“Are you nervous?”
“A little.”
Alexei looked down at her and then turned his head again.
“For me, rather than a victory ceremony, well. It’s a chance to meet a friend that I haven’t seen in a while.”
“…”
It’s obvious who the friend is, Karnov Neustadter!
“If he’s a friend to me, he’ll be a friend to you, so think of it like that.”
“No, that’s really…”
Karnov as her friend? A scary sound that would come out in her dreams…
As Asha whispered, the Emperor, who was sitting on the throne, tilted his head and looked at the two imperial grandchildren next to him.
“…Alyosha?”
At the wonderful opportunity to change the subject, Asha drew a smile as hard as she could.
“Yes, Your Majesty! Alyosha said he didn’t want to be called the Crown Prince, older brother, or to be called by name.”
“Hmm.”
“He said he only liked the nickname, Alyosha. Right, Alyosha?”
“…Hmm.”
“…”
Alexei was silent. Asha decided to take another step at this time, relieved that the airflow was only gently swaying around Alexei.
“Alyosha, I’m Asha because I’m Anastasia.”
“…”
“Asha.”
“…”
“It’s Asha.”
It was hard to start! She knew!
Asha glanced at Alexei with her nervous eyes. It was a small trick that said there was no way she would throw her cousin away while the Emperor was watching.
<The landlord’s eldest grandson had no answer. He must be distracted. A hard hit on the head will wake him up.>
‘…That’s a way to get out of his thoughts.’
After a moment of silence Alexei tilted his head and opened his mouth.
“…Asha.”
“…!”
For the first time since she came to the Imperial Palace, she was called by a nickname.
Asha’s heart thumped involuntarily, and she looked at Alexei with tearful eyes.
“For the first time since I came here…”
For the first time since she was brought to the palace! It was the first time she had been called by the name of Asha, not Anastasia and not Imperial Princess.
“Why is this so touching?”
<Asha?>
‘…’
<What, why didn’t you tell me if you wanted to be called that? It’s a human name. I…>
‘Be quiet, you.’
<…What do you say when I call you? Impudent thing!>
As soon as Phoebe was sulking, the footsteps and cheers disappeared and the silence quickly became calm. There was only a faint roar that could be heard from far away.
A clanking sound echoed in the stillness. The sound of the footsteps of the knights that matched the beat caught the eye of those who stood in the lead.
One was a middle-aged man with a slightly rough but imposing face. It seemed to be the commander-in-chief. And the other was someone who stood on the border between a boy and a young man, who now appeared to be about fifteen.
“Karnov… Neustadter.”
The silvery black hair was swaying in the wind, and sharp purple eyes were seen between the strands.
The blue lining of the sleeves of the overcoat fluttering like wings under the slightly skinny jawline disturbed her eyes.
‘…!’
They made eye contact!
She was almost out of breath. But unlike her, who was nervous, Karnov only glanced at her.
<Finally…>
“Finally?”
Asha tilted her head at Phoebe’s murmur, but Phoebe didn’t say any more. Then, without incident, the sound of the Emperor congratulating them on their achievements quietly began to resonate.
Asha crept to the back of Alexei, looking as far away as she could. As she glanced around, she saw a face she knew in the distance. All throughout this was Pavel yawning with a bored face.
Perhaps because she had always seen him in the kitchen, his aristocratic and colorful clothes were unfamiliar. And then when they made eye contact. Pavel’s chin dropped sharply as Asha smiled and waved her hand slightly.
‘You must have been really surprised.’
<Is it safe to open a human mouth like that?>
The embossed bird shape of the buttons became clearer and clearer. Phoebe’s voice sounded a little worried.
‘I’ll have to pay a visit to him later.’
Asha said so, and then turned her head again. What’s commendable, what’s admirable, what’s great…
Whether or not Karnov was interested in all of this, he just kept his eyes down. At that time, a middle-aged man standing next to him gracefully got down on one knee and begged the Emperor.
“All the big contributions were made by Deputy Commander Karnov Terenti Neustadter. Please consider that, Your Majesty.”
“…”
What Karnov’s silence with a sour face meant was clear. It was to affirm what the commander-in-chief said.
‘Isn’t it normal to say something modest like ‘no’…’
The Emperor looked amused. If that’s what the commander-in-chief said, he gave Karnov more things.
“Is Ekaterina doing well? It’s been ten years since I’ve seen her face.”
At the words, Karnov, who had always had an indifferent face during the victory ceremony, finally refined his expression. To a slightly bitter face.
“…My grandmother is indestructible. Even this war would have been difficult without her.”
“I see you’re still lofty. Do you have any messages from her for me?”
“…”
“I can tell even if I don’t hear anything.”
When Karnov closed his mouth, which he had opened for a while, the Emperor burst into laughter and got up from his seat. It was only that much movement, but the Emperor’s cape flew magnificently enough to marvel anyone.
“A long war, what a struggle! For you who are heroes, the days when all spirits bless you will continue!”
The sound of shouting seemed to resonate throughout the Imperial Palace. Amidst the roar of applause and cheers that ended with those words, the Emperor turned around first and left the hall.
Now, if the protagonists of the war turned around and left, the duty of the imperial family was over. The commander-in-chief first turned his back, and then the deputy commander, Karnov, rose.
He and Alexei seemed to greet each other with their eyes. It was the moment when Asha tried to turn around carefully so that she wouldn’t interrupt.
“Oh!”
Because she was wearing shoes a little bigger than her feet, her feet got tangled for a moment.
Seeing the floor approaching in an instant, Asha closed her eyes tightly.
“What?”
But she didn’t fall. Her extended arms were still in the air. She realized belated that someone had grabbed her from behind. In an instant a cold sweat trickled down.
“Oh, I guess the shoes didn’t fit.”
“…!”
And Alexei, the person who held Asha from behind, lifted her up easily and took her into his arms. Her vision changed in an instant, and Asha hurriedly clung to Alexei’s neck.
Meanwhile, Alexei held her in one arm, and with the other, he took off her shoes half-stretched on her feet and held them out to the servant who was following them. Even with the friendly touch, her body shrank with tension.
Before she knew it, Lise came running told hold Asha herself, but Alexei shook his head.
“She’s hurt, so I’ll take her to the palace.”
“No, Alyosha. I’m really okay…”
While Asha tried hard to dissuade Alexei, another person approached.
“I see His Highness the Crown Prince. It’s been a long time. I couldn’t even say hello to you at the ceremony because I was busy with work.”
He was a very friendly man even though he was speaking politely.
“Who…”
“It’s been a long time, Marquis Shapiroqin.”
“Ahem.”
Asha thought up until Alexei woke up from being sick a few days ago that even though he was smiling on the outside, he was being cold to her. Or he was assessing her inner thoughts and was wary. But now that she saw it, there was another opponent he was really cruel to.
Asha involuntarily shrunk her body and tightened her hand on Alexei’s collar. Alexei seemed to freeze and crush the opponent in front of him with just his eyes.
The air of emotion that stood out blue around him rose tightly and reached the sight of the Marquis Shapiroqin. Although no one would know.
“How have you been? And please call me comfortably, isn’t it between uncle and nephew?”
“Since we are relatives, we should treat each other more clearly. Thanks to the Marquis’ care, I’ve been doing well. Our Asha also became a good friend to me.”
Asha gurgled her saliva. His insistence on things being between uncle and nephew suggested that he was also her uncle, but she has no desire to intervene between the two. Even if it was her uncle, she didn’t even know who he was…
“Oh, Anastasia. It must be the first time I’ve seen your face like this. My name is Valery, the older brother of Yuriev. I heard how mature you were at the last spirit ceremony. Ilya, my son, was talking so much. Your Majesty may keep you in the palace.”
At that moment, my spine gave me goosebumps. Asha swallowed a dry spit.
‘Valery? That Valery, the Marquis Shapiroqin?’
In the original work, how did the royal family run Anastasia through the autobahn of hell? There was a person who poured oil next to me. He was Valery, the third older brother to Yuriev.
“Oh… hello, uncle. Is Ilya doing well?”
‘Who was Ilya? Is that the one who looked weak?’
“Well, he’s doing well. Unfortunately, he couldn’t come to the victory ceremony today because he wasn’t feeling well. “
“I wish he had come. He missed the chance to play with Alyosha. Is Ilya very sick?”
“…not really. By the way, ‘Alyosha’?”
Valery’s good-natured expression paused. Asha smiled and nodded.
“Yes! Alyosha is very busy, so he won’t be able to play long.”
“Alyo… Do you call His Highness the Crown Prince Alyosha? You must be on good terms. However, Princess Anastasia, even if they are the royal family, they are not all the same royal family. If you break the imperial etiquette and act foolishly like that…”
At that moment, Asha felt as if she had heard the sound of lightning. From the hand that was holding her, something like thorns and blades rose up and landed on her at random.
She couldn’t see Alexei’s expression because she was held in his arms, which made her even more terrified.
