Chapter 117: The Funeral
When the hour of the night arrived, and supper came to a close, almost everyone retired to their respective quarters. This included Anastasia, who was accompanied by Theresa to her room before the older woman took her leave.
Anastasia hadn’t been able to find an opportunity to talk with the Mother Queen as she had intended to, and somewhere within her, she was hesitant after hearing what Queen Maya had said to her. After spending a few more minutes in her room, she stepped out and gazed down the deserted corridor before moving her feet towards Dante’s room.
Raising her hand, she knocked on the door and announced her presence, saying, "It is me, Anastasia."
But Anastasia didn’t receive any response, making her wonder if she should check inside. After all, during her previous nighttime visit, even though he had been in his room, he hadn’t acknowledged her. Her hand reached for the doorknob, but before she could turn it, she released her grip.
She took a step back, and her back brushed against something. Upon turning around, she saw Dante looming above her. She didn’t know when he had crept up behind her and said,
"I—I thought of visiting you."
Dante noticed how Anastasia’s eyes momentarily shifted away from his to look left and right as if searching for something. She appeared shaken, her breathing slightly accelerated, and her eyes alert. He asked her,
"Why didn’t you step inside? Change your mind?"
Anastasia shook her head and replied, "I thought you weren’t in there."
"Next time, you can wait for me inside, or you can wait for me to find you," Dante said, looking intently into her brown eyes. Leaning forward slightly, his hand reached behind her to grasp the doorknob before swinging the door open. "After you."
She stepped into the room, and Dante followed after her, closing the door behind him. The soft click of the door was enough to make her heart hitch, which he took note of. She watched him sit down on the couch and heard him say,