“…Is that supposed to be funny?”
After I said that, I sucked in a breath and held my tongue. If it was Anastasia, she wouldn’t have said such a thing. I’ve decided that my personality has been changed to a ‘calmer’ one due to the poison, so this kind of outburst was something I shouldn’t say. So, as if to cover up what I had just said, I coughed out a “Go on.” Then, when I fearfully looked at William-sama’s expression, I saw that he had also become a little calmer. Do you mean to say that this was intentional?
“Well, I understand that myself. The truth is, I don’t really know why I’m so interested in Anastasia, who I’ve been neglecting for so long. We were in a relationship where we ignored each other’s intentions for a long time ago, and we were forced into an engagement based solely for our mutual benefit.”
“…That’s right.”
“That’s why, even after I married Anastasia, I had the strong impression that you were my ‘business partner.’ You were an excellent crown princess you know.”
I just nodded at such words from William-sama. Anastasia was a great woman. She was a quick learner and performed her assigned tasks at a level that exceeds all expectations. Aside from her caustic personality, she was also known as the ‘model of a young lady.’ Since she was that sort of genius from a young age, Anastasia was probably chosen as William-sama’s fiancée. Well, that’s just one of the reasons, I guess. The most important reason was that she was the sister of the person whom William had trusted the most. The king probably thought that if she was the sister of the person he absolutely trusted, they could build a good relationship with them.
“But, I slowly grew tired of being with you in private because you were so annoying.”
“That’s right. I think my behavior was far too annoying as well, now that I think about it.”
Anastasia’s fondness for William-sama was overwhelming, to say the least. It could even be seen as a kind of obsession. I could see now how it may have been a little too much. However, as long as I have my memories as Anastasia, I couldn’t help but think about it. Anastasia couldn’t pull it off. I think the sense of crisis that the heroine, Candy-sama, almost stole him away, must have pierced Anastasia’s heart.
“If I’m being honest, when I heard that you were poisoned and had collapsed, I was expecting something like what just happened.”
“I heard your personality has headed towards a calmer direction… but I couldn’t go visit you. I was scared for a lot of reasons.”
William-sama, who had always been dignified, now seemed somewhat sullen. In the first place, I didn’t know what he was afraid of. I don’t think William-sama would be blamed for Anastasia’s poisoning and her near-death experience. I’m sure it’s just another weakness of love.
“What are you afraid of? At least, I believe that it was my carelessness that poisoned me. Therefore, I would not have blamed husband. That’s what I was going to explain to your brother as well.”
This was a stretch, but that’s all I could say to William-sama now. So, I told him as if it were the truth. Then, William-sama averted his gaze slightly. What was he trying to say?
“…Will you laugh?”
“I can’t promise you that I won’t laugh, because I might.”
“Well, at least promise me this… You won’t tell your brother.”
William-sama said this while making eye contact with me. His eyes were alluring. Oh no, I was out of character. What could I say, I still wasn’t used to staring at beautiful faces… Or, perhaps he meant to not tell brother because it would be bad for him to be found out. It was an urgent request.
“…Well, if that’s about it, maybe a little.”
“I see.”
I wanted to know what William-sama was afraid of, so I made a promise that I couldn’t make. Well, no. Eventually, he will be a divorcee. It’s just a relationship now. With that in mind, I made such a promise with William-sama… I had no idea at the time that I would later think, ‘I wish I hadn’t asked…’
“…What are you talking about?”
“I’m not sleep talking. At first I did like you, but then my feelings gradually waned since your personality was so fierce.”
…Well, Anastasia’s a beautiful girl, wasn’t she? But since she was a daughter of a high-ranking aristocrat, it was only natural that she had a strong will. Thinking this, I glanced at William-sama, but William-sama looked away from me, not saying anything.
“Somewhere along the line, I started to not like you. Rather, I started to hate you. But at about the same time, the engagement was decided… So, I had a lot of mixed feelings at that time.”
I’m sure you did. I’m confident that I would have mixed feelings as well about being engaged to someone I once liked but lost feelings for. So, this is how it is. Somehow, it’s kind of a surprise to me in more ways than one…
“But after hearing the rumors from the attendants and all that, I changed my mind. I think it’s a great idea to have a good relationship with Anastasia.”
Yeah, I have no intention of doing that! I wanted to say this, but I couldn’t. I mean, you only have interest and curiosity, right? This was like… it seemed like you were doing me a favor.
“…Anastasia, would you like to start over with me?”
William-sama said this without any hesitation. And… my mind went blank. What’s the right answer to this? This thought confused me a lot.
The first chapter is almost over. Chapter 2 will be titled “The Villainess Daughter Anastasia’s Trickery” m(_ _”m)