Yuelina widened her eyes at the sudden situation and tightened her grip on Theo’s hand.

The administrator looked at Theo with a good-natured smile.

“Haha. Your Highness the Grand Duke. As you can see, we’re making the streets dirty.”

“I see.”

“Should I call the guys in charge of pickpocketing too?”

Yuelina listened quietly to Theo and the administrator’s conversation and tilted her head.

“…Theo. Why are you deliberately making the streets dirty?”

Theo laughed lightly at Yuelina’s question.

“I told you, didn’t I? That there would be no danger.”

“What?”

“That’s right, Your Highness the Grand Duchess. The wall village is not dangerous. Rather, it’s safe.”

The administrator continued with a friendly expression, hands clasped together.

“It was a very long time ago when the wall village’s public safety was at a dangerous level.”

The administrator was right.

The period when the wall village’s security and finances were unstable had long passed.

Thanks to Theo going to war and stockpiling magic stones, the principality had no shortage of magic stones.

Moreover, there was a large magic stone processing facility in the mountain range behind the wall village.

Most men in the wall village worked at the magic stone facility.

The women learned crafting techniques and how to sort processed magic stones by purity.

So regardless of gender, everyone received and saved steady monthly wages.

And what about security?

The solid, high walls made with magic stone powder activated freezing magic that would freeze anyone who touched them with body heat.

The guards who protected the wall worked in 4 shifts, rotating after certain periods so they wouldn’t get tired.

Security around the magic stone facility was no different.

Knights from Theo’s shadow forces divided and managed the jurisdictional areas in detail.

The wall village’s economy was stable and life was peaceful.

In fact, all areas within the principality were like that.

If not for the harsh winter, it would have been prosperous enough to call it a golden age.

Yuelina was bewildered after hearing the administrator’s explanation.

If his words were true, the wall village wasn’t dangerous enough to require special precautions.

“Then why did the academy teacher give Letitia such a paper?”

“Because that’s what the empire wants to see.”

The answer was simple.

It was because the empire wanted it that way.

The empire didn’t acknowledge the principality’s prosperity. The principality should always rightfully be beneath the empire’s feet.

The principality being able to feed itself was thanks to the empire’s great generosity.

That was the lesson the empire’s academy field trip was meant to give.

So when this time came, the residents of the Northern Wall village set up an uncomfortable theater stage.

They spread manure on the streets, wore tattered clothes, and locked up restaurants and general stores.

Theo judged it better to show this fact to Yuelina rather than tell her.

Since the wall village wasn’t dangerous, there would be no problems going with Yuelina.

It was also a way to ease the weight of her worry about Letitia.

However, even after hearing the administrator’s explanation and seeing the village’s safety firsthand, Yuelina remained silent.

Rather, she kept fidgeting with her dainty hands while pushing out her red, moist lips.

Her pink eyes wavered unsteadily and her downturned eye corners emphasized her fluttering eyelashes.

“Yuna?”

Yuelina moved her lips before looking at Theo.

“Do we really have to do this?”

Theo closed his mouth.

Somehow Yuelina’s emotions seemed intense. Her voice asking if they had to do this was higher and sharper than usual.

What is it?

Why is she suddenly angry?

“What don’t you like?”

Yuelina shook her head vigorously.

Of course she didn’t like it.

She couldn’t help but dislike even the students who would write reports about the principality’s poor security.

She wanted to smack the forehead of the teacher who explained that the living standards were low and security was terrifyingly poor.

If the children became afraid of the wall village, if rumors spread that the principality was dirty and poor with no money…

What would happen to Theo, the master of the principality?

Yuelina bit her lip.

Theo went to war for the principality, gathered magic stones, and developed the principality’s magic stone facility.

But why did they have to hide these amazing facts?

If the principality’s reputation was poor, Theo would be the one who had to endure the criticism.

Yuelina hated and was angry about that fact.

Moreover, the wall village people had to forcibly dirty their residence and bow their heads to the empire’s children.

Yuelina worried that frustration would be directed at Theo.

“I hate it! I hate all of it!”

Unable to hold back anymore, Yuelina’s shoulders heaved. With her arms on her hips, she breathed heavily through her nose.

Theo gazed at his wife who was cute even when angry.

She truly was a woman of righteous character.

She became uncomfortable thinking the wall village people were being harmed.

The people affected by the dirty streets with manure and shops that couldn’t operate would be compensated by the principality anyway.

Theo opened his mouth to ease Yuelina’s discomfort.

“Yuna.”

“If rumors spread that the principality is no good… You will be criticized, Theo!”

“What?”

“I hate you being criticized!”

Theo’s heart fluttered when his name came from Yuelina’s lips.

“You hate me being criticized?”

Irritated Yuelina’s cheeks were fully puffed up. She kept fanning herself as if her whole body was burning hot.

Theo couldn’t help but smile even at Yuelina’s irritated appearance.

Her angry appearance because of him was unbearably cute.

Theo gently wrapped one arm around Yuelina’s shoulders.

She blinked her large eyes in surprise when his hard, large arm enveloped her body.

He wrapped his other arm around her waist.

Yuelina, who fit perfectly in his embrace, had a very small and sweet scent.

“I understand, so don’t be angry.”

“…I’m not angry.”

Yuelina was trapped in Theo’s embrace. She didn’t know what to do whenever her cheek touched his chest.

How could his chest be… so hard?

Yuelina felt like she was burying her face in a wall.

But a wall wouldn’t smell of good soap and refreshing leaves.

Suddenly, she thought it might be okay to throw tantrums in front of Theo sometimes.

Because it seemed Theo would embrace and soothe her when she got angry.

Yuelina stretched out her arms and wrapped them around Theo’s back.

She unconsciously rubbed her face against him as he kept emitting a nice scent.

Theo flinched whenever Yuelina’s flushed cheek rubbed against his chest.

His crow-tit wife was too cute when she’s angry.

So he impulsively reached out, and when he came to his senses, she was in his embrace.

Hmm…

This is nice?

Though he couldn’t do it often, occasionally losing his senses didn’t seem bad.

Only the administrator was flustered, unable to adapt to the suddenly intimate atmosphere.

Left alone awkwardly on the street, the administrator sweated profusely.

* * *

Theo sat at his study desk checking the assembly agenda items organized by Ulysse.

Most were agenda items measuring the budget needed before full winter preparations. He smiled faintly while looking at the agenda.

Ah.

This is really fun.

Life is fun.

Yuelina had held Theo’s hand tightly as they walked briskly through the wall village.

They tasted the village’s famous food and bought blankets to use in the carriage at the general store.

Since she wanted to see the magic stone facility too, Theo took her up the hill.

That was really fun too.

On the way to the facility, they linked arms instead of holding hands.

She naturally overlapped her arm with Theo’s, and smiled even more brightly when she saw white squirrels jumping between bare branches.

Yuelina was very happy. She even expressed regret when getting back in the carriage.

She also shared her impressions that she liked how the village was safe and warm.

She was so beautiful.

Beautiful enough that he wanted to overlap his lips with hers as she chattered endlessly all day.

Ulysse stared at Theo who kept cooling his face using the agenda as a fan while chuckling.

Did his lord know he was standing in front of him?

He would keep getting lost in other thoughts even while trying to focus on the agenda. Theo’s mind seemed to be somewhere other than the study.

Ulysse knew the reason and felt his irritation welling up.