Julius stared at Rem for a long moment, his expression shifting from shock to deep sadness. He slowly shook his head.
"No," he said firmly. "I will not do it. Not like this."
He reached out and gently cupped Rem's face, forcing her to look at him. Her eyes were filled with cold hatred and exhaustion.
Through the silver mantle draped over Rem's shoulders, Anastasia's presence coiled tightly around the maid's mind. The moment Julius spoke his refusal, Anastasia's telepathic voice erupted inside Rem's skull like a venomous whip, roaring with unhinged malice.
Look at what you've done, you pathetic, home-wrecking whore! Anastasia screamed directly into Rem's brain, her thoughts erratic and wild with pain. My husband looks at you and feels nothing but pity and disgust! He won't even touch you! You think you stole him? You think you're special? You are nothing but a common, filthy maid, and he refuses to even breed you because you disgust him! Beg for it, Rem! Beg me for mercy right now, or I swear to God I will have Subaru slaughtered before the hour is up! Open your mouth and beg me, you worthless parasite!
Rem remained physically silent, her jaw clenched so tightly her teeth threatened to shatter, her hands trembling violently beneath the heavy weight of the mantle. Within the mental link, she swallowed her remaining scraps of dignity, her thoughts weeping in utter humiliation as she was forced to placate the raging princess just to keep her husband safe. Please... please don't hurt him. I'll do whatever you want. Just don't touch Subaru... I beg you...
Julius, oblivious to the horrific psychological torment flashing behind Rem's dead eyes, continued, his voice steady but pained. "I swear to you — I had nothing to do with Anastasia's actions. I would never do something so despicable to you. Never."
"Rem... give me the mantle. I want to talk with Anastasia ."
Rem handed the silver cloth to Julius without a word. The moment Julius put it on, Anastasia's voice exploded in his mind, sharp, venomous, and laced with an underlying, frantic panic.
"Julius."
Julius's voice was calm but filled with profound disappointment. "Anastasia... what the hell are you doing? This has gone too far."
Julius excused himself from the room, telling Rem he needed a moment alone. He walked down the corridor until he found a quiet, secluded balcony overlooking the hot springs. The steam rose gently into the night air. Only then did he speak into the silver mantle again.
"Anastasia," he said, his voice low and heavy. "Did you know it's over between us?"
Anastasia's voice came through immediately, sharp, defensive, and visibly trembling with terror. "What are you talking about?! How dare you say that to me, Julius! I am your wife! I am your princess!"
Julius let out a bitter laugh. "Why did you do this? Why push me toward her if you're going to lose your mind the moment I actually fall for her?"
Anastasia's tone turned fiercely defensive, her breathing turning erratic as she tried to justify her actions, her heart hammering against her ribs at the thought of losing him. "I did it for you! Don't you dare blame this on me! I wanted you to be happy! I pushed you to fall in love with her so you could have a family—so you could have what my broken, failing body can't give you anymore! I did it out of love, Julius! How can you be so cruel to me?!"
Julius cut her off, his voice growing colder, completely piercing through her facade. "No. Stop lying to yourself. You never wanted me to actually fall in love. I was supposed to use her. She was supposed to be the one running after me like a desperate bitch while I stayed loyal to you. That was your sick little fantasy."
Anastasia's breathing became ragged. She gasping for air back in her bedchamber, terrified by how easily he read her, before exploding in a desperate bid to regain control. "I give you an ultimatum, Julius! You can hate me for it if you want, but I will force Rem to give you children! I have the power to do it, and I will! That is final!"
Julius's voice turned ice-cold. "It's over, Anastasia. Rem will never forgive me. She won't even smile at me anymore."
Anastasia let out a mocking, completely broken laugh. "Are you going to cry now? Over your stupid little crush?! Over a maid?!" She paused, her voice cracking as tears began to spill down her cheeks, her defensive walls crumbling into pure venom. "Have you even thought about how Subaru would feel when he finds out you've been fucking his wife? You'll ruin everything!"
Julius's reply was heavy and sincere. "I love Rem. I never wanted to force her. I was ready to let her go if that was what she chose. I wanted her to divorce Subaru and be happy with me."
Anastasia's voice turned shrill, completely hysterical at the confirmation of her worst nightmare. "That is not happening! I won't allow it! You belong to me!"
Julius's tone became hard, almost threatening. "You may feel proud and in control right now, Anastasia... but I know you. And I know one thing you would hate more than anything else in this world."
The connection fell silent for a few seconds, filled only with Anastasia's shaky, panicked breathing. She didn't ask what it was. She already knew. And for the first time in a long time, real, paralyzing fear completely overwhelmed her rage.
Julius's voice through the silver mantle was cold, steady, and devastatingly final.
"If you tell Subaru, it's over between us, Anastasia. You will never hear my voice again. You will be completely alone."
He let the words sink in before continuing, his tone growing even harder. "And if Subaru does find out... he will be devastated. He'll reject Rem. After that, Rem will come to me. We'll close that chapter of her life and build a new one together — far away from you."
Julius paused, then delivered the final blow. "Rem will do the one thing you fear most, Anastasia. She will replace you in my heart. She will take the only person who was willing to stay with you until the end."
Anastasia's breath caught in her throat. For a few seconds there was only silence on her end. Then, the fierce, defensive barrier she had built entirely disintegrated.
She broke completely.
A raw, painful sob tore out of her as she started crying uncontrollably in her bed, clutching the silver mantle to her chest like a lifeline, terrified to her very core that her husband was truly going to walk away forever.
"I hate it... I hate her...!" she wept, her voice cracking and weak. "Why did she do this to me?! I did everything right... I acted like her friend... I treated her like a sister... She was the only friend I had!"
Her crying grew louder, more broken, filled with years of buried fear, illness, and profound loneliness. "I gave her everything! Work, security, gifts, a place in our life... and she still wants to steal you from me?! Please, Julius... don't leave me... don't leave me alone..."
Julius remained silent on the other end, letting her cry. Anastasia's sobs slowly turned into angry, gasping breaths. Her voice was completely hoarse, stripped of all royal pride, sounding incredibly small when she finally spoke again.
"...You would really leave me for her? You would throw me away?"
Julius's answer was quiet, but there was no hesitation in it. "If you force this... yes."
The connection filled with the sound of Anastasia's broken weeping. She curled up on her side in the bed, bandaged hands pressed against her aching chest, tears completely soaking the pillow. The proud, greedy princess who had built an empire from the slums was crying like the lonely, terrified orphan she once was, utterly shattered by the realization of how close she was to losing the only person who had ever made her feel safe.
Julius stood on the quiet balcony, gripping the silver mantle tightly. His voice was low, cold, and filled with warning. "You can do whatever you want, Anastasia. But if you tell Subaru... you will feel the consequences as well."
Anastasia's breathing was shaky on the other end. After a long silence, she spoke, her voice strained, desperate to claw back some semblance of control before she lost him completely. "...Give the metia back to Rem. I want to speak with her directly."
Julius hesitated for a moment, then walked back into the room. Rem was still sitting on the bed, the silver mantle draped over her trembling frame, her expression completely drained and wary. Julius tapped the device, re-establishing the direct telepathic bridge between the two women.
The moment the link clicked open, Anastasia's voice filled Rem's mind — cold, calculated, and deeply exhausted from her breakdown.
"I won't tell Subaru."
Rem's eyes widened slightly, but her expression remained heavily guarded. Anastasia continued, her mental voice turning sharp, bitter, and almost businesslike now to mask her lingering panic.
"Breeding is off the table. But sex is still an option. I want you to fuck Julius... while I watch through your eyes."
Rem's face twisted with deep disgust and anger. She didn't speak out loud, but her thoughts lashed out violently through the connection: You're sick. You're actually insane. You want to watch me have sex with your husband... through my own eyes?
Anastasia's reply was chillingly calm. "Yes. That's exactly what I want. You stole my husband's attention. You made him fall for you. The least you can do is let me watch what you've taken from me."
Rem's hands trembled against the fabric of the mantle. She looked up at Julius, her eyes filled with a mixture of shame, hatred, and total helplessness. Julius watched her silently, his expression pained, guessing the horrific nature of what his wife was demanding.
Anastasia's voice whispered again in Rem's mind, almost gentle in its absolute cruelty. "You already crossed the line last night, Rem. What's one more time? Consider it... your punishment. Or your payment for enjoying my husband."
Rem closed her eyes, tears slipping down her cheeks once more. The weight of the metia on her shoulders felt heavier than iron chains. She was trapped. And Anastasia was no longer content with just pushing them together. She wanted to watch.
Through the metia connection, Anastasia's voice slithered into Rem's mind like poison wrapped in silk.
"This is what you wanted, isn't it, Rem? You cheated with my husband to punish yourself. After all... you don't deserve a healthy, loving relationship with Subaru. Not after you abandoned your sister to death. Not after you ran away and let everyone die."
Rem's face paled to a sickly white. Her hands clenched into fists on her lap as fresh tears welled up in her eyes.
Anastasia continued, her tone almost conversational, as if they were discussing the weather. "Julius negotiated with me. He begged me not to tell Subaru. So I won't... for now. But I already invited Subaru to the mansion for dinner tonight. You have an hour or two to think about what you're going to do."
Rem's breathing hitched. She looked at Julius with wide, desperate eyes, but he could only watch her helplessly. Anastasia's voice turned sweeter, almost playful in its deep cruelty.
"While I'm having a nice little date with Subaru... you will fuck Julius. Of course, you can use protection if you want. I'm not completely heartless."
Rem's entire body trembled with rage and humiliation. Her thoughts screamed through the connection, raw and venomous: You're a monster... You're actually insane. I hate you. I hate you so much. I'll kill you! I will hunt you down and tear you apart myself!
Anastasia's mental laughter chuckled softly within the link, entirely twisted and devoid of any human empathy."Oh, how truly delightful, Rem. I am so happy that you already see me as a sister. You threaten to murder me in cold blood... just like that dear older sister of yours whom you abandoned and left to death in your past. You truly are a wretched, broken monster, aren't you?"
Anastasia completely ignored the rest of the maid's mental thrashing, her mental voice dropping into a cold command. "Now look up and tell Julius that you have accepted the terms. Tell him he is going to fuck you. Don't worry about the phrasing... we pretty much share a consciousness now anyway."
Anastasia completely ignored the rest of the maid's mental thrashing, her mental voice dropping into a cold command. "Now look up and tell Julius that you have accepted the terms. Tell him he is going to fuck you. Don't worry about the phrasing... we pretty much share a consciousness now anyway."
Rem's hatred burned like liquid nitrogen. I will never—
"Do it," Anastasia cut in, her thoughts turning sharp as a guillotine blade, "or the executioners begin their work on Subaru the moment he steps through my front door."
Rem's physical body shattered with deep, autonomous revulsion, her hand dropping away from the collar of the mantle. She couldn't take it off. She was entirely trapped, forced to surrender her body to keep her husband alive.
She turned her dead, hollow eyes toward Julius, her voice sounding completely vacant, like an empty shell:
"...I accepted the terms. Julius... you can fuck me."
Julius's eyes widened in absolute, paralyzed shock.
Back in her distant bedchamber, Anastasia's mental voice whispered with sweet, terrifying malice directly into the maid's skull:
"Good girl. See? We're already working together beautifully."
Rem's only response was a massive, crushing wave of pure, murderous hatred that washed over the telepathic connection like freezing water. The toxic deal had been finalized. And the psychological war between princess and maid had only just begun.
Anastasia abruptly cut the connection.
She removed the silver mantle from her shoulders before Rem could respond, tossing it onto the bedside table with a sharp motion. The room fell silent once more, save for her own ragged breathing.
She sat there for a few moments, staring at nothing, letting the fresh wave of pain and rage settle into something colder — something more useful.
Fine. If that's how it's going to be...
Anastasia slowly got out of bed, ignoring the weakness in her legs. She walked to her large wardrobe and began searching through her dresses with purpose. She needed something elegant, seductive, but not obviously slutty. Something that would look good on her even with the fading bruise around her eye.
After all, Rem will be watching.
The thought brought a twisted little smile to her lips. If Rem was going to suffer through watching her with Julius, then Anastasia would make sure Rem also had to watch her with Subaru — looking beautiful, composed, in control.
She pulled out a deep emerald green dress with a tasteful but revealing neckline and a slit up the side. It hugged her figure perfectly and brought out the color of her eyes. She laid it on the bed and began choosing accessories.
Should I bring out some hard wine? she wondered. Or something easier to loosen him up...
She glanced toward a small cabinet where she kept a few bottles of strong liquor and some milder, sweeter wines. A soft, dangerous smile crossed her face. Both could be useful.
Anastasia looked at herself in the mirror, adjusting her hair and carefully covering the bruise as best she could with makeup. Her reflection stared back — pale, tired, but still determined.