The adjutants quickly answered, thinking this was the right response. But Tatiana clicked her tongue, saying oh my, oh my, what foolish ordinary people who don’t know anything about exercise.

“Wrong. That’s exactly when you should do upper body exercises.”

Tatiana gestured with her hand and received dumbbells brought by the maids.

That day, Gideon and his adjutants could only watch as Tatiana tortured her biceps and triceps with apparent pleasure.

A mother’s emotional state surely affects the fetus. In that respect, Tatiana handled that period quite well.

While her husband watching from the side was anxious, with his mood constantly fluctuating and becoming sensitive, she showed little emotional turbulence.

Gideon had always known that Tatiana was mentally quite healthy. Her nerves and resilience were much stronger than those of others.

But with the changed environment and physical condition, it would have been natural for her to feel irritable. The usual course would be to vent frustrations on those closest to her. By this point, she should have complained at least a few times. He was more than willing to accept any small requests or emotional outbursts.

Sometimes he even felt like begging for her complaints.

He had once asked her directly. She answered honestly. She said that she was actually someone who easily became sulky, but had constantly worked since childhood to control her own mood. It didn’t always work, but now she was quite used to it.

“If I’m not in a good mood, only I lose out. It affects my training that day.”

“……”

“The first virtue of an excellent swordsman is managing one’s emotions. If you can’t do that, your skills become inconsistent. Who would trust such a swordsman?”

The fact that he felt more sympathy than admiration at those words was probably because she was his wife, not his subject. And he was not her lord demanding results, but a husband wanting to offer a shoulder to lean on.

And perhaps because her mother was such a person? Did something really flow in the Bloom bloodline? Their daughter, born after prenatal care that blurred the subtle boundary between exercise and military training, was definitely different in many ways.

Gideon watched Rose and Evan bickering on the carpet.

Evan had a gentle temperament. He already showed kindness and consideration as he shook a rattle, wanting to play with his younger cousin. Gideon thought his nephew might take after his brother-in-law rather than his sister.

In contrast, Rose was still young. She occasionally babbled but couldn’t yet speak meaningful words. Her pushing and pulling of her cousin’s arms was closer to thrashing about. But the notable point was the considerable strength behind those movements.

When Evan planted his hands firmly on the carpet to avoid being dragged away, Tatiana rose from her seat with an “Oh my.” Sir Browning picked up the child and smiled reassuringly. Scarlet also waved her hand, saying they would watch the children, so don’t worry and enjoy some time together.

As Tatiana sat back down with an embarrassed face, Gideon said,

“She takes after her mother with that strength.”

Nothing is better than a healthy child. Is there any disadvantage in life from being strong? But whenever he mentioned “strongwoman,” Tatiana felt like he was teasing her and rolled her eyes.

“……Why exactly is that taking after me?”

In terms of muscle strength and stamina, he was clearly superior. So it should be taking after dad. She tried to pass the credit to him as if it were a fault, but Gideon pointed to his own chest and said,

“Predictable strength.”

Then he pointed to Tatiana……

“Strength disproportionate to body size.”

Finally, he pointed to Rose.

“And there, strength disproportionate to body size.”

“……”

“Let me ask again. Who do you think our daughter takes after?”

Tatiana was left speechless. Honestly, even she felt there were many aspects that seemed to be her influence.

When she went out wearing a sword, the baby would roll her eyes, and Tatiana would feel a twinge of concern, wondering if the child was already showing interest in it.

“What if she wants to become a swordswoman later?”

“Then she can.”

“It’s hard, I’m telling you. And our daughter needs to become queen……”

“She can do that too.”

Gideon spoke as if wondering what there was to worry about, but Tatiana’s expression grew even more serious. She realized that being a king was just as difficult. In fact, it might even be more difficult, certainly not less so.

Whether becoming a king, a knight, or a mage, there was no easy path, which made Tatiana sigh deeply.

And following his wife’s words, Gideon also fell into thought. He mentally counted how many queens there had been in the continent’s history. He also finished reviewing whether there were any legal provisions he should take care of in advance, or any other obstacles.

But during that time, another possibility blossomed in his mind.

What if one day magical power manifested in his daughter, just like her mother? What if she ran away to the magic tower like Vaikal, saying she wanted to find her dream?

Considering the family tree, this wasn’t an impossibility, so Gideon looked toward the couple.

Evan, who had been in Sir Browning’s arms, was now sitting on his sister’s lap. If such a situation arose, he would have to consider that option as well.

If neither option worked out……

‘Well, I’ll just have to live long enough to see my grandchildren grow up.’

He had always planned to live a long, healthy life. That’s why he intended to propose another wedding ceremony to Tatiana when she became a grandmother.

His wife would still be very conscious of her back muscles then, so she would definitely need a husband by her side to tell her she was still excellent.

By then, he would tease her that her lukewarm response at their first wedding had left a deep wound in his heart.

What would Tatiana say to that? She would probably be incredulous, asking why he was saying such things now after living happily together for so long. He was already looking forward to that day.

Gideon looked at Tatiana, who was lost in worry about their child’s future.

She was muttering to herself that people used to say “just wait until you have a child like yourself,” and now she really seemed to have given birth to a child exactly like her. But listening carefully, it wasn’t a lament—she seemed happy that her daughter was strong.

He smiled and planted a quick kiss on his wife’s cheek. Then he approached his daughter, the future girl strongwoman.

A few days ago, Tatiana had told him while watching the sleeping Rose,

It might be a sad thing for you to hear, but the greatest inheritance I received from my parents wasn’t the land and wealth bestowed by the royal family. It was seeing my parents pour passion into their work, love each other, and be happy together.

She said she felt she had been able to come this far by drawing nourishment from that. So she too would show her daughter, above all else, how she lived passionately and with dedication, and how she loved.

Gideon planned to do many other things for his daughter as well, but he thought Tatiana’s words had merit. Didn’t her path and her present prove it?

So he too strives to become even happier than he is now.

He hopes that when Rose grows up, she will be able to feel how much her father loves her mother and herself.

Gideon kissed his daughter’s cheek as she lay near the couple and picked her up. His way of holding the baby had become very natural and skillful. Tatiana, wanting to join in, quickly stood up and ran over saying “Me too!” Gideon opened his remaining arm and embraced his wife as well.

The sun, peeking through the cotton-like clouds, shone brilliantly upon them, blessing them.

— The end