so, she suddenly felt bad.
She didnât want to see Lewis fall into a state of trouble or deviousness.
She didnât want to see him get caught up in a power struggle over the throne.
Then she suddenly thought of it.
âWould I rather adopt Louis?â
The current legal guardian of Louis was Wilhelm, but Louisâs maternal family, the Fontaines, was in charge of practical parenting.
Lady Fontaine was taking care of Louis, refusing to marry.
For the powerful Fontaine family, it was more unnatural not to have an impure heart.
If she adopted Louis, sheâll be able to prevent the mishap of the Fontaine family using Louis to gain power.
Wilhelm would be pleased at heart. From his point of view, the existence of a sudden death of the Emperor was politically burdensome.
âOf course, the most important thing is Lewisâ doctorâ
At least it was difficult to adopt in their current state. She needed time to get along with the child.
âCause I was going to adopt him in the name of the Barantes after Iâm deposed.â
It was the guardianship of Louis in the House of Barantes. Considering the relationship between Barantes and Lewis, it was not impossible.
âOkay, well, Iâll try to get closer to Lewis tomorrow.â
Anastasia clenched her fist and made up her mind.
But the next day, Anastasia had to face an unexpected embarrassment.