<W,W,W,What, What are you talking about!>
Asha sat up straight away. Her mouth wouldn’t close.
<Oh, don’t be ridiculous.>
‘Ah, ahaha, Phoebe, I was just joking, but if you react like that, it seems like it’s real…’
<What are you talking about! I have no idea!>
Asha only looked at Phoebe with her mouth wide open. The chubby chick moved busily around and tried to change the subject, but only a peep came out of its beak.
“Really?”
<Keum, keum, keum!>
Asha slapped her palm against her forehead at the thought that suddenly came to her.
‘Is it possible that the spirit of Karnov has weakened because it used great power? Time reversed?’
<Hehuk.>
Now the chick started hiccuping. What Phoebe’s helpless appearance conveyed was a confirmation that Asha’s conjecture was true.
‘Could it be that I don’t possess the memories of the ‘real Anastasia’ because I’ve been “possessed,” but rather because I’ve traveled back in time? Do I have the memories of the ‘real Anastasia’ because of that?’
It was not a possession in some story whose title she couldn’t remember, whether it was a novel or a movie…?
<Nonsense. You are the only ‘real Anastasia’!>
Phoebe said firmly in a tone that indicated she couldn’t back down. Asha’s lips trembled.
‘There is only one real Anastasia.’
That meant that there was a fake Anastasia. There was a fake. If it existed, where was it?
‘The real one is me. But if there is a separate fake… Could it be that the person who carried out the evil deeds, ‘Princess Anastasia…’ was that person the fake?’
<…>
Phoebe, who couldn’t speak, rammed her beak forcefully and twisted her body in different directions. Asha now had a clear understanding. She hadn’t seen or read something, nor had she been possessed in some story.
‘It was the ‘fake’ that was initially possessed in this body.’
The fake had lived its life first, and only the remnants of those memories remained for her to see. And she came here. Then where did the fake that was in this body go? The Prasti that Phoebe had apparently already solved ten years ago, where was that Prasti?
Valery was not originally a character with a good personality, but she said it was because of Prasti that he had such a twisted mind. The actions of Princess Anastasia, who envied and hated what Alexei had, who coveted everything but destroyed herself, then…
Asha, who had been trying to make sense of it all in her busy mind, shut her mouth in surprise as she saw Phoebe paler than before, as if all color had drained from her.
‘Phoebe?’
Phoebe looked at her with a closed beak and an earnest expression. Asha calmed her mind for a moment and contemplated their previous conversation – essentially, a one-sided barrage from her—.
‘If I say it, will it cause big trouble?’
<…>
‘Oh, so if someone who has reversed time reveals a secret, they have to pay a price? Is that how it works?’
<…!>
Phoebe once again blocked her beak with her small wings and widened her eyes. It was a look of curiosity, wondering how Asha knew about that.
‘Cause that’s the most common taboo in the world…’
Asha wrapped her head in a deep lamentation. Phoebe turned back time with Karnov’s spirit, and couldn’t tell the truth. But there had been a few times when she casually mentioned that she could tell when the appropriate time came. Maybe after a certain period of time had passed or when the moment was right, the secret would be revealed.
‘Oh, in novels or something, if you talk about this kind of thing incorrectly, it can be a big problem.’
Phoebe nodded urgently with wide black eyes. Asha released her hands from her head and took a deep breath.
‘Okay.’
<What else did you understand?>
‘I meant that I accepted the fact that you can’t speak right now. Instead…’
<Instead?>
‘If it’s because of that reason that you can’t talk, then make a sound and say “peep peep”.’
<…What did you say?>
‘That way, I won’t continue asking questions when it’s an area I shouldn’t delve into.’
<…You’re telling me to mimic the sound of an animal…>
Phoebe shuddered. Asha smiled. It was amusing how Phoebe had been cheeping freely all this time, but now she felt embarrassed.
‘Phoebe, did you reverse time?’
<Peep peep! Peep beep! Peep peep! Are you satisfied! Peep peep!>
Phoebe chirped loudly before abruptly stopping, as if realizing something. Asha watched Phoebe silently and then asked a quiet question that came to her mind.
‘Before reversing time, did you have many sad moments?’
<…>
Why did the spirits have to turn back time?
It couldn’t have been just because a fake Anastasia took her place. There must have been a reason for a spirit to bear the risk of losing their power, to bear the taboo and reverse time…
Phoebe, who had been silent for a moment, opened her beak and whispered.
<Peep… Peep peep…>
‘All right, all right.’
Asha gently stroked Phoebe’s feathers, who looked slightly downcast. She whispered, “Tell me next time,” and Phoebe gently nuzzled Asha’s palm.
━━━✦❘༻༺❘✦━━━
“Your Highness, Lord Karnov Neustadter has sent you a small package.”
“What?”
Asha, who was engrossed in reading a baking-related book already published in the Empire, looked up and blinked. Lise handed her a neatly wrapped box.
“It arrived a little while ago. It’s not heavy…”
Asha tilted her head and carefully unwrapped the tied string. Inside the box was another small box, no bigger than the size of her palm, and a tiny card.
[This is the second letter.
I enjoyed the alcohol and pie you sent me. I am enclosing a token of my appreciation.]
The tone of the letter was unexpectedly polite, but there were no greetings or farewells, just a short message with the content written concisely.
‘Is this a letter? Shouldn’t we just call it a note? What do you mean by the second?’
She had a rough idea. Previously, when Asha was troubled by finding an escort to attend the tea party, he had sent a letter saying, ‘This is the first.’ Since then, this could be considered his second letter. But that was if she could call it a letter.
“Karnov says he enjoyed the wine and lime pie and sent something as a token of appreciation. I wonder what’s inside?”
It seemed like the small box contained the token of appreciation.
“Not heavy, huh? I wonder what’s inside… Ahhh.”
“Oh my, it’s beautiful.”
Asha opened the box and smiled. Inside were two ribbons made of translucent lace, delicately attached to a pale sky-blue silk. It was clear that a lot of effort had been put into making them, and they were made of expensive fabric. It seemed that he sent new ribbons as a replacement for the token of her vow that he had received.
“He must have heard recently that Your Highness had lost your ribbons.”
“Ah… r,right.”
Too embarrassed to admit that she had given them to Karnov herself, she had told Lise that she had lost them.
“Shall I tie them for you now?”
Asha nodded, and soon the new ribbons adorned both sides of her head, subtly shimmering in the light.
━━━✦❘༻༺❘✦━━━
“Pathetic.”
As the emperor muttered under his breath, the palace servants took a step back, wary of his mood. The emperor, hiding his exhaustion behind a composed expression, tossed the reports that had been submitted that day onto his desk.
The documents were filled with information about Valery’s financial transactions and recent activities. It detailed the flow of funds from the small grocery business he had invested in, the movement of money used to cover up the scandal, the gifts he had distributed to mitigate the situation, and even the activities within his own household.
The start was small. With news that a bug came out of the product of the small grocery business that Valery had started. However, the situation had escalated, with the factory shutting down and various investigations being conducted, all because of Valery’s past actions coming back to haunt him.
The times when he persecuted others because he was obsessed with small profits, the days when he tried in vain to attract people who were not good to his side, and the days when he was blinded by nonsense and tried to insult his brother and nephew, all blossomed through this incident.
The emperor couldn’t understand his son’s behavior. Why did he relentlessly pursue insatiable desires that he couldn’t control? Why did he repeatedly make self-destructive choices? Despite being born into the royal family and having a life that others would envy, why was his greed never satisfied?
Then there was a small disturbance outside. The palace servant, keeping an eye on the emperor’s reaction, went outside and quickly returned.
“Your Majesty, General Yekaterina Neustadter has arrived. What shall we do?”
“Yekaterina?”
The emperor frowned upon hearing that she had come. He couldn’t recall ever making an appointment for her visit. Seeing the confusion in the emperor’s eyes, the palace servant shook his head with an embarrassed expression.
“I can’t just dismiss her without any explanation. Let her in.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
The door of the office opened at the emperor’s hand, and an old lady in a thin but stiff suit appeared.
“Yekaterina.”
“Your Majesty, it’s been a long time. How are things in the capital?”
The old woman, who cut her white hair into short hair under her ears and had rough skin from the north wind, greeted the servant and the emperor alternately with her eyes.
“You are the same.”
“Your Majesty, you have aged a lot.”
The palace servant turned pale but didn’t say anything, pretending not to hear her comment.
“And how about the northern regions? Are things bearable there?”
“Could it be any better? The weather is mild, and people are friendly, even if they’re a bit foolish.”
The old lady, General Yekaterina, sat in a chair opposite the emperor, buried her back deeply in the backrest, and answered, crossing her legs. The emperor also leaned in the chair with a slightly relaxed back. General Yekaterina raised one eyebrow at the sight.
“It seems like you have concerns, Your Majesty.”
“It’s something I always worry about.”
The one concern shared by the emperor, residing in the capital, and Yekaterina, stationed in the north, revolved around their children.
“Well… I guess having just one does make the concerns a little less burdensome.”
“G, General.”
Unable to contain himself any longer, the palace servant discreetly called out to Yekaterina. It was a warning to be cautious in her speech, but she didn’t even bat an eyelash.
“Still, Your Majesty is wise, so what is there to worry about? It is your duty to live long until you pass on the throne to the crown prince.”
“I’ll return the same words to you. You must live long until you hand over the dukedom to Deputy Commander Karnov.”
They exchanged sarcastic remarks, each taking a turn. While these words may have seemed like mere compliments of longevity to others, for the two of them, it was the final obligation and task of their lives.
