The next morning Anastasia woke up in their bed at the mansion, the sunlight filtering softly through the curtains. Julius lay beside her, already awake, staring at the ceiling with a tense jaw. The air between them was thick with the unresolved anger from yesterday.
Anastasia shifted closer, but Julius didn't turn to her. His voice came out low and bitter.
"You always do this," he said. "Your sick fantasies. Stealing Rem's ring was a really asshole move, Anastasia."
Anastasia sat up slowly, the bruise around her eye still dark and tender. She looked at him, her expression a mix of defensiveness and irritation.
"Stealing a ring is an asshole move," she countered, voice sharp, "but kissing another man's wife in public isn't?"
Julius finally turned his head, eyes narrowing. "That's different and you know it."
They stared at each other for a moment, the argument from last night flaring up again.
Anastasia's lips curled. "It was punishment. Rem dared to speak up to me, to defy me. She needed to learn her place."
Julius sat up abruptly, swinging his legs over the side of the bed. "Stop. Just stop."
He stood and began dressing, pulling on his clothes with sharp, irritated movements. "I don't want to hear any more of this. I'm going to buy her a new ring. If Rem refuses it, I'll cover the expenses so Subaru can buy her one himself."
Anastasia's eyes widened in anger. She scrambled out of bed, her nightgown slipping off one shoulder.
"You're going to give money to that defeated cuck so he can buy a ring for his own wife?" she snapped, voice rising. "What kind of man are you? Don't you want to fuck Subaru's wife? Or do you first plan to become friends with him before you go for Rem?"
Julius froze mid-buttoning his shirt, his back to her. The bedroom felt smaller, the tension crackling like electricity.
Anastasia stepped closer, her voice trembling with frustration and hurt. "You have no right to play the moral high ground, Julius. You want Rem just as much as I want the two of you to cross that line. Stop pretending you're above it all."
Julius finished dressing without a word. He turned to her, his expression closed off and tired.
"I'm going to breakfast," he said flatly. "We'll talk later."
He walked out of the bedroom, the door closing behind him with a quiet click that felt louder than a slam.
Anastasia stood there for a moment, breathing hard. Then she dressed quickly, pulling on a simple but elegant day gown, and followed him downstairs.
The mansion felt colder than usual that morning.
After breakfast, the mansion felt unusually quiet. Julius had left early for his training, still carrying the heavy silence from their morning argument. Anastasia sat alone in her office, reviewing festival documents, when a soft knock sounded at the door.
"Come in," she called, keeping her voice light and composed.
The door opened and Rem stepped inside.
She didn't speak.
Her eyes were cold — icy blue and distant, like a winter lake that had frozen over. There was no trace of the usual polite deference, no shy smile, no soft "Good morning, Lady Anastasia." She simply stood there in her maid uniform, hands clasped in front of her, waiting.
Anastasia smiled, breathing in deeply to steady herself. She was genuinely interested in what Rem was going to say. After all, Rem had probably been shocked when Subaru asked her to be Julius's partner for the upcoming couple festival. The humiliation, the confusion, the conflict — Anastasia wanted to see how deep the crack had gone.
She leaned back in her chair, the bruise around her eye still dark but carefully concealed with a light layer of powder.
"Rem," she said warmly, as if nothing had happened, "you look like you have something on your mind. Please, sit down. Tell me what's troubling you."
Rem remained standing. Her voice, when it finally came, was flat and controlled.
"Subaru told me about the couple festival you want him to organize."
Anastasia's smile didn't waver. "Yes. It's a wonderful idea, don't you think? A romantic event to celebrate love and couples. And since you and Julius worked so well together last night, I thought it would be perfect if you participated as his partner for the promotion."
Rem's eyes remained cold. She didn't sit. She didn't smile. She simply stared at Anastasia, the silence stretching between them like a taut wire.
"I see," Rem said finally, her voice quiet but edged with something sharp. "So you want me to pretend to be Julius's partner in front of everyone. To stand beside him, smile for the cameras, act like we're... together."
Anastasia tilted her head, still smiling. "Only for the festival. It's just promotion. Subaru agreed to it himself. He understands it's for the success of the event."
Rem's fingers tightened around the edge of her apron. "Subaru agreed because you made it part of his punishment. Because he punched you. Because he was desperate to keep his job."
She took a small step forward, eyes never leaving Anastasia's.
"I know what you're doing," Rem said, voice low. "You're pushing me toward Julius. You've been pushing since the beginning. The uniforms, the necklace, the private meetings... and now this."
Anastasia's smile faltered for the briefest second before she recovered, leaning forward with a gentle, concerned expression.
"Rem, dear, I only want what's best for you. You deserve to be happy. To be with someone who can truly appreciate you. Someone strong. Someone like Julius."
Rem's eyes flashed with something dangerously close to contempt.
"I love Subaru," she said, the words quiet but firm. "He's not perfect. But he's mine. And I won't let you turn me into a tool for whatever game you're playing with your husband."
The room grew very still.
Anastasia's smile remained fixed, but her mind raced. Rem was angrier than she had expected. The crack was there — deep and visible — but Rem was still fighting.
She leaned back again, folding her hands neatly on the desk.
"I see," she said softly. "Well... the decision is ultimately yours and Subaru's. But think about it carefully, Rem. Julius is a good man. A kind man. And last night... he looked at you like you were the only woman in the world."
Rem's jaw tightened. She didn't reply.
Rem stood motionless in front of the desk, her blue eyes cold and unyielding. The silence between them stretched, heavy with everything that had been said and left unsaid.
Anastasia leaned forward slightly, her expression softening into one of gentle concern. The bruise around her eye was still dark, but she smiled as if the pain didn't exist.
"Rem," she said softly, her voice warm and sincere on the surface, "I am your friend, not your enemy. Of course we've had a little fight or two... but that doesn't matter. What matters is what I want for you."
She paused, letting the words settle, then continued in the same gentle tone.
"I forgave Subaru for insulting me, for punching me in the face yesterday. I sponsored his festival even after that. I gave you steady work and security when you and he had nothing. I made sure you received expensive gifts. I even let you use my name last night so you could stand beside Julius without shame."
Anastasia's smile grew warmer, almost tender.
"And I am willing to share everything with you, Rem. My life. My money. My husband. My family. Everything."
She let the last word linger, her eyes never leaving Rem's.
"I want you to be happy. I want you to have the life you deserve. A strong man who can protect you and provide for you. Someone who sees how precious you are. Someone like Julius."
Rem's cold expression didn't change, but her fingers tightened slightly around the edge of her apron. She remained silent, waiting.
Anastasia leaned back in her chair, folding her hands neatly in her lap.
"So please... don't look at me like I'm your enemy. I'm trying to help you. I'm trying to give you a future that Subaru can never provide. All I ask is that you open your heart a little. That's all."
The office fell quiet again.
Rem remained standing in front of the desk, her posture rigid, eyes still cold and guarded. The silence between them had grown heavy, almost suffocating.
Anastasia studied her for a long moment. Then her expression changed. The gentle, friendly mask she had been wearing slipped away completely. Her face became serious — sharp, cold, and unyielding. The warmth vanished from her eyes, replaced by something darker, more calculating.
She leaned forward slowly, resting her elbows on the desk, and looked Rem straight in the eye.
"Do you prefer if I was your enemy?"
The question cut through the air like a blade. It was quiet, but the weight behind it was unmistakable.
Rem's eyes widened slightly. For the first time since entering the office, her cold façade cracked. She opened her mouth, then closed it again, clearly caught off guard by the directness.
Anastasia didn't blink. Her voice remained calm, but every word carried steel.
"Because that's what you're treating me like right now, Rem. Like I'm your enemy. Like everything I've done for you — the work, the security, the gifts, the sponsorship for Subaru, even letting you stand beside Julius last night using my name — means nothing. Like I'm some villain trying to destroy your life instead of someone who has been trying to give you a better one."
She paused, letting the words sink in.
"I could be your enemy, Rem. I could make your life very difficult. I could fire you today. I could withdraw the festival sponsorship and leave Subaru with nothing. I could make sure neither of you ever finds decent work in Kararagi again. I have the power to do that."
Anastasia's gaze never wavered.
"But I don't want to be your enemy. I want to be your friend. Your sister. I want to help you. I want you to have the happiness and security you deserve. So tell me... do you prefer if I was your enemy? Because if that's what you want, I can make it very simple for both of us."
Rem's hands clenched at her sides. Her breathing had grown slightly uneven, but she still didn't speak immediately. The coldness in her eyes warred with something else — uncertainty, exhaustion, perhaps even fear.
Anastasia leaned back in her chair, her expression remaining deadly serious.
"Choose, Rem. Friend... or enemy. The decision is yours."
For several long seconds, Rem said nothing. The only sound was the faint ticking of the clock on the wall and the distant murmur of servants moving through the mansion.
Then Rem spoke, her voice quiet but steady, each word measured and heavy with restrained emotion.
"...I don't want you as my enemy, Lady Anastasia."
She lifted her gaze, meeting Anastasia's eyes directly. There was no warmth there, only exhaustion, hurt, and a quiet resolve.
"But I also don't want you as my friend. Or my sister. Not anymore."
Rem's fingers tightened until her knuckles turned white.
"You say you've done so much for me. I know all of that. And I'm grateful for the work and the money. I really am. But every single thing you've done... it came with a price. You've been pushing me toward Julius since the day I arrived here. You forced me to stand beside him at the festival pretending to be you... it was never kindness. It was always part of your plan."
Rem's voice trembled slightly, but she didn't look away.
"I love Subaru. He's not perfect. He makes mistakes. He hurt me. But he's my husband. He's the man I chose. And I won't let you turn me into a tool to break my marriage. I won't let you use me to hurt him, or to give Julius something I can never give him willingly."
She took a small, shaky breath.
"I know you could fire me. I know you could ruin Subaru's chances. I know you have power here. But if being your 'friend' means I have to betray the man I love... then yes. I would rather you were my enemy. At least then I would know where we stand."
Rem's eyes glistened, but she refused to let the tears fall.
"I'm not going to quit. I need this job. Subaru needs it. But I won't pretend anymore. I won't smile and act like I'm happy to be pushed into Sir Julius's arms. I won't be your pawn. If that makes me your enemy... then so be it."
The room fell silent again.
Rem stood there, small but unbowed, waiting for Anastasia's reaction.
Anastasia's smile had completely vanished. She stared at Rem with an unreadable expression, the bruise around her eye making her look both fragile and dangerous at the same time.
Rem's words hung in the air like a challenge. She stood straight, eyes cold but steady, refusing to back down.
Anastasia stared at her for a long, silent moment.
Then, slowly, a smile spread across her face.
It wasn't warm. It wasn't friendly. It was a creepy, almost unnerving smile — the kind that didn't reach her eyes, the kind that made the bruise around her swollen eye look even more sinister in the morning light.
"That..." Anastasia said softly, voice dripping with something dark and affectionate, "is exactly why you are perfect, Rem."
She leaned forward, resting her elbows on the desk, her gaze never leaving Rem's.
"You and I... we're the same, you know. You're willing to sacrifice yourself for the person you love. You're willing to suffer for him. You're willing to give so much, even when it hurts you. You belittle yourself, you endure, you stay loyal no matter what. That makes us the same. We both know what it means to put someone else above ourselves."
Anastasia's smile widened, her voice growing almost reverent.
"And you have passed every mark, Rem. You're strong. You're capable. You're intelligent. You're hard-working. You know how to act, how to carry yourself, how to be graceful even when everything is falling apart. You're perfect to be with Julius. Perfect... to replace me."
Rem's eyes widened slightly, but she didn't interrupt.
Anastasia continued, her tone almost dreamy now, as if she were confessing something sacred.
"I know I'm going to die. I've known it for a long time. That's why I need someone to take care of Julius after I'm gone. Someone who won't use him, who won't discard him the moment I'm in the ground. Someone worthy. And you... you've proven yourself so capable that I've started to think... maybe you could become me. After my death."
She let the words linger, watching Rem's reaction with that same unsettling smile.
"Being a pawn has a big advantage, Rem. A pawn can become a queen."
Anastasia's voice dropped to a near whisper, intimate and intense.
"And the fact that you still love Subaru... that's exactly why I want you to be with Julius. I want you to develop real desire toward him. I want you to like him — to love him — of your own will. Not because I forced you. Not because I pushed you. But because you choose him. Because you see in him what I see. Because you want him the way I want him to be wanted."
Anastasia leaned back in her chair, her creepy smile never fading.
"So tell me again, Rem... do you still want me as your enemy? Or are you finally ready to accept that I'm trying to give you the future you deserve?"
The office fell silent.
Rem stood there, breathing shallow, her cold eyes now filled with a storm of emotions — shock, disgust, confusion, and something dangerously close to fear.
Anastasia waited, patient and smiling, like a spider watching a fly struggle in its web.