When You Don’t Get Along With Your Husband - Chapter 5

For several days, Tatiana only went between her bedroom and the garden. It was her own way of self-reflection.

But strangely, no one reprimanded her.

In fact, even in the Duke’s household, they knew. That there was no better option in that situation.

If they were displeased or wanted to somehow save the situation, they should have attempted mediation then. However, it was also quite awkward to intervene when a royal had singled out a specific person for a private conversation.

Duke Muller seemed to have a lot on his mind these days. He just sighed deeply whenever he saw Tatiana.

His face was so full of anguish that Tatiana felt like she would prefer if he just said something, even if it was in anger.

Duchess Muller, who had shown the most intense reaction on that day, was rather mild in her response. She was just curious, albeit cautious, as if Tatiana now felt more distant than before.

‘Were you very close with His Highness Gideon?’

‘Not really, but we have a connection because of my birth father.’

Tatiana once had a curiosity bordering on envy towards Gideon. As she grew older, that interest had become quite close to fondness. Perhaps Gideon felt the same way.

One way or another, marriage and heirs were duties for royalty, so wouldn’t Gideon have considered her as a not-bad marriage partner? Moreover, it would be hard to find a more suitable match than the Muller family.

Although Tatiana wasn’t their biological daughter, her birth father had achieved tremendous military feats and died in the line of duty, so it was justifiable from the royal family’s perspective.

But unlike Tatiana, who was taking this situation rather lukewarmly, the noble social circles were very heated.

They said things like the prince couldn’t forget his first love despite showing no interest in women, the two must have had a passionate fling when they were young, or hey, he was pretending to be so ascetic, and so on.

Currently, the one fanning these rumors most enthusiastically was the man pushing for this marriage at a frightening speed, Gideon.

His words about accommodating her preferences as much as possible were not empty promises.

The prince’s side sent people to ask about her wishes regarding the date and scale of the event.

Tatiana sent the attendant back, saying they could do as they pleased, and from then on, the prince’s side proceeded as if they had been waiting for just that.

There was only one person in Valter who could put the brakes on this tremendous speed. It was the Queen, the mother of the Second Prince and the power holder acting on behalf of the bedridden King.

‘Even a common girl wouldn’t be brought in this way. Please allow a little more time, Prince.’

This was a sign that she didn’t like this marriage and wanted to interfere somehow. But Gideon, as if he had anticipated this much, remained completely unperturbed and calm.

‘I made a public declaration with my own mouth in front of countless nobles as witnesses. I cannot keep my wife waiting indefinitely.’

As things progressed this way, it was the maids who ended up facing unspeakable hardships. While the prince’s people were just whispering and excitedly causing trouble, all the cleanup fell to them.

The maids, as soon as they were assigned exclusively to the prince’s consort, had to plunge into wedding preparations without even the luxury of task distribution.

When the maids’ faces became too haggard after a few days, the prince’s close associates joked as if offering advice.

‘Your Highness, people who don’t know might think you’re stealing the bride.’

‘From my perspective, that’s correct. You’re stating the obvious.’

When the prince frankly admitted it without a trace of embarrassment, there was no one left who could object.

While preparing for the wedding ceremony without complaint, the maids began to learn about the prince’s consort in their spare time. There was nothing more important than understanding the nature of the person they would serve.

They naturally made contact with the Muller family’s maids, and this was a kind of handover.

“What does Her Highness like to eat? Are there any foods she particularly avoids?”

“She eats everything well and doesn’t avoid anything.”

At first, the maids were cautious, watching the seemingly flawless royal maids. However, at some point, they became more talkative one by one.

The young lady of the house had a unique birth and upbringing that was interesting to observe, and the maids had a lot to say about her.

“Sometimes there are periods when she restricts bread or flour for unknown reasons. She gives notice in advance, so you can prepare mainly meat and vegetables during those times.”

What? Then there are things she avoids. Wrinkles formed between the royal maids’ brows.

“Is Her Highness of a rather fastidious nature?”

“Not at all. Even when she cuts out bread, she’s quite a person of character who doesn’t get angry at others.”

The maids clicked their tongues remembering the longest period Tatiana had gone without flour, but they also giggled.

In reality, Tatiana was quite an easy mistress to serve. She had the drawback of having particularly narrow and deep interests, but she attended the social gatherings recommended by the Duchess without showing dislike and was more diligent than expected.

Still, a person’s achievement in fields they like versus those they don’t is worlds apart, so after returning from tea parties, Tatiana would sometimes ask with a puzzled expression.

‘Hey. This thing on the lips. Is it very different from the color that was trendy last year? It looks almost the same to me.’

‘Miss, no two shades under the sky are exactly the same.’

‘……Really?’

‘Of course. Even if it’s the same color, doesn’t it look different depending on skin tone?’

‘Ah. I see. Come to think of it, even if you inherit the same swordsmanship, you can’t use it exactly the same way. Everyone has different physical conditions and unique habits.’

‘……I don’t like talking to you at times like this, Miss.’

Tatiana would just smile and say, “Ah, is that so?” even when the maids made such excessive jokes.

The maids, who had grown quite fond of her, looked a bit sad, thinking it was a pity to part ways.

“There are times when she doesn’t answer, but it’s rarely because she’s really concentrating on something. Usually, she’s just pretending not to hear on purpose.”

She doesn’t want to get involved in idle talk, you see.

“Her eyesight and hearing are far beyond average to begin with. Don’t be surprised, just think of her as a knight and it will be easier to accept.”

After talking at length, the maids had only one last piece of advice left. In fact, this could be considered the core of today’s conversation.

They urged in a low voice.

“Don’t disturb her when she’s exercising.”

“That’s when she’s most sensitive and serious.”

They spoke with utmost sincerity, but the royal maids listening had deepening wrinkles between their brows.

We’ve noted everything down, but… so what kind of person is she exactly? It was vaguely understandable yet confusing.

In any case, everyone understood at least that this was a type they had never served before.

* * *

The wedding ceremony, into which manpower and financial resources were poured, was held in just two weeks.

It was an unprecedented speed.

Perhaps because it passed by so quickly? Although Tatiana had no romantic notions about the ceremony, all of this felt somewhat bland to her.

But when wedding preparations drag on too long, unnecessary worries multiply, and one tends to sink into needless depression and sentimentality. Conflicts that didn’t need to exist also tend to arise.

If the elders from both families start adding their words one by one… From that point on, it becomes a living hell.

Of course, this process might be necessary in some ways. It was an opportunity to starkly see what kind of family traditions each person grew up with, and a testing ground to glimpse how the other person would behave when conflicts arise in the future.

However, Tatiana didn’t want to invest her effort and time into a ceremony that lasted not even a day, just half a day. She disliked suffering even more by squeezing out emotions for this.

Ultimately, she was ‘getting married’, not trying to have a wedding ‘ceremony’.

So before any unnecessary tug-of-war and pride battles began, before any of the elders could come up with materialistic ideas about dowries or gifts, right when everyone was going “Huh?” and coming to their senses!

……Being already inside the hall was one way.

It was about shortening the period when everyone inevitably becomes sensitive and sharp.

As a result, Tatiana finished the wedding ceremony very comfortably without any annoying incidents. However, the drawback of having spent such lightning-fast days remained in that it still didn’t feel real.

What exactly has changed between yesterday’s me and today’s me? Wearing thin, soft pajamas and lying on the bed, she recalled the events from a few hours ago.