When You Don’t Get Along With Your Husband - Chapter 21

It seemed that nothing less would satisfy the public’s expectations.

Gideon couldn’t help but laugh at Tatiana’s words. Tatiana poked his shoulder reproachfully, though she was laughing inside too.

“Why are you laughing? That’s the only thing I can show off.”

You learn as you live. Having one skill that you can confidently showcase is really an amazing thing.

As Tatiana shook his shoulder saying, “Don’t laugh,” Gideon, who had been covering his eyes and laughing for a while, shook his head.

He knew how well she could perform the sword dance, but that was for his eyes only. He hadn’t seen it since she grew up, so at least for the first viewing, it had to be him.

“Forget the sword dance, what the nobles are most curious about is the relationship between you and me.”

“Ah.”

Tatiana understood immediately. Even Sir Samson, whom she had met at the barracks recently, had been curious about her married life.

“We need to look like we get along well in front of others, right? Pretend to be close.”

He asked to become close, but he didn’t just want to ‘pretend’ to be close.

Anyway, since it wasn’t wrong in the end, Gideon nodded. And Tatiana took it a step further and asked playfully,

“Should we kiss in public or something like that?”

How many times had it already been tonight. Gideon made yet another subtle expression.

“… Would you go that far?”

“… Surely you don’t want that?”

“……”

As evidenced by countless instances of just showing his face at banquets and disappearing, Gideon was someone who hated parties more than anyone.

He absolutely detested forcing smiles or playing the clown. Why should he pretend to be in a good mood in front of nobles?

But what should he do about this? He couldn’t bring himself to say there was no need to Tatiana’s question.

Since the compensation for acting like a clown was considerable, he found himself weighing the options.

But scraping together the last bit of conscience he didn’t even know existed within him, he gave an answer that was neither affirmative nor negative.

“Do as you wish, Titi.”

“……”

“I’ll do as I wish too.”

“You’re speaking so ominously that I feel like I’ve made a mistake… but I don’t want to lose to Your Highness.”

“Yes, as you wish, wife.”

The two smiled side by side, just like children plotting some mischievous prank.

* * *

Tatiana had never slept in. Of course, she gets tired sometimes, and often doesn’t feel like exercising. But the rhythm of life built up over a long time is harder to break than to maintain.

She rose from the bed quietly as usual.

But today, something different happened, breaking that silence.

“Oh!”

Wasn’t he sleeping? That was clearly the breathing of someone asleep earlier.

In fact, there wasn’t even time to think this far. As someone grabbed her wrist, Tatiana’s athletic reflexes reacted faster than her thought process. She twisted her body and threw a punch.

It was a proper hook.

Fortunately, Gideon was also a swordsman. He twisted his shoulder to avoid the right hook, but he clearly felt the wind brushing past his ear.

‘If that had hit, I’d really have been knocked out.’

He quietly said to Tatiana, who was frozen in a daze after throwing her punch,

“I clearly said no violence.”

If we’re not careful, we might see the first husband in Valter royal history to get beaten. I guess I’ll have to live in constant tension?

As Gideon chuckled, Tatiana finally came to her senses.

“Your Highness, I’m sorry. I’m really sorry. I didn’t do it on purpose.”

“I wonder. Wasn’t that too much of a direct hit for that?”

“I really didn’t mean to. But… weren’t you sleeping?”

Tatiana could distinguish between someone who was sleeping and someone pretending to sleep. You can usually tell just by listening to their breathing. As with all exercises, breathing is important in swordsmanship, so this was basic knowledge for any swordsman.

However, contrary to Tatiana’s thoughts, Gideon had been awake for much longer.

Didn’t I say? As with all exercises, breathing is important in swordsmanship. He could fake his breathing to sound like he was really asleep. This too was ultimately basic knowledge.

Of course, Gideon hadn’t intended to put on such an act from the beginning.

He had gradually become curious after facing an empty bed every morning. At what time, and how exactly does she leave without waking me?

He was someone sensitive to even small sounds, but when his wife deliberately concealed her presence, there was no way to notice while asleep.

But watching her today while pretending to sleep, Tatiana seemed to have already transcended human limits in this area.

A graceful cat that makes no sound even when jumping from a high-rise building.

‘She has her own method of walking. Better than a professional assassin.’

If the princess were to turn to the world of darkness, she would never fail any mission entrusted to her.

Whether she became an assassin or a master thief, she would undoubtedly excel.

However, this outlaw of darkness had thrown a punch at her husband and now wore a very troubled expression. Her sincere apologetic look was almost innocent.

Gideon gently pressed her shoulder, laying her down on the bed.

“Why do you wake up so early?”

“My eyes open automatically at this time. I was going to exercise.”

“Let’s wait a bit until dawn breaks.”

“……”

“If you’re too diligent, it’s hard on the subordinates.”

It was insincere. Gideon inwardly thought, who cares if those people have a hard time or not.

To hide this, he casually touched Tatiana’s bangs, muttering, ‘Even these meager muscles need time to wake up.’

Tatiana was about to say ‘That’s why I move from dawn…’ when she furrowed her brow.

Did you just say meager? Are you done talking?

“I said no violence.”

“……”

“If we two fight with strength, we’ll destroy several rooms. Then it’s hard on the people who have to clean up.”

But Tatiana thought, That wouldn’t be because of me, and said,

“I prefer utilizing structures rather than destroying them. You might not know, but people with inferior physical conditions usually look for ways to use the terrain first.”

“Then when fighting you, I should start by breaking all the furniture.”

Gideon nodded as if he had learned something good.

“… Didn’t you say that would be hard on the subordinates?”

“Do you think I really pity them?”

Was it because it was dawn before daybreak that both of them were not fully awake? Gideon and Tatiana bantered in a much more comfortable tone than usual.

At that moment, one of the subordinates mentioned several times in their conversation made their presence known from outside the door.

“Your Highness, are you perhaps awake?”

It was the voice of the head maid, Isabelle.

She lowered her voice, concerned that the prince might be asleep, but the answer came not from Tatiana, but from Gideon.

“What is it?”

“… May I come in for a moment?”

“Sure.”

As Isabelle opened the door and stepped into the bedroom, Gideon wrapped the blanket around Tatiana, who hadn’t yet put on her robe.

He knew there was no need for this in front of the princess’s maid, but his hand moved instinctively. Ironically, he himself had his upper body exposed, his hair even disheveled as if he had just woken up.

Seeing this, Isabelle thought,

‘He doesn’t like showing Her Highness to others.’

If so, what Isabelle had brought would be even more unpleasant news for the prince.

What should I do about this? Someone was looking for the princess from dawn.

“Her Majesty the Queen has sent someone. She says she wants to have an intimate breakfast with Your Highness the Princess.”

“With me? Surely not just the two of us?”

“… Yes.”

“Now?”

“… Yes.”

Tatiana turned her head to look out the window. It was still dark outside.

Although she always woke up at this time, it was a time when even the farmers, known to be the most diligent in Valter, wouldn’t be up yet.

Well, a meal shouldn’t be a problem…

Tatiana chuckled and made a pointless joke.

“I prefer exercising on an empty stomach.”

But unlike Tatiana, who was laughing without tension, Gideon seemed very irritated. The surrounding air grew heavy, and a faint killing intent even flowed out.

Now that I think about it, this killing intent seemed to be a habit that unconsciously emerged whenever he was in a bad mood.

“I thought it was too quiet, that old lady is being spiteful.”

Gideon summarized the situation like that.

But Isabelle, who knew well how the women of the castle engaged in power struggles, carefully brought another possibility to the surface.

“Won’t she use this as an excuse to continuously demand morning greetings?”

“… Morning greetings. Isn’t that a story from over 100 years ago?”

Gideon frowned at the etiquette that could now only be found in ancient literature. However, the Queen might be more than capable of such things.