After living skin to skin for 5 years, she wasn’t sure if it was worth making an expression like the world was ending. Couldn’t they just pretend not to hear and move on like nothing happened? Ah. Was it not at that level?

As Tatiana tilted her head as if unsure, Scarlet went ‘Oh my, look at this one’ and made an expression saying you’re in even bigger trouble than me now.

“My goodness. Sister-in-law, have you already…… let it all go? How long have you been married, isn’t this too much letting go?”

“No? No. I haven’t done anything like that yet……”

Though there was a time she thought she’d rather swallow back down what she ate than throw up in front of Gideon, thankfully it hadn’t come to that situation.

And when Tatiana claimed her innocence and took a step back, Scarlet looked betrayed. Her eyes were very sharp as if saying forget about comfort if you haven’t experienced it.

However, soon she gave all sorts of advice as if worried about Tatiana who married her younger brother.

“Sister-in-law, Gideon is quite prickly. He definitely won’t find such things cute.”

“Is that so.”

“Yes, he might make a contemptuous expression. Getting that feels really bad, you know? After seeing it once, you might want to divorce him first.”

Scarlet shuddered as if feeling turned off, but Tatiana didn’t find those words very convincing. She was satisfied with her married life with Gideon in many ways.

Despite her environment changing overnight, she didn’t find anything particularly uncomfortable. She even liked the bedroom very much.

Though she hadn’t overcome shyness yet, there were far more times when she felt excited anticipation.

But if you feel unparalleled comfort in a relationship built by both sides, you need to have these doubts once:

Could I be the only one comfortable? Could the other person be trying their hardest to accommodate me even now? Isn’t my comfort coming at the cost of the other person’s discomfort?

Tatiana felt she understood that Gideon was being considerate even in very subtle aspects of married life. She understood what made people say her husband was prickly, but she wasn’t sure if it was enough to make one shudder.

While Tatiana was earnestly defending her husband only in her mind, Scarlet suddenly confessed a shocking fact.

“You know. Actually, I still haven’t shown Robert my bare face.”

Tatiana drew in a sharp breath.

“Really? Not once?”

“Yes.”

“Not even once?” 

 “That’s what I’m saying.”

“……Do you sleep separately?”

She actually wanted to ask ‘Are you two strangers?’ but Tatiana toned it down a lot to be polite.

Scarlet shook her head and explained.

“Robert is a heavy sleeper. I always wake up first, and when I’m sleepy I go back to sleep. With makeup on.”

No, how did she keep up this troublesome act for 5 years? Tatiana would have asked to use separate rooms just to avoid doing that.

Tatiana found Princess Scarlet not just amazing but almost scary. What’s the big deal about a bare face? This is how you were born, what can you do about it?

“Why would you go that far…… Does your husband like it?”

“No. He just laughs because it’s ridiculous.”

“……”

“Robert just says I’m pretty no matter what I do. Actually, he’s quite insensitive about these things? Even when I change my makeup style, he can’t tell the difference at all.”

Scarlet seemed to have difficulty understanding her husband of 5 years.

‘He thought the red from yesterday and today’s red were the same. Sister-in-law, this is nonsense. There are no two identical shades under the sun, right?’ she sought Tatiana’s agreement.

But Tatiana suddenly found herself speechless. Scarlet was shocked, saying ‘What, you too?’ and Tatiana nodded, ‘Yes, me too.’ Then asked.

“But why go to such lengths for someone so insensitive? You said he doesn’t even notice.”

“It’s just my own pride. I don’t want to show my husband my completely relaxed state. I cannot tolerate being anything less than beautiful!”

“……”

“See? Now do you understand what a huge thing happened to me today?”

No, I still don’t understand. I find it hard to empathize.

However, Tatiana found herself reflecting. She was much more newly married than Princess Scarlet, but she felt she might be living too carelessly in front of her husband.

Perhaps she needed to put in a bit more effort to look good?

But thinking about it raised another question. Why did Princess Scarlet come all the way here to share what she considered embarrassing stories?

Saying she cannot tolerate being anything less than beautiful, was she discriminating against people now?

While Tatiana wasn’t personally interested in dressing up, she did enjoy seeing and hearing beautiful things.

“But why did you run all the way here?”

“I thought sister-in-law could protect me.”

“Ah. Then you came to the right place.”

Tatiana was confident she could easily handle a platoon of soldiers if she had her sword, even if they came rushing in. It would be even easier if it was just Lord Browning alone.

The princess’s husband was clearly from a civil service background. If Tatiana put her mind to it, he probably wouldn’t even be able to cross that threshold.

However, as Scarlet giggled watching Tatiana’s growing confidence, she soon confessed the real reason she came here.

“You know, Tatiana.”

“Yes?”

“I actually just came to hang out.”

“……”

“I want to become close friends.” 

 At these unexpected words, Tatiana pursed her lips into an O shape with an enigmatic expression.

Scarlet misunderstood this and awkwardly asked, ‘Is that burdensome?’ She even made a mischievous joke asking if she looked like a mother-in-law wanting a daughter-like daughter-in-law.

Tatiana shook her head.

How pure an expression of liking is it to say you want to be friends? But such words become harder to hear as you grow older. Even if you do hear them, you keep measuring and questioning the person’s true intentions.

Tatiana didn’t want to dig that deep in this situation. She wanted to accept the princess’s words as pure goodwill and treasure them.

She smiled brightly and poked Scarlet’s arm with her index finger.

Though she realized too late she hadn’t controlled her strength, fortunately Scarlet didn’t misinterpret it as an attack and laughed brightly.

Hearing that laughter made her feel a warmth that one usually only experiences in childhood. The warm atmosphere transmitted completely to the ladies-in-waiting as well. It was a sight that made even onlookers feel content.

But then, there was a heavy sound that broke this pleasant atmosphere. When someone knocked on the door, Scarlet’s eyes wavered anxiously, and the guard announced.

“Your Highness, Lord Browning has come to visit.”

“……Is that so?”

“He says he knows the sudden visit is rude, but asks if you could spare a moment for conversation.” 

 Tatiana didn’t respond immediately but first looked at Scarlet. The princess was panic-stricken and frantically mouthing words.

‘Oh my. He came. He really came! Tatiana, what do we do? Huh?’

Tatiana mouthed back.

‘First, stay calm.’

However, the princess was too anxious to wait for Tatiana’s instructions and hid behind the curtains by the window.

Tatiana couldn’t help but snicker. The princess’s small feet were peeking out from under the curtain.

‘Did you really think you wouldn’t be seen like that?’

Tatiana debated whether to point this out but decided against it.

She honestly had her doubts. At this level, wasn’t it like she had no intention of hiding from the start?

She needed to show at least enough resolve to jump out the window for Tatiana to feel motivated to help wholeheartedly.

However, this was the fourth floor. Tatiana occasionally forgot that normal people don’t do such dangerous things.

She chuckled at the cute feet before heading to the door.

When the ladies-in-waiting opened the door, Lord Browning was standing alone in the corridor without any attendants. He looked quite embarrassed. For a man who had chased his wife to another wife’s quarters, he had quite a mild impression.

“Your Highness. I apologize for coming without notice.”

“No, it’s nice to see you after so long.”

However, Tatiana was equally embarrassed. Though they were now in-laws, they hadn’t had the chance to become close.

Moreover, there was an even more complex and delicate background between them.

Sir Robert Browning was the eldest son of a Foreign Ministry official from the Kingdom of Pullman. And Tatiana’s birth father had driven Pullman soldiers to their deaths during the war.

Looking at their family histories, it was inevitably an awkward relationship.

However, Tatiana didn’t want to appear submissive or weak in this situation.

Military officials never carelessly bow their heads to foreign leadership. Of course, Tatiana was not an official but merely a daughter.

‘They say your father also took a hard-line stance back then?’

Tatiana tried to face Robert with a face full of spirit.

Thus, at this moment, she tried to proudly show everyone that she was a Bloom…… but her opponent’s impression was too gentle for that.

‘Oh dear. Why does this person look so much like a bear?’

Tatiana thought ‘ah, whatever’ and just gestured for him to come in quickly, guiding him inside. However, even after entering, Robert seemed to hesitate for a long while. It must have been difficult for him to readily ask the prince’s wife if his wife was here.