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Looking back, there was no such thing as fate in their meeting.
Annette was quite the romantic fatalist. She's long since abandoned such notions, but she was like that when she was younger.
Her philosophy teacher said there was no such thing as fate. It was simply that the moment we accept past coincidences as inevitable, we begin to interpret them as fate.
If what the teacher said is true, then that means there was no coincidence between us.
Annette stared with dry eyes at the maiden name written on the envelope. "From Miss Rosenberg." The letter, which contained the full story of her family's downfall, was concise.
It was a pity to think of the effort it took to obtain just this one piece of paper. Communication devices were subject to surveillance, so each message had to be handwritten.
Annette left the room, holding the letter. Her steps led her to Heiner's office. Her husband, now in his fourth year of marriage, was the young commander-in-chief of Padania.
Arriving at the office, Annette knocked on the door without hesitation. And before the voice could even return, she burst open the door.
This was unusual, considering that Annette usually watched his every move carefully so as not to offend him.
Heiner raised his head as if to see who this rude person was. His eyebrows rose slightly in surprise when he saw Annette, but his emotions remained unchanged.
Annette walked up to his desk and held up the letter.
“Would you like to read it?”
She asked in her usual soft and gentle tone. But Heiner didn't even glance at the letter.
“Madam, I’m busy now, so I guess we should talk later.”
He spoke in a businesslike tone, then turned his gaze back to the paper. The pen clicked across the paper, making a scribble sound. Annette slowly lowered her hand that had been holding the letter.
"Heiner. I had a hard time digging up your past."
Stop. Heiner's pen stopped.
"My father is dead, but that doesn't mean all of his associates are dead. I know them very well. So it wasn't impossible."
"...Ma'am."
The soft call contained a warning. It also demanded an explanation. But to Annette, it was simply amusing. She wasn't the one who needed to explain herself.
“I’ve always wondered why you do this to me.”
“...”
"Why are you doing this to me? The person who loved me so much when we were lovers, why have you changed so much? I know feelings can grow cold, but isn't this too much?"
“...”
“But now I know.”
Annette smiled calmly. Heiner's face, still expressionless as he looked up at her, was a little pale.
“You approached me on purpose from the beginning?”
“...Yes.”
“You're not surprised I found out.”
“I thought you would find out someday.”
The encounters she considered fateful were all under his control. From beginning to end, she played into his plan.
"Is it so..."
Haha. Annette laughed briefly.
“It must have been hard pretending to love your enemy’s daughter.”
They married after two years of courtship. Annette's father, Margrave Dietrich, was the nephew of King Piete, giving Annette royal blood.
Margrave Dietrich was one of the five generals of the Padanian army, and Heiner Valdemar was a corps commander under the margrave. Married to his superior's daughter, Heiner rose rapidly in the ranks.
Everything was perfect. Everything seemed perfect.
The happiness she thought would last forever quickly came to an end. Before their honeymoon could even end, the monarchy was overthrown by revolutionary forces, and a free government was established.
It was around that time that Heiner's attitude, which had been that of a wonderful and affectionate husband, changed drastically.
"I was truly shocked when I heard that you had collaborated with the revolutionary army, helped establish a new government, and that you had been promoted to Commander-in-Chief of the army as a condition of your participation. You had essentially betrayed my father."
“...”
"Still, I trusted you. Given the currents of the times, I thought it was the right choice to protect myself... and for the greater good. Even if it meant killing my father."
The old Annette knew nothing about politics. Free governments, revolutionary armies, royal families—things like that were beyond her purview.
But with the fall of the monarchy, the Rosenberg family was met with a barrage of criticism. Her father was murdered by revolutionary forces, and her mother committed suicide. From then on, everything became Annette's business.
"The assumption that you, a revolutionary from the beginning, had deliberately approached me... wasn't that I didn't, it was that I couldn't. If that were true, I'd have nothing left. All I could do was trust you."
Since then, she's lived in silence. She couldn't even go outside. She felt like she was showered with criticism from the citizens the moment she stepped outside.
Royal blood. Daughter of Margrave Dietrich, the military leader who oppressed the revolutionaries and civilians. A detestable woman who lives and breathes in luxury.
Life wasn't about living. Her only dependency was her husband, but Heiner had long since changed his mind. He was busy, indifferent, and at times seemed to despise her.
"I tried to change your mind, foolishly. In fact, you hadn't changed at all."
“...”
“It’s just that you never loved me in the first place.”
Heiner simply stared at her, frozen like a statue. His face was utterly inscrutable. He was always like that.
Annette once thought she knew Heiner very well as a loving lover, but in fact, it was all a lie and an illusion.
“Am I mistaken?”
"...No."
"Then say something, Heiner. I need to hear the truth from you directly."
Heiner seemed a little surprised to hear such harsh words coming from her lips. There was a moment of silence. Then he spoke.
“I was trained as a spy at a military training institute supervised by your father.”
Military training institute. Annette had heard of it, too.
Two years ago, the revelation that the royal family had been secretly training trainees on the island sparked a furor. To protect the trainees' human rights, the list was kept confidential.
But it was not the first time she had heard that Heiner had been a trainee there.
"Training, drugs, assault, confinement... every method necessary for training was employed. Your father, pleased with me for graduating at the top of my class, personally recruited me."
Old stories flowed from his mouth.
Heiner served as a military spy and achieved great success. He was tortured and nearly killed several times during his career, but he believed it was a necessary consequence.
Annette's father, Dietrich Rosenberg, was the first to eliminate spies who posed a threat to his safety or were at risk of being discovered. They were also Heiner's classmates and colleagues.
In any case, the operation was largely successful. Heiner played a significant role in Dietrich's rise to the rank of captain. Heiner ended his spy career and began working in earnest on the regime's behalf.
"...But I hated Dietrich and the royal family, so I helped the revolutionaries establish the current government. Approaching you was also part of the plan. It's over."
Heiner's words felt more like a report than an explanation. The letter crumpled slightly in Annette's hands. Her smile vanished, and she pursed her lips.
“To the object of that hatred.”
“...”
“Am I included?”
Their gazes met in the air. Annette hoped he would say no, even if it was a lie.
Since everything from beginning to end is a lie, adding one more lie won't make a difference.
“Six years ago.”
A dry, sandy voice flowed from him.
"In the last operation, I was deployed as a spy, three of my comrades were killed, and the remaining two were eliminated by Dietrich. I was the only one who survived... and was invited to the Rosenberg mansion."
Annette remembered that day, too. The moment she'd felt a crush on him, smiling at him in the middle of a field of blooming roses, was vivid.
"I saw you in the mansion's rose garden, smiling, wearing jewels and a gorgeous dress. You mourned 'those who gave their lives for their country' as if you were doing them some great favor. I thought something was wrong. Are you among the targets of hatred?"
A twinkle flashed through Heiner's gray eyes.
"Yes."
The answer fell cleanly.
“I hate you.”
Ah. Annette opened and closed her lips silently. The fog cleared from her mind. She had clearly hoped he'd tell her otherwise, but hearing the truth actually brought her relief.
"Yes."
Annette lowered her head and muttered.
“I see...”
It was a simple story. Heiner Valdemar hated Annette Rosenberg. He had approached the object of his hatred simply for revenge. Without even realizing it, she loved him.
“Then the story will be easy.”
Annette took a step back.
She cried out in pain, her pride crushed and her heart betrayed, but tried to ignore it. She spoke clearly, hoping her voice wouldn't tremble.
“I’m getting a divorce, Heiner.”
“Not allowed.”
“You have broken the trust in our marriage. That's grounds for divorce.”
“I said I wouldn’t allow it.”
"Am I still of any use? My father and mother are dead, the monarchy has fallen, and I have nothing. All I have is what I have as Heiner Valdemar's wife. Your revenge is over...!"
Heiner slowly rose from his seat. His large body rose without end. Annette raised her head and looked up at him.
His figure, standing with his back to the light streaming through the window, was shrouded in shadow. A chill involuntarily swept over Annette, who tried to take another step back.
"Ma'am."
Before she could even take a step, his outstretched hand grabbed Annette's chin.
“Where are you going to be happy?”
“...There is nowhere I can be happy.”
“Then the story will be easy.”
Repeating Annette's words, Heiner's lips stretched into a smile. Deep dimples appeared on both cheeks, and a cold smile.
“If that’s the case anyway, you’ll be unhappy by my side for the rest of your life.”
Behind him, the crimson sunset glowed eerily. In that bloody, hellish expanse, Annette suddenly realized something.
Heiner's revenge is not over.
Annette was quite the romantic fatalist. She's long since abandoned such notions, but she was like that when she was younger.
Her philosophy teacher said there was no such thing as fate. It was simply that the moment we accept past coincidences as inevitable, we begin to interpret them as fate.
If what the teacher said is true, then that means there was no coincidence between us.
Annette stared with dry eyes at the maiden name written on the envelope. "From Miss Rosenberg." The letter, which contained the full story of her family's downfall, was concise.
It was a pity to think of the effort it took to obtain just this one piece of paper. Communication devices were subject to surveillance, so each message had to be handwritten.
Annette left the room, holding the letter. Her steps led her to Heiner's office. Her husband, now in his fourth year of marriage, was the young commander-in-chief of Padania.
Arriving at the office, Annette knocked on the door without hesitation. And before the voice could even return, she burst open the door.
This was unusual, considering that Annette usually watched his every move carefully so as not to offend him.
Heiner raised his head as if to see who this rude person was. His eyebrows rose slightly in surprise when he saw Annette, but his emotions remained unchanged.
Annette walked up to his desk and held up the letter.
“Would you like to read it?”
She asked in her usual soft and gentle tone. But Heiner didn't even glance at the letter.
“Madam, I’m busy now, so I guess we should talk later.”
He spoke in a businesslike tone, then turned his gaze back to the paper. The pen clicked across the paper, making a scribble sound. Annette slowly lowered her hand that had been holding the letter.
"Heiner. I had a hard time digging up your past."
Stop. Heiner's pen stopped.
"My father is dead, but that doesn't mean all of his associates are dead. I know them very well. So it wasn't impossible."
"...Ma'am."
The soft call contained a warning. It also demanded an explanation. But to Annette, it was simply amusing. She wasn't the one who needed to explain herself.
“I’ve always wondered why you do this to me.”
“...”
"Why are you doing this to me? The person who loved me so much when we were lovers, why have you changed so much? I know feelings can grow cold, but isn't this too much?"
“...”
“But now I know.”
Annette smiled calmly. Heiner's face, still expressionless as he looked up at her, was a little pale.
“You approached me on purpose from the beginning?”
“...Yes.”
“You're not surprised I found out.”
“I thought you would find out someday.”
The encounters she considered fateful were all under his control. From beginning to end, she played into his plan.
"Is it so..."
Haha. Annette laughed briefly.
“It must have been hard pretending to love your enemy’s daughter.”
They married after two years of courtship. Annette's father, Margrave Dietrich, was the nephew of King Piete, giving Annette royal blood.
Margrave Dietrich was one of the five generals of the Padanian army, and Heiner Valdemar was a corps commander under the margrave. Married to his superior's daughter, Heiner rose rapidly in the ranks.
Everything was perfect. Everything seemed perfect.
The happiness she thought would last forever quickly came to an end. Before their honeymoon could even end, the monarchy was overthrown by revolutionary forces, and a free government was established.
It was around that time that Heiner's attitude, which had been that of a wonderful and affectionate husband, changed drastically.
"I was truly shocked when I heard that you had collaborated with the revolutionary army, helped establish a new government, and that you had been promoted to Commander-in-Chief of the army as a condition of your participation. You had essentially betrayed my father."
“...”
"Still, I trusted you. Given the currents of the times, I thought it was the right choice to protect myself... and for the greater good. Even if it meant killing my father."
The old Annette knew nothing about politics. Free governments, revolutionary armies, royal families—things like that were beyond her purview.
But with the fall of the monarchy, the Rosenberg family was met with a barrage of criticism. Her father was murdered by revolutionary forces, and her mother committed suicide. From then on, everything became Annette's business.
"The assumption that you, a revolutionary from the beginning, had deliberately approached me... wasn't that I didn't, it was that I couldn't. If that were true, I'd have nothing left. All I could do was trust you."
Since then, she's lived in silence. She couldn't even go outside. She felt like she was showered with criticism from the citizens the moment she stepped outside.
Royal blood. Daughter of Margrave Dietrich, the military leader who oppressed the revolutionaries and civilians. A detestable woman who lives and breathes in luxury.
Life wasn't about living. Her only dependency was her husband, but Heiner had long since changed his mind. He was busy, indifferent, and at times seemed to despise her.
"I tried to change your mind, foolishly. In fact, you hadn't changed at all."
“...”
“It’s just that you never loved me in the first place.”
Heiner simply stared at her, frozen like a statue. His face was utterly inscrutable. He was always like that.
Annette once thought she knew Heiner very well as a loving lover, but in fact, it was all a lie and an illusion.
“Am I mistaken?”
"...No."
"Then say something, Heiner. I need to hear the truth from you directly."
Heiner seemed a little surprised to hear such harsh words coming from her lips. There was a moment of silence. Then he spoke.
“I was trained as a spy at a military training institute supervised by your father.”
Military training institute. Annette had heard of it, too.
Two years ago, the revelation that the royal family had been secretly training trainees on the island sparked a furor. To protect the trainees' human rights, the list was kept confidential.
But it was not the first time she had heard that Heiner had been a trainee there.
"Training, drugs, assault, confinement... every method necessary for training was employed. Your father, pleased with me for graduating at the top of my class, personally recruited me."
Old stories flowed from his mouth.
Heiner served as a military spy and achieved great success. He was tortured and nearly killed several times during his career, but he believed it was a necessary consequence.
Annette's father, Dietrich Rosenberg, was the first to eliminate spies who posed a threat to his safety or were at risk of being discovered. They were also Heiner's classmates and colleagues.
In any case, the operation was largely successful. Heiner played a significant role in Dietrich's rise to the rank of captain. Heiner ended his spy career and began working in earnest on the regime's behalf.
"...But I hated Dietrich and the royal family, so I helped the revolutionaries establish the current government. Approaching you was also part of the plan. It's over."
Heiner's words felt more like a report than an explanation. The letter crumpled slightly in Annette's hands. Her smile vanished, and she pursed her lips.
“To the object of that hatred.”
“...”
“Am I included?”
Their gazes met in the air. Annette hoped he would say no, even if it was a lie.
Since everything from beginning to end is a lie, adding one more lie won't make a difference.
“Six years ago.”
A dry, sandy voice flowed from him.
"In the last operation, I was deployed as a spy, three of my comrades were killed, and the remaining two were eliminated by Dietrich. I was the only one who survived... and was invited to the Rosenberg mansion."
Annette remembered that day, too. The moment she'd felt a crush on him, smiling at him in the middle of a field of blooming roses, was vivid.
"I saw you in the mansion's rose garden, smiling, wearing jewels and a gorgeous dress. You mourned 'those who gave their lives for their country' as if you were doing them some great favor. I thought something was wrong. Are you among the targets of hatred?"
A twinkle flashed through Heiner's gray eyes.
"Yes."
The answer fell cleanly.
“I hate you.”
Ah. Annette opened and closed her lips silently. The fog cleared from her mind. She had clearly hoped he'd tell her otherwise, but hearing the truth actually brought her relief.
"Yes."
Annette lowered her head and muttered.
“I see...”
It was a simple story. Heiner Valdemar hated Annette Rosenberg. He had approached the object of his hatred simply for revenge. Without even realizing it, she loved him.
“Then the story will be easy.”
Annette took a step back.
She cried out in pain, her pride crushed and her heart betrayed, but tried to ignore it. She spoke clearly, hoping her voice wouldn't tremble.
“I’m getting a divorce, Heiner.”
“Not allowed.”
“You have broken the trust in our marriage. That's grounds for divorce.”
“I said I wouldn’t allow it.”
"Am I still of any use? My father and mother are dead, the monarchy has fallen, and I have nothing. All I have is what I have as Heiner Valdemar's wife. Your revenge is over...!"
Heiner slowly rose from his seat. His large body rose without end. Annette raised her head and looked up at him.
His figure, standing with his back to the light streaming through the window, was shrouded in shadow. A chill involuntarily swept over Annette, who tried to take another step back.
"Ma'am."
Before she could even take a step, his outstretched hand grabbed Annette's chin.
“Where are you going to be happy?”
“...There is nowhere I can be happy.”
“Then the story will be easy.”
Repeating Annette's words, Heiner's lips stretched into a smile. Deep dimples appeared on both cheeks, and a cold smile.
“If that’s the case anyway, you’ll be unhappy by my side for the rest of your life.”
Behind him, the crimson sunset glowed eerily. In that bloody, hellish expanse, Annette suddenly realized something.
Heiner's revenge is not over.
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