One might wonder why they would enjoy such a thing, but surprisingly, quite a number of married men play this game. Saying things like the head of their household is their wife, or that they own nothing.

So there’s no need to take such statements too seriously. In fact, this kind of joke can never be made in public by someone who values domestic authority or has an inferiority complex.

The aides believed the king fell into this last category. Seeing how he would snicker after making such remarks, or occasionally admire the Queen as if finding her cute, it was clearly the case.

Nevertheless, the reason the aides couldn’t laugh along with this joke was that they sometimes genuinely feared Tatiana.

‘She may be a kitten to Your Majesty, but to us, she’s truly a lioness.’

Of course, the Queen had never used force against them. But they had already witnessed too many things being shattered before their eyes.

If Gideon had broken Tatiana’s door a couple of times during their honeymoon, Tatiana had blown up the castle gate in one go. Even innocent people couldn’t help but be respectful in the face of such scale.

In fact, there was one such incident.

Last summer, when flood damage was severe throughout Valter.

The officials had to head to the Queen’s reception room rather than the king’s office with the flood damage reports. This was because one of the areas most severely affected was the slum district where Tatiana’s school was located.

This educational project was the first initiative Tatiana had planned after becoming a member of the royal family. Rather than bringing performance reports, they were now carrying flood damage reports……

‘We sincerely apologize, Your Majesty the Queen.’

‘With this level of damage, wasn’t the school built improperly from the start? Isn’t this shoddy construction?’

‘That is not the case. There is nothing wrong with the school’s design. This is an issue with road maintenance and drainage facilities. Given that it’s in a slum area……’

The officials began to spread out maps and explain the problems in detail.

In truth, everything was problematic from beginning to end. This was the inevitable reality of a slum that had formed organically rather than being a planned urban area.

After about an hour or two of continued discussion, the officials witnessed Tatiana’s expression rapidly deteriorating.

‘So the estimated total cost is……’

It was probably at this point.

Tatiana frowned intensely. The officials, thinking it was due to the enormous budget, quietly set aside their plans for complete renovations. They abruptly changed course and decided to only mention the school repair costs.

But at that moment, Tatiana stood up abruptly as if she could no longer endure. She cracked her neck from side to side, and then even cracked her knuckles with popping sounds.

‘Um…… Why are you suddenly stretching?’

‘But Your Majesty, this is a natural disaster. It’s nobody’s fault…… Ah, no. We apologize.’

‘Please forgive…… us.’

This is quite embarrassing to admit, but the officials genuinely flinched at that moment. They all began apologizing in unison. Yet Tatiana looked at these officials with confusion and said,

‘How can anyone sit completely still for three hours? No one moved at all?’

‘……’

‘When people sit for long periods, they should stretch occasionally, you know, for text neck…… Ah, never mind. Anyway, the point is that we need money, right?’

‘……Yes, but where are you going now?’

‘To His Majesty. To get an advance from his personal funds.’

Her footsteps were incredibly light as she went to borrow money from her husband.

However, everyone left behind breathed an inexplicable sigh of relief. And they had to face each other’s pathetic appearances after being in a state of extreme tension.

While the officials were still immersed in their vivid recollections of that day, Gideon was already gazing out the window. He was looking in the direction of the private training ground. He too was thinking about Tatiana at that moment.

Unlike the officials, however, his eyes held a somewhat wistful expression. The officials defined the nature of this emotion as,

‘He must be missing her.’

That was understandable. The Queen had left for field training with the assassins and the Royal Guard. Though only a week had passed, they were still newlyweds after all.

In fact, Gideon had been feeling somewhat empty these past few days. Empty enough to casually mention the Queen now and then while approving documents.

Actually, this feeling might be too inadequate to describe as merely “empty.” Nothing seemed interesting anymore. It was embarrassing to admit, but everything seemed to lose its meaning, with even the smallest details of daily life fading away.

Tatiana, who was probably enthusiastically practicing swordplay in the principality right now, would occasionally ask him, Why did you decide to marry me?

‘When do you feel that marrying me was a good decision, Your Majesty?’

‘Well…’

‘……What? Don’t tell me there’s nothing?’

‘Why do you keep asking such things?’

Seeing how that question popped up whenever he least expected it, it seemed to be a truly important matter to Tatiana.

Yet Gideon would just smile faintly and had never properly answered the question.

There was no special reason for this. He simply couldn’t immediately think of an answer that would satisfy her, so he covered it up with a meaningful smile, as if there was something profound behind it. He didn’t want her to be disappointed or find his answer trivial.

But suddenly, an answer came to mind.

He felt most joyful when he was with Tatiana, and comfortable at the same time. Even eating a piece of chocolate at night became fun when done with her.

Life can be short, but it can also be long. The moment they made their marriage vows, they pledged to spend all that remaining time together with their spouse. If the time spent with one’s partner were boring, that would truly be torment.

But conversely, if the moments with one’s spouse were the most enjoyable parts of daily life…… Hadn’t he made an excellent marriage? Hadn’t he remarkably recognized, even at a young age, someone who would make him laugh?

As the saying goes, those destined for success will succeed. Gideon believed no one in the world had found a better wife than him. There probably weren’t two women in the world who would steal the royal seal while wearing nightclothes just to bring it to their husband.

But he intended to keep today’s answer as his own secret rather than sharing it with Tatiana. It was amusing and endearing to see her eyes widen as she asked if he had never felt that marrying her was a good decision, demanding that he make something up quickly if there was nothing.

However, that wife was now diligently training with the knights in the north, and he was left alone to review boring documents. If he had to do this work anyway, it would be wise to finish it quickly and get it over with.

Gideon suppressed his rising irritation and continued examining the budget proposal. Just as he finished with the documents, the officials placed yet another pile on his desk.

“What is this now?”

“These are invitations addressed to Your Majesty and Her Majesty the Queen.”

“Ah, I see.”