1. The Queen's Worries
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"Oh, Mion. You're here?"
"Yes."
Julia opened the door and waved at Endymion as he entered the bedroom. His broad shoulders looked stiff as if he had had a hard day at work.
Julia smiled sadly at her handsome husband and poured herself two glasses of wine.
"What wine is it?"
"Yeah, I just wanted to have a drink with you just once. We're going to be adults soon, right?"
As she held out the glass to him with a casual smile, Endymion sat down and took the glass while brushing back his wet black hair.
Right. The coming-of-age ceremony is in a few months."
"It's been 12 years since we got married! Time really flies."
Julia said playfully and clinked her glasses. Endymion smiled faintly and joined in the toast. Then, surprisingly, while she was taking a sip and savoring it, he emptied his glass in one go.
"Why are you drinking so quickly? Are you okay?"
"You said you had something to say?"
Endymion asked, roughly wiping his lips, which were thickly scented with grapes, with his thumb.
"It was a good idea to prepare it with a mild drink."
Julia thought absentmindedly, her purple eyes widening as she put down her glass.
Yes, in fact, there was a special reason why she poured wine with her husband in the bedroom tonight.
"Oh, yeah. We're adults now, so we have things to do."
As she spoke carefully. Endymion's blue eyes, which had been staring at her intently, widened.
Julia blushed slightly and laughed awkwardly. In fact, she was a little nervous. She had never had a conversation like this with her husband in her life.
She and he had been married for 12 years, but they were a couple of the same age, like childhood friends who had grown up together since they got married when they were 7 years old.
Both are currently 19 years old, and they are like siblings who have experienced everything from childhood to puberty and secondary sexual characteristics together.
Endymion was the first to notice Julia's first month. It was only natural since they slept in the same bed every night, they were bound to be most sensitive to each other's changes.
Years ago, when they were boys and girls, sleeping together became natural and comfortable. Endymion had trouble sleeping with Julia, who was whimpering all night because of a stomach ache. And in the morning, he found something on the pure white bed that looked like a red flower petal.
He covered Julia with a blanket as she froze in embarrassment, then thoughtfully left the bedroom without saying a word, and immediately called the head maid and the maids for her.
The boy and girl, who had been cooing like normal peers, became a close couple from that day on. Unlike their careless childhood, they trusted, respected, and cared for each other while maintaining a certain level of courtesy.
In that way, the two remained as best friends, closer than anyone else, for 12 years.
Even a few weeks after Julia's first month, when Endymion had been so rude that he had wet the bedclothes, she was as considerate as her husband had been, calling the chamberlain and leaving, and later offering to erase the memory of the incident from his memory forever, except for one word of advice.
"You, don't drink anything before going to bed from now on. You'll wet the bed again."
"I said no!"
"Pfft. Lies! If not that, then what?"
"..."
"Tell me, what is it?"
When she asked him while giggling like she was talking to her younger brother, his face turned red and he couldn't even look her in the eye.
They were always together for twelve years, except for one week when Endymion, who had been prying and got really upset because she thought it was cute that a grown boy was shy, spent time in separate rooms.
"Hey, should we go to bed first?"
So, what this means is that sleeping in the same room and bed is as natural as breathing.
Julia grabbed Endymion's hand, who was visibly shaken, and led him to the bed, where he sat down. Endymion followed him obediently, clutching the hem of his robe.
'Why is he so nervous today? Oh, did you notice?'
Julia let out a light sigh as she glanced at her husband, who was frozen in place and unable to even make eye contact with her, even though he was lying in the same bed every day.
It might be a good thing. She's not a tutor, so it's a pain to teach sex education to a boy who's the same age as her.
"Mion, listen carefully to what I say from now on."
"I'm listening."
When Julia took Endymion's two hands and spoke seriously, he turned his head and answered as if he had made up his mind. His tightly bitten lower lip was slightly swollen, but his cool blue eyes finally shone with determination.
'Okay, okay. Let's finish this in one go.'
After finishing the mind control, she smiled brightly, pushing her long, pale blonde hair behind her ears.
"We're not children anymore. Soon, after we have our coming-of-age ceremony, we'll be a real couple, not just a legal couple."
"... I know."
"Right? You are the King of Semele, and I am the Queen. Soon, we wiIl have to fulfill our sacred duties as a royal couple."
"Duty, if it's..."
Endymion's voice cracked as he pronounced the short words. His black hair, which was already well-groomed, had dried, and his chiseled chin was bulging. He looked nervous in an unfamiliar situation.
Yeah, I know how you feel. I felt the same way yesterday afternoon!
Julia smiled calmly, nodded vigorously, and asked slyly.
"Do you like it sexy or innocent?"
"I...so."
Endymion's face immediately turned red at Julia's question. Julia smiled gently as she looked at her husband.
And finally, they got to the main point.
"Mother said that we must have a successor. So I'm going to choose pretty a young lady for you."
"...What?"
Endymion's strong hand fell onto the bed.
"Isn't that a bit awkward between us? That's why I'm thinking about taking in a concubine. What do you prefer? Just tell me, and I'll be generous with my suggestions."
Julia felt relieved as if she had accomplished a big homework assignment, but soon found her husband glaring at her with a scary, hardened face. She looked back at him with eyes that asked.
"What's wrong?"
Then, Endymion, who had been gaping several times as if he had difficulty speaking, asked while washing his face dry.
"...Are you stupid?"
"Why? Ah, after all, it's the sexy side..."
"No need."
Bang!
The mattress swayed, and at the same time, only Endymion's angry voice remained. Julia, who was suddenly left alone in the bedroom, followed the closed door with bewildered eyes.
"No, why are you getting angry..."
They slept together for twelve years, growing from a girl to a woman and from a boy to a man, without a single accident. When Julia was just entering puberty, she felt awkward and asked if they could sleep separately. Endymion responded maturely, saying that it was okay since they were a married couple.
Since then, they have been sleeping comfortably in the same bed.
Julia didn't think of Endymion as a man, and he didn't think of her as a woman. So now, the thought of having a baby with a childhood friend who was like a sibling was incredibly awkward!
'So after thinking about it, I said, why are you doing that?'
After being called in yesterday afternoon and receiving advice and scolding, she became convinced that taking in a concubine was a good idea in many ways.
Julia grumbled because no matter how much she thought about it, she couldn't figure out what she did wrong.
Surprisingly, Endymion did not return to the bedroom that night. It was the first night they had not slept together since the incident in the bedroom where she had teased him about wetting his bed so long ago.
Julia left alone, rolled around on the large, pure white bed and fell asleep. In her sleep, she vaguely remembered her husband's handsome face, blushing with embarrassment.
At the same time, memories of the boy who had returned to bed after a long time, a week later, and ended the commotion in each room came to mind.
"Oh my. I can't sleep with you because I'm afraid you'll wet the blanket again."
"I told you not to!"
'Oh, right.'
That was a wet dream.
***
3 years ago.
"Look at this picture, Your Majesty the King, Your Majesty the Queen."
Unlike his childhood when he had spent his time playing around like a child, he received full-fledged sex education after ascending to the throne. Even so, he was a young couple who had just experienced secondary sexual characteristics.
Even if Endymion's father had not died suddenly, he would not have ascended to the throne so suddenly at the age of 16, but things in the world were usually so sudden.
"These are the male and female bodies. I enlarged and drew each part in detail. I will now explain their features and functions. First..."
Sex education was also one of those 'sudden' things. The two took classes together twice a week from two doctors.
"...That's all. Do you have any questions?"
After class, the attending physicians always asked that question. Julia turned to Endymion, who was sitting next to her.
But every time sex education class came around, he would stare at his desk, not seeming to be very satisfied with something, and would not pay attention to the class. If she tried to ask him about something she had misheard, he would cut her off saying, "Later," and then rush out as soon as class was over.
"None. Then that's the end..."
"Oh, I am here."
Julia immediately stopped Endymion from breaking up the class. Endymion seemed startled by her conspicuous behavior, as she had always been docile in front of others, saying that she would be a great Queen.
Regardless, Julia began asking her female doctor questions she didn't quite understand.
"Oh, you're not familiar with the part about physical changes! That's right!"
The attending doctor, who had been daunted by the King's indifferent attitude, began to answer the questions of the Queen, who was a model student, with enthusiasm.
"Ah, that's what you meant!"
She used to only look at the picture descriptions, but after hearing the supplementary explanation, she understood everything. Julia was excited and took notes enthusiastically. On the other hand, Endymion hesitated and just roughly washed his face.
Even when Julia asked why, he did not give a clear answer.
"What, are you giving me the impression that I'm not going to finish quickly?"
“Nо.”
Julia, offended by the blunt voice, eventually rolled her eyes. However, Endymion stubbornly ignored her.
The attending doctor, who was suddenly on thin ice due to the war of nerves between the royal couple, tried to lighten the mood by deliberately laughing out loud.
"Now, these physical changes occur when you are sexually stimulated. When you are young, like Your Majesty and the Queen, just thinking about someone you like can have the effect!"
"Cough!"
Endymion, who had been gulping down his glass of water as if he was feeling very suffocated, suddenly coughed loudly. It was so startling that Julia, who had been nodding, turned around.
"Mion, are you okay?"
"...Don't mind."
"What? I'm worried. Why have you been talking like that since a while ago?"
When Julia finally put down her quill, the attending doctor, who had been watching her closely, intervened and changed the subject.
"Oh ho ho! You two are really close! Such physical changes can easily happen even between couples who are on good terms. Your Majesty! Have you ever experienced something like this?"
The middle-aged female doctor pointed at Endymion and asked in a loud voice. Endymion, who had just put down his glass of water, hardened his face.
"...What?"
"It is a very natural physical reaction for a man when he thinks of a woman he likes. When Your Majesty thinks of the Queen, this reaction occurs..."
Clang!
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