To My Beloved Oppressor

Chapter 8

After lunchtime, a servant informed Annette of a visitor's request for a meeting.

"Madam, a gentleman requests to see you. He said he is a former acquaintance of yours..........."

"An acquaintance of mine?"

Was there an acquaintance who might visit her? Just as Annette was getting puzzled, she heard a familiar name.

"Yes, he said you would know if his name is Ans."

Annette's eyes slowly widened as she chewed on the name. She mumbled absentmindedly.

"Ans....?"

Ansgar Stetter.

The second son of the now fallen Count Stetter, and a friend of Annette's.

Ansgar had once courted Annette, but it never materialized. When Annette married, he went to study abroad and had not been heard from since the Revolution.

"Um, madam? What should I do?"

"...... Oh, um, ......."

Annette hesitated, unable to answer right away. It wasn't because she didn't trust Ansgar or that she was uncomfortable. Just ......

It was miserable to see him like this.

Stetter was a close friend of Rosenberg's. This was also why Annette and Ansgar grew up close to each other from an early age.

With the fall of Rosenberg, Stetter collapsed as a matter of course. Ansgar was abroad at the time of the revolution and fortunately avoided disaster.

However, Annette and Ansgar's position was different. It was not merely a difference of distance. She was in a different position not only with Ansgar but also with other fallen nobles.

After the revolution, the revolutionary forces used public opinion to justify the bloodshed and consolidate the unrest. Annette was used for this propaganda.

She was quite well suited for this task. She was royal blood, a symbol of "nobility," and the daughter of a military commander.

The press bit Annette up to the neck to spread anti-noble sentiment. Today, the image of Annette in Padania was nothing short of a rare villain.

Annette, distressed, eventually gave her permission.

"...... in the reception room...Please let him in the reception room first. Ask him to wait a moment...."

"Yes, Madam."

The servant bowed her head and left. Annette sat down at the dressing table and looked in the mirror. The woman she saw looked melancholy and seemed to collapse at any moment.

She applied simple makeup. Red lipstick to her lips and blush on her cheeks, she looked lively in an instant.

When she went down to the reception room, a servant was waiting for her.

"The guest...?"

"He is inside. Tea has been served."

Annette took a slow, deep breath and opened the parlor door. Her hand was shaking slightly as she turned the handle.

There was a faint aroma of tea in the parlor. A man in a brown suit was sitting neatly on the sofa. As Annette entered, Ansgar took off his hat and rose from his seat.

" Annette."

"-It's been a long time."

Annette responded plainly with a light smile. On the contrary, a happy and sad look was evident on Ansgar's face.