Until The Real One Shows Up​

Again, a day ago.

“… Then really.”

After hearing about the situation from Lyell, Anastasia opened her mouth after a long silence.

“It seems that she is the woman of the oracle.”

“… I am sorry, Your Majesty.”

“What do you have to apologize for, High Priest? It’s not the High Priest’s fault.”

“but…”

“Even the Goddess can make a mistake at least once.”

Anastasia now didn’t want to dig too deep into the story, so she quickly turned the subject.

“What did His Majesty say?”

“As the matter is an issue, we plan to discuss it at the political affairs meeting tomorrow. Our priests, as well as the Lady Hazel, will be in attendance.”

Lyell spoke calmly.

“Then he told me to say it again. Your Majesty the Empress must also attend.”

“Sure. I will.”

“…”

In response to Anastasia’s answer, Lyell looked at her with her eyes in surprise for a moment, then opened her mouth.

“You’re not as surprised as I thought you’d be.”

… Did she pretend to be too calm?

Anastasia, who had become irritable, looked at Lyell with a hastily and pitiful expression on her face.

Lyell had a pathetic expression on his face that surprised her when she saw it.

“In the eyes of the High Priest… … I look fine now.”

“Ah, Your Majesty… … How dare I make a slip of the tongue…”

“Should I have been shocked and fainted here?”

“No, Your Majesty. I have sinned to death.”

Lyell, greatly embarrassed by the look on her face that looked like she was about to burst into tears, hurriedly knelt in front of her and bowed his head. Anastasia looked at him like that, then opened her mouth again.

“It wouldn’t be strange if I looked like that. I have good reasons for that.”

“Yes? what is that…”

“We will talk about that at the meeting tomorrow. Today is… … It’s too hard.”

Anastasia gestured to the High Priest with her tired look.

“Just go away.”

“… Yes, Your Majesty.”

Lyell left, and Anastasia was left alone. Anastasia touched her forehead with a complicated expression.

“Your Majesty the Empress.”

Then Mrs. Rochester approached Anastasia and asked with a worried expression.

“What did the High Priest say? His expression looked serious…”

“…”

Anastasia hesitated for a moment. She had already heard the news once before her return.

However, having done it once did not mean that it was not difficult to deliver this shocking news.

Anastasia struggled to open her mouth as she looked at Mrs. Rochester with her calm expression.

“Listen, don’t be too surprised, Mrs. Rochester.”

“What the hell is going on…”

“The oracle is wrong.”

Mrs. Rochester stared at Anastasia with round eyes.

Anastasia took a deep breath and continued.

“The Goddess misjudged me. She says I wasn’t the woman of the oracle.”

“Your Majesty, what is that…”

“The Goddess’ mark appeared on the shoulder of this year’s debutante, Lady Avelin Hazel. The Lady can even use divine power.

“…I understand now.”

Mrs. Rochester’s lips twitched as if she had been hit hard in the back of her head.

“I understand…… It’s not. I mean, that’s…”

“Yes.”

Anastasia looked directly into Mrs. Rochester’s face and nodded.

“It means that I have to give the Empress’ seat to Lady Hazel.”

“…Your Majesty.”

Mrs. Rochester shook her head with a vacant look.

“It’s ridiculous. What the…”

“…”

“Oh, how could that happen…”

“Mrs. Rochester.”

Looking at Mrs. Rochester confused, Anastasia continued calmly throughout.

“Lastly, I have something to tell you.”

“What do you mean last, Your Majesty? That’s… No. No, Your Majesty!”

“Prepare divorce papers and pack my luggage. I will first ask His Majesty for my disposal and empty the Empress’ Palace.”

“Your Majesty, what are you talking about?”

When Anastasia continued to speak regardless of what she had said, Mrs. Rochester was simply going crazy and jumping.

“Your majes-, your majesty? It’s ridiculous. What did Your Majesty do wrong to get deposed?”

Mrs. Rochester denied the situation with a sullen voice.

Then she eventually noticed something strange and was stunned.

“No, more than that… … Why aren’t you surprised?”

Mrs. Rochester asked Anastasia, about to cry.

“I can’t believe this is happening at all… … It seems like a lie…”

“…”

“Why are you so calm? why… … are you taking this situation so naturally?”

“… Mrs. Rochester knew it too.”

With those words, Anastasia took off the shawl she was wearing. Her white, smooth shoulders appeared in front of Mrs. Rochester.

“The sign of the Goddess disappeared from me.”

Anastasia continued speaking as if resigned.

“It’s still, as it is.”

“…”

“Since then, I have prayed a lot and thought about it. How did this happen?”

After saying that, Anastasia was silent for a moment.

“Then I suddenly realized. Maybe the Goddess… … Maybe I didn’t choose me. therefore…”

Anastasia again wrapped the shawl around her shoulder with a weak touch.

“Maybe she has taken her grace from me again.”

“… Your Majesty.”

“Maybe this day might come, I thought for a bit.”

Anastasia, with a faint smile, foretold what was to come tomorrow.

“There will be a meeting on this issue tomorrow. I will be there to report my condition and self-defeat.”

“Your Majesty, no…”

Mrs. Rochester wept and grabbed Anastasia’s collar.

“No, Your Majesty… … .”

It was a very desperate touch. Anastasia closed her eyes involuntarily.

“… the oracle.”

Slowly opening her eyes, Anastasia vomited her words helplessly.

“I can’t go against it.”

“Your Majesty…!”

“For now, be quiet. When tomorrow’s meeting is held, everyone in the Empire will know anyway. From today onwards, I do not want to clutter up the Empress Palace.”

“How, how…”

“Mrs. Rochester.”

After Anastasia struggled to swallow her saliva, she cleared up the situation.

“Please hurry to prepare. If I have to vacate this place anyway, I want to finish it as soon as possible.”

“…”

“Mrs. Rochester.”

Mrs. Rochester, whose expression distorted at her urging call, finally bowed her head and ran outside as if running away.

Anastasia’s expression looking at her was also disturbed.

‘Wilhelm… ‘

 … What was he doing now? What were his thoughts after the High Priest left?

She suddenly wondered. She would never go to ask him with her mouth.

~~~~

The next day was bright.

Having stayed up all night with her almost open eyes, Anastasia wore a white dress that exposed her shoulders, with a thick shawl over it.

“Makeup as light as possible. Accessories are as simple as possible.”

It was tactless to show up in a fancy way where the main character was.

‘It’s not going to be a good thing.’

Selene and the maids of the Empress’ Palace had an intuition that there was clearly something going on with Madame Rochester’s mood, which had been depressed since yesterday, or Anastasia’s unusual attendance at the government meeting.

However, they did not dare to ask questions, and, unlike usual, they proceeded with the makeup quietly, almost omitting praise for admiring Anastasia’s beauty.

“Let’s go.”

As Anastasia was ready to leave her room, she heard Mrs. Rochester’s sobs holding her breath behind her.

“…”

Anastasia tried to pretend she didn’t know and moved on with her steps.

As she left the Empress’ Palace and walked towards the conference hall, every step she took was heavy.

Before her return, she was afraid of being abandoned by Wilhelm, now she was just tired.

She just wanted her to finish the situation as quickly as possible, and get rid of all the clutter that complicated her head.

With that in mind, Anastasia arrived at her meeting room.

“Her Majesty the Empress enters.”

As she entered, she could feel the eyes of all the nobles who were gathered looking at Anastasia with curious faces.

Even her father, the Duke of Barantes, was no exception.

“Your Majesty, why are you here…”

“…”

Anastasia turned away instead of answering. And she went to her seat, far from Wilhelm’s seat, and sat down.

“His Majesty the Emperor enters.”

Soon there was a sound announcing Wilhelm’s appearance. Anastasia stood up from her seat and looked at Wilhelm as he entered the conference room.

The first thing that caught her eyes was that he couldn’t sleep last night. Pretty rough skin came into view next.

Well, he must be surprised. He must have been embarrassed and confused. Even if he couldn’t sleep well… It was nothing unusual.

“…”

Soon Wilhelm’s gaze turned to Anastasia.

Naturally, the eyes of the two stared at each other.

His expression was serious, even grim at first glance.

Anastasia looked at him for a moment and turned her head first.

But even after that, Wilhelm’s gaze toward her continued for a few more seconds.

In time, Wilhelm went to his seat and sat down, and then everyone was able to follow suit.

For a moment the silence filled the hall.

“…today.”

At last Wilhelm opened his heavy lips.

“I have something important to inform the lords.”

After that, Wilhelm was silent for another few seconds.

Because of his unfavorable attitude, the nobles gathered there intuitively recognized that something great was about to happen.

 “Let the High Priest enter.”

At Wilhelm’s order, Lyell and several priests appeared in the hall. Again, the eyes of the nobles were puzzled at the unprecedented event.

“Yesterday the High Priest came to me and said, a new oracle came down a few days ago.”

Wilhelm spoke in a low voice.

“I am here today to convey this to the lords. High Priest, speak of the oracle you have heard.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Lyell politely bowed her head, then recited the contents of the oracle.

“The oracle is wrong. The current Empress is not the woman of the oracle.”

It was the same words as in the original story and in the last life without missing a single thing.

Anastasia slowly closed her eyes. She didn’t want to see her father shocked by this ridiculous situation, nor did she want to see the astonished aristocrats.

But then, a baffling remark came that would open her eyes.