When You Don’t Get Along With Your Husband - Chapter 16

Fortunately, Tatiana was quite quick to grasp situations.

She had lived as a freeloader in her father’s friend’s house for three years, and originally, when you freeload to that extent, you develop a sense of awareness even if you didn’t have one before.

‘So you’re saying I should take this sword?’

Tatiana pointed out the sword in question with her eyes in the space that resembled a weapon workshop.

The staff nodded up and down.

‘Thank goodness, thank goodness!’

‘The language of the eyes works! She read our expressions!’

Gideon wasn’t originally the type to explain everything kindly. His staff had to understand well even when he briefly summarized situations.

It wasn’t that Gideon would severely scold or get angry if they couldn’t do that. He would just send a bleak look as if to say, ‘What on earth are these things for, to be so useless?’

Yet despite serving a prince with such a disposition, there were quite a few moments when they could feel ‘His Highness wants to look good to Her Highness.’

Starting with that sword.

That wasn’t just any masterpiece sword. From recruiting craftsmen to design, smelting, and processing. Every step was solely for one person, Tatiana.

When the prince’s side inquired about the consort’s physical measurements including arm length, the maids might have wondered why they were acting like that, but this was the inside story.

That’s not all. Gideon was usually a person with no interest in adorning himself.

That was exactly as Tatiana had expected. After all, people with naturally good looks tend to lack desperation.

But even such a Gideon had gestured for different clothes to be brought exactly once when he saw what the servants had prepared.

It was because of the formal attire he would wear on the wedding day.

No one could advise, ‘It’s common practice to downplay yourself and make the bride stand out as much as possible at the wedding ceremony.’

They were just amazed and surprised by the fact that the prince wanted to look neat for someone.

Moreover, that advice was actually unnecessary. The princess consort was quite a beauty, as if she had inherited her looks from her mother’s side.

Her deep purple hair and emerald eyes reminded onlookers of a mischievous and cute cat.

Although rumors were circulating that this cat would transform into a lioness as soon as she grabbed a sword…

And it was when that lioness took a step towards the sword prepared for her.

Gideon opened his mouth as if he had been waiting. It wasn’t much different from last time.

“You can touch it.”

“……”

“Well, you can try it out too.”

However, Gideon soon added one more thing, perhaps feeling it didn’t suit his temperament, or thinking there was no point in hiding it now. Too honestly.

“Just take it. While I’m asking nicely.”

It sounded fierce, but Tatiana burst into laughter, “Ahaha.” It was the most amused face she had shown since marrying him.

If Tatiana had rejected the gift again even after laughing like that, people would have had to search not just weapon workshops but even butcher shops by now.

Fortunately, after laughing to her heart’s content, she picked up the sword. Then she marveled at its weight, which was much lighter than she had expected.

“……Your Highness, this is really a good sword. Do you know?”

But as she swung the sword a few times, an intriguing expression appeared on her face.

As she used it herself, she vaguely felt it. The weight, the length of the blade… This seems somehow custom-made for me.

Tatiana now harbored a suspicion close to certainty. But if she had barked up the wrong tree, it would lead to a rather embarrassing result.

She had no choice but to ask in a quite careful tone.

“Why didn’t you just say you prepared it for me from the beginning?”

Right. Why didn’t I do that? Gideon thought, looking at the corner of the table as if avoiding the subject.

He simply didn’t feel like acting as if he was bestowing some grand treasure.

Without any showing off, without giving any burden, I just have this and if you might need it… I just wanted you to use it. He just wanted to pass it off that casually.

But he had to admit. To pass it off without any explanation, expecting the other person to understand everything, the time they had shared was insufficient and they weren’t that close yet.

“So, well, do you like it?”

“I told you. It’s a good sword.”

Although she wasn’t sure if there would ever come a day when she would use this sword for its intended purpose, Tatiana nodded.

Watching her lightly swing the sword, whoosh, whoosh, Gideon mentioned one more thing he had been thinking about all along.

“You can use my training ground too.”

“……Your personal training ground, Your Highness?”

“Yes, feel free to use it anytime. I’m too busy to go there as often as I used to anyway.”

Tatiana focused much more on another part even after hearing that her husband was busy with public and private affairs.

She was amazed that such clean killing intent was possible without constant training. I guess innate talent doesn’t go away.

She was about to feel a bit envious, but Gideon timely changed the subject.

“And although I understand your welcoming heart, please don’t visit the knights’ place too often.”

“……Why is that?”

It was simple. Gideon didn’t trust the royal guard.

Most of his staff were newly appointed after Sir Bloom’s death, and he didn’t have any knights from the royal guard as his personal guards.

But what would happen if he honestly answered, ‘I can’t trust those bastards’ here? Wouldn’t it be difficult to gain his wife’s favor?

His wife’s birth father was an officer in the royal guard, and so was her adoptive father.

Gideon created a plausible excuse based somewhat on the truth.

“Wife. People will all be watching only you for at least a couple of months. Trying to find something to nitpick, to put the new royal on the chopping block.”

“……”

“I don’t think all knights have tight lips.”

Tatiana immediately understood what Gideon meant. It even seemed to vividly appear before her eyes.

It was thanks to the countless experiences she had gone through until now.

People were already interested in her sword. Now that she’s become the princess consort, wouldn’t it get worse?

If she does well, there will be talk because of that. That the so-called princess consort is only holding onto her sword, neglecting her duties as a royal. It was obvious that all sorts of old-fashioned etiquette about dignity and propriety would be dragged out.

On the other hand, if she doesn’t do well, there would be talk like this. That it’s impossible for a descendant like Sir Bloom to emerge.

She had heard such things countless times.

Tatiana decided to stop her thoughts here, as going back to the past when she heard things like ‘You should have been born a boy…’ would only upset her.

However, there was one thing she wanted to ask before moving on.

“You’re not doing this because you’re embarrassed to show me off somewhere, are you, Your Highness?”

Gideon, who had been waiting for Tatiana’s reaction, stared at her for a while after hearing those words. Then he soon frowned.

He thought, what kind of nonsense is that?

He admitted that it was a hastily pushed marriage, and understood that she might not have much trust in him because of that, but even so, is there an idiot who would propose to someone they’re embarrassed to be with?

“Consort, what kind of talk is that? Not at all. I meant there would be people who would bother you by spreading nonsense.”

“……”

“Of course, I could rip all those mouths apart……”

“……”

“To be honest, it would take some time.”

When he added the qualifier, not much, just a month or two? Tatiana burst into laughter. The specific timeframe was funny.

But the people watching this scene had troubled expressions. Because the prince wasn’t joking to make her laugh right now.

Gideon was someone who could sufficiently put such plans into action after making them.

Whether she knew this or not, Tatiana had already stopped laughing and was lost in her own thoughts. For quite a long time, very deeply.

Then she slightly raised her eyelashes and looked at Gideon, asking. It was a somewhat abrupt question.

“Your Highness. Have you ever seen a frog while practicing swordsmanship?”

“……”

Well. There might have been once or twice, but Tatiana probably wasn’t simply curious about that.

Since there were no particularly memorable events, Gideon just shook his head. Then Tatiana spoke as if boasting about some great experience.

“I’ve seen many. A lot.”

The Bloom family mansion was home to many amphibians and reptiles.

I’m not sure of the exact reason, but maybe it was because of Mother? Magic often accompanies yin energy.¹yin is associated with qualities such as darkness, cold, passivity, and the feminine

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  yin is associated with qualities such as darkness, cold, passivity, and the feminine