The first night of their wedding went smoothly. But from the next day onwards, it was completely different.
“Anyway, we are a couple now, so I hope you can open your heart to me a little more.”
To that he replied yes. Could that have been the issue?
“Your Majesty, the Empress is inviting you to meet.”
It was after returning from the political affairs meeting that he had always attended the day after the wedding.
Wilhelm asked, his brow slightly narrowed.
“The Empress? What’s going on?”
“She didn’t even say that.”
To Colton, who was puzzled, Wilhelm replied that Anastasia should be brought inside.
“Your Majesty!”
Anastasia, who appeared in a bright yellow dress, approached him, like a chick.
Her hair color was blonde, and the hem of her dress had frills like wings, so from a distance, it looked like a huge chick.
Wilhelm smiled so much that he didn’t even notice it before he asked.
“What is the Empress doing here?”
“What do you mean?”
Anastasia answered with a loud voice, as if she had heard an obvious question.
“It will be lunch time soon. Would you like to have lunch with me?”
“Ah, lunch…”
Wilhelm was perplexed. Because lunch was usually done with sandwiches and government affairs were done.
Carefully saying this, Anastasia stopped him with great respect.
“Your Majesty, no. You have to work until the evening, but your diet is too poor. You’re going to faint!”
“It’s not to that extent…”
“You have to keep your physical strength when you have it.”
There was a story in the original that he rarely ate…
‘How on earth do you maintain those muscles? It’s a mystery.’
As Anastasia frowned with anxiety, Wilhelm said, without realizing it.
“But I can’t tell them to prepare a meal right away….”
“You don’t have to worry about that, Your Majesty, because the Empress’ Palace already has your share of the meal ready.”
Towards Wilhelm, dazed by her thorough preparation, Anastasia added, winking.
“Would I ask Your Majesty for a meal without even preparing such a thing?”
“… Yes, I see.”
“Then you’re going with me, right?”
Anastasia smiled and quickly folded her arms with Wilhelm’s.
Wilhelm, bewildered by her easy touch, flinched and looked at Anastasia.
Then she was smiling, making eye contact with him, as if there was nothing wrong with the situation.
“I mean, don’t force me out.”
What she said just last night kept going around in his head.
‘If I push… Is it not working?’
While seriously contemplating, Anastasia almost pulled Wilhelm and went to the Empress’ Palace.
Having had lunch after such a very long time, Wilhelm concentrated again on his afternoon routine.
And it was late at night, and it was time to go to bed.
“Your Majesty the Emperor, Her Majesty the Empress has come.”
At that, Wilhelm felt his hair stand up this time.
Strangely, he had a hunch that he knew what she was doing here. But he decided to listen to it for now.
Anastasia, dressed in a milky night dress with a similar design to yesterday, appeared in front of Wilhelm with a bright smile on her lips as bright as the afternoon.
Looking at the smile, Wilhelm thought that a smiling face looked so good on her. It felt like her beauty was shining even more.
“Your Majesty, did you have a good day today?”
“Thanks to you, I had a good time. But what brings the Empress here this late at night…”
“I’m here to sleep, too.”
“… Why here?”
“It’s because we’re a couple. Or will Your Majesty come to the Empress’ Palace?”
Why was the foreboding feeling never wrong? Wilhelm’s expression became serious.
“What’s wrong with your expression? You said you would do all your duties as a husband.”
“But…… Will you be all right?”
“Of course, I did it yesterday.”
Yesterday?
Only then did Wilhelm notice that what he had guessed and what Anastasia thought weren’t the same thing and asked.
“Don’t tell me to hold hands and sleep…?”
“Thanks to yesterday, I slept really well.”
Anastasia grinned and grabbed Wilhelm’s hand first.
Wilhelm flinched and stepped back, and Anastasia’s mouth smile became wider.
“Shall we go to bed?”
“…”
“I mean, don’t force me out.”
Once again, the words lingered in his mind. By force…
Did he hate this situation so much that he had to push her away? He didn’t think it was that bad…
However, while thinking about it, Anastasia took Wilhelm’s hand first and went to bed again this time.
As she moved, Wilhelm, who laid quietly, felt a strange series of situations today.
“I hope you at least have the heart to be dragged along if I pull Your Majesty.”
How could he not be dragged when she pulled him like this? Wilhelm somehow turned his back to lie down with a disturbed expression, and he felt a certain gaze from behind.
Wilhelm slowly turned his back and was surprised to see Anastasia’s disappointed eyes.
“… What’s wrong?”
“No, it’s just…”
Contrary to the words, the face that looked quite disappointed answered.
“I think I’ll be happier if I fall asleep while looking at your face.”
“…”
“Can you grant my wish?”
“… That’s all.”
They say you can grant the wishes of the dead…
Wilhelm turned his back dazedly and laid face to face with Anastasia.
Only then did the corners of her mouth, which had subsided, rise back to the top of her smile. The change was so radical, Wilhelm asked with a smile.
“Is that something to like so much?”
“I think falling asleep looking at the beauty of my husband, whom I like, is probably the only pleasure in my life in the Imperial Palace.”
‘I like’… ‘Beauty’? Wilhelm, embarrassed by the blatant choice of words, coughed briefly.
Anastasia smiled casually and said to Wilhelm.
“So I’m going to come everyday in the future.”
“Yes, that’s about… what?”
“I’ll be here every day. Of course it’s something Your Majesty should allow, but… ”
Anastasia’s voice wavered at the end of her speech.
“If you don’t like it, I won’t come.”
“No, that’s not it…”
“Then is it okay?”
Anastasia asked with her eyes twinkling as if she had ever become sullen. Wilhelm looked at her with a bewildered expression.
He knew that Anastasia’s emotional change was very abrupt, but it was strangely different.
‘I don’t think it was this cute before…’
Not knowing why she was cuter now that they were older, Wilhelm froze for a moment, shocked that he thought Anastasia was cute.
‘… Well, it’s probably because her personality is better than then.’
He nodded his head in contempt. Then, another child-like smiling face was in front of him.
Unable to take his eyes off the figure, Wilhelm fixed his eyes on her for a long time before he closed his eyes.
~~~~
It had been three months since Anastasia left the surname of Barantes behind and took on the glorious name of Rosenberg.
With her sincerity and cleverness after her possession, considering that it was her first year as Empress, she was doing an excellent job in her role, but she was not very happy with the situation now.
‘Wilhelm doesn’t seem to have opened his heart to me…’
He seemed to be the master of so-called ‘push and pull’. He seemed to be dragged when she pulled, but he didn’t show any more interest in her, so she had no choice but to be anxious on her side.
‘Is it going to be a year or three in this ambiguous state?’
It was the best scenario considering the promise she made before marriage.
So even if her relationship with Wilhelm ended like this, there was no harm to her. However…
‘Isn’t it possible for me?’
Anastasia tapped her finger on her table, trying to hide her sad expression.
Although she fell in love at first sight, her heart may have been like a young love, but as the three months passed, her heart grew deeper and deeper.
Now, when she thinks of only three years after she will divorce him, her heart acheed.
‘Maybe he was born to not let his heart beat for any woman except the heroine, Aveline, as set in this world.’
That would mean that we can expect only friendship and affection in the future as we do now.
‘If it doesn’t come true even though I did my best, there’s nothing I can do.’
Anastasia decided to take it easy. It’s not like a person’s heart was something that worked if she tried alone.
“Your Majesty, you have to choose a dress for the masquerade tomorrow.”
Mrs. Rochester approached and said, as she was trying to get my mind together.
Anastasia, who went to the dress room, answered heartily after looking around.
“I’d like that yellow dress.”
~~~~
The next day, Anastasia arrived at the hall where the masquerade was held wearing a yellow dress and a yellow butterfly mask.
Rosenberg’s masked ball was held every leap year, which originated from the first meeting of Rosenberg’s first Emperor wearing a mask.
Of course, due to the nature of the masquerade, covert acts between men and women were often carried out.
In some cases, even aristocrats with families enjoyed deviations. But Anastasia wasn’t very interested in that.
As it is a national event in her own way, her plan for tonight was to attend as an Empress for a while to look at the atmosphere of the ball and come back.
‘Alright, I don’t think there’s any particular problem…’
She could go now. It was when Anastasia was about to turn toward the exit of the banquet hall.
“Excuse me.”
Someone had been talking to her, grabbing her by the arm.
Thanks for the chapters!!!