Chapter 284: The Midnight Truth

Anna sat in front of her mirror, holding a hairbrush in her hand.

She had been sitting there for a long time.

She was supposed to be brushing her hair, but she had completely forgotten about it. The brush remained in her hand while her mind went over the words Konstantin had said to her.

She could still hear his voice.

She had thought she was finally free from him.

She had thought that after everything he had done to her, she would never have to think about him again.

But now that he was gone, she could not understand why she felt this empty.

Anna lowered her eyes.

She hated him.

She had hated him for years.

So why did his death hurt?

She was so lost in her thoughts that she did not hear the knock on her door.

There was another knock.

Then another.

Still, Anna did not hear it.

The door eventually opened.

"Anna."

She suddenly looked up.

Her eyes met Lydia’s.

Anna immediately dropped the brush and stood.

"Your Highness."

She quickly bowed.

Lydia smiled softly.

"You’ve been avoiding me all day."

Anna froze.

"I..."

She looked down, unsure of what to say.

"I’m sorry, Your Highness."

Lydia walked closer.

"Why are you avoiding me?"

Anna opened her mouth but struggled to find the words.

"I don’t exactly know what to say."

Lydia looked at her with concern.

"Then say whatever is in your heart."

Anna’s eyes immediately became wet.

"I’m sorry."

Lydia frowned slightly.

"For what?"

"Everything."

Anna’s voice shook.

"You helped me, Your Highness. You gave me a chance to leave that horrible life. You protected me, and because of me, your life was put in danger."

Lydia’s expression softened.

"Anna..."

"I’m so sorry."

Tears began to gather in Anna’s eyes.

"You helped me, but I brought nothing but bad luck to you."

Lydia shook her head.

"That’s not true."

"But it is."

Anna wiped her face quickly.

"If you had never helped me, Konstantin wouldn’t have done that. You wouldn’t have been dragged into all of this."

"Anna, listen to me."

Lydia gently took her hands.

"It’s not your fault."

Anna looked at her.

"It will never be your fault."

"But..."

"You didn’t do anything wrong."

Lydia spoke calmly, making sure Anna understood every word.

"You are not responsible for what happened. You didn’t ask for any of this. You were trying to escape someone who hurt you."

Anna’s lips trembled.

"And I’m fine."

Lydia gave her a small smile.

"So please stop blaming yourself."

Anna nodded slowly.

She tried to hold herself together.

Lydia watched her for a moment before asking softly,

"Now tell me. Are you okay?"

That was all it took.

The tears Anna had been holding back all day began to fall.

She quickly turned her face away, but it was too late.

"I’m sorry."

"You don’t have to apologize for crying."

Anna covered her face with one hand.

"He was a horrible man."

Lydia stayed quiet.

Anna’s voice broke.

"He took everything from me."

She wiped her cheeks.

"He took my freedom. He took my happiness. He made everyone look at me like I was the problem."

Her shoulders shook.

"He ostracized me from society. I couldn’t go anywhere without people whispering about me."

Lydia’s eyes became sad.

Anna continued.

"He didn’t even try to hide his mistresses."

Her voice became bitter.

"He would flaunt them in front of me as if I was nothing."

She looked down.

"Even his family treated me worse than a doormat."

Anna laughed weakly through her tears.

"I hated him for years."

She swallowed.

"I wished he would die."

Lydia said nothing.

"I used to pray for it."

Anna looked at her with tears running down her face.

"I prayed for it so many times."

Her voice became quieter.

"But now that he’s gone..."

She placed a hand over her chest.

"I don’t know why it hurts."

Lydia’s expression softened completely.

"I just feel empty."

Lydia did not say anything.

She simply stepped forward and wrapped her arms around Anna.

Anna froze for a moment.

Then she broke down in her arms.

Lydia held her tightly.

"It’s okay."

Anna cried against her shoulder.

"I’m here for you."

For the first time that day, Anna allowed herself to stop pretending that she was fine.

She cried.

She cried for the years she had lost.

For the woman she used to be.

For everything Konstantin had taken from her.

And for the strange emptiness his death had left behind.

After some time, Anna slowly pulled away.

She wiped her face.

"I’ll repay you."

Lydia looked at her.

"I promise I’ll repay the kindness you have shown me."

Anna’s voice was still shaky.

"In this life or another."

Lydia smiled.

"If you want to repay me, you can be my friend."

Anna stared at her.

"Your friend?"

"Yes."

Lydia smiled again.

"I don’t exactly have any friends."

Anna looked surprised.

"I actually never did."

Lydia gave a small shrug.

"Though we may have a huge age gap, I don’t mind."

She reached for Anna’s hand.

"I can treat you as my older sister."

Anna’s eyes filled with tears again, but this time there was a small smile on her face.

"Your Highness..."

"Everything will be okay."

Anna nodded.

She looked at Lydia for a moment.

There was something else on her mind.

Something she had been trying to say all day.

"Your Highness..."

"Yes?"

Anna hesitated.

"There’s something I must tell you."

---

Tatiana sat in her bath.

The warm water surrounded her, but she barely noticed it.

Her mind was somewhere else.

She was thinking about Lydia.

About the ball.

About the plan.

About whether Lydia had already told Ivan the truth.

The bathroom door opened.

Yelena walked inside.

Tatiana immediately looked toward her.

"Did you hear anything?"

Yelena stopped.

"My lady?"

"Did she tell him?"

Yelena understood immediately.

"I don’t think so."

Tatiana watched her.

"Why?"

"Apparently, His Highness isn’t at the palace right now."

Tatiana’s eyes narrowed.

"No one knows when he’ll be back."

For a moment, neither woman spoke.

Yelena tried to sound reassuring.

"You don’t have to worry, my lady."

Tatiana looked at her.

"It looks like everything is working in your favour."

Tatiana gave a cold smile.

"Is it?"

Yelena became quiet.

"If everything were working in my favour, I would have been the Grand Duchess years ago."

Her smile disappeared.

"Or at least that woman would have been buried by now."

Yelena lowered her eyes.

She had nothing to say to that.

Tatiana leaned back in the bath.

Her patience was running out.

She had waited long enough.

She had watched Lydia continue to live the life she believed should have belonged to her.

She had watched Ivan continue to look at Lydia with love.

And now, even after everything, Lydia was still standing in her way.

Tatiana’s eyes hardened.

"We’ll leave at midnight."

Yelena looked up.

"Tonight?"

"Yes."

Tatiana’s voice was calm.

"There’s something I must do."

Yelena nodded.

"Yes, my lady."

Tatiana closed her eyes.

Midnight was not far away.

And after tonight, everything would change.

---

Midnight came.

The palace had become quiet.

Most of the lights had gone out, leaving only a few lamps burning along the halls.

Tatiana stepped out of the palace dressed in a dark cloak.

Yelena followed closely behind her, also covered in a cloak.

Neither woman spoke.

Tatiana pulled her hood over her head.

Then she looked ahead.

It was time.

She had made her decision.

And tonight, she would see it through.

The two women walked away from the palace together, disappearing into the darkness of the night.