Epilogue

The sky was high and the clouds were pure white. The cotton clouds surrounding the blazing sun were as gentle as feathers today.

But on this bright and peaceful afternoon, someone was sweating profusely. Occasional shouts of exertion could be heard. It wasn’t the sound of just one or two people.

The training ground was filled with young knight aspirants and active knights. Today was the entrance exam for the Royal Guard.

However, Tatiana sat on a rock away from their enthusiasm, busily scribbling something.

She had been incredibly busy lately. She needed to translate her mother’s writings and submit them to the Magic Tower, and also review the management plan for the school for the poor.

She was also in the midst of compiling the Bloom family’s swordsmanship. Of course, her father had already organized some content, but…

Let me be honest once more. Although Gideon had earnestly defended him once, her father had absolutely no talent for writing.

‘What? Put the left arm where? How are others supposed to understand this?’

This was difficult to comprehend for anyone except Tatiana, Gideon, and Kay, who had observed and learned this swordsmanship since childhood. It seemed like expressing it through drawings might have been better, but… her father had no talent for drawing either.

She tried to defend him.

‘A person only needs to be good at one thing, how can anyone be good at everything?’

In truth, being good at swordsmanship alone was remarkable. Most people struggle to excel at even one thing.

After spending the entire morning buried in books and documents without once looking up, she stretched with a long “Ahh.”

Then she glanced at the knight aspirants showing off their swordsmanship skills and opened a pretty notebook. She was about to enjoy her newly started hobby as a form of relaxation.

Tatiana had recently been recording details about her married life whenever she had time. Some might wonder why she was doing this.

It’s nothing special. These were simply records she was keeping to look back on by herself whenever things weren’t going well with her husband.

Having spent her life exercising, Tatiana understood well that the human body has inertia. Simultaneously, she believed that the human mind also has inertia. There would likely come a day in life when marriage felt difficult and challenging.

That’s natural. How can a person always be happy? There will certainly be days when the obstacles ahead seem overwhelming.

Sometimes one might only see the other’s flaws. This too is natural. How can anyone be perfect, and how can everything always match perfectly?

But if one remains immersed in such thoughts, one loses objectivity and becomes buried in them. This is due to the inertia of the human mind, which tends to consistently think in the direction it has begun flowing.

At such times, reminding herself of the various aspects of her partner and reflecting on the days they’ve spent together would restore a sense of balance to her.

This was a precautionary measure for that future that might or might not come… actually, it was just a pastime.

However, there was someone interrupting her hobby at this moment. It was Sir Samuel Samson, who had recently been promoted to Royal Guard Commander.

“Your Majesty the Queen, please come and share your valuable opinion.”

“……Oh, come on. I was just about to take a break. I gave you the scoring sheet the day before yesterday.”

The entrance exam was being conducted over three days, starting from the day before yesterday. To ensure fairness in evaluation, three supervisors had been appointed this year.

Tatiana on the first day, Kay on the second day, and Sir Samuel Samson on the third day.

Yes, she was watching similar swordsmanship for the third time. It was understandable that she had lost interest. This was all because of the Royal Guard Commander who was forcibly dragging out someone who wanted to work and tormenting her.

“No, sir. If you want to pass someone, just do it. Why do you keep asking for my opinion?”

Being cautious is good, but have some confidence in your own judgment. You have plenty of experience, skill, and you’re now the commander. Tatiana frowned in frustration, making Sir Samson close his mouth in embarrassment.

Feeling somewhat apologetic, she added in a murmur.

“Or discuss it with Kay. His eye for these things is better than mine.”

But Sir Samson’s expression only worsened.

Tatiana had at least given him a scoring sheet with categories, and would explain her reasons if asked, but Kay had done none of that. He had simply determined pass or fail without explanation.

That guy really doesn’t talk much, she thought, but after seeing his eyes, she didn’t want to question him further. The young man had a murderous glint in his eyes.

In the end, Sir Samson turned away, saying he would just compile everything and draw his own conclusions. He informed the numerous knight aspirants that results would be notified within a few days, and the situation at the training ground seemed to be wrapping up.

But there was yet another person to disturb Tatiana. One of the royal knights who had been observing the exam all day sauntered over to her.

“Your Majesty the Queen.”

“Oh, what now.”

“May I request a sparring match? You’ve been sitting all day, let’s get your body moving for once.”

No, I was just about to write in my diary.

But since she definitely took after Sir Bloom more than Lady Bloom, she preferred using her body over writing, and never refused requests for sparring.

“Alright, let’s do it.”

“Thank you. But will you be using magic too?”

“……Why?”

“Isn’t that a bit unfair? I can’t use magic.”

Tatiana narrowed her eyes as she looked at the knight. The knight’s point wasn’t entirely unreasonable. Focusing solely on swordsmanship could be one approach to refining skills precisely.

However, she still couldn’t forget the profound emotion she felt when Kay had requested a sparring match and said, “I would like you to use magic.” Was it too much to expect the same mindset from the royal knights? Am I perhaps a young old-fashioned person?

Tatiana didn’t think so.

“Yes, it might feel unfair. In fact, in all areas of life, people start from different positions.”

Do you think I don’t know that? Actually, I understand it more painfully than you do. If you have any conscience, look at our size difference.

“But even if everyone else complains about it, royal knights shouldn’t. You should overcome it. Even at a disadvantage, you need to find a way to defeat me.”

However, as she was passionately arguing, Tatiana soon removed her magic stone necklace, as if agreeing to the other’s request. She felt there was no point in trying to explain this verbally.

Her attitude was so solemn that everyone listening realized something serious was about to happen. If she had used magic, it might have ended quickly. That gesture was essentially a declaration of intent to kill with a sword.

And from that moment, hell disguised as special training began for one knight.

The aides watching this scene from a distance suppressed their laughter and looked at Gideon. Tatiana remained consistent even after becoming queen. No, she was evolving into an even more fearsome lion with each passing day.

One of the aides casually remarked,

“You absolutely cannot have marital fights now, Your Majesty.”

After making the joke, the aide glanced nervously at the king, wondering if he had been too impertinent. However, Gideon was always pleased to hear praise about his wife.

He had a habit of twisting other things, but when it came to compliments about his wife, he absorbed them as they were. He didn’t even hesitate to add to them.

“The Queen is a righteous person, always generous to the weak. That’s truly fortunate for me.”

Looking at the officials’ complex expressions as they watched the king who wanted to elevate his wife even while referring to himself as a weak person.

There were several errors here. First, a king who wields a sword is never a weak person. Have all the truly weak people in the world died?

However, Tatiana did have that aspect to her character. She didn’t enjoy fighting opponents weaker than herself. She either considered them objects of protection or showed no interest at all. But the royal knights were always an exception to this rule.

The officials sighed as they watched the knight who couldn’t even gather his bones in front of the Queen. Not generous at all?

If one were to find any generosity in that situation, perhaps it was that she was hitting him with the scabbard rather than the blade?

“That man, doesn’t he seem dead?”

“Yeah, he’s not moving.”

The knight who had foolishly challenged her out of boredom and seen stars multiple times surrendered in a truly pitiful posture, and Tatiana smiled as she extended her hand to him.

After personally helping the knight to his feet, she turned to look at where Gideon was. She knew he was watching her since the beginning of the sparring match.

Tatiana ran toward Gideon with a broad smile on her face. And just as she seemed about to embrace him…… ‘Fooled you?’ Her eyes gleamed as she drew her sword.

Gideon wasn’t surprised at all. Rather, as if he had expected it, he immediately parried her sword.

The metallic clang echoed under the blue sky. Tatiana, delighting in that crisp sound, threw her sword behind her back and belatedly embraced him tightly.

“Titi, did you enjoy the sparring?”

“Yes. But it wasn’t as fun as playing with my husband.”

Gideon seemed pleased with that answer and laughed softly. Tatiana loved that laugh so much that she nestled deeper into the crook of his neck.

Several seasons had passed since they married. Perhaps that’s why fewer people had been asking her lately how married life was treating her. It wasn’t that interest had waned, but rather that people could see how happy the couple was without having to ask.

So these days, she rarely had the opportunity to talk about her married life.

In truth, she had no desire to broadcast it anywhere. So on days like today when she felt happy, she would silently repeat to herself, living with Gideon is truly fun.

These days, her relationship with her husband is…… really good.

—The end—