Not long after, Duke Barantes came to see Anastasia.
“Your Majesty, how have you been?”
Her father, whom she hadn’t seen in quite a while, was as warm and cheerful as ever, his affection for her evident.
But…
“I’ve been well, though I’m not sure the same can be said for you, Father.”
Anastasia frowned slightly in concern.
“You look a bit tired.”
“Oh, I guess that’s not something I can hide from you.”
Duke Barantes replied with a shy smile.
“Forgive me. Recently, I’ve been very occupied with the immigration issues on the northeastern border. Because of that, I haven’t had much time at the duchy…I’ve been quite overwhelmed lately. It’s been a while since I last saw Your Majesty, and I’ve only just managed to make time to visit.”
“Oh, I heard about that.”
It had occurred before she came back. In the end, everything was resolved safely, and she wished to reassure her father not to worry, but that was only wishful thinking.*
*TN: meaning it was only in her head as she was the only one who had returned.
Anastasia set aside her regrets and offered a gentle reassurance.
“If you’re that busy, maybe it was difficult to come here?”
“Oh no, no. It’s been too long since I last saw you.”
Duke Barantes chuckled, then added, “Actually, being busy is only part of the reason.”
“Oh?”
“Truthfully, my dear daughter the Empress had been moved down the priority list.”
Anastasia blinked, a bit puzzled by his words, trying to understand his meaning.
“Before this, Your Majesty always caused such major incidents that you took top priority.”
“Ah…”
“But now, you’re handling things so well on your own.”
“Even with your busy schedule, you’ve still managed to keep up with that news.”
“The busier I am, the more I keep my ears open for updates about you, Your Majesty. It gives me peace of mind as a father.”
Duke Barantes smiled.
“Honestly, you’ve been doing so well that I hardly even need to check in on you.”
“Is that really what you think?”
“Absolutely! When I heard about it, I was full of admiration… Compared to last year, it’s as if the Goddess Rosenia herself came down and transformed you. I’m excited to see how much more you’ll grow in the future.”
Mrs. Rochester, Wilhelm, and now her father. This made it the third time.
Anastasia smiled a bit awkwardly and shifted the conversation.
“I would have met with you sooner as well, but I’ve been busy lately. There’s the Foundation Day preparations, and…”
“I heard. The two factions in high society have been clashing rather fiercely. But it seems things have finally settled to some extent.”
“You seem to be quite up-to-date on social news.”
“Naturally.”
Anastasia had rallied her followers to spread word about Olivia’s removal from her position as Louis’s nanny. One faction of the nobles sided with Anastasia, saying that such intense education was excessive for a six-year-old, even a prince. The other faction argued it was too much to accuse his aunt’s care of abuse and remove her from her role.
Initially, as Duke Barantes noted, the division between the two sides was intense, but soon the former opinion prevailed, and the outcome shifted in Anastasia’s favor.
Her reputation had been steadily improving since the previous year, and most importantly, rumors about Louis choosing to stay with Anastasia at the Empress’ Palace played a significant role.
‘After all, reputation is something that requires careful management.’
In contrast, Lady Fontaine was now surrounded by suspicions that she may have harbored malicious intentions and had unreasonably pressured the prince to study. Given Olivia’s recent meetings with various nobles, quite a few people began to believe these rumors weren’t groundless.
‘At least for a while, she won’t be able to make any moves.’
This was exactly the outcome Anastasia had aimed for.
As a result, the rumors about the Emperor, which had been deliberately circulated by the Fontaines, were now halted like a ship run aground.
“Oh, and this is a bit overdue,” Duke Barantes began, speaking in a low tone as though sharing a secret.
“Actually, Lady Fontaine came to see me. Late at night.”
“What? What on earth…”
“I believe,” he said, recalling, “it was the final Friday of last month.”
“… Ahh.”
Anastasia recognized the date immediately, smiling wryly at the timing.
“That’s the day I dismissed Lady Fontaine as Prince Louis’s nanny and set all of this in motion.”
“Indeed. No wonder her face was full of spite,” he replied.
“But she acted quickly, too. She came to see you the same day. I thought she might try that eventually.”
Olivia must harbor a deep resentment toward her. Louis might dismiss his pledge to follow her as just a strategic move. But for Barantes and Fontaine to align and secure Louis as the next emperor, sacrificing her becomes necessary. For Olivia, this would be the perfect way to achieve her revenge.
“Yes. When she came, she proposed an alliance with the Fontaine family. Though she didn’t say it directly.”
“Did you refuse?” Anastasia asked, her voice trembling slightly.
This conversation hadn’t occurred before her return, as it hadn’t been necessary. But her curiosity about her father’s thoughts lingered.
Even so, she was confident he was on her side.
“Of course,” he replied without a hint of hesitation, and Anastasia couldn’t help but smile in relief. Noticing, Duke Barantes asked, sounding slightly amused, “What’s that smile for? You didn’t seriously think I’d team up with Fontaine to push for Prince Louis as the next emperor, did you?”
“Oh, no. I trusted you, Father.”
“Trusted me? You stammered… doesn’t sound like you were entirely convinced.”
“…Uhm.” Anastasia gave an awkward smile and lifted her teacup.
“Besides, Louis is my aunt’s grandson. It’s a bit… complicated.”
“Your Majesty, Louis is my yison.”
“…What is that?”
“An old term for one’s sibling’s grandchild. You hardly ever hear it used.”
“…”
“But you, Your Majesty, are my daughter. My own child. It’s simple.”
Duke Barantes looked at Anastasia with affection.
“Isn’t it natural for me to support my child over a distant yison, even if it’s family?”
“Yes.”
Anastasia smiled bashfully. “I’m sorry if I seemed doubtful, Father.”
“No need to apologize. A little suspicion isn’t strange.” Duke Barantes shrugged casually. “After all, political motives aren’t always about family ties, as I just mentioned.”
That was it. He was truly exceptional. Many in aristocratic society would sacrifice not only their sons but also their daughters if it served a political purpose.
“But I’m not one of them, Your Majesty. Set your mind at ease,” Duke Barantes said with a playful tone, prompting Anastasia to laugh.
“Fontaine must be delusional to think I’d betray my own daughter, the Empress.”
“Well, perhaps she assumes I’m unable to bear children.”
“Your Majesty.”
When Duke Barantes frowned, Anastasia smiled. “Just a joke.”
“A joke, is it… Anyway, you have nothing to worry about.”
“I trust you, Father,” Anastasia replied, still smiling. “But His Majesty may not. After all, you were once rivals.”
“True… very true.”
“So, please, reassure him rather than me.”
Duke Barantes’ expression shifted oddly at this. He reacted as if he had heard something unbelievable and questioned whether he had understood it correctly. “Are you serious?”
“Pardon?”
“No…” The Duke hesitated before continuing, “It seems progress has been made in your relationship without me noticing.”
“Excuse me?”
Anastasia gave him a surprised look, but his expression didn’t waver.
“Otherwise, why would you suddenly be concerned about His Majesty?”
“Concerned? I was only—”
“No, that’s exactly it.” Duke Barantes’ eyes widened.
“You trust me, so you’re asking me to reassure the Emperor.”
“…”
“Doesn’t that mean you’re worried about His Majesty’s unease?”
He had her there… Had she shown her feelings too openly?
Anastasia quickly tried to steer the conversation back before any misunderstandings formed.
“I only said it to prevent unnecessary doubts among allies. What if you lost your post as Minister of Defense over some baseless suspicion?”
“Oh, would that be so bad? A quiet life… that sounds nice! Then I could visit the Empress every day.”
“Uh, well,” she coughed, shifting the topic. “I didn’t say it out of concern for His Majesty, so don’t misunderstand.”
“Yes, I understand.”
But despite his words, his expression suggested otherwise.
‘…I should’ve worded that differently.’
By now, though, it was too late to take it back.
