LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 37
* * *
Honestly, I think it would be nice if I could just escape.
No matter which country I go to, that crazy red bastard will surely try to spread communism again.
Later, they can intervene anywhere claiming they want to catch Trotsky.
They intervene under the pretext of eradicating communism.
This is really a good method.
It might actually be better that way.
The problem, though, is that I am Anastasia.
Trotsky must have colluded in the assassination of Nicholas II.
I don’t know who led the actual history, but Trotsky was likely involved.
He’s the Minister of Defense of the Soviet Union, after all.
During the Civil War, he must have understood the significance of the Tsar’s existence and might have aimed to strategically prevent the White Army’s consolidation.
Of course, that’s just a possibility.
From the current developments, that guy is my enemy.
So, from Anastasia’s perspective, Trotsky must be torn to shreds.
The White Army came flooding into the city, while the Reds were being killed without even being able to resist or surrender.
Considering this was once the imperial capital, it feels like the endpoint of the red plague, giving it a unique vibe.
Now, it’s just a place that has remnants of the red plague.
We regained the Winter Palace.
For the time being, I decided to work from the Winter Palace to sort out the situation in Petrograd.
“Your hair has grown quite long.”
Originally, the women of the Tsar’s family used to shave their heads during their confinement in Ekaterinburg.
It was the same for me, at least for a while after I possessed this body.
For some time, my hair was short.
Now it’s quite long, and unlike the real Anastasia, I have become an adult.
How long must I continue playing the role of Anastasia?
For a while, until the new Russia is completely back on track, perhaps.
– China has launched a nuke at Taiwan!
– A North Korean nuke has hit Seoul!
– A nuclear war has broken out!
Hmm.
Well, I feel like this place is better than the original world.
At least now the White Army generals are organizing Petrograd, so there’s a bit less for me to do.
A little later, the Northwest Army commander, Yudenich, and the commander of the Finnish Army, Mannerheim, came to the Winter Palace.
“Nikolai Yudenich, commander of the Northwest Army, and Mannerheim, commander of the Finnish Army. Thank you both for your hard work.”
“Not at all. We should have retaken it ourselves before Your Tsarina arrived.”
That wouldn’t have been bad, but Yudenich has done his job well.
Compared to the failures of actual history, he had cornered Trotsky and the Reds in Petrograd.
“No. It’s reasonable for me, a Romanov, to lead the retaking myself. Once the White Army takes control of all of Russia, I will receive ample rewards then.”
“Thank you!”
“And Commander Mannerheim of the Finnish Army.”
“Yes, Your Tsarina.”
This man was in charge of supporting Yudenich.
Considering the size of the Finnish army, it’s more accurate to see it as various material support rather than direct military assistance.
“As I said, after the Civil War, as long as I maintain the condition of being the King of Finland, you are free to do whatever you wish within Finland. To be honest, I’ll grant independence, but I need you to consider my position as well.”
“Yes. The gratitude of the Finnish Parliament will be overwhelming. Thank you.”
Mannerheim would have probably tried to help even if I hadn’t set this condition.
He’s an advocate of the Russian situation.
It’s likely he took my proposal to positively reevaluate support for Yudenich.
Now that I’ve added conditional independence for Finland as a reward, Mannerheim could probably even aim for the next position after Stolberg upon his return.
It’s likely he’ll end up as Prime Minister, rather than President.
Having a Russian advocate as the head of state of Finland wouldn’t be so bad.
A little later, new news arrived.
“Trotsky has been captured.”
Baron Beria brought what I had been waiting for to the Winter Palace.
“Oh.”
So Trotsky was brought in.
One of my enemies is kneeling in front of me.
In actual history, he’d end up going to Mexico and die at the hands of an assassin sent by Stalin, but in this timeline, he seems likely to meet his end much sooner.
Look at that face. His eyes are bloodshot and he’s hissing.
“I need to have a private talk with this guy.”
“It’s dangerous.”
“I’ll have you wait outside, and if I yell, you can come in. After all, he’s tied up pretty well, isn’t he?”
Trotsky must have resisted quite a lot; he was bound from head to toe with ropes.
Can you believe Trotsky is in such a state?
Ugh, how do I resist the urge to tea-bag him?
Wait a minute. That guy… yeah, it’s just that.
“Hmm. Trotsky.”
“You little—! If it weren’t for you!”
“What are you so mad about?”
If he lost to someone so much younger, he should just off himself.
That way, he would’ve ended as a martyr of communism.
That’s how it usually goes, right? If he was going to commit suicide, he should have done it long ago.
“If you had died quietly!”
“Who’s the fool that would quietly die? Besides, unfortunately, I’m not the type to die.”
Once this Civil War is over, I’m sure this invincible body won’t last forever.
It hurt quite a bit where I got hit by a bullet earlier.
So this time, I must be absolutely sure.
I have to toy with this guy and then kill him.
“What did you say!”
I pulled a pistol from Trotsky’s waist.
Bang!
Once again, as always, I showed Trotsky the sight of myself shooting myself.
As always, I didn’t die this time either.
There were red marks left on my temple, but Trotsky saw it clearly.
Look at that face.
He looks like he’s seen a ghost.
Right before dying, he learned who he was up against, so he’s probably got goosebumps all over.
He’s probably realized who he’s been lying to.
“If the Soviet Union was right, would I be here, sitting in this chair? The Soviet Union is radical and violent.”
“That’s part of the revolutionary process! Once the Soviet Union establishes itself, and if the people trust and follow the Soviet Union, only then can we achieve the proletarian revolution on Earth! Radical? Oppression? That’s just temporary chaos in the establishment process of communism!”
How long must I endure this performance?
He’s a genuinely irritating guy.
“What, a reform will be achieved and a communist utopia will unfold? Nonsense.”
“What?”
“I’m ending the reign of the Tsar. In that process, you’re making Lenin the new Tsar, aren’t you? Russians will live serving Lenin’s successor when Lenin dies and ultimately rot away. Just look at what you’re doing now; the future is crystal clear.”
It’s really clear.
I said this, laughing at Trotsky.
“What could a fresh-faced girl possibly know!”
“They’ll brainwash the people into believing Lenin and his successors are the leaders of all nations. Then what? They’ll live a stifled life where demonstrations are impossible like in my father’s time. There will be no freedom; just a change in title from the Tsar. Whether it’s serving the Tsar or serving Lenin, what difference does it make?”
You guys are worse than the Tsar!
Well, for me, it’s just like venting my frustration.
“You little—!”
“Don’t stubbornly deny it. Throughout history, every nation has had leaders who led it to a golden age and those who caused it to decline and fall. Do you think the Soviet Union would be any different? Ah, if they brainwash properly, they might make the Russians so ignorant that they won’t even realize they’re mere expendables.”
“What do you think communism is!”
“Inciting the lower class to kill the rich and rob their wealth for themselves. That’s how you sum it up.”
“You have no understanding of communism!”
I have no need to understand it, and I am not interested.
Trying to learn about it would be a waste of time.
“Why should I understand it? It sounds ideal if you just listen, but experiencing it firsthand is something you should avoid with communism. You probably don’t realize that if you’re a die-hard red like you.”
“Stop with the word games and kill me if you’re going to! Either way, if I die here, a revolution will occur again someday!”
I was going to kill him anyway.
To be honest, I don’t owe him any lengthy dialogue.
“Don’t worry. Thanks to you, I’ll become the owner of the new Russian Empire.”
“What?”
“I’ll suck up all your sweet rewards and mix them into capitalism. Just like you try to lure the masses with sweet words and lead them to the party, I’ll do the same by merely changing the name.”
“You’re saying that what we’ve done has benefited you?”
“Exactly. Thank you very much. Thanks to you, the Romanovs will rise again.”
“!!”
That should be enough. I’ve put in a fair amount of effort dealing with this loser.
“However, I’ve been accommodating you until now. Let’s get to the point; you’re not Trotsky.”
This isn’t Trotsky.
He might look somewhat similar, but he’s not.
I know that guy’s face too well. This guy’s face doesn’t match.
“!!!”
“Saint Rasputin of the Romanovs has guided me.”
If you’re a hard-core communist, it’d be better to approach this way.
Mentioning Rasputin, a significant factor in the fall of Imperial Russia, and saying that the new Russia will be influenced by that saint is quite the statement.
What a shame. It would have been perfect if it were true.
How ridiculous it must be for Trotsky, who thought he’d achieved the proletarian revolution.
It’s almost like saying the woman they faced would recreate the country that Rasputin manipulated.
“Uaaaaaah!”
Despite being fake, Trotsky began to scream.
He cried, letting out any sound inappropriate for his age.
I called in Pyotr Yudenich, who had been waiting outside.
“Take this fake Trotsky away. Tomorrow, in front of the Reds, announce that the real one has abandoned you to escape. Then let’s wipe out the remaining Reds.”
“Yes.”
Now, the Red-White Civil War is nearing its end.
After this Civil War ends, what will happen to me?
In the worst-case scenario, if I have to be born into a Russia that no longer needs me, then I guess I’ll really have to go to America or Britain.
* * *
German Empire
Kaiser Wilhelm II was keeping an eye on the situation in Russia’s Civil War.
Naturally, if Russia turns communist, the next country to be targeted would undoubtedly be Germany, so they are carefully watching Russia’s Civil War to prepare.
And then, the end of that Civil War began to come into view.
“Princess Anastasia has captured Petrograd? Impressive. Indeed, our German weaponry is remarkable.”
“Yes.”
To be precise, they only received some help. The battles of Moscow and Petrograd were largely thanks to the White Army’s efforts, but that wasn’t something Wilhelm II needed to care about.
“When this Civil War ends, it might be an opportunity to propose a marriage arrangement. There’s the divorced Prince Joachim, isn’t there?”
Prince Joachim von Prussia.
Wilhelm II’s sixth son, who historically divorced his wife Marie-Auguste after she ran off with another man just after World War I ended.
Then, in 1920, he committed suicide with a pistol in Potsdam.
In this altered history, the Hohenzollern dynasty managed to survive, and Joachim is still alive after dismissing his unfaithful wife, Marie-Auguste.
Wilhelm II was concocting a scheme to pair Joachim with Anastasia.
But first…
“Well then, it’s time to gradually raise the army again. Now, while France is on guard, is the time to act.”
“Yes.”
However, Kaiser Wilhelm II was unaware.
There were many in the military dissatisfied with Wilhelm II’s unilateral negotiations and they had joined Rosa Luxemburg’s revolutionary forces.
And the day of the revolution was not far off.