♡ TL: Khadija SK
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“Thinking about it, what happened to the guardian of the hunting grounds?”
“I handled him in my own way.”
Annette’s grip on the water cup tightened.
Theodore could see the tension in her slightly trembling eyes.
Annette realized that the “way” Theodore spoke of meant death.
“Don’t you like my ways?”
“I’m trying to understand it.”
“I hate this. You say you’re not mocking me, yet you ignore my desire to become Emperor and my way of handling things.”
Annette kept her mouth shut.
To some extent, he was right.
For her, his ambition to become Emperor and taking someone’s life for that purpose were utterly incomprehensible.
It had been the same even when she was reading the novel.
She had felt that Theodore was a man with an unnecessarily evil and greedy heart, setting his sights on things that did not belong to him.
The way Annette viewed the world was fundamentally different from Theodore’s, so naturally, their thoughts clashed.
It was neither of their faults, nor was it an issue of misunderstanding; this difference simply existed because they were two entirely different beings.
“It’s an innate reluctance. My thoughts and moral concepts are entirely different from yours. I do not mean to criticize Your Highness for it, so you must also understand and respect the difference within me.”
This was not a fairy tale.
Their destination was not a place that could be reached through bright and virtuous means.
Annette’s involvement in what Theodore was doing meant she would have to bear all the realistic consequences that would come with it.
She would have to take another step forward and commit immoral acts herself.
With each passing day, more blood would be spilled, so Annette had to become firmer on this matter.
Perhaps the greatest obstacle in achieving the goal of this contract was Annette’s principles and moral values.
If two people’s sources of thought and ideological directions were different, they would clash like spears and shields every time—even before dealing with their enemies.
Annette understood all these theories, but the speed at which her mind processed them and the speed at which her body acted on them were different.
Her hand, still holding the water cup, trembled slightly.
The efforts she made to calm herself were evident on her face, so Theodore sympathized with her to some extent and decided to tolerate his ill-tempered wife.
“This was the last test I’ll give you. So, stop making unnecessary complaints and fulfill your role quietly.”
Upon hearing his words, Annette’s expression disappeared.
“I can’t trust you. Your Highness does not treat me as a person at all.”
“Try to trust me.”
“Your Highness must make more effort for me to even try. Even if you cannot be a good person, you must become a good Emperor.”
“Is it necessary for me to be a good Emperor for you to trust me?”
“Honestly, I don’t care what kind of Emperor you become, Your Highness. That’s because I live as your wife, not as a citizen of the country you will rule.”
Annette was destined to disappear from this world once Theodore fulfilled their promise.
So she didn’t care whether Theodore became a tyrant or not.
No matter how much chaos his rule would bring to the nation, it wouldn’t affect the international state of the world she would return to.
That was something that concerned the subjects of the Odintian Empire, who would face the future Emperor after Annette had already left this world.
“I don’t care how you will be as Emperor. However, I do feel a sense of moral responsibility. That’s because I plan to change the Emperor. Had I remained still without interfering, a benevolent Emperor would have ruled this empire, which is why I hope you will become a slightly better person—or at least a decent Emperor.”
“Do I seem that incompetent to you?”
“If character is the defining factor, then you have no talent for it.”
Annette spoke lightly, but she felt as if a heavy weight rested on her shoulders.
She constantly wondered whether she had the right to alter the fate of this world.
She felt sorry for everyone in this world—except for Theodore.
She felt guilty for being a selfish person willing to destroy this world’s order just to return to her own.
So, her desire for Theodore to be a better person was a rational wish to ease her guilt.
“I hope your sins won’t affect those around you.”
Annette hoped that his sins would end with Hugo’s downfall and his ascension to the imperial throne.
Theodore would forever remain a villain in the eyes of Hugo and Yvonne, but she still hoped he would be a ruler capable of governing the Odentia Empire with justice.
Annette sighed deeply, then took Theodore’s hand and voiced one of the complicated concerns that had been stuck in her throat like a thorn all this time.
“Please be kind to others. Stop conducting meaningless tests on me. I’m the only one who wants you to become Emperor even more than you do.”
“Are you sure you can make me an Emperor?”
“Only if you cooperate with me. First of all, my first trick is to make you appear a little kinder in the eyes of others. Make people laugh, donate some money to charities, do nice things like that.”
“People’s perception of me can’t change much. I know my bad reputation among them very well.”
“And you’re bragging about it now…?”
Annette touched her forehead in exhaustion.
“Of course, your reputation may not change no matter what Your Highness does. That’s why I’m here. They will say that thanks to your beautiful wife, your personality has been reformed and you’ve changed because of the power of love.”
“What wife? What power?”
Theodore couldn’t bring himself to say the word “love” and grew irritated by it.
“Do you think people are a bunch of fools who will believe such nonsense?”
“Won’t you trust me a little? People want stories like that. Stories like the beauty who melted the beast’s heart. If it’s said that the raging beast submitted to the beauty of the fair maiden, they will call it the love of the century and talk about it, love it.”
Annette pointed at the clean, empty cake plate with her fork.
“The only thing left of Your Highness’s humanity is this tiny bit of cake crumbs.”
Then, this time, she pointed at a half-full glass of water.
“But I think morals can make up for that. So even if you abandon your humanity as a responsible husband, maintain your morals as a business partner. That way, even if I don’t trust you, I will try to.”
Theodore looked into her eyes.
The anger was gone, replaced by calmness.
Compared to him, who clung to his anger like a spoiled child, her attitude was much more mature than his.
And instead of him trying to teach her her true place, she was the one disciplining him.
Theodore pushed his uneaten cake plate in front of Annette.
When Annette hesitated to take it, Theodore pushed the plate further toward her.
“Don’t worry, I have at least this level of decency.”
Annette’s eyes shifted to the cake he had placed before her.
She couldn’t tell whether Theodore was giving it to her to eat as some kind of compliment or if he simply didn’t want to eat it.
“From now on, I’ll show you all the cards I have up my sleeve. I’ll give you everything you need to know as my business partner.”
Annette carefully raised her fork and took a bite of the cake.
Theodore didn’t interfere at all as she did so.
The sweetness of the dark chocolate cake spread in Annette’s mouth once more.
“The reason the original Annette entrusted her family’s precious ring to you, Your Highness, is because you were the safest place to hide it, isn’t it?”
When Cassilia mentioned the Scheringen family’s Eagle Ring, this thought came to Annette’s mind.
If she owned such a magnificent item, she would want to hide it in the safest place possible.
And if she were involved with Theodore, she would naturally think of him, because he was a much safer place than a bank vault.
“It’s okay. It doesn’t matter how you treat me or even whether you trust me or not. Just keep me safe. I will trust you to protect me, just as you protected that ring until I return to my world.”
Annette smiled.
There was no joy in her smile, but it wasn’t one of relief either. It was a smile that seemed to belong to someone giving up on something important in this world and surrendering to reality.
Theodore’s heart sank with suffocating, incomprehensible emotions when he saw Annette’s desolate smile.
He had planned to scare her a little so she would understand who the master here was and wouldn’t dare to rebel against him, but what was with these words?
Why did he feel uncomfortable with himself?
He didn’t know what she meant by saying it was okay and that she would trust him.
“Even without Your Highness reminding me, I know my place well. I can’t forget it because I don’t just feel it while eating, but also in the very moment I take a sip of water.”
Theodore sensed something was wrong with her words.
“I will take care of my physical and mental stability, so I ask that you take care of my personal safety. I believe that as a husband, you can do a lot.”
Theodore finally realized what was wrong with Annette.
She truly didn’t want anything from him.
None of his possessions were valuable enough for Annette to covet them.
Her only goal was to return to her world.
To Annette, Theodore was merely a means to an end.
“We are in a contractual relationship where we can’t even write a paper contract to guarantee our rights. So please, don’t make this situation more miserable while I’m in a position where I have to rely solely on your verbal promise.”
When Theodore heard her say that this was merely a contractual relationship, his breath suddenly caught.
If this had been a pitiful plea, he would have mocked her, but it was a polite request, not a weak supplication.
Theodore had only ever learned how to crush others throughout his life and was used to looking down with arrogance and pride at his opponents as they cried and begged at his feet.
If someone pleaded with him, he would scoff at them. If they knelt, he would grow even more arrogant and praise them for doing the right thing.
However, he didn’t know how to deal with a woman who was pitiful yet not submissive.
Theodore thought he had to set a trap to protect himself from her, but in the end, he was the one who had fallen into a trap despite all the precautions he had taken.
He would have preferred Annette to get angry at him and yell in his face rather than look at him with those eyes.
This woman was so patient that she could endure anything.
She had endured her fear of death, and she was even enduring being with Theodore, whom she despised so much.
Theodore’s heartbeat quickened when he saw her calm expression.
As she raised her hand to eat the cake, he noticed that her finger was bleeding, likely from a rose thorn or something similar.
Her hand was pale, delicate, and almost translucent.
How difficult must it be for her to endure all these hardships in such a fragile body?
The questions that rose to Theodore’s throat were bitter, making his expression confused and his stomach churn for a moment.
“Do you want a bite?”
Annette offered him a large piece of dessert from her plate.
For some reason, Theodore couldn’t resist, so he immediately accepted her offer.
***
They were on their way out of the restaurant after dinner, and the streets were crowded and lively.
“Are you going straight back to the Flores Palace? I have somewhere I need to go for a bit.”
“Are you not done shopping yet?”
“I don’t want to buy anything. I have a request to make, so I need to meet a few people before returning to the palace.”
“Do you have enough money?”
Theodore took some gold coins from his pocket and handed them to Annette, but she shook her head and returned them to his pocket.
“I won’t need much money. I’m only going for… Your Majesty?”
Annette couldn’t bring herself to tell Theodore her purpose.
That was because, suddenly, Theodore embraced her, shielding her body with his own as he turned her to the other side.
“Your Majesty?!!”
Moments later, Annette covered her mouth in shock.
Because Theodore’s back was stained with blood.
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T/N: An assassination attempt? 👀
