Chapter 2: CH 2

She possessed Anastasia, the villain of this story, who fell in love with the Male Protagonist and the current Emperor, Wilhelm.

In fact, it was quite natural.

She was in a situation where she had already been attracted to the Male Protagonist of this novel, who is the most handsome man in the Empire.

‘I couldn’t help but fall in love.’

At first, her main goal was to survive and get out of the situation safely, but Anastasia then fell in love and soon changed her plan.

‘I want to look good in front of him. I want to be loved by him.’

‘I want to change the content of the original story. I want to be the heroine myself.’

She dared to cross over the main character with the body of an extra.

Anastasia tried to change the future by adding what she had read in the book and her innermost sincerity. As a result, Wilhelm also fell in love with her.

In fact, she was a very lovely and warm- hearted person, so it was quite natural for Wilhelm to fall for her.

Under those circumstances, it finally happened.

“The blessing was invalid. The current Empress is not the woman in the oracle.”

Anastasia became nervous when she heard the same words that were written in the original story without missing a single phrase.

Perhaps Wilhelm would abandon her as well, just like what happened in the novel, and replace her with Avelin as the new Empress.

But Wilhelm, who fell in love, was adamant.

“I have no intention of dethroning the Empress.”

“But, Your Majesty, for the sake of a peaceful future of the Empire, you must change the Empress.”

“Even if Anastasia is not the woman of the oracle, she’s still my wife. I won’t let her go.”

In the end, with Wilhelm’s determination, Anastasia maintained her position as the Empress. The situation seemed to have settled for Avelin as well, who is the true woman of the oracle, became a saint of the temple.

Anastasia was happy that she had changed the content of the original story, and spent her days happily thinking that they would have their happy ending at long last.

However….

“Your Majesty, it is said that another massive earthquake has occurred in the north.”

“We have known as well that it has been raining non-stop in the south for a month now.”

“Even the drought in the East is serious, Your Majesty. Your immediate action was needed.”

Was this the price for ignoring the oracle’s blessing? A disaster that began at some point swept over the entire Kingdom.

Droughts, floods, earthquakes, and plagues raged across the Empire. The lives of the people were thrown into never ending chaos.

Wilhelm responded calmly to each situation, but a huge disaster that was difficult to prevent by manpower alone occurred one after another.

As if God was very angry.

As the national crisis became serious, people naturally needed something to complain about. The arrows of criticism were eventually directed at the Emperor and Empress who had ignored the blessing of the oracle.

As time passed and the situation did not improve, eventually impatient people started to commit treason all over the country….

“Ah……!”

The result, as we all know, is very tragic.

-Thud!

Anastasia, who opened her eyes with a short groan, heard a loud thud beside her.

She looked at the source of the sound with a surprised expression.

A young woman fell on the floor, while covering her other cheek, and shards of a broken teacup could be seen scattered around her.

‘…What’s happening?’

It was at that time when Anastasia’s face was shown with embarrassment. She was unable to understand the situation right in front of her.

“Bring Lady Duphort, outside.”

(TN/N: Young lady Duphort is one of the Lady-in-waiting of the Empress.)

Anastasia turned her head in surprise at the familiar voice.

“…Mrs. Rochester?”

A muffled voice came out of her mouth. The middle-aged woman, whose name was called, turned her expressionless face to look back at Anastasia.

“I’ll be right back with a new tea, Your Highness. I apologize.”

“….What is this?”

Anastasia muttered in an incredible voice.

“Why are you here?”

“…What?”

“You’re already dead, I’m sure of it…”

‘While protecting me.’

The unfinished words lingered in her mouth.

Duchess Helena Rochester.

A woman who stood by her side until the very end and who lost her life on the edge of a sword from a rebel. The person that she trusted the most, Anastasia’s most loyal Court lady.

“You’re not yet dead?”

Anastasia stared blankly at her, but Mrs. Rochester replied in a dry voice.

“Do you have plans to kill?”

“What do you mean…”

“Before that, you’ll have to master the affairs of the palace first because without me, you can’t do anything.”

It was a very awkward conversation. No, the situation itself was strange.

While Anastasia was confused and unable to respond, someone removed the broken teacup, and also lifted up the woman who had fallen over.

“Then please wait a moment, Your Highness.”

Only after hearing that voice did Anastasia come to her senses.

“…Mrs. Rochester, wait a minute.”

As she hurriedly grabbed Mrs. Rochester when she was about to leave, she still looked at Anastasia with dull eyes.

“Yes, Your Highness. Please speak.”

“…….”

‘No way… Please, no way.’

But for now, that was the only plausible thing that can explain this strange situation.

Anastasia asked in a trembling voice.

“What’s the date today?”

“It’s the last day of the Youth Month.”

“… And the year.”

“That’s 567 year of the Imperial calendar.”

Anastasia’s body completely hardened at the blunt response.

Mrs. Rochester looked at her indifferently, and soon went outside.

“…Ha.”

Anastasia, who had been frozen, suddenly burst into laughter not long after.

‘I couldn’t believe it, but I really did reincarnate.’

567 years of the Imperial calendar.

It was the year Anastasia turned 22.

‘…It’s also been two years since I married Wilhelm.’

She doesn’t even have the original book in her possession, so that means she will be regressing into this novel… Which is just too much for her to handle.

‘Just please let me die, why the hell…’

Fate was too cruel to her. To return to the past with all of the memories of her previous life that ended in a terrible tragedy.

‘…But still.’

At least she still had one thing to be thankful for in this regression.

‘That Wilhelm’s still alive here, right?’

While thinking about the fact that Wilhelm is alive, Anastasia’s heart began to beat faster.

A sense of relief weighed heavily on her chest, making it difficult for her to breathe. Those eyes that had been dead now filled with life once more.

‘Maybe the goddess gave me another chance.’

An opportunity to prevent future tragedies.

It’s definitely possible that Avelin will still appear next year, when she will have her formal debut. That means Anastasia still has one year left.

‘So what am I supposed to do in the meantime?’

As Anastasia was about to start thinking seriously, she heard the same familiar voice.

“Your Highness, I have brought the new tea with me.”

It was Mrs. Rochester.

“…Come in.”

An awkward voice came out from her mouth. Even though she had repeated the same answer dozens of times before.

Soon Mrs. Rochester approached Anastasia and poured tea into a new teacup.

“…….”

Anastasia glanced at her.

‘She’s definitely different from the Mrs. Rochester that I knew.’

She treated Anastasia with the same equal respect as before.

But there was a clear difference between then and now.

Mrs. Rochester’s eyes held no warmth, no affection, and no loyalty to her.

Instead, only a strange coldness filled that spot.

“I will leave you alone now, Your Highness.”

Her voice was piercing cold without any warmth.

Since Anastasia couldn’t get a hold of her, she just let her go for now.

‘Is everything the same as the original plot?’

Anastasia Barantes.

Born as the only daughter of the Duke of Barantes, she was an arrogant woman while carrying her noble status on her back.

She was selfish in everything that she does, and had a very ruthless personality. So no one could imagine how much effort she had put towards changing the reputation of this character when she first possessed it.

Fortunately, the time of her possession from before, was two years before becoming the next Empress, so there was still enough time for her to change Anastasia’s image.

But now it was different. It’s already been two years since she got married.

‘Well it wouldn’t be strange to be under the guillotine, once I’ve been dethroned, in the coming year.’

Thinking about that situation, she could feel chills run down her spine.

It was good to save Wilhelm, but she had to live too. Anastasia’s mind became alert from panic.

Considering the evil-doings that Anastasia had committed after becoming the Empress, changing her reputation would have been incomparably more difficult than before her return.

So she had to think of a strategy for the situation that will occur next year.

‘Only in that way, even if Avelin appears in a year’s time, she will be able to escape safely.’

It was that moment when Anastasia was contemplating on what she needs to do first.

“Your Highness, you have a visitor.”

Anastasia flinched at the word ‘guest’. She hadn’t been able to properly adjust herself yet, for the reality that she had returned to. So how could she properly entertain a guest now?

However, at the end of the sentence, Anastasia jumped out of her seat.

“The Duke of Barantes is here..”

It was her father.

-ˏˋ ━━━━━━ ʚɞ ━━━━━━ ˊˎ-

The Duke of Barantes was the one who taught the possessed Anastasia what family affection was.

So Anastasia considered him like her real father and loved him.

‘He said that he was worried about me until the moment he died.….’

Duke Barantes was killed during a battle with the rebels. According to the officers under his command, he was worried about Anastasia and the Imperial family until his last breath.

‘Not long after, when my father died, the whole capital was completely captured.’

Recalling the memories of what will be the possible events in the future, Anastasia burst into tears as she walked all the way into the drawing room.

‘I knew it would look strange if I met my father like this, but I just couldn’t stop myself.’

“I greet you, Her Majesty the Empress.”

Anastasia lowered her head slightly, as she hid her moist eyes underneath her eyelashes, and stepped calmly into the drawing room.

“…Father.”

And the moment when she finally reunites with her long-lost father.

“You seem to know what you’ve done wrong because your voice is kind of hoarse.”

A cold voice was heard from him.

As her tears that were about to swell up suddenly stopped at his father’s cold voice.

‘Ah, father….?’