It happened this morning.
— Wife! Wife!
Asil threw open the study door, calling her name loudly.
She saw Remesis with a much gloomier expression than usual.
— Wife, are you up already? — she asked.
Before the princess arrived, Remesis had been reviewing documents, her fingers pressed against her forehead.
When the lady of the northern castle looked at her with narrowed eyes, Asil saw large dark circles under her eyes, and her face looked tired.
The night before, unable to sleep because of the disturbing images of the woman now standing before her that kept popping into her head, Remesis had ended up staying up all night.
She had been working on papers since dawn and now felt a migraine coming on.
And now, of course, she was annoyed that the cause of this very migraine had come to her personally.
— Wife, why do I feel like you've been ignoring me for the last few days? — Asil asked anxiously as she entered the room.
— That's not true, — Remesis replied slowly, opening her mouth.
— If that's not true, then why do I feel that way?
On the first day after "that" incident, when Remesis began to behave strangely, the princess did not pay much attention to it, as her spouse had always had a habit of acting aloof, especially when she was in a bad mood.
It should be said that Remesis had never been an affectionate wife.
"My wife probably just has too much work and doesn't have time for me." That was the explanation that occupied the princess's thoughts on the first day.
However, when one day passed, then another, and then a third, she realised that these were just her fantasies.
Since then, they had practically stopped seeing each other.
Simply put, Remesis began to avoid Asil.
At first, the princess of the northern castle thought that Remesis was really too busy to spend time with her.
But when the situation did not change after a few days, she immediately understood that things could not get any worse.
Her precious wife was clearly avoiding her.
Usually, despite always having a lot to do, Remesis found at least a little time every day to spend with the princess. In particular, their long-standing tradition of eating together, which began in childhood, was still relevant today. But unlike before, when they used to eat a full breakfast or dinner, now Remesis only drank coffee with her in the morning and as soon as she finished, she would leave immediately, saying that she had already had breakfast.
Every day, Remesis stayed in her office until late in the evening, so Asil simply had no opportunity to see her at any other time. And since the princess had no other choice, she decided to go to her office herself in the morning. Although she had never done so before.
— Wife, I need to talk to you alone.
When Asil said this, her gaze was fixed on another person in the room. It was just a glance, but it was enough to make Heitz Adelpho vanish in the blink of an eye.
— Princess, I beg your pardon, but I seem to have forgotten something in the archives...
The adjutant began to quickly gather his things so he could get out of there as soon as possible.
— Wait! — Remesis tried to stop him with a desperate look on her face.
— Your Highness, I'll be right back!
However, Heitz did as he had planned, fearing that a little more time and he would become nothing more than a pawn on this battlefield.
"..."
Thus, after Remesis discovered that she had been abandoned by a subordinate whom she had considered reliable until recently, she found herself alone, left to be torn apart by the beast. Asil, however, approached her table in the blink of an eye and placed her hands on it. Therefore, Remesis had no choice but to tear herself away from her work and turn her attention to her.
— Wife, I think I know why you are angry with me, — the princess said quietly.
— Really?
Remesis looked closely at Asil's face, trying to find signs of remorse.
However, she looked completely innocent, as if nothing had happened last time.
Remesis wanted to ask if the princess was going to apologise for that time, but she felt awkward asking, so she remained silent.
Besides, to her own surprise, Asil suddenly blurted out something completely different.
— It's... it's because I still haven't kept my promise, isn't it? Is that why you're upset?
— Huh?
Remesis blinked several times, trying to grasp the meaning of her words.
— I know I should have done it a long time ago. I'm sorry... I just loved the peaceful days we spent together in this castle so much that I didn't want to go anywhere else and leave you alone again, — Asil sighed.
— ....
— But if that's what you really want, then there's nothing I can do. I'll leave tomorrow, — she declared. — No... Why wait until tomorrow? I'll do it today.
Remesis still looked at her in bewilderment.
— Your Highness, what are you talking about? — she asked.
— Wife, I remember everything you told me, — said Asil, — So you wanted me to destroy your family, right? Fine, I'll do it. Today I will gather an army and organise a military campaign against the Duchy of Carter. If I cut down on travel time, I think I can get there even faster than planned...
While the princess was saying all this, Remesis just stared at her with a stunned expression on her face.
— First, I will kill your older brother in the most brutal way possible, and I will make the second one watch, then I will kill him too. Getting your sister will be a little more difficult, as she does not currently live on the duke's estate... But I think I will just send people to kidnap her in advance. As for the duke, I won't kill him right away, but I'll just mutilate him properly and bring him here. You can decide the fate of this worthless man as you see fit. If you want, we can even keep him captive in this castle for the rest of his life, torturing him so that he can pay you back in full.
— .....
— Wife, you're still listening to me, aren't you?
— .....
Although Remesis had not yet said anything, Asil continued as if nothing had happened:
— Well, after the Carter family is finished, I will also stop by the imperial palace on the way and behead everyone there. Then you won't have to worry about anything anymore. Then you'll be happy with me, right? And you won't avoid me anymore?
All this time, Remesis listened to the woman's speech, which sounded like pure madness. Apparently, in the princess's opinion, staging a coup and destroying one of the most powerful families in the empire was as easy as going to the store to buy bread. What's more, she said it with such a calm expression on her face, as if that was really how she saw the world.
In other words, this was definitely the craziest way to make up with your wife...
— Wife, if you're not saying anything, that means you agree, right? — Meanwhile, the princess had already interpreted her reaction in her own way and made up her mind: — In that case, I'll get the troops ready right away and set off...
And, to add to the incredible madness, Asil turned around at that very moment and headed for the door, as if she really intended to carry out her plan. Remesis was forced to stop her.
— Your Highness, wait! — she called after her.
— Hmm? What is it, wife?
Asil stopped a few steps from the door, puzzled.
— Actually, I've changed my plans a little. So you don't need to do that anymore, — she muttered, embarrassed.
— What? Wife, are you saying you've changed your mind?
— Not exactly. I've just reconsidered my decision and come to the conclusion that instead of destroying this family, it would be better to allow it to be reborn in a better form than it is now.
When Remesis said this, the princess stared at her with a questioning expression on her face.
— What do you mean? — she asked.
Remesis hesitated for a moment before answering. Until recently, her plan with Livius had been a closely guarded secret that almost no one knew about, as such important information had to be kept confidential. But now that things had gone this far, the girl had no choice but to confess everything to the princess.
On the other hand, she should have done it earlier. After all, Asil was her most trusted ally at the moment, and Remesis had to trust her completely. So now she decided to tell her everything about the crazy plan she and her second brother had come up with together.
— So, Your Highness, you don't mind if I help Livius do this? — Remesis asked cautiously, finishing her story.
"....."
— I mean, I'm going to officially support his position on behalf of the North.
To tell the truth, Asil shouldn't have been particularly concerned about things like clashes and power struggles in other noble families. In fact, even political struggles within the imperial family didn't bother her much.
Nevertheless, Remesis still felt it necessary to ask her permission for such interference, since ultimately it was the reputation of the North that was at stake.
For a moment, the princess thought carefully about her words, then her usual smile blossomed on her face.
— If that is your wish, wife, then it is mine too.
Although Remesis had expected this answer from the start, she still breathed a sigh of relief.
— Thank you for your understanding, Your Highness.
At that moment, Asil suddenly leaned forward.
— ...?
Her fingers touched Remesis's hair lightly. She hadn't expected this at all and unconsciously held her breath. The princess's touch was gentle and warm.
— I will agree to anything if it brings you joy, my wife, — she said softly.
For a moment, the princess looked at Remesis with her captivating amber eyes. They were as deep as a lake and as calm as water in a calm sea.
Lost in them, Remesis suddenly seemed to notice a kind of glow... But what thoughts were entering her head? Yes, she was probably just thinking too much.
— But I have only one condition, — Asil whispered suddenly.
— And what is that?
Somehow, a strange tension arose between them. Time passed so slowly, it was as if it had stopped altogether. All this made Remesis's mouth go dry, so she tried to swallow the saliva that was almost non-existent. At that moment, the princess's golden eyes flashed even brighter than usual.
— In exchange for my help, I want you to do something for me too.
Remesis froze and stared in amazement at her reflection in the golden eyes, which were now much closer than before. The princess spoke slowly:
— It is something that only you can give me.
"....."
It took Remesis a moment to realise what Asil had just said. And when she did, she felt her heart leap at those words.