Until The Real One Shows Up​

What? It’s like it doesn’t taste good… 

‘Weird. Before returning, he really liked this and ate it well… ‘

But now Wilhelm’s expression was as if he was forcing himself to eat, pretending to be okay. He was pretending not to be, but he clearly showed signs of distress.

“Perhaps… … Can’t you eat giblets?”

When Anastasia asked with a doubtful expression, Wilhelm answered after a while.

“… No, I think it’s fine.”

“Your expression… … You don’t look very good.”

“… actually.”

After quite a long hesitation, Wilhelm confessed cautiously.

“It’s my first time eating this food.”

“… yes?”

Anastasia stuttered with a bewildered expression at the unexpected answer.

“Ha, but obviously, as you travel around many countries…….”

At that moment, the lightning bolt flashed through Anastasia’s mind.

‘Did you lie?’

She went out on a street date with Wilhelm after they were already in love.

“But this is a food that people like and dislike quite a lot… …. Are you sure you don’t mind?”

“It’s okay. I’ve been wandering for four years.”

“But still….”

“I’ve tried this kind of food a lot abroad before.”

In fact, he said he liked it quite a bit, as he looked at her with a curious smile and took a bite of sausage.

‘You didn’t want to disappoint me.’

Anastasia’s eyes quickly heated up at her belated realization.

‘Why, why did he tell such a lie?….’

“Asha.”

A hot tear felt on the cheek and a startled voice touching her ear made Anastasia’s mind blank.

“Are you okay?”

He came close to her with a perplexed expression, as if he were quite surprised to see her crying suddenly.

“Yes…”

Anastasia hurriedly wiped her cheeks and continued to talk with difficulty.

“It’s alright. It’s alright…”

No, it wasn’t really.

It was regrettable that she realized too late that he actually loved and cared for her even in these little things.

The person she wanted to express her gratitude to was… not in this time anymore.

Anastasia tried to stop crying before Wilhelm, who was unaware of this, found her any stranger.

She had to stop…

“Gasp… I’m sorry, I’m sorry.”

It didn’t stop at all. She felt so sorry for him for not noticing his lies earlier. She was sorry she couldn’t tell him again, so she felt even more sorry.

“Ah…”

At that moment, Wilhelm hugged her tightly. He opened his mouth, wrapping Anastasia with his trembling hand.

“Don’t cry.”

His voice was as shaky as his trembling hands.

“If you cry… … I don’t know what to do.”

“…”

“My mind turns blank… Nothing, I can’t think of anything.”

He asked in a desperate voice.

“I mean…… Don’t cry. You don’t have to be sorry. It’s not that I can’t eat it. It’s just my first time, so…”

“Will.”

Anastasia embraced his neck in a wailing voice.

Wilhelm’s body stiffened by the sudden movement, but Anastasia did not care and did not let go of the hand that hugged her. No, rather, she hugged him with more strength.

“I, I’m so sorry…”

“No, there’s nothing to be sorry about…”

“Just.”

Anastasia interrupted him with difficulty and apologized.

“I’m just sorry for everything. I… I feel so sorry for you.”

One day, please, she wanted to confess to him.

Although she couldn’t do that to him who died because of her, she really wanted to convey the feeling to him now.

She was so sorry to push him to ruin.

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry, Will…”

“If you’re so sorry.”

Wilhelm, who was holding Anastasia silently, opened his mouth at some point.

“I don’t know what it is, but you can pay it off in the future.”

 “…”

 “Pay it off by my side.”

With those words, a stronger force entered Wilhelm’s arms as he embraced Anastasia.

 “As my empress.”

 “…”

 “Then stop crying.”

His firm, yet soft voice was the one she remembered and loved.

“I’m okay.”

Perhaps he would have said that even if he had heard her apology before she returned.

Because of that thought, Anastasia slowly stopped crying in his arms without saying a word, feeling like her heart was breaking.

~~~~

After Anastasia calmed down, Wilhelm treated her as if nothing had happened.

Anastasia was grateful for his consideration, and she also treated him as casually as possible.

She was so engrossed in the streets again, and when it was time to go back, Wilhelm said to Anastasia.

“I have a place to go to.”

At that, Anastasia looked at him with her puzzled eyes and nodded her head.

Eventually Wilhelm took Anastasia to a sparsely populated garden. That was also quite familiar to Anastasia.

‘Here…’

Anastasia’s heart began to beat rapidly.

“Isn’t it difficult to climb?”

Then, Wilhelm asked in a worried voice.

“If it’s hard, I’ll carry you with me.”

“… no.”

Anastasia struggled to open her mouth.

“It’s okay. I can go up.”

Anastasia, who remembered it before her return, shook her head, her eyes reddened. It was dark around her, so she was lucky that he couldn’t see her face.

‘Wilhelm brought me here on our first date…’

Because she liked it, she always stopped by there when she went out with Wilhelm.

‘I thought it would be the end if we couldn’t go here together…’

Anastasia climbed up the hill, with her overflowing heart.

After a few minutes or so, the two finally reached the top.

As she climbed to the top of the hill, she could see the scenery of the city at a glance.

Since it was the first day of the festival, there were more lanterns than usual, and the night view was quite beautiful. More than any night view Anastasia had ever seen.

And maybe in the future, she wouldn’t see a more beautiful night view.

“What do you think?”

“It’s so… beautiful.”

Anastasia replied sincerely.

“Did you bring me here to show me this?”

“Yes, this is a place that only I know.”

Wilhelm smiled and nodded.

“I found it while wandering around before I ascended the throne. I’ve never encountered anyone, so I often thought here alone.”

“Thank you for bringing me to such a precious place.”

“Because you are also my precious person.”

“Precious person…?”

“You’re on my side.”

Wilhelm replied to Anastasia as if it were natural, and Anastasia smiled only then.

“Yes. Thanks to you, I think I’ll have an unforgettable memory.”

“I’m in trouble if you’re already surprised by this.”

Wilhelm grinned and said something meaningful.

“There’s still a highlight left.”

At the same time, red firecrackers went up to the sky and exploded with a loud noise.

-Bang!

The highlight of the festival, fireworks have begun.

The first fireworks exploded, and other fireworks went up to the sky one after another and began to explode.

“Wow…”

Anastasia couldn’t take her eyes off the night sky as if she had never seen a fireworks display before, and Wilhelm stared at it and smiled unconsciously.

‘I’m glad you like it.’

He brought her to the place because he thought it would be a better experience to see the fireworks in a quiet and open place rather than a place where many people gathered.

‘I was originally going to bring someone I love…’

He didn’t want to go back, so he brought her there. Somehow he thought she’d like it here.

‘I’m glad my prediction was right.’

Thinking that he should continue to bring her, Wilhelm couldn’t take his eyes off Anastasia, who was absorbed in the fireworks with tears in her eyes.

“Do you like it?”

Anastasia, who was only looking up at the sky, turned to him.

She looked at him with slightly tearful eyes, smiling brighter than the flames in the night sky.

The moment he saw it, the color quickly faded from Wilhelm’s expression.

“I love it.”

“…”

“Thank you very much, Will.”

Looking at her smiling brightly with his nickname in her mouth, Wilhelm felt one side of his heart numb.

At first, he thought it was an unfamiliar sensation and was embarrassed.

But soon after, he realized it wasn’t. It was because it was a feeling he felt quite often while looking at Anastasia.

Looking at her smiling at him, looking at her crying… Every moment he saw her, all the emotions that had suddenly risen suddenly revived in an instant, shaking Wilhelm’s heart as if there was an earthquake.

‘Since when has… It felt like this.’

He calmly looked back on my memory, but he couldn’t be sure of the beginning.

Going back too long, Wilhelm at some point gave up finding the starting point.

And now, he turned his mind to focus on the present in which he lived.

She was now undeniably special and precious to him.

Now his heart was solely controlled by the trigger that was her. Her laughter made him happy, and her crying made him sad.

The initiative of emotion was no longer him, but in her.

It had been a long time since she had already opened the door to his heart and strode inside so that his emotions were assimilated.

So he didn’t know if it was what others called love, but even if it wasn’t…

‘It doesn’t matter.’

‘Now, I don’t think I’ll feel this way for anyone but you.’

He didn’t think anyone but her would dare take over his heart like this.

Even a similar feeling, even a resemblance… From now on, it will only be hers.