Simply put, if he was waiting for her to be satisfied and retire, he would have to wait until she died. Because she planned to have a sword placed in her coffin when she was buried.

But before that, Tatiana also wanted to have a child with him. She was curious about that world. It was somewhat frightening, but she felt that if she went with her husband, it would surely be alright.

She could say this not because she took welcoming a new family member lightly. And certainly not because she was an optimist. Ironically, it was his attitude of prioritizing her life and identity that instilled trust and confidence in her.

So if the reason for postponement was solely because of her, she wanted to say let’s not delay any longer. Because she was ready.

‘……Haven’t I explained enough by now?’

It was a major life decision, but does he still need convincing? He must have understood everything already, so how long was he going to maintain that inspector-like gaze?

Tatiana thought, “Ah, forget it,” and simply pushed Gideon away. Then, to transform into a very scary frog, she straddled his waist and grabbed his collar.

Gideon, with a dazed expression, didn’t defend himself and just let it happen. The feeling of having his wife grab his collar was too novel. Lying still and thinking about it, it felt…… kind of good.

But Tatiana, after unbuttoning a couple of his buttons, seemed to become embarrassed and covered her face while laughing, which made him frown. He even protested.

“No, if you’re going to be brazen, be consistently brazen. Why do you always get embarrassed at the end?”

“……So that if Your Majesty happens to hate it or gets serious, I can retreat as if it was just a joke.”

Ah, securing an escape route. Gideon only now realized this was his wife’s own strategy. But he wished Tatiana wouldn’t use such tactics with him.

Why did she assume he would get serious and plan an escape? She could just pounce on him.

“I liked it just now.”

“……You did?”

“Yes.”

Gideon readily affirmed before lifting her and setting her down on the floor. Then he checked a few more things. Whether she was taking the medicine made by the magic tower. If not, when she had stopped.

Upon hearing that it was since the field training, Gideon chuckled, “So you made a very important decision there?” and then lifted the tent cloth. Looking toward the trees, he spoke to the guards hiding there.

“Move far away.”

When the King stuck his head out of the tent, the knights who were preparing to listen attentively were bewildered by the unexpected command.

“Pardon?”

“Don’t approach this area until tomorrow morning.”

The knights pondered for a long time before asking again.

“……Pardon?”

Without offering any detailed explanation, Gideon simply waved his hand to dismiss them and lowered the cloth once more.

Tatiana laughed while covering her face again. This time, she thought people would really think strangely of them. But the truth was, the two were indeed planning to do exactly what those people were thinking.

Gideon, just as Tatiana had done earlier, pushed her shoulders and laid her on the floor. Then, arranging her disheveled hair, he whispered.

“Titi.”

“Yes?”

“This might not happen on the first try, as we hope.”

His sister had also been wanting a baby for a long time, but it took a considerable amount of time for it to actually happen. Gideon mentioned this point, fearing she might be disappointed if she didn’t get pregnant right away. But Tatiana shook her head.

“No, I have a feeling we’ll meet soon.”

Where did this confidence come from? It wasn’t something that could be achieved by human effort alone.

But Gideon soon nodded. Well, what did it matter if it didn’t happen on the first try? He wouldn’t think that far ahead for now. As always, he would just focus on sharing love.

Gideon hugged his wife tightly and kissed her. Between their softly pressed lips, his low laughter flowed out.

A thought suddenly occurred to him, he never dreamed the tent would be used for this purpose. He should support his wife’s hobby more in the future. He should visit occasionally and make it comfortable. If nothing else, he planned to replace the military blankets with good bedding.

And someday, if his wife shyly confessed something, he would secretly visit and leave a pair of baby shoes. He hoped Tatiana would smile when she saw them.

* * *

Today, the sky is high once again. The clouds are also as white as cotton.

The royal family had all come out to the garden to enjoy this bright moment. Four adults and two children. Scarlet and her husband with Evan, and Gideon and his wife with their daughter, Rosalia. Her nickname was Rose.

Contrary to her bold declaration, Gideon and Tatiana didn’t become parents right away. The baby came only 8 months after they made future plans in the tent, and it was another ten months after that when she showed her cute face to people.

Gideon still occasionally recalls the time when Tatiana was pregnant. Whenever he does, he finds himself chuckling without even realizing it.

No one in the castle thought that just because the Queen was with child, she would spend all ten months confined to bed. After all, complete rest wasn’t necessarily the best approach.

Of course, Tatiana showed extreme caution during early pregnancy. She knew her body well and considered physical health extremely important, which made this aspect even more pronounced.

For a while, she shut herself in the library, continuing her mother’s research on memory preservation and reproduction, only doing simple exercises and stretches.

Then one day it happened.

She said “a dog doesn’t cut its poop in half” and headed to the training ground.

The doctors and healing mages who were always on standby followed behind her with tense faces, thinking “So it finally begins.” The maids were rather excited. They changed into exercise clothes as if they had been waiting for this moment, and Gideon, upon receiving the report, set aside all his work to stare out the window.

In reality, it wasn’t anything special. Tatiana was just taking a walk.

However, the expressions of those watching all became strange. They wondered if what they were seeing could really be called a walk.

First, her posture and the angle of her forearms were different from normal. Besides, what pregnant woman takes a walk while counting “one, two, one, two”? That wasn’t a walk but training, no different from soldiers jogging.

From that point on, she would occasionally exercise and work up a sweat. Everyone could tell she was adjusting according to her condition, being careful not to overdo it.

However, the intensity of her exercise was certainly far greater than that of an ordinary pregnant woman, which often made those around her anxious. Gideon felt the same way.

On hot days, he wanted to suggest indoor exercise. When she sat resting on a rock, he worried if she was doing so because she was feeling unwell.

But sometimes even he was confused about whether his concerns were reasonable restraints or unnecessary nagging and worrying. He grew extremely cautious with his words, even ones he would normally say without a second thought, after his wife became pregnant.

So Gideon, who usually made judgments and decisions on his own, often sought opinions from his adjutants during this period.

“What should I say to avoid upsetting the Queen?”

“……First, let us go and ask why she is doing this.”

And what did his wife say at that time?

“You know, I think I walked too much on the training field yesterday. My legs feel a bit stiff now.”

“Ah, yes. It did seem like you walked a lot.”

“So what do you think I should do today?”

“Shouldn’t you rest?”