Scarlet placed her hand on her chest since her sister-in-law told her to. Still not understanding what she meant, she asked,

“Why Robert and me?”

Tatiana exclaimed with an “Ugh!”

“Neither of you has any exercise in your bodies at all! Having lived in those bodies your whole lives, how can you not know yourselves?!”

Did she think athletic ability just popped out of nowhere? Physical and artistic talents were more than half innate.

If her child stubbornly insisted on pursuing it later in life, then silently supporting them would be one thing, but for a parent to wish for it seemed unconscionable.

Tatiana glared at the child’s mother, as if to say, “If my niece or nephew becomes twisted because of this, will you take responsibility?”

Scarlet got quite a scolding from Tatiana for a while.

Honestly, it was somewhat unfair. Her intention had only been to compliment her. She wanted her child to grow up brave and healthy like her.

Moreover, children don’t just take after their parents. They sometimes resemble their great-grandfather, skipping generations, and occasionally show similarities to their uncles.

Scarlet naturally knew more about the Ainsler family tree than Tatiana. She had plenty of examples to counter with.

“There are many excellent swordsmen among the Ainslers.”

And they didn’t have to look far for actual examples. One existed very close by.

“There’s Gideon too.”

At those words, Tatiana looked down at the fortress below.

People had already come out of the fortress again.

Unlike the assassins who moved in all directions without rest, Gideon had dismounted and was silently slaughtering the monsters they were driving toward him. He seemed tired of chasing them around like a hunting dog.

Well, if the goal was to show something to the northerners, that approach might be much better.

Tatiana began to appreciate her husband’s swordsmanship after a long time.

Gideon’s swordsmanship is quite linear. Considering his usual personality, one might expect him to pursue more delicate and complex sword paths, but surprisingly, it’s straightforward.

In truth, powerful swordsmen don’t need many techniques. Opponents can’t withstand them even if they know what’s coming. This was especially true when facing monsters, which were practically devoid of intelligence.

The monster horde was being cut down helplessly.

There was one thing Tatiana still found amazing occasionally. Gideon’s swordsmanship skills hadn’t dulled at all compared to when he trained at the Bloom mansion. In some ways, he seemed even more stable.

No matter how important talent and intuition are in this field, swordsmanship is ultimately a type of skill. Skills naturally deteriorate if not honed and polished.

So what kind of magic was this? If there was a secret method, she wished he would share it with his wife too. Knowing how interested I am in these things……

Just as Tatiana was squinting her eyes like someone wanting to dig something up, Scarlet, who had been watching her younger brother’s exploits together with her, belatedly confessed,

“Actually, I don’t mind what our baby becomes. I just meant I hope they grow up brave and strong like you or the other knights.”

“Ah.”

Tatiana nodded, uttering an exclamation of realization.

If that was the case, she had found the right place. I certainly don’t lack in health. I’m confident in my physical strength, mental fortitude, and perseverance.

Seeing her sister-in-law gradually straightening her shoulders with pride, Scarlet giggled. Then she rolled her eyes good-naturedly.

“You didn’t mention my pregnancy once on our way to the North, so I thought you weren’t interested in your niece or nephew. But that’s not the case, is it?”

Tatiana made an ambiguous expression. She thought she had been trying to take care of Scarlet in her own way, even if she hadn’t spoken about it out loud.

Did I make her feel neglected somehow? She wasn’t disinterested. She was just cautious. Since there had been sad events in the past, she had been even more careful with her words, afraid of touching on painful areas.

Besides, this was the first time someone so close to Tatiana had conceived. Along with feelings of congratulations, there was still much that felt unfamiliar and strange.

Scarlet had already placed her hand on her lower abdomen, and Tatiana glanced at it briefly before saying,

“Actually, it’s so amazing that there’s a baby in there……”

“Yes.”

“But staring at someone else’s body doesn’t seem polite……”

Scarlet laughed heartily at those words.

She knew very well that Tatiana had been taking great care of her throughout their escape. She had tried to wrap her clothes more securely, and when they had to satisfy their hunger with rough-textured food out of necessity, she had shown a restless attitude. But who would have thought she was even conscious about where to direct her gaze?

“You have such a gentle side, sister-in-law.”

“……”

“You seem like you’d be really straightforward, but you’re actually considerate.”

“……Isn’t this just common sense?”

The princess, who had been shrugging her shoulders as if to say she didn’t know either, took Tatiana’s hand. Then she pulled that hand onto her own belly.

Needless to say, the belly of a woman who had only recently learned of her pregnancy was still flat and even.

However, the two women gazed at it as if making eye contact with the fetus and whispered to each other.

When will her belly start to show? I’m not sure. Probably still a while away? We should bring Isabelle to the principality. Isabelle is getting older now, so it’s hard for her to look after me……

The two chatted for quite some time, and Princess Scarlet was the first to come to her senses.

“By the way, Tatiana.”

“Yes?”

“Is it okay to leave that as it is? It seems like they’re getting too numerous.”

Tatiana flinched and looked down.

Oh my, when did they call in so many? They were swarming so densely that soon they might climb over each other’s bodies and crawl up the fortress.

Gideon also looked up at the fortress wall thoughtfully, as if he thought it was time to use magic.

The distance between them was too great to see his expression clearly. However, just having his gaze directed this way made her happy, so Tatiana waved her hands enthusiastically.

Gideon watched her for a moment, then mounted his horse without any particular response.

Tatiana pouted. If he saw me, he could have waved back. Does he think it’s frivolous to do this in front of people? But she soon smiled mischievously.

Though she couldn’t see his face clearly, she could still be certain. Gideon must have smiled as he mounted his horse.

Tatiana confirmed that everyone had entered the fortress and closed her eyes.

It was time to become a destructionist again and unleash magic upon the enemies.

Boom, boom, boom-!

The magical power that extended from Tatiana’s fingertips became flashes of light in the sky and struck down on the monsters. It was a similar type of magic as before. However, the magnitude of the thunderous sound and its destructive power were quite different from earlier.

The principality’s soldiers and assassins, who had been catching their breath, all turned around.

They couldn’t see what was happening outside right now. That was normal. The high fortress walls blocked their view.

But despite that high barrier, everyone seemed to know that something quite terrifying had just occurred.

“Whoa……”

The snow accumulated on the ground rose like a tsunami over the fortress walls. The blizzard surged over the walls and reached right up to their military boots.

That wasn’t all. The monsters’ corpses were bouncing high into the sky.

It was the aftermath of the bombardment magic.

The principality’s soldiers lost themselves in that tremendous sight before looking at Tatiana, who was causing all this.

Wasn’t the prince’s consort’s nickname “the Lion”?

‘But is it right to express this simply as a lion?’

The nickname seemed too gentle and cute compared to the reality.

It was as if judgment day had arrived. It was on the level of world-changing cataclysm.

The groaning soldiers quietly turned their heads. Then they slowly backed away as if retreating to a safer place.

* * *

Today’s operation was successful.

The assassins and Tatiana newly realized they could coordinate like this. The harmony of luring techniques and magic was fantastic, and the outside of the fortress was lined with monster corpses.

Having completed her mission, Tatiana accompanied the princess to her chambers. Once there, she was enchanted by the princess’s conversational skills and joined in the chatter. When she half came to her senses, two hours had already passed.

She should have fully regained her senses then, not just halfway. Tatiana lingered for quite some time afterward, and later even lay down on the bed with the princess.

The princess’s face after washing was clear and transparent.

Scarlet had hardly worn makeup since coming to the North. She seemed worried about possible toxic ingredients.

After gazing at that fair skin for a while, the princess seemed to notice what Tatiana was thinking.

“It’s fortunate Robert isn’t here. It would have been awkward.”

“You should finally reveal your bare face to your husband too.”