“……Ugh, how would I know? Everyone is wearing winter clothes.”

Of course, despite that, there were angles that could be guessed. No matter how thick the clothes, a good physique always showed through.

Gideon heard Tatiana’s answer and gave a sullen smile. Would she have looked if they were wearing summer clothes?

He was about to ask but decided against it. He just thought that both his sister, who always viewed people from an aesthetic perspective, and his wife, who only pursued muscles, were quite consistent in their own ways.

* * *

In the afternoon, the Valter Northern Army arrived at the fortress.

The Northern Army Commander was Gideon’s appointee, a figure who had advocated for monster subjugation at every state council meeting.

He well understood that if the principality’s defense line collapsed, his soldiers would be next in line.

There was a world of difference between joining forces to eliminate the threat beforehand and scrambling to clean up after the water had already spilled. It was only natural that he supported Gideon and shared his political views.

However, they couldn’t immediately set out for monster hunting.

The Grand Duke had placed a few captured monsters in the center of the fortress, as if for a sample. This was actually out of consideration for Tatiana and the soldiers from the capital. While northerners had faced these creatures every winter to the point of shuddering, the existence of monsters would still be unfamiliar to those from the capital.

Indeed, Tatiana had only seen monsters in biological encyclopedias until now. Among the lower-ranking soldiers, the majority had no such experience at all.

The northerners watched the prince’s consort’s reaction with curious eyes. While they desperately needed the help of the First Prince’s faction and the royal family, they were also skeptical.

Were all the rumors surrounding the prince’s consort true? Was there perhaps even a tiny bit of exaggeration? The sword mage princess consort, despite her fearsome reputation…… had quite a cute appearance. Her personality didn’t seem aggressive at all. They called her a lion, yet she felt more like a cat—to the point that such slightly disrespectful thoughts crept in.

And to be completely honest, they would understand if she screamed or vomited. They were confident they wouldn’t judge her. Even though they had seen monsters every year, they still thought them disgusting without fail each year.

Amid everyone’s expectations, Tatiana wore a sullen expression and said just one thing,

“Not exactly an appealing appearance.”

This meant the artist who drew the encyclopedia had done their utmost to beautify it. The reality was much more hideous.

Why had the artist made such an unnecessary effort? Was the appearance so unacceptable to their aesthetic sense? She couldn’t understand it at all.

But the time for appreciation was extremely brief. She looked at Gideon with urging eyes. The meaning was clear, are we going to keep standing here, hurry and give the order.

The northerners felt deflated by her dry and flat reaction.

Though they hadn’t yet confirmed the truth of the rumors surrounding the prince’s consort, one thing was certain, the prince’s consort had a strong stomach.

However, Tatiana wasn’t immediately deployed to the field this time either. Before attacking the monsters’ stronghold, it was necessary to reduce their numbers.

Gideon’s side couldn’t afford to lose even a single soldier to such creatures.

Sometimes overwhelming power guarantees peace. To enter the capital bloodlessly, they needed to gather as many troops as possible and minimize unnecessary sacrifices.

As a result, Tatiana sat alone on the fortress wall amid the swirling snowstorm, enduring a time of patience. As the waiting time lengthened, white snow piled up on her head.

The assassins were in the process of provoking the monsters and driving them toward the fortress. Tatiana’s task today was to cast magic down on them when the time was right.

Although her role was considered quite important in the operation, she wore a slightly dissatisfied expression. In truth, she wanted to run alongside the assassins.

The assassins displayed nimble movements like fish in water. Their horsemanship was almost at a divine level.

There were considerably dangerous moments, but that was only to the eyes of ordinary people. Tatiana seemed to understand that the assassins were actually enjoying themselves right now. Even Gideon and the Grand Duke were with them.

There was no need for the prince to be mobilized, but he had stepped forward as a symbolic gesture of the North and the royal family joining forces.

One way or another, in Tatiana’s eyes, they were all enviable.

‘I’m definitely a field-work type.’

Now she understood why her Dad had such a complex expression every time he got promoted. Honor be damned, he just preferred working in the field.

How long had she watched others having their feast? Monsters gathered in a dark mass before the fortress, and right on cue, the gates opened.

Gideon and the assassins quickly took shelter inside.

Now it was Tatiana’s turn.

Was it from a psychology of wanting to be compensated for the long wait, or because she could feel less guilty since they weren’t human? She recalled some rather extreme spells that she normally didn’t pay much attention to.

“Flowers that bloom and wither. The sun that rises and sets. Birth and death. Those who disrupt order, be annihilated. Now is the time to go. I shall purify this world from all filth.”

Tatiana recited a spell like some kind of destructionist.

After being immersed like that for about 10 minutes, she felt her own personality might be destroyed before anything else.

At this rate, she would become a madwoman trapped in her own world. There were actually occasional cases like that among mages.

Before it was too late, she swung her hand with all her might and drove a flash of light down onto the monsters. The surroundings flashed, and soon acrid smoke rose.

Tatiana bent her waist to confirm the success, then realized there was no need and straightened up.

A grotesque shriek of “kwaaak” shook the entire area.

Tatiana frowned and looked behind her.

Scarlet, who had come out to cheer, was wrapped in animal fur from head to toe, sipping cooled tea. When their eyes met, she asked, “Tough? Is it over?” and Tatiana shook her head.

Although she was grateful to the princess for lessening her loneliness, Tatiana had something that concerned her.

“Your Highness, are you really going to keep watching?”

“Yes, why? Am I bothering you?”

“Not really. Um, this doesn’t seem good for prenatal education.”

Though the distance was too far to see the carnage in detail, it was by no means an environment good for one’s emotional state. For one thing, it was noisy and the smell was terrible.

Monsters may have killing intent toward humans, but the stench of burning skin was equally awful.

It was the worst.

Yet Scarlet, while wrinkling her nose intensely, gave an answer Tatiana had never expected,

“I’m out here deliberately for prenatal education.”

“……What do you mean by that?”

“You see. I want our baby to become a wonderful swordswoman like you later on. I think it would be even better if it’s a female swordswoman.”

What is this determined and grand aspiration?

Tatiana made an expression of bewilderment, as if she had heard something extremely bizarre.

There were so many things wrong that she didn’t know where to start correcting. She decided to begin methodically, from one to ten.

“Your Highness, first of all, to become a renowned swordswoman, it’s far more advantageous to be born a man than a woman.”

“Hmm.”

“It’s awkward to say this myself, but no, I’m the one qualified to say this. Because I’ve done it myself. Anyway, in terms of physical conditions, this cannot be changed even if the heavens were to split in two.”

To catch up with that innate difference, one had to make efforts comparable to a right-handed person becoming ambidextrous. It meant having the enthusiasm to study all the footwork of masters and even correct one’s own gait according to the situation.

Even then, overcoming it wasn’t easy. In fact, it wouldn’t be wrong to say it was impossible.

So why tell your own child to take such a difficult path? And a royal descendant at that?

Tatiana would have been upset if someone had discouraged her like this when she was young, yet suddenly she found herself thinking like a mother, no, like an aunt. She wanted her niece or nephew not to struggle like she did.

This must be why adults say, “Have a child exactly like you and raise them.” Though it might sound like a curse at first glance, it’s not. Because they love and cherish you so much, they can’t just say pleasant things—it’s a complaint asking you to understand their feelings too.

Tatiana didn’t stop there and continued pointing out problems. In fact, what she most wanted to highlight was this,

“And you know what? Your Highness Scarlet, put your hand on your conscience and think about yourself and Sir Browning. Don’t you think you’re hoping for too much right now?”