After that, it was a pretty peaceful time.
More than anything else, finding out the truth of the accident three years ago, which seemed like a long night before her return, made Anastasia’s heart feel more at ease.
“Did you hear that? Well, Olivia begged for her life while her sentence was being executed, and she kept yelling that it was unfair.”
“It was so horrible and strange to see…”…. I shouldn’t have seen it. I went there out of curiosity, but I just ended up looking away.”
“Oh, me too. Does she have a conscience? It’s embarrassing for her to do something like that. Save me! People aren’t usually that shameless.”
When all of Olivia’s crimes were revealed at her trial, the surviving theory of the Emperor’s assassination completely disappeared.
When the Marquis of Fontaine heard that Olivia made a fuss to kill him first at the end, he immediately retired from the central politics and returned to his territory to save himself.
Although the poster did not state the connection between the accident three years ago and the Fontaine family, it was a desperate move to avoid misunderstanding that the Fontaine family might have been involved in an accident that was no different than the treason three years ago.
‘It’s the debut ball soon.’
Anastasia really liked the situation where all the conflict elements had disappeared ahead of Avelin’s appearance.
If she quietly left like this, the original work would proceed perfectly without any problems.
‘Then Wilhelm will be happy, and I will be happy to see it too.’
Contrary to what she thought, a strangely bitter smile lingered on her lips.
‘I will.’
“Your Majesty the Empress!”
Upon entering Louis’ room, Louis, who was painting, ran to Anastasia, throwing away his brush as well.
Anastasia smiled broadly and hugged the child tightly.
‘Because I have this child.’
Anastasia did not bother to inform Louis about Olivia’s death, and she thoroughly enforced it even with the maids of the Imperial Palace. Fortunately, Louis did not specifically ask about Olivia’s whereabouts.
Anastasia, who now naturally kissed Louis’s forehead, asked her child in a friendly voice.
“Louis, were you drawing?”
“Yes! His Majesty the Emperor said he wanted my self-portrait!”
When Anastasia lifted her head at those words, he was standing there unexpectedly.
“… Your Majesty.”
“Empress.”
Wilhelm glanced at Anastasia with a strange smile on his lips.
Anastasia stood momentarily blankly at her unexpected smile, as Louis grabbed Anastasia’s hand and pulled her towards him.
“I’ve only drawn sketches but, would Your Majesty take a look? I don’t know if I drew it well.”
Anastasia, having regained her consciousness at those words, hurriedly approached the easel with Louis.
Trying not to be conscious of Wilhelm’s gaze behind her, Anastasia pretended nothing was wrong and moved her eyes onto his canvas.
“Uh…?”
As soon as Anastasia frowned at her strange noise, Louis asked with a bewildered look.
“I didn’t draw it well…?”
“Louis.”
Anastasia asked with a serious expression.
“Isn’t it drawn too ugly?”
“Yes?”
“Our Louis is much, much more handsome than this.”
Anastasia looked at the picture and the real thing with a serious expression and shook her head.
“Again, I think Louis painted it too modestly. Louis, this isn’t a self-portrait, it’s more of an abstraction. You didn’t capture Louis’ beauty properly.”
“Okay…? I thought it was the same.”
“No. Louis is seven times more handsome than this picture. Your Majesty…”
The moment she involuntarily turned her head to ask Wilhelm, Anastasia immediately made eye contact with Wilhelm and involuntarily bit her mouth.
After a moment of silence, Anastasia stuttered and opened her mouth again.
“Your Majesty, Your Majesty also thinks so, don’t you?”
“Yes.”
He still smiled as he made eye contact with Anastasia.
‘Is he the kind of person who looked straight into people’s eyes and talked like this…? He used to laugh so often…?’
Anastasia, who became burdened, tried to avoid Wilhelm’s eyes, but even that was not easy because his eyes were so persistent.
It was as if his gaze had caught her eyes like a trap.
“I was going to say that too. Louis is much more handsome than this. Who is this?”
“…”
“Hmm… … Well then, let’s fix it.”
While Anastasia was speechless, Louis nodded his head with an oddly happy expression on his face.
“It’s in the sketching stage anyway, so editing isn’t that difficult.”
“Yeah, that’s good.”
“Uh…?”
At that moment, Louis looked at Anastasia with a puzzled expression under her shoulder.
“Your Majesty, by the way, do you have a mole on your back?”
Anastasia reflexively put her hand behind her shoulder and traced what Louis had said to her.
“Ah… …This one.”
“But it is very special. It’s the first time I’ve seen something so big. It looks like a rose…”
Louis, who had been thinking deeply, asked as if something came to mind.
“Oh, is this perhaps the goddess’s sign?”
Anastasia smiled awkwardly and nodded her head.
Goddess sign.
It was the most convincing sign that Anastasia was the woman of the oracle. In fact, it was an elaborate mark that was closer to a pattern than a dot.
This point from birth was the decisive evidence that made Anastasia Empress after the oracle told that the empire would be safe and secure only when a girl with a rose-shaped dot on her shoulder became an Empress.
‘It’s a little hot today, so Selene said it was a good fit for me, so I wore a cool dress…’
Anastasia eventually asked Selene for a shawl with her embarrassed face to cover her mole, and Louis was puzzled to see it.
“Why are you covering it?”
“I am ashamed.”
“Why?”
“… Is it ugly?”
… of course it wasn’t.
After her return, Anastasia did not try to reveal it, especially in public.
Even if the maids were disappointed, saying, “Why do you keep blocking the sign of the proud Goddess?”
‘Soon, Avelin will appear with the same mole.’
In a word, it was a shame as someone who knew in advance that she was a fake. Her original was different, but she felt like she was walking around as a replica.
“It’s pretty.”
At that time, Anastasia stopped and turned around when she heard a voice from behind.
“Pretty.”
He said, looking at her with his serious expression, Anastasia’s face quickly blushed.
“Your Majesty’s face has become a tomato.”
“… Louis, come on, draw again.”
Anastasia hurriedly gave Louis his seat, and Louis sat down in front of the easel, still grinning.
Eventually, only the two of them had nothing to do, and Anastasia became embarrassed.
‘I just came so I can’t go back… ‘
The moment Anastasia slowly turned her head towards Wilhelm, she met his eyes head-on. Anastasia was startled when she tried to look in front of her again.
“Really, come to think of it, there was something I wanted to do when the two of you were together.”
At those words, both eyes turned to Louis.
Louis said to the two with a somewhat meaningful expression.
“For a moment, the two of you get closer.”
~~~~
So, what Louis wanted to do was…
‘Were you painting a couple portrait?’
“You are the only couple I’ve ever met.”
So she cooperated…
“Hey, come closer a little more!”
“… More here?”
It seemed that the painting Louis wanted was a very affectionate couple.
If they got closer, their flesh had to touch each other’s without any gaps.
‘My child wants it, but I can’t…’
It was finally time for Anastasia to get up the courage to go a little further aside.
“Ah…!”
A large hand suddenly wrapped around Anastasia’s waist and pulled her towards him.
She sat side by side, but her torso touched as if in his arms, and Anastasia looked up without realizing it, and was embarrassed.
‘Too… It’s too close.’
“Wow, that’s great!”
The problem was that she was unable to push him away because Louis said so.
In the end, Anastasia did not say anything and remained quiet, but she was concerned about too many things.
It was the same way that her arm was constantly touching his chest, and the part of his hand wrapped around her waist was also sensitive as if all the senses felt by the nerve cells were amplified.
The subtle scent of his body also made Anastasia’s mood strange.
‘But more than anything else…’
The breath that subtly descended on her face was of the utmost concern. It wasn’t too hot, but it felt like a fire was burning wherever it touched.
“Wait a minute.”
Then Wilhelm released his hand from Anastasia’s waist and fell away from her.
‘Oh, I think I’m going to live a little…’
But it was a complete delusion.
“It’s a little hot.”
“Is it because it’s stuck together?” He took off his jacket, while he muttered casually, untied a couple of buttons on his shirt, and hugged Anastasia’s waist again as if it had never happened.
‘Now, hold on a second. This is a little… …dangerous.’
His chest felt so bare through his bare back.
The thin shirt that blocked the two was almost meaningless, and rather made her feel more embarrassed. She felt more ashamed than his bare chest touched her.
Even the shawl wasn’t worn because Louis told her to take it off under the pretext that it was difficult to draw.
It was when Anastasia’s feet became stiff in an increasingly strange mood.
“Just lean on me.”
A low, heavy voice came down from above and tickled the corner of her eyes.
“You don’t have to strain yourself for nothing.”
Anastasia turned her head reflexively at the words, and his bare chest, revealed through the loosened buttons, caught her eyes.
As Anastasia looked forward again in amazement, a low laugh came from above.
…what, was she the only one excited about the situation? Was she the only one nervous? This guy didn’t care?
‘Yeah, I’ve pushed it too far.’
It was an overreaction. He was like a scholar.
Anastasia felt like she didn’t know so she relaxed and leaned on him.
‘I’m going to do this now. I was stiff and hard for nothing.’
It was the moment Anastasia lifted her head to ask, ‘Is this okay?’
‘Uh…?’
As she turned around, she saw his reddened face. Red like a tomato…
As if he was dazed, like he was flustered. The rapidly swaying eyes looked at Anastasia, and at that moment, Anastasia was caught up in the illusion that there were only two people left in the world.
A large meteorite flew into Anastasia’s heart and crashed. Even her eyes trembled at the vibration.
‘Is this okay…?’
“Your Majesty, Your Majesty the Empress!”
That was the moment. Mrs. Rochester rushed into Louis’ room.
Anastasia suddenly came to her senses, took a long breath and shifted her gaze to Mrs. Rochester.
“What’s going on, Mrs. Rochester?”
“This is an emergency report from the temple.”
Her heart started beating faster than before. In the words that followed, Anastasia felt the end.
“The High Priest is said to have awakened!”
The being who would deliver the oracle had finally awoken.
