CH 160

For a while, the strong vibrations shook the world, and the resulting dust clouds blurred everything, blocking everyone’s view.

Then, when the dust cloud finally cleared up little by little, the imperial army hurriedly began to search for Wilhelm’s whereabouts.

“Your Majesty, where are you?”

“Your Majesty!”

At the same time, they were worried that the demon dragon might still be alive.

However, after the strong dust cloud dispersed, the only thing the imperial army could see was a young man with a huge sword.

“Your Majesty!”

“Your Majesty!”

All the Imperial troops cheered for Wilhelm’s return. After a while, Wilhelm appeared completely in front of the Imperial army.

Although his body, which had endured the tumultuous dust cloud, was ruined by a hard-fought battle, he still seemed dignified and majestic as he walked out.

~~~~

At that time, Anastasia was preparing for the worst with Louis.

Anastasia had no doubts that he would win, but things never went according to plan.

Even if he lost, Anastasia had young Louis. There were many of Rosenberg’s people left behind.

Now the situation was different from before the return. She couldn’t abandon them and follow Wilhelm.

Anastasia waited for the news, soothing Louis, who was anxious, after being fully prepared to run away immediately if she heard bad news.

Her mouth was dry and her throat burned, and every minute, every second that passed felt like an eternity.

Arguably, it was the most painful and exhausting time of any waiting she had to endure.

How long was it that she waited.

“Her Majesty the Empress!”

Selene hurriedly ran into Anastasia’s room.

Anastasia was startled and she jumped to her feet.

“Now, now, His Majesty the Emperor…!”

After that she seemed to know that she didn’t even have to listen. Anastasia hurriedly ran outside, her face covered in tears.

Her heart was beating faster than ever, and her breath reached the tip of her chin, making her face red.

After running like that for a while, Anastasia’s vision brought in a familiar, but harsher view than ever.

Even though his body was covered in dirt, it didn’t matter to her.

Anastasia, who could not speak properly due to her emotions, shook. It was when she eventually lost strength in her legs and she was about to collapse.

“Ah…”

Someone rushed in and grabbed Anastasia with a solid arm.

Anastasia shivered and stared at the face of the person who helped her.

Really, really…!

“You came back alive.”

Anastasia, who had only touched his lips without uttering her words for a while, barely spoke, her voice full of emotion.

“Really…”

In the end, after a burst of tears, Anastasia snuggled into his arms.

“You really kept your promise.”

How anxious she had to be, waiting for him during that short eternity.

She was afraid that the tragedy before the return would be repeated, and that even if the cause was removed, the result would be the same… 

So how afraid she was to see him die before her.

“I am glad that you are safe. really…”

In his arms, she collapsed helplessly. It was finally over. He was alright.

Now that he had kept his promise to return safely, it seemed that she really didn’t care about anything else that was happening.

As of this moment, any other problems seemed insignificant to her.

The sight of Anastasia weeping in his arms, testified to her unfathomable pain and anxiety that she would have suffered in his absence.

Wilhelm hugged Anastasia tightly, crying over her neck. When he saw her crying, he just wanted to cry too.

How afraid he was that he would never see her again, that he would never hold her warm body again.

“I missed you.”

If he hadn’t kept his promise, she would have wept more than this. Thinking about it like that, his heart sank infinitely because of something that had never happened.

At this moment, Wilhelm spat out the words that he had promised to tell her if he ever saw her again.

“I love you, Asha. Truly…”

Wilhelm felt his shoulder soaking wet, and buried his face in Anastasia’s neck and confessed.

“I want to protect you even if I sacrifice every breath, every drop of blood, and every single piece of flesh I have left…”

Wilhelm struggled to swallow his dry saliva. These words had been spit out countless times, but at this moment, strangely, the weight of those words felt as heavy as a piece of gold.

“I love you, I love you, Asha. So I have no regrets about my choice to protect you. Not a bit.”

“I love you too, Your Majesty…”

Anastasia cried and barely answered in a muffled voice. This feeling, which she dared not to express in words, was intended to be repaid gradually in the future.

Now, truly, the rest of their time will be only peaceful and comfortable.

~~~~

With Wilhelm’s help, the Dark Being completely concealed its existence from the lands of Rosenberg.

Because of this situation, the policy has been changed so that the forbidden books on black magic cannot be freely read even in the Great Temple.

Now the wrong forces would never again threaten Rosenberg.

The social world was buzzing with chaos for a while because of Scarlett’s summoning of the Demon Dragon.

However, as Wilhelm and Anastasia led the country calmly and resolutely as if nothing had happened, the people were gradually able to regain stability.

Meanwhile, time continued to pass, and Anastasia’s birthday came.

~~~~

“Today is a very important day, so you have to pay special attention to your makeup. That fake disappeared and you’re standing in public for the first time, right?”

“Right. Today, you must clearly show your authority and dignity as the Empress. Especially to those who dared to betray Her Majesty and attach themselves to the fake!”

“Oh, now that I think no one will challenge Her Majesty’s authority, I feel like the old congestion is going down!”

… Following the logic of her maids, Anastasia appeared at her own birthday banquet, lavishly adorned as per usual.

‘Will there ever be a day when I can dress lightly?’

Anastasia herself replied that she probably couldn’t. Her maids would probably give the same answer.

Anyway, the maids’ expectations were met. Everyone who attended her birthday party was anxious to catch Anastasia’s attention.

Of course, they felt the same way on her birthday last year, but…

“I brought a tear shaped diamond as a gift to congratulate the Empress on her birthday. If you wear it around your neck, you will shine like a goddess of the sea.”

“Uh-huh, where are you going with those tiny teardrops? Your Majesty, I have a heart shaped diamond the size of a fist. Red, which is very well received by His Majesty!”

… Also, the flattery she was receiving now is much worse than back then.

In particular, the nobles who supported Avelin have been flattering her to a level of wonder, as if they were willing to remove their livers.

The Duke of Barantes, who was watching the scene from the side, snorted and spoke profusely.

“It should have been like this, heh! Still, Your Majesty, do not forgive easily. Frankly, even after seeing it with my own eyes, nothing is better than the gift I gave to Your Majesty.”

“There is probably no one who surpasses my father…”

Anastasia smiled awkwardly as she remembered her father’s gift that morning, which had arrived while filling ten carriages, and then she tilted her head.

‘But where is Wilhelm?’

“But where is His Majesty the Emperor?”

Anastasia shook her head at the question that just flew in.

“I don’t know. I haven’t seen him since he escorted me all the way here.”

“Then it seems that he is still at the garden.”

“Garden?”

“Yes. He said he was going out to get some air. Your Majesty, please go. Wouldn’t it be fun to surprise him secretly?”

“… Will it?”

Anastasia, moved by her father’s words, sneaked out of the banquet hall and walked to the nearby garden.

It was a dark night, so the weather was cold, but thinking he was at the end of this road, it didn’t feel cold at all.

How far did she walk? Anastasia noticed his familiar figure in the distance and walked up to him with a broad smile.

“Will.”

Upon hearing Anastasia’s voice, Wilhelm turned around with a surprised expression.

“Why did you come here?”

Anastasia replied with a smile on her face.

“I came here because my father said you were here. You were in the Garden of the Goddess.”

“Yes. … I suddenly wanted to see a rose.”

Wilhelm immediately took off the jacket he was wearing and wrapped it around Anastasia’s shoulders. After carefully tying the knot, he narrowed his brow slightly and worried.

“It will be cold. Your dress is too thin today.”

“It’s not cold… It’s summer.”

“Even in summer, it is cold at night.”

When the wind was completely blocked off, Wilhelm, who was smiling happily, then kissed Anastasia on the forehead and whispered.

“Happy birthday, Asha.”

“Thank you, Will.”

Anastasia answered him with an impeccable smile.

“It is a new feeling to have all my worries resolved and to hear His Majesty congratulate me on my birthday.”

“I can’t guarantee that there will be no worries on the way we go in the future.”

Wilhelm said, looking intently at Anastasia.

“On the way, I will always be by your side. Even if we are in trouble, I will never make you feel lonely or put you through difficult times.”

“That is enough.”

Anastasia smiled faintly and hugged Wilhelm’s arms.

“How can there be nothing difficult in life? The important thing is who you spend those times with.”

And if Wilhelm was by her side, Anastasia didn’t really care.

On that day, when he safely returned, she realized it once more, though it was a new thing.

If only this man would stay by her side, even if it was hell, she would gladly walk into it.

“For me, your side is paradise.”

That was the moment. Suddenly, the surroundings were lit up with lights.

At the sudden situation, Anastasia looked around with a puzzled look, and Wilhelm took out what he had hidden among the rose bushes and handed it to Anastasia.

“Ah…”

It was a huge bouquet of roses. Anastasia looked at Wilhelm with a surprised expression.

Wilhelm’s subsequent actions surprised Anastasia even further.

“In the name of the goddess.”

Wilhelm suddenly knelt in front of Anastasia on one knee and looked up.

Anastasia’s eyes widened even more, knowing what he was going to do.

“I promise you by offering the incarnation of the Goddess.”

Goddess’ oath… Anastasia looked at Wilhelm with red eyes.

With a thin smile, he sent deep eyes as if conveying the sincerity of the situation.

“I, Wilhelm Rosenberg, as your husband, will faithfully stay by your side with the same heart as I do now.”

Wilhelm, holding the bouquet, smiled with his wet eyes and met Anastasia’s.

“I love you, Anastasia. Will you accept my oath?”

At the sincerity felt in his words, Anastasia eventually found it difficult to hold back her tears.

Shedding one of the many tears that had welled up, she took her bouquet, which he held out with her trembling hand.

The smell of fresh blood intervened among the fragrant rose scents. Clearly, it was the oath of the Goddess.

“This is…”

“I realized it clearly on your previous birthday.”

Wilhelm kissed the back of Anastasia’s hand and whispered.

“A place where I will live my entire life, a place where I will run out of breath, after all, it is only by your side. Other than that, I can’t breathe even for a second.”

He smiled and got up from his place and hugged Anastasia with a rose.

With his clear scent, his sincerity flowed deep into Anastasia’s lungs.

“My only one.”

In his arms, he hugged Anastasia, and Wilhelm recited as if he were swearing.

“Let’s be happy forever.”

A friendly whisper echoed long in Anastasia’s ear, as if it were bound to happen.

Obviously, willingly, like their happiness that will never end.

That’s it for the main story, folks! I can’t wait to show you the special stories after this. Thank you for coming on this journey with me and I hope you enjoyed the story as much as I did.