MWTB 01

Chapter 1. 

The Queen’s Concern

Click—

“Ah, Mion. You’re here?”

“Yeah.”

Julia waved at Endymion as he opened the door and entered the bedroom. Perhaps the day’s affairs had been particularly exhausting, because his broad shoulders looked stiff with tension.

Julia gave her handsome husband a sympathetic smile before pouring two glasses of wine.

“What’s with the wine?”

“Hmm, I just wanted to have a drink alone with you at least once. We’re both going to be adults soon, after all, aren’t we?”

She smiled casually and held out a glass. Endymion accepted it as he sat down, brushing back his damp black hair.

“…That’s right. The coming-of-age ceremony is only a few months away.”

“We’ve been married for twelve years! Time really flies.”

Julia spoke playfully and clinked her glass against his. Endymion smiled faintly and toasted with her. Then, surprisingly, while she took a sip and savored the taste, he emptied his entire glass in one go.

“Why are you drinking so quickly? Are you okay?”

“You said you had something to tell me?”

Endymion asked as he roughly wiped the wine-scented moisture from his lips with his thumb.

Good thing I prepared something mild.

Thinking that to herself, Julia widened her violet eyes before suddenly setting down her glass.

That was right. There was actually another reason she had deliberately opened a bottle of wine with her husband in the bedroom tonight.

“Ah, yes. Since we’re adults now, there’s something we have to do, you know.”

As she carefully broached the subject, Endymion’s blue eyes widened as he stared intently at her.

Julia blushed slightly and gave an embarrassed smile. She was honestly a little nervous. She had never had this kind of conversation with her husband in her entire life.

She and he had been married for twelve years, but they were the same age and had married at seven, growing up together like childhood friends.

They were both nineteen now. They had gone through childhood, puberty, and even adolescence together, seeing each other through all sorts of embarrassing stages, so they were practically like siblings.

Endymion had been the first person to notice when Julia got her first period. It was only natural. Since they fell asleep in the same bed every night, they were bound to be the most sensitive to each other’s changes.

Several years ago, back when they were still young enough that sharing a bed felt completely natural and comfortable, Endymion had spent a restless night beside Julia as she sniffled because of a stomachache. Then, in the morning, they discovered something on the pristine white sheets, like red flower petals.

When Julia froze in embarrassment, he covered her with the blanket to hide it. Thoughtfully saying nothing, he left the bedroom and immediately called for the head maid and her personal attendants.

The boy and girl who had bickered with each other like ordinary children became a close married couple after that day. Unlike in their immature childhood, they maintained an appropriate level of courtesy while trusting, respecting, and caring for each other.

And so, for twelve years, the two had remained closer than anyone else, like the best of friends.

In fact, a few weeks after Julia’s first period, when Endymion had an embarrassing accident that left the blankets wet, she treated him with the same consideration he had shown her. She called the head valet and left the room, then generously promised to erase the incident from her memory forever—except for giving him one piece of advice later.

“You shouldn’t drink anything before bed anymore. You might wet the bed again.”

“I told you, that’s not what happened!”

“Heh. Liar! If that’s not what happened, then what was it?”

“……”

“Come on, tell me. What was it?”

She had giggled and teased him as though he were her little brother, and he had turned bright red, unable even to meet her eyes.

She thought it was adorable seeing a grown boy become so embarrassed, so she had playfully pressed him for an answer. The only exception to their twelve years of always sleeping together was the week Endymion had spent in a separate room because he had become thoroughly sulky with her.

“Um, should we go to bed first?”

In other words, they were so comfortable with each other that sleeping in the same room and the same bed was as natural as breathing.

Julia promptly grabbed Endymion’s visibly trembling hands and personally led him to the bed. Endymion obediently followed, tightly clutching the hem of his robe as he sat down.

Why is he so nervous today? Ah, could he have figured it out?

Julia glanced sideways at her husband, who was sitting rigidly beside her and unable even to meet her eyes, and let out a small sigh.

Perhaps this was actually for the best. She would have enough trouble trying to give a man her own age a lesson about these matters without being a tutor.

“Mion, listen carefully to what I’m about to say.”

“I’m listening.”

Julia took both of Endymion’s hands and spoke seriously. As if he had steeled himself, he turned toward her and replied. His tightly bitten lower lip was slightly swollen, but at last, his clear blue eyes shone with determination.

Whew. Fine. Let’s just get this over with in one go.

After finishing her mental preparation, she tucked her long, pale-blond hair behind her ear and smiled brightly.

“We’re not children anymore. Once we have our coming-of-age ceremony, we’ll become not only legally married, but a real married couple.”

“…I know.”

“Right? You’re the King of Semele, and I’m the Queen. Soon, we’ll have to fulfill our sacred duty as the royal couple.”

“If you mean duty…”

Endymion’s voice became low and hoarse as he pronounced the short phrase. His fine black hair had already dried completely, and his sculpted jaw tightened. He seemed nervous in the unfamiliar situation.

Of course, I understand how you feel. I was exactly the same yesterday afternoon!

Julia calmly smiled and nodded firmly. Then she asked casually,

“Do you like sexy women, or innocent-looking ones?”

At Julia’s question, Endymion’s face immediately turned bright red. Looking at her husband like that, Julia smiled gently.

And finally, she got to the point.

“Mother said that we need to have an heir. So I was thinking I could choose a pretty young lady for you.”

“…What?”

Endymion’s strong hand dropped onto the bed with a thud.

“It would be awkward for the two of us, wouldn’t it? So I was thinking, why not take a concubine? What kind do you like? Just tell me. I’ll generously take your preferences into consideration.”

Julia felt relieved, as though she had finally completed a huge assignment. But then she noticed her husband staring at her with an expression that had become frighteningly stern.

She stared back at him with a puzzled look.

Apparently unable to find the words, Endymion opened and closed his mouth several times before rubbing his dry face and asking,

“…Are you stupid?”

“Why? Ah, you prefer the sexy type after all—”

“I don’t need one.”

Bang!

The mattress shook, and Endymion’s angry voice was the only thing left behind. In an instant, Julia was alone in the bedroom, staring at the closed door in bewilderment.

“Why are you getting angry?”

For twelve years, they had slept together without a single incident as the girl grew into a woman and the boy into a man. When they had first entered puberty and Julia had briefly felt awkward about it, she had asked whether they should sleep separately. Endymion had maturely replied that it was fine because they were husband and wife.

After that, they had continued sleeping comfortably in the same bed.

Julia had never thought of Endymion as a man, and he had never seen her as a woman. But now, being told to have a baby with the childhood friend who was practically like a sibling to her was incredibly awkward just to think about!

That’s why I brought it up after thinking it over, so why is he acting like that?

After being summoned the previous afternoon and receiving both advice and a scolding, she had become even more convinced that taking a concubine would be beneficial in many ways.

No matter how much she thought about it, she couldn’t figure out what she had done wrong, so Julia grumbled to herself.

Surprisingly, Endymion did not return to the bedroom that night. It was the first night in twelve years that they had not slept together since the incident when she had teased him about wetting the bed.

Left alone, Julia happily rolled around on the huge white bed and fell asleep. Half-asleep, she vaguely remembered the embarrassed, flushed face of her handsome husband.

At the same time, after a long time—after a whole week—she remembered the boy who had finally returned to their bed and ended their separate-room fiasco.

“Eek! I can’t sleep with you because you might wet the bed again!”

“I told you, that’s not what happened!”

Oh, right.

That had been a wet dream.

Three years ago.

“Please look at this illustration, Your Majesty, Your Majesty the Queen.”

Unlike their childhood days of playing house together, once they ascended to the throne, they received proper sex education. Though, admittedly, they were still young newlyweds who had only recently entered puberty.

If Endymion’s father had not suddenly passed away, they would not have been forced to ascend the throne at sixteen. But that was how life was—things could happen unexpectedly.

“This is the human anatomy of a man and a woman. The different parts have been enlarged and illustrated in detail. From now on, I will explain their characteristics and functions. First…”

Sex education was also one of those “unexpected” things. The two attended lessons together twice a week, taught by their two personal physicians.

“…That concludes today’s lesson. Do you have any questions?”

Whenever the lecture ended, the physicians always asked that.

Julia turned toward Endymion, who was sitting beside her.

However, whenever it was time for sex education, he seemed dissatisfied about something and kept his eyes fixed on the desk, paying absolutely no attention to the lesson. Whenever Julia asked him to clarify something she had failed to understand, he would cut her off with a curt “Later,” then dash out of the room the moment class ended.

“I suppose there are no questions. Then we’ll conclude—”

“Ah, I have one.”

Julia immediately stopped Endymion from ending the lesson. Usually, she behaved quietly and properly in front of others, determined to become an excellent queen, so her conspicuous behavior seemed to startle Endymion.

Regardless, Julia began asking the female physician about something she had not fully understood.

“Oh! So you were unfamiliar with the section about physical changes! Well, you see…”

The physician, who had been discouraged by the king’s disinterested attitude, became excited at the queen’s question and eagerly began explaining.

“Oh, so that’s what it meant!”

After hearing the additional explanation instead of merely looking at the illustrations, everything suddenly made sense. Julia enthusiastically took notes.

Endymion, on the other hand, hesitated before repeatedly rubbing his face roughly.

When Julia asked him what was wrong, he refused to give her a proper answer.

“What’s wrong with you? Are you giving me a look because I’m taking too long?”

“No.”

His curt response annoyed Julia, and she glared at him. But Endymion stubbornly ignored her.

The physician, who suddenly found herself walking on thin ice because of the royal couple’s tense exchange, deliberately laughed loudly to lighten the atmosphere.

“Oh ho ho! You two really do have such a good relationship! These physical changes can certainly occur even between married couples who are close to one another. Your Majesty! You’ve experienced this before too, haven’t you?”

The middle-aged female physician pointed at Endymion and asked in a loud voice.

Endymion, who had just set down his water glass, stiffened.

“…What?”

“It’s a perfectly natural physical response in men when they think about a woman they’re attracted to. If Your Majesty thinks about Her Majesty the Queen, you would experience such a response…”

Crash!