Soon, the two of them arrived in a room with a charming decorative style.
Ryou gently let go of Anastasia, but his hand still rested on her shoulder.
Although she had somewhat recovered after this period, it seemed she still needed some time before she could walk on her own.
He looked around the large and luxurious bedroom, staring at the various cute stuffed toys scattered around. His face showed a look of surprise.
Suddenly, his eyes narrowed as a thought popped into his mind.
He had always thought Anastasia was the daughter of a noble family.
But her bedroom was inside the Tsar's palace, and this layout wasn't meant for a guest.
So, Anastasia's true identity was becoming obvious.
"Anastasia..."
Ryoug's face showed hesitation, "Are you... the queen?"
Anastasia's expression immediately turned sorrowful. She opened her mouth as if she wanted to say something, but no words came out.
"I'm sorry if you're troubled by anything..."
Ryou scratched the back of his head awkwardly.
"No..."
Anastasia shook her head.
"This isn't Ryou-sama's fault. It's something I shouldn't have hidden from you."
Her face then showed a mix of sadness, sorrow, and pain.
"That's right, I was meant to be married to lord Tsar tommorow."
Anastasia gave a bitter smile.
What the heck!
"Uh~ wasn't he your ancestor? Did he want to harm you?"
That old guy looked like he was in his fifties or sixties, old enough to be someone's grandfather, yet he wanted to marry a beautiful young girl of 17 or 18. This was a classic case of an old man preying on a young woman!
Ryou immediately thought that letting him explode was too merciful—he should have been burned alive!
Seeing Anastasia looking like a wounded, pitiful little deer, Ryous heart softened. He gently pulled her into his arms and comforted her with soft words.
After much effort, he finally calmed her down.
Anastasia shyly pushed him away, then searched the room and found a faceless stuffed toy in a corner.
She picked up the toy and hugged it gently.
Neither she nor Ryou noticed that at the moment she picked up the toy, a faint dark glow flashed across its blackened face.
Anastasia, holding only the stuffed toy, walked back to his side.
"I'm ready, Ryou-sama. We can set off now."
Ryou's face showed a hint of curiosity.
"Is this the only thing you're taking?"
Anastasia nodded slightly.
"Yes. Besides this toy, everything else was given by the Lord Tsar..."
"I see. Let's go, then."
Ryou nodded.
For Anastasia, perhaps everything else in this room belonged to someone else and held no sentimental value.
At this moment, Anastasia was surprised to see Ryou, instead of heading for the door, moving toward the balcony.
"Ryou-sama, that way is..."
Before Anastasia could finish her sentence, he pushed open the large floor-to-ceiling window.
Whoosh!
A gust of cold wind rushed in.
Anastasia instinctively raised her hand to shield her face.
At this moment, Ryou's confident voice, carried by the wind, reached her ears.
"My lady, please."
As he spoke, Ryou made an exaggerated bowing gesture, inviting her with flair.
"Heehe~"
Anastasia couldn't help but laugh, and the sadness that had been weighing on her seemed to be alleviated, at least for the moment.
Soon, from the high balcony, Ryou, holding Anastasia in a standard princess-carry, leaped into the air and flew off into the distance, bathed in the sunlight.
In his arms, Anastasia looked at his profile, her eyes showing a hint of fascination.
Father, Mother, perhaps I have fallen in love...
I hope you can bless me from the heavens...
To be honest, in terms of appearance, Ryou could only be described as handsome. He was still far from being stunningly attractive, not to mention he was an Eastern man, which didn't quite fit Western beauty standards.
Before her downfall, Anastasia had been Russia's most beloved princess. She'd seen her fair share of handsome men—noble heirs, talented knights, scholars from prestigious families.
But now, after witnessing the brutal murder of her family and being forced into a marriage proposal by someone old enough to be her grandfather, Anastasia's heart had suffered tremendous trauma.
The only person who could truly enter her heart was someone who could give her an overwhelming sense of security.
And Ryou, who had defeated the ancestor she once saw as godlike and rescued her from a dark future, had, by sheer coincidence, entered her heart and left a mark that was uniquely his.
Of course, Ryou himself had no idea about the complex thoughts swirling in Anastasia's mind. While he was clever, he hadn't reached the level of a genius.
...
After flying and resting intermittently for over half a month, Ryou finally returned to Yokosuka Port in Japan.
The place had changed dramatically.
Concrete buildings had sprung up one after another, neatly arranged according to a pre-planned layout.
The long-abandoned Yokosuka Shipyard was once again operational, with the sounds of metal clashing and workers shouting echoing from within.
Although the lack of steel and other materials made shipbuilding impossible, repairs were now fully underway.
After so much time, Yokosuka had produced a large number of skilled workers, each playing their part in rebuilding this massive steel fortress.
Yokosuka now resembled a giant steel factory and fortress, and none of this would have been possible without the efforts of everyone involved.
Ryou had already quietly set Anastasia down. After all, it wouldn't look good for either of them if someone saw.
He hadn't forgotten that his current identity was that of a god in the present world, while Anastasia was just a 18-year-old girl.
As he stepped through the gates of the admiral's residence, a familiar figure stood sideways, staring blankly at a violet in the courtyard.
The rays of the setting sun fell on Jeanne's profile, draping her in a divine, golden veil.
She was still wearing that same silver-blue armor, looking as heroic as when they first met.
Ryou's steps came to a sudden halt.
Time seemed to reverse. The Jeanne before him was both a Valkyrie, undefeated in battle and a saint, full of compassion for the world.
After a long pause, Ryou took a deep breath and softly, as if afraid to disturb her, said:
"I'm back."
Jeanne was startled. The beautiful scene shattered, and the figure in the painting came to life.
Ryou saw Jeanne's first glance at him—a mix of worry and joy. But the joy lasted less than a second before her expression turned cold.
"Hmm."
She responded lightly, then began walking toward the admiral's residence.
As though afraid he might misunderstand, she added without turning around:
"I was waiting for Ais and Shimizake-chan…"
Before she could finish, she suddenly stopped because Ryou had swiftly stepped forward and grabbed her hand.
Jeanne's brows furrowed slightly.
"Let go."
"Sorry…"
Ryou's voice was low.
Jeanne's hand trembled slightly, but her expression remained indifferent.
"And… I missed you."
He looked directly into Jeanne's eyes, his gaze clear and sincere.
Jeanne let out a sigh. Her tense body relaxed, and a helpless look appeared on her face.
"You are a bastard."
"Hmm."
Ryou nodded calmly, pulling Jeanne forcefully into his arms. He leaned close to her ear and whispered:
"So, it's best if you just give up. In this life, the next, and the one after that… you'll never get rid of me… Ah!"
Just as he was speaking passionately, Jeanne suddenly bit down hard on his shoulder.
This time, she wasn't playing around. Soon, a trace of blood seeped through his clothes.
At this moment, Ryou did not resist at all. He could only grimace, allowing the Lady Saint to leave her mark on his shoulder.
After a while, Jeanne stood up straight again with a glimmer of satisfaction in her eyes, as if to say, "Let's see if you underestimate this saint again!"
Ryou could only wear a pained expression, letting her have her way. After all, what happened last time was his fault for not controlling himself. He had to bear the consequences.
At least he'd made it through this round…
"Ryou-sama, who is she?"
Anastasia's puzzled voice rang out from behind him.
Both Ryou and Jeanne turned toward the doorway, where the pure, snow-like girl stood, smiling innocently at the two of them.
I've heard of sweet-looking girls turning out to be ruthless, but I've never heard of one who looks innocent and still acts ruthless!
My lady, we don't have any grudges, right? Why are you doing this to me?!
Ryou's body stiffened slightly, but since his conscience was clear, he slowly turned to look at Jeanne.
Wait, what's with these black flames burning around her?
Jeanne, why is your armor turning black?
Could it be that the Ruler class can switch directly to Avenger class?
This isn't scientific!
Ryou blinked hard. Jeanne was still standing as she had been, her face wearing a "kind" smile, everything seemingly normal.
"Dear, aren't you going to introduce this beautiful young lady?"
Jeanne's tone was intimate, her smile warm, but he sensed an ominous killing intent behind that warmth.
"She's…"
Ryou forced a smile, but before he could continue, Anastasia abruptly and forcefully cut him off.
"Greetings, Sister. I am Ryou-sama's newly appointed personal maid."
As Anastasia spoke, she lifted her elaborate gown with impeccable grace and performed a curtsy.
Anastasia! I didn't expect you to be this kind of princess—are you setting me up?!
Ryou shouted internally, wearing a look of utter despair as he glanced at Jeanne.
The blackened expression he expected from Jeanne didn't appear. She didn't even look at him. Instead, she scrutinized Anastasia up and down.
Anastasia met her gaze without backing down, and the air between them seemed to crackle with tension.
Ryou was taken aback, his gaze shifting toward Anastasia.
Though they hadn't spent much time together, he knew Anastasia's personality was soft and compliant, even somewhat submissive.
This was the first time he'd seen such a strong-willed Anastasia.
At that moment, Jeanne smiled.
"Well, I apologize then, Miss Anastasia. To become a maid serving a Lord, you'll need to enter the seminary for training. You'll only be allowed to graduate once you pass. Then you'll undergo a series of tests…"
"…Finally, we'll select the most suitable candidates from among you to serve him as maids."
Jeanne rattled off a string of words, essentially saying that becoming Ryou's maid required passing through layers of selection and that Anastasia was far from meeting the requirements.
His face showed confusion.
"Why didn't I kno—"
Before he could finish, Jeanne shot him a sharp glare. He quickly raised his hands in surrender with a wry smile.
"So, do you understand now, Miss Anastasia? Becoming his maid isn't as easy as you think."
Jeanne's expression was calm, but her words carried a clear note of challenge.
My saint can't possibly be this devious!
And what's with this classic scene of the main wife putting the mistress in her place?!
Ryou mentally ranted.
Anastasia pursed her lips tightly, raising her head stubbornly, staring directly at Jeanne.
"Excuse me, what do you mean by Lord?"
"Oh my, did he not tell you? The one standing before you is none other than the leader of the Angelic Army, the Seraph Michael, under the Lord Almighty."
"Having witnessed powers beyond human comprehension, you should realize the Lord is no ordinary person."
As if afraid Anastasia wouldn't believe her, Jeanne provided examples of what she had personally seen.
Anastasia immediately turned to Ryou with a look of shock.
Ryou awkwardly scratched his nose. Fooling pawns didn't bother him, but it felt a bit embarrassing to deceive someone close to him.
Jeanne meant no harm. She simply wanted to scare off Anastasia. However, she underestimated Anastasia's resolve and the devout faith of an Orthodox Christian.
"I'll do it! I will pass all the tests and become Lord's personal maid!"
Anastasia's eyes blazed with fervor.
The intensity of her gaze startled even Jeanne. Such pure, passionate faith—Jeanne had only seen it in a few people before.
Little did she know, Anastasia was inwardly on the verge of fainting from happiness.
So that's what it is! Ryou-sama must have been sent by God to save me!
For the first time, she had fallen for someone, and that person turned out to be the Seraph under God Almighty! These two blessings intertwined.
Anastasia, how fortunate you are!