“…Has changed?”
I asked while looking straight into William-sama’s bright red eyes. There was no doubt that I had changed since I had also changed on the inside. However, I didn’t want to admit that so easily. If I did, the truth would have less impact. So, I decided that it would be better to pretend I didn’t understand what he was referring to and let it go.
“No, the previous Anastasia would have thought that it would be fine as long as she didn’t have to suffer. But… the Anastasia today has a good reputation among the servants. According to the butler, Anastasia has changed for the better. I couldn’t believe it until I saw it in person, but it looks like it’s true.”
William-sama said without breaking eye contact. I was glad to hear that I’ve been well received by the servants. I chuckled at the thought. Her laugh sounded beautiful. Anastasia’s voice was the ideal for a woman, and it wasn’t unpleasant to listen to.
“If I’ve changed, it’s because of the resolution I have. Up until now, I was only thinking about myself, because I wanted to be loved, first and foremost.”
I shifted my gaze to the wine glass filled with juice in front of me. Anastasia wanted to be loved, and all her efforts until now were based on her desire to be loved by William-sama. But the person I was now, in other words, Anastasia, was different. I wanted to make this country a better place. That’s what I was trying to do, not look for love. All I wanted was… a slow and relaxed life, where I could eventually escape the responsibilities of a crown princess.
“But, I thought it was no good. During my poisoning, I was able to look back at myself, and from now on… I will live for this country.”
That’s just the beginning though!
Hiding my thoughts in my heart, I smiled at William-sama. I believe that Anastasia’s smile right now looked like the smile of a Holy Mother. Yes, I’m satisfied with my self-praises.
“…I don’t believe that being poisoned can change your values that easily?”
“Maybe that is so, but I had a lot of time when I was asleep… The servants taking good care of me was also a factor… It may be just part of their work for them, but it still touched my heart…” Visit novelping(.)com for the full chapter.
You didn’t do anything though!
Keeping this in my heart, I continued to stare at William-sama. From now on, I will not live for love. I will be the crown princess and the saint. I’ll build my current status and then throw it away. I would never be praised for that, but… if it could make the country better, it should be acceptable, right?”
“From now on, I will be spending my time not thinking of being loved first but thinking of my people first… to put it in words.”
“What?”
“I will live for my work, not for my love! Isn’t that what the crown princess was originally meant to be?”
If my thoughts were correct, the crown princess was supposed to think of their people first and not of being loved. After all, she was going to be the mother of this kingdom, and I didn’t want her to be selfish… Anastasia didn’t seem to think so though. Well, I guess it’s because she was a typical young lady who grew up spoiled that she didn’t think that far ahead.
(…Anastasia has wanted to be the crown princess, and then the queen since young. It’s a little uncomfortable to think about it, but… let’s just leave it at that for now.)
I thought about it for a moment, but I shook it off. The present was the present, and the past was the past. Right now, the otome game has reached a bad ending, so it was useless to think about that. The strategy guide was no longer useful.
“Now, husband, let’s have our meal. The cooks have done a great job of preparing this meal, so why don’t we eat it while it’s still warm? You may not like seeing my face, but the food is innocent.”
Yes, you may not like the fact that Anastasia was in front of you, but the food was innocent. Besides, since His Majesty the King, the Queen, and the Second Prince were not here, it was inevitable that you’ll be stuck alone with me. Please bear with it at this time. I too didn’t really want to come here either. I just wanted to eat alone in comfort! The source of this chapter is novelping . com.
“…Ah, that’s right.”
William-sama seemed to be convinced by my words and reluctantly started eating the food. So, I slowly started as well. The food in this country was delicious, even if it were just one salad. I mean, it has a similar flavor to the food from my previous life overall… I didn’t want them to imitate the lightly seasoned taste of a sick person’s diet though.
“I’m going back to my parents’ estate for a while. I would appreciate your permission to do so as well.”
I also had to ask for that. I wanted to go see my brother, who must have been worried about me, and I wanted to see him in person once my memories came back.
(…Let’s meet the second target face-to-face.)
With this in mind, I continued to eat slowly, while the man in front of me, William-sama, blinked his eyes in surprise, but I pretended not to notice.
T/N: Wow there’s a lot of eye contact in this chapter hahahaha