When You Don’t Get Along With Your Husband - Chapter 13

Tatiana lowered her voice and asked Isabelle.

“Hey. Did I make any mistakes while eating today?”

“Pardon?”

No, I mean my husband. He seems to have some mood swings. He wasn’t like that at all when he was young.

“In my humble opinion……”

“Yes?”

“There was nothing that could be called a mistake.”

It would have been nice if she had graciously accepted the sword, but Gideon had only hinted at it, not insisted. Tatiana’s attitude of politely declining wasn’t displeasing either.

However, as the princess consort continued to look unsettled, Isabelle’s heart grew heavy in response.

Head Maid Isabelle Knox.

She had been working in the castle since her real mistress, Princess Scarlet, was an infant. This means she had spent more time here than the ages of Gideon and Tatiana combined.

But even Isabelle found it difficult to accurately read the inner thoughts of the First Prince.

The royal family inherently has a deep-rooted distrust of humans, without exception. Gideon was particularly severe among them. He had been famous for not letting just anyone close to him for a long time.

So how could she, who wasn’t even part of the First Prince’s staff, fully grasp his innermost thoughts?

For Isabelle, it was difficult to conclude that Gideon was acting like this simply because he had lost his temper.

Especially for trivial reasons like ‘Tatiana sneaking out of bed at dawn’ or ‘reacting indifferently to a gift’.

It was even harder to think he was the kind of person who could throw a tantrum over such minor things.

Tatiana, who had been feeling uneasy, let out a small sigh. Then, as if shaking it off, she lightly shook her head and looked towards the maids.

She thought that since things had come to this, she should take care of what needed to be taken care of.

“Can I get just one dagger from somewhere?”

She hadn’t brought anything because she didn’t want to argue with Lady Muller, but it was better to have at least one item for self-defense nearby.

She didn’t need something like the masterpiece sword Gideon had tried to give her, but she needed at least a stick to swat mosquitoes. Summer comes back every year, after all.

However, when the new bride asked for something too brutal, the maids hesitated and looked around nervously.

Seeing their reaction, Tatiana snorted as if it was no big deal.

“You all have one each, don’t you?”

The maids also learn self-defense techniques when entering the castle. As far as Tatiana knew, they even underwent basic fitness tests. Naturally, they should all possess a dagger for self-defense.

However, those daggers were generally used for suicide. To avoid shameful situations or to prevent secrets from leaking out if unable to withstand torture in emergencies, by sealing one’s own lips through death.

When Tatiana looked at them intently with eyes that said ‘Just show them to me for now’, the maids reluctantly produced the daggers they carried on their person, one by one.

And Tatiana’s expression changed quite vividly moment by moment as she looked at them.

She tilted her head in puzzlement, then laughed in disbelief, and finally looked at the maids with pity.

‘Is this jewelry? Didn’t you learn anything from seeing that sword earlier? Have you ever even used these? They probably wouldn’t cut well, would they?’

The castle must have been very peaceful all this time.

By Tatiana’s standards, these were embarrassing to even call daggers. They were neither for self-defense nor for suicide, just pretty accessories.

And as she chuckled while looking at a handle inlaid with uneven mother-of-pearl, one of the maids spoke as if making an excuse.

It was Connie, who had sat on Tatiana’s back just a few hours ago.

“Please don’t be angry, Your Highness. This is all for the purpose of protecting you.”

“No, who’s protecting whom……. Oh my.”

I didn’t hear that.

Tatiana belatedly pretended not to know and looked out the window. But she couldn’t hide the laughter that kept escaping because it was so absurd.

Judging by how she had fallen on her bottom earlier, Connie didn’t even know how to break a fall.

Tatiana could give a lecture until tomorrow morning starting with ‘You see, breaking a fall is…’.

But she had no intention of going that far. These people had no interest in such things anyway.

Tatiana, who had been chuckling, now started to feel a bit sad.

She had thought the staff who directly received Gideon’s sharp aura earlier were pitiful.

But…… At least there was one skilled person among Gideon’s group, whereas here it was a total wipeout.

So the truly pitiful ones were the maids.

No? It was herself who would have to look after their lives in an emergency.

Wondering where to start explaining and what to do from now on, Tatiana decided to just give up on everything. Their understanding of swordsmanship and self-defense was too different, making it impossible to communicate with just a few words.

She decided to get any sword as she had originally thought.

There was one place in the castle quite suitable for this. In fact, it was the only place in the castle Tatiana knew about.

“Let’s go to the barracks first.”

However, as soon as Tatiana’s words fell, the maids’ faces all showed a troubled expression.

Isabelle explained the reason on their behalf.

“Your Highness, the knights’ training ground can only be visited with prior permission. Since it’s a place where tactics and military secrets are exchanged……”

“That’s right. But not for me.”

“……”

“Is it too long ago for you to remember?”

While others might not be able to come and go easily, it was different for Tatiana.

She could go there whenever she wanted. It was something the currently bedridden king had personally authorized.

* * *

The time goes back to when Tatiana was about 13 years old.

She was often depressed because of the unresponsive magic stone back then.

It can’t be seen as mere coincidence that Gideon witnessed her sobbing. Tatiana cried quite often around that time. Alone, in secret.

This might make her sound like a crybaby, but that wasn’t the case. She was just learning for the first time at that age about the walls of reality and that there were things that couldn’t be done.

What did her father, Sir Bloom, do for his gloomy daughter? Ordinary fathers might have bought some gifts or candies and given them to her. But he was the strongest man in Valter.

The royal martial arts tournament happened to be held at that time.

Sir Bloom was a skilled competitor who had won the championship the previous year and the year before that. Needless to say, he was still considered a strong favorite to win that year as well.

But what awkward situation was this? Sir Bloom’s opponent in the finals that day was Sir Muller, his superior.

Sir Bloom just smiled a bit awkwardly, but at that time, even he didn’t know. That his captain would become his daughter’s adoptive father in a few years to come.

The general public remembers that day’s match like this. It was an extremely fierce and exciting fight, they say.

But even to the keen-eyed knights, and to young Tatiana’s eyes, it was visible.

The difference in skill was overwhelming, and the match was one-sidedly in Sir Bloom’s favor. He had merely preserved his superior’s dignity as much as possible.

When Sir Bloom, who had finally claimed victory, approached the podium before the king, everyone’s eyes gathered on his mouth. The public was curious.

‘What will Sir Bloom request as a reward?’

Due to his background, he’s stuck at the rank of count, so he’ll ask for a higher title, he’ll aim for the position of royal guard captain since he defeated the current one.

No, you people. Money is the best after all.

Very realistic and worldly opinions were exchanged, but the strongest man in Valter made a request to the king that no one had expected.

‘Your Majesty, please allow my daughter, Tatiana Bloom, to access the knights’ training grounds. She wants to deliver the lunchbox her mother packs to her father every day. Please look kindly upon that young heart.’

The audience in the dome was in an uproar. Everyone was dumbfounded by such a modest request.

But that was only for a moment.

The already high popularity of the war hero soared to the point of piercing the sky at that moment.

A count of common origin had defeated an old marquis family. The deputy captain of the royal guard had beaten his superior with a sword. That alone was already a big event, but this strong and capable man was even family-oriented on top of that.

Such a man was bound to attract everyone’s envy and admiration regardless of the era.

But Tatiana and her mother, who were watching this scene vividly from the best seats, knew.

That was a kind of excuse and, well, bullshit. Tatiana’s mother muttered coldly with her eyes wide open.