It was upon catching wind of a conversation that an unsettling feeling washed over her, warning her that something was amiss.
When the auction successfully ended, she proceeded to the powder room and rest for a while.
“Come to think of it, I haven’t seen Lady Orangtin anywhere.”
“Where did she go? Have you seen her?”
“No, I think it’s been a long time since she has left.”
“I haven’t seen her since Her Majesty opened the auction earlier.”
As she was walking down the hallway toward the powder room, she heard voices that sounded very familiar to her.
Eventually, Anastasia was able to identify them as the three ladies-in-waiting from the Central Palace.
“Don’t tell me… She’s not with the Emperor, is she?”
Upon hearing the worried voice, Anastasia unconsciously focused on the conversation, feeling nervous.
“Impossible. His Majesty went to put out the fire at Cysteine Palace.”
“I heard earlier that the fire at the Cysteine Palace has already been extinguished.”
“What? Then the Emperor…”
“Did he, perchance, have a secret rendezvous with Lady Orangtin at the Central Palace?”
“That is absurd! His Majesty has never cast his gaze upon any of us!”
“But we don’t know about their relationship. Maybe Lady Orangtin lied to us.”
The troubled conversation between the three women continued.
Meanwhile, Anastasia was no longer concerned about their exchange; instead, she was now heading straight to the Central Palace.
‘…It’s not possible.’
In her mind, she vividly replayed the events that occurred shortly after she arrived at the banquet hall.
~~~~
A few hours ago.
“Ah!”
Anastasia furrowed her brows and let out a small grunt as she tucked her flowing hair behind her ears.
“What’s wrong, Your Majesty?”
“A hairpin keeps poking my scalp.”
“Oh, dear.”
Selene looked at Anastasia’s hair with a look of surprise.
“Would you like to go to the powder room? I’ll take care of it.”
“Thank you, Selene. I should.”
They both went to the powder room together and were about to enter when…
“Ah!”
Upon opening the powder room’s door, Selene was startled by a sudden scream.
“Oh, there must have been someone behind the door!”
Anastasia stood behind the door, her expression filled with surprise as she examined the visage of the victim.
The face held a hint of familiarity for her; it was that of Siena Orangtin, the lady-in-waiting at the Central Palace.
Anastasia was in the midst of attempting to inquire about her well-being after she fell to the floor when an unusual pink heart-shaped glass bottle caught her eye.
“…That?”
Anastasia pondered the identity of the peculiar bottle while Siena, who was on the floor, swiftly retrieved the glass container that had toppled to the floor and concealed it in her pocket.
Anastasia gazed at her actions, perplexed. Siena lifted her gaze to meet Anastasia’s, her expression conveying profound embarrassment.
“Ah, Empress…”
“…Are you alright?”
Anastasia extended her hand towards Siena, her brows slightly furrowed.
Siena hesitated, then took her hand and stood up.
Anastasia offered an apology.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t realize there was someone behind the door. Are you badly hurt?”
“Oh, no, Your Majesty.”
“Are you sure you’re not hurt? Should I call the court doctor?”
Anastasia inquired with a worried tone, “It seemed like you took quite a tumble.”
Siena responded, “Oh, I’m alright, really. It wasn’t too serious. See you later.”
With haste, Siena departed, prompting Anastasia to tilt her head before heading into the powder room.
~~~~
‘It was a love potion.’
Upon seeing the distinctive glass bottle, a feeling of recognition washed over her. It suddenly dawned on her that she had encountered it before while reading the original storyline.
Love potion.
After Anastasia’s departure, the potion became a tool employed by the envious Vaudar imperial princess to manipulate the relationship between Avelin and Wilhelm.
Consuming the love potion triggered an intense heat within the body, swiftly incapacitating both body and mind and exerting control over the psyche.
Furthermore, ingesting the potion resulted in falling in love with the first individual sighted within a mere five minutes.
The medicinal effects lasted for approximately a day, but its usage was strictly forbidden among magical potions due to its ability to manipulate the human spirit.
In the original storyline, the Vaudar princess secretly obtained the drug to drive a wedge between Avelin and Wilhelm, administering it to Wilhelm…
‘There’s only one specific method to entirely nullify this substance.’
Anastasia rushed towards the Central Palace with urgency. She needed to hurry, or else it would completely deviate from the original plotline.
“Your Majesty the Empress.”
Upon reaching the Central Palace, Colton expressed surprise upon seeing Anastasia, who was breathing heavily and appearing disheveled.
“Why is the star of today’s banquet here… No, why are you in such a rush?”
“His Majesty… His Majesty…”
Anastasia managed to control her breathing and inquired.
“Where is the Emperor?”
“He’s resting in his room… Your Majesty the Empress—”
Before Colton could finish speaking, Anastasia swiftly made her way to Wilhelm’s room.
However, soon her impatience got the better of her, prompting her to grasp the hem of her dress and break into a run.
Eventually, she arrived at Wilhelm’s room and wasted no time in opening the door.
Thump!
The surprise displayed on the faces of the two before her was evident.
‘……Thank God.’
She felt a wave of relief upon seeing both of them dressed, indicating that the situation hadn’t strayed as far from the original storyline as she feared.
Ignoring Siena’s stunned expression, Anastasia made her way to Wilhelm.
His flushed face and warm breath gave the impression that he had recently consumed a love potion.
Anastasia carefully placed her hand on Wilhelm’s cheek.
His eyes, filled with intensity, shifted towards her.
The eyes, on the verge of opening, were fraught with peril.
“…I apologize, Your Majesty.”
There was only one way to nullify the drug.
“This is the only way for now.”
It was a kiss exchanged between spouses.
Anastasia leaned in and kissed Wilhelm without hesitation.
As she felt his warm lips under her touch, she sensed Wilhelm’s body tensing up, startled.
‘You must be surprised.’
Kissing your spouse would neutralize the effects of the potion.
Even to her, it seemed like an absurd solution, but it was unavoidable since it was prescribed in the original text. She pondered that perhaps the author intended to incorporate a romantic kiss scene between the male and female characters.
Anastasia kissed Wilhelm until the effects of the potion were entirely nullified.
Wilhelm’s tense body gradually relaxed, and the heat dissipated, leaving him gradually cooling down.
Eventually, Wilhelm lost consciousness and collapsed into Anastasia’s embrace.
“Ah….”
Just as Anastasia, feeling embarrassed, embraced him, Colton entered Wilhelm’s room.
“Your Majesty!”
Upon witnessing Wilhelm collapse in Anastasia’s arms, Colton rushed in astonishment.
He assisted Anastasia in supporting Wilhelm and inquired, his voice reflecting his confusion:
“Your Majesty, what’s happening?”
Anastasia, without responding, turned her head and, with a stern glare at the trembling Siena on the side, commanded,
“Detain Lady Orangtin immediately.”
~~~~
“Wilhelm.”
Wilhelm turned his head dazedly as someone whispered into his ear
His mother hugged him and gazed at him affectionately.
“I’m so proud of you, my son.”
“…Mother.”
In an instant, Wilhelm’s expression contorted with anguish.
He appeared on the verge of collapse, his lips trembling uncontrollably.
Though he had words to convey, they refused to come forth easily, leading to a prolonged silence.
His mother smiled reassuringly, patiently awaiting her son’s words.
After a prolonged silence, Wilhelm finally managed to express the frozen words from his heart.
“I’m not.”
“What?”
“I’m not.”
His eyes appeared teary and red, suggesting that he was on the brink of tears.
He shook his head and repeated the denial.
“Not me.”
“No. It’s all right.”
When his mother nodded, Wilhelm’s red-rimmed eyes shimmered with relief.
His mother, still smiling gently, reached out to caress her son’s face.
“I believe in you. As your mother, I know firsthand just how kind and honorable you are.”
However, soon after, he descended back into despair.
“But what’s important about it?”
At that moment, he came to a stark realization: nobody trusted his words, and nobody cared to hear him out.
This included his own mother, who had brought him into the world after ten long months.
~~~~
“Oh!”
He opened his eyes with a deep groan.
Wilhelm’s breathing quickened, his eyes bloodshot as if he were still caught in a dream.
Despite the clear indication that he was awake and not dreaming, Wilhelm remained disoriented for an extended period, akin to someone lost in a dream.
“…Your Majesty?”
A perplexed voice from nearby snapped him out of his daze.
Wilhelm, still struggling to steady his breathing, turned his head.
Anastasia, wearing a look of surprise, was gazing at him.
“Are you finally awake?”
… No, it’s a concerned expression. Strangely enough, he perceived it as such.
That aloof woman wouldn’t show concern for him.
‘…But regardless…’
It didn’t really make a difference. He was simply relieved not to be left alone after emerging from that dreadful dream.
Heeeee i thought we got steamy scene