Chapter 2. Essential Examples Before Practical Application

Gideon visited Tatiana’s bedroom every night. The timing was irregular, but every day without fail.

If you asked whether he had any special business, or if there was progress in their marital nightlife, that wasn’t the case either.

They hadn’t progressed beyond their first kiss, and Gideon would ask very trivial and formal questions.

What did you do today, is the food to your liking, is there anything uncomfortable? Oh, and are there any bastards acting arrogantly?

Was he really curious about this to the point of clocking in daily to someone else’s room? Just as Tatiana was starting to wonder, Gideon varied his questions.

Tatiana thought to herself that it was fortunate. If it had gone on for a few more days, she might have gotten bored too. But thinking about it carefully, these new questions were just as strange.

“What color do you like, Tania?”

“Hmm. Black.”

“Is there a special reason?”

“It’s good for avoiding enemies’ eyes at night. There’s no better color for night raids.”

“Then during the day……”

“That would be the color of Valter’s military uniform.”

“……”

“Olive drab.”

Is this perhaps some kind of Q&A? Should I write it down for you?

Tatiana responded with jokes to the sudden survey of her preferences every time.

“What’s your favorite animal?”

“Lizards.”

“And why is that?”

“Well, lizards rarely blink. If you don’t avert your eyes in front of an enemy, isn’t that battle half won already?”

“…… Do you perhaps dislike me asking questions?”

Gideon finally noticed that Tatiana was joking and laughed in bewilderment.

And by that time, Tatiana had started to think to herself. Maybe Gideon just wanted to have a conversation with her.

But had he ever tried to lead a conversation without awkwardness with others in his life so far?

Gideon was the First Prince with the highest succession order in Valter, just short of being crowned as Crown Prince. Would someone like that need to be mindful of others or try to please them?

From this perspective, her husband might be making an effort in his own way right now.

So Tatiana decided not to dig into or guess at his hidden intentions anymore. Rather, she chose to willingly go along with this Q&A.

“What color does Your Highness like?”

Gideon then lightly touched Tatiana’s hair with his fingertips.

“Purple.”

And he also glanced at her emerald eyes once.

“I like green too.”

“…… What about animals?”

“Cats.”

“……”

Tatiana kept her mouth shut. It was impossible not to know who he had in mind while answering.

She was about to shudder at the thought that he might relate any question to her.

Gideon, having cut off the flow himself, asked, seemingly wondering why she was silent.

“Is that all, already?”

“……”

“I’m asking if you have any more questions.”

“…… You should talk about what you really like, not just looking at me.”

“So you know you look like a cat.”

He chuckled, drawing out her name, Titi.

But isn’t your nickname the Lioness? How did you cut down a moth to get such a rumor? He thought to himself.

Tatiana made a sulky face, but at some point, she had started to look forward to this time. If he came late, she would worry, ‘Is he busy? Did something happen?’

If he had fallen victim to an assassin, I would avenge him with this unnecessarily good sword of mine, she thought to herself, making her husband a deceased person in her mind.

But Gideon, who visited her bedroom as usual, was unusually quiet today. He remained lost in thought, even skipping the usual night greetings.

Something serious must have happened, or he has an important decision to make.

Tatiana thought this and decided not to disturb the busy prince of this country. Instead, she secretly stole glances at his muscles as he took off his top once again today.

How many times has Tatiana seen a man’s body in her life? Regrettably, it’s hard to give an exact answer to that. She had seen countless bodies, too many to count.

Sir Bloom had made sure to wear clothes even during training once his daughter entered what could be called puberty, but the knights in the barracks did not.

Originally, there’s no defense against heat. Moreover, knights were a breed that had no qualms about showing their naked bodies to others.

So if you think that Tatiana, who grew up in such an environment, would react particularly specially to her husband’s body…… that thought would be correct.

It was too excellent a musculature to look at indifferently.

‘The forearm muscles… are perfect.’

Even with the slightest movement of his forearm, the muscles and tendons writhed and pulsated.

Tatiana had analyzed the muscles of knights countless times.

She had often lost sleep out of envy. But she swears she had never looked at those muscles with impure eyes.

But is it because the place is a bedroom, or does the power of appearance work everywhere? Looking at Gideon’s body, she thinks that maybe this is when you’re supposed to use the word ‘sexy’ for a man.

Tatiana’s gaze started to climb from his split forearms towards the triceps under his shoulder.

And suddenly, Gideon chuckled and rubbed his face a couple of times.

‘Oh? Did he notice?’

Tatiana, who had been in a daze, felt flustered and started intently staring at the ceiling.

Gideon asked her as if it wasn’t even funny.

“Why are you suddenly pretending not to look?”

“…… You knew?”

“If you do it moderately, I can pretend not to know too.”

That’s true. But if you didn’t like it, why didn’t you say something? You threw it off so casually, I thought you didn’t care like the other knights.

Well. Come to think of it, Gideon was much more sensitive than ordinary knights. He wasn’t childish enough to show off his muscles unnecessarily either.

But looking at him carefully, Gideon didn’t seem to dislike it. Rather, he asked this while smiling as if it was amusing.

“Wife. Do you like my body?”

“…… Yes, I think your forearm muscles are too perfect.”

“……”

“Ah, your deltoids are excellent too. You really have great shoulders.”

“Thank y… What is this?”

Gideon looked at Tatiana as if bewildered, but if you proposed to a woman whose only interests are exercise and swords, you should be able to handle this much.

Her admiration and praise were sincere, and Tatiana decided to go a little further since it had come to this.

“Can I touch it just a little?”

No matter how much Tatiana had analyzed men’s muscles as naturally as breathing throughout her life, looking and touching were clearly different realms.

Although there was an excellent textbook in her home in the form of Sir Bloom, Sir Bloom would run away in panic if his grown daughter even looked at his body.

It was really pure academic curiosity.

But as she grew older, even the thought of touching her dad’s body became equally awkward and creepy.

Gideon, who had been smiling with a relaxed air all along, made a very subtle expression when she cautiously asked.

Thinking that this might have been a bit rude, Tatiana quickly became timid. She also thought she might look like a very strange woman to him.

But when you think about it, is even this much not allowed between a married couple? That’s questionable. He had strangled her neck without permission before.

Gideon kept looking at Tatiana with a strange expression. He seemed to be frowning a bit. But his Adam’s apple bobbed up and down once. He swallowed dry saliva, feeling his throat go dry for no reason.

“Wife. Are you serious right now?”

It was before Tatiana could answer.

No, it seems Gideon had no intention of listening to her answer from the start. He thrust out his shoulder as if to say go ahead and try.

Oh? Really? Her eyes widened for a moment, then Tatiana slowly raised her hand.

But the point of contact seemed to be completely different from what he expected. When Tatiana placed her palm on his firm-looking chest, his chest muscles twitched.

Gideon ran his hand through his hair, looking perplexed, but when she removed her hand, he frowned.

“Why did you take it off.”

“No, you seemed to dislike it……”

“I didn’t say that.”

“……”

Tatiana carefully placed her palm back. A small exclamation escaped between her lips.

‘A man’s chest is soft normally too.’

She wanted to ask him to flex, but, uh, is it okay to request something like that from His Highness the Prince? But isn’t it too late to mind manners now?

“Um, Your Highness.”

“What is it?”

“Could you do that twitching thing from earlier one more time?”

“……”

“Never mind. Please pretend you didn’t hear that.”

Tatiana once again immersed herself in his body.

Where does the bone structure end, and where do the muscles begin? This is surely a body that can’t be created by training alone. Indeed, physical talents are more than half innate. You could say that physique drags you along by the collar.