ᴛʜɪʀᴛʏ-sᴇᴄᴏɴᴅ.

"Seize her!" The General shouted and the Archduchess was so quick that she was able to give the Baroness' hand a karate chop, dropping the pistol on the concrete ground.

The Knights from the Yoshino and Fujiwara families covered the future Princess while the Knight of the Hayashi family covered the Duchess and the little future Prince. The General and the Lord of the Hasegawa family rushed to them as the other Knights were dragging the Baroness away. The Royal family finally arrived outside the castle and asked everyone if no one was harmed. They heard the gunshot from inside.

"You're safe now." The Prince whispered to her and she gripped on him tight, trembling while trying to recover from what just happened.

"The Royal wedding will continue but first of all, only the closest friends will remain to witness it while the other guests will be forced to go back to their respective homes." The King said and then, he dispatched the second battalion to guard the front gates while the first battalion was inside the castle.

The Queen and Lord Makoto comforted her while the Prince got the little future Prince in his arms. They went to the solar first to make sure that they were alright. The servant gave her a glass of water and she took a sip before letting out a deep breath. She was thankful that her son was still asleep and unharmed. She smiled faintly, realizing that the main reason why it happened is that she seduced the Prince and took him away from his possible future spouse.

"I.. would like to call off the wedding." She said as she started to take the wedding gown off. The Prince immediately held her hand and shook his head.

"We talked about this already, Fuyu. You can't back out anymore. You're destined to be with me." His voice was authoritative. She shoved his hand away and continued to take it off.

"This happened because of me. This might happen again—" This time, the Queen stopped her. The older woman tied up the corset once again and held her arms gently.

"The Baroness' title will be stripped and she will be punished for what she did to you. Fuyu, you are the future Princess and your child with my son is the little future Prince." The Queen said and she almost burst into tears.

"Now, let's proceed to the wedding." The Queen continued and she smiled at the younger one. The Prince transferred the sleeping little future Prince to Lord Makoto's arms and he was the first one to leave the solar to go back to the wedding hall.

The wedding ceremony was simple and after that, the Lady of the Hasegawa family was crowned as the new Princess. The Prince held her hand tight while walking to the veranda. The King was about to announce the verdict of the Baroness' action a while ago. Since it was a treason, the King decided to punish the Baroness with death. The family begged for forgiveness for what she did to the Royal family but the King declined.

"You don't have to do this." She whispered while trying to stop the Prince from escorting her to the prison chambers to witness the death of the Baroness.

"It was Father's verdict and also, you and our son were almost harmed because of her. If we do not punish her, she might do it again in the future." He didn't want this to happen as well but if he will think about it, it was unforgivable. He almost lost his wife and son. He would never forget that.

She was dazed after the Baroness' execution in the prison chambers. Her twin brother looked at her while rocking the little Prince gently in his arms. He was still against her marriage with the Prince but he couldn't do anything about it anymore. She let out a sigh and then, she smiled faintly as he transferred the little Prince to her arms. Her journey as a Royal Princess had started. She could tell that some people will question her ability to lead the country once the Prince becomes the new King.

"Your life drastically changed within two years, Fuyu. Have you ever thought that your actions will lead to this?" Lord Makoto asked and she shook her head.

"I never dreamt of this." She mumbled. She was happy that she married the man she loves the most but at the same time, she couldn't help but to feel anxious about her future with the Royal family.

"You know that your love for him is not enough for you to show them that you can fulfill your duties and responsibilities as the Royal Princess. You need power, Fuyu. No one will follow you if you don't have any of it." She bit her lips and nodded. She will need power. Having the King and the Queen by her side is not enough.

"I will make some plans to build up the nation's trust in me. How about you? What will you do now? Do you want to stay here? Do you want to continue that?" She asked in a low voice and he shook his head.

"Doing that will just leave them a chance to ridicule you once again. You need to continue your studies. It will help you a lot." He answered before kissing her forehead.

"Brother, why don't you try designing clothes? It is much safer than to join the military." She suggested and then, they heard a knock from outside.