— I don’t like it as much as you.

— Tsk. It feels like I begged for that, so I don’t like it.

As Viett lightly brushed the old keys with his long fingers, a smooth sound broke the silence. After checking the condition of the keys for a moment, he began playing the piano.

I tapped my toes to the gentle melody he played. I was satisfied with the cozy time we spent alone after a long while.

But the peaceful leisure ended with the knock of the lieutenant.

— Your Highness. You need to go up now.

We regretfully put away the piano and went up to the auditorium where hundreds of young cadets had gathered. Just then, the Minister of the Army was standing at the podium, encouraging voluntary enlistment in a booming voice.

Viett looked with bitter eyes at the Army Minister demanding loyalty from the young cadets.

— What are you thinking about?

I whispered worriedly, seeing him seemingly lost in deep thought. He answered while looking at the junior cadets with clear eyes.

— Just thinking they’re all too young. And…

— ……And?

Viett substituted his answer with a bitter smile. I realized he was hesitating to give an honest answer and made a disappointed face.

— Fine. It’s something the crown prince shouldn’t say on record in the novel, right?

Somehow, it seems like there are more and more secrets between him and me.」

* * *

「<Pepe: Day 78XX since birth.>

※This regime propaganda novel may contain scenes inappropriate for children to view.

※Names of characters other than the Little Lord and family are marked as XX.

※Descriptions of shelter structures have been omitted for security reasons. Please note this.

As time passed, the king’s condition gradually improved. Now he had recovered enough to go out to the garden and feel the cold wind. Although he still had to rely on a wheelchair for walks.

The responsibility for pushing his wheelchair mainly fell to me, who was in charge of his nursing care. Today, as always, we took a walk in the garden.

I skillfully pushed the wheelchair while chattering about the names of flowers blooming in the flower beds or their meanings. His Majesty the King, being a quiet person, just silently listened to my chaotic chatter.

— I understand being excluded from state affairs and even expected it, but it still hurts to be treated like a wiretapping device planted next to my husband, Viett. I didn’t become a Little Lady because I wanted to…

— Stop here for a moment.

His Majesty the King had me stop the wheelchair in front of a pavilion. I had to stand blankly behind him for quite some time as he looked at the old pavilion.

After a long silence, His Majesty the King, who had been lost in thought, finally spoke.

— That pavilion was specially made for my wife when she was pregnant with our first child. But she wouldn’t even look at the pavilion until the day she gave birth to Rosemary.

— Why not?

— My wife hated me.

My heart sank at His Majesty the King’s casual answer.

— Is it…… alright to say that so openly in front of me……?

— My, considering yourself a wiretapping device is something you do worse than anyone.

His Majesty the King glanced over his shoulder at me with a smile.

— It doesn’t matter anyway since the story of the queen being forced to marry me is already well-known.

— …….

— Still, until the day she died, she was a woman who remained faithful to her responsibilities as queen and wife.

This is getting uncomfortable…… I rolled my eyes while breaking into a cold sweat. I was tormented by the instinctive feeling that I was hearing something I shouldn’t. (Please, someone save me!)

Sure enough, His Majesty looked at the pavilion with sad eyes and muttered.

— Yes…… Except for that one mistake.

— One mistake……?

— I don’t want to talk about it anymore.

His Majesty the King said gruffly as he turned the wheelchair direction by himself.

That’s when it happened. A loud siren blared from beyond the high stone walls surrounding the palace garden. His Majesty the King and I simultaneously opened our eyes wide.

At first, I thought I was hearing things. This was a warning sound that shouldn’t be heard in the center of the capital. This sound was definitely…

— What are you doing! Snap out of it this instant!

Only after His Majesty shook my arm violently did I come to my senses. Good heavens. This was definitely an air raid siren. Does that mean Easton airships have finally approached Lechen’s airspace?

— Your Majesty! Your Highness the Crown Princess! You must evacuate immediately!

The guards shouted as they hurriedly ran from the palace direction. I hastily returned to the palace with their help.

The Great Hall was packed with employees preparing for evacuation. The chief chamberlain, who was directing them, spotted me and rushed over urgently.

— Your Highness. You must take shelter in the underground bunker immediately.

There was a separate shelter prepared for cabinet members and royal family members. The problem was that I alone didn’t know the location of that place in this vast palace. (Once again because of that damned ‘information leak prevention’!)

The chief chamberlain approached me with white cloths in both hands and a determined face.

— Your Highness. First, I’ll cover your eyes.

— What? Why my eyes…… Argh!

My vision was instantly blocked. I felt someone swiftly lifting me onto their shoulder.

— I’ll be disrespectful for a moment.

Judging by the voice, it seemed to be Second Lieutenant XX. I had to move with my eyes blindfolded to keep the shelter location secret.

It suddenly made me sad to feel like a piece of luggage.」

* * *

When Viett arrived at the underground shelter prepared beneath the central bank with the Prime Minister’s cabinet, Phenelity had already unpacked in a room deep underground.

“I understand the phonograph…… but how, how did you manage to bring the fish too?”

Viett admired his wife’s quick thinking in diligently packing the magic phonograph and the fish tank with two fish, even in such an urgent situation.

“They say we’ll have to stay in the shelter for nearly a week. What if Vivi and Pepe starve to death during that time?”

“So you be, begged Second Lieutenant Pe, Peter while cr, crying?”

“Hmph…… When did I ever make a fuss while crying?”

He looked at his wife with mixed feelings as she pretended not to know. He didn’t like the situation of her being in this musty shelter.

He was accustomed to trench and underground living due to the training he received during his cadet days. But he wondered if his wife, a noble lady, could endure this kind of life.

“You might be star, startled by…… ra, rats.”

“It’s okay. I’m not afraid of rats.”

“Re, really?”

“Really!”

Viett smiled faintly, finding his wife’s bravado cute. He wondered if that adorable pretense would hold up after she went to her private quarters. Hiding a mischievous smile, he walked into the room assigned as the couple’s bedroom.

The bedroom was just a small room with an old bunk bed and a desk sitting forlornly.

The blankets and pillows smelled musty, and the walls felt cold. The reality that his wife had to endure in such a dirty place for days was terrible.

“Your Highness. Everyone is waiting.”

Just then, Second Lieutenant Peter called Viett from beyond the door. Viett turned to look at his wife with a worried face.

“Will you be al, alright alone?”

“I’ll be fine, so go ahead. I need to lie down and think about what to write in my letter to you.”

Phenelity waved her hand as she flopped down on the bed mattress.

He moved his reluctant feet and went outside the room. With his back hunched due to the low ceiling, he headed toward the conference room when he made direct eye contact with a man walking from the opposite corridor.

He gritted his teeth at the sight of the man in white surgical clothes. It was Hillias Law. Having evacuated during surgery, his white clothes were splattered with blood.

“I greet Your Highness.”

Hillias bowed his head with a strange smile on his lips.

“Our camp’s medical staff has also evacuated here.”

Viett stared at his clean-cut face. The nonsense the Slan imperial officer had said unconsciously came to mind. That a man who looked exactly like this guy was his mother’s colleague…

“I will pay my respects to Her Highness the Crown Princess separately after returning to the surface. Then, I shall take my leave.”

Hillias passed by him with a faint smile. Viett stared at the back of his head as he walked away, then headed to the conference room. The same person? What nonsense.

Viett returned to the couple’s bedroom in the early morning after receiving situation reports in the shelter’s conference room.

His steps naturally quickened at the thought of spending cozy time with his wife. Opening the bedroom door without thinking to knock, he saw his wife’s back as she crouched beside the bed.

“Phe, Phenelity?”

She was holding a large bucket and sitting quietly, staring intently at something behind the bedpost.

“What, what are you doing?”

“Shh! Be quiet!”

His wife whispered softly while shaking her head.

At that moment, he saw something unidentified lurking behind the bedpost start to wriggle. It ran and hid in the bucket his wife was tilting.

“Got it!”

Phenelity shouted loudly as she stood up holding the bucket.

Got what, could it be…? He swallowed dryly as he approached his wife.

“Rats!”

Phenelity showed him the inside of the bucket with a bright smile.

“I caught two of them!”

As she said, two gray rats were struggling inside the bucket. The sound of their claws scratching the inside of the bucket made his skin crawl.

Nothing’s going right. Viett closed his eyes tightly. Then he immediately opened the door and called for people.