ᴛʜɪʀᴛʏ-ғɪʀsᴛ.

She felt small movements beside her the moment she woke up. She smiled softly when the first one she saw that morning was her son. She tried to sit up but she felt a hand resting on her arm. Her eyes averted and she found him sleeping beside them. Did he stay a night to take care of them? She reached for his hair and gently caressed it. He looked so tired. He must be awake all night since she just gave birth to their son. 

"Good morning, love." He mumbled and then, he opened his eyes to see the two most important people in his life. He sat up and placed a kiss on her forehead. 

"I need to feed Shu once he wakes up." She mumbled and he nodded. He helped her carry the little one in her arms and her smile went back when they saw him waking up. 

"Good morning, my little Shu." She whispered, placing a kiss on his forehead. Her body is still feeling weak but seeing her little Prince needing her milk makes her feel strong. 

She noticed the clothes she was wearing and there is a small opening on the upper part that will help her give her breast milk to the little one. She looked at him, feeling a little shy to show her upper body but she needed to. She pulled up that small opening and started feeding the little one. She bit her lips when she felt it was a little painful. It was her first time breastfeeding and she was having difficulty with it. 

"Does it hurt? Should I ask for a cold towel?" He asked and she slowly nodded. She didn't expect that he would be this attentive to them. He called the servant to ask for the towel and then, he went back to taking care of them. 

"I think you should go back home now. They might be looking for you already." She said but he shook his head. The Royal family already knew where he stayed at last night since the General needed to report to the King about things. 

"Let me stay here for a while and take care of you and Shu. Also.. about our marriage." He started but she turned away and focused on feeding Shu. 

"Fuyu, I will marry you and we can leave the Royal family if you think you can't handle it." He continued and she looked at him with a forced smile. 

"If joining the Royal family will make my life miserable, why would I marry you? I know you can abandon me anytime you want. I don't want to be in a marriage in which I'm the only one who thinks we are family." She said and he smiled faintly. 

"I will never abandon you, Fuyu. Neither our child. What do I need to do to prove to you that I will never leave you and Shu? We are a family, Fuyu." He cupped her cheeks and stared deep in her eyes. 

"I'm afraid, Sho. I'm afraid that you'll end up like my parents who abandoned us when we were kids. They never came back. They came back but they were already dead. What if it also happened to you? That after a chivalry, the one I will welcome is your lifeless body. Do you think our child will be able to accept that his father died in chivalry?" She asked in a shaky voice and she closed her eyes to prevent her tears from falling. 

"As much as I want to love you with all my heart, I can't do it. I'm afraid, Sho. I'm too afraid to lose you." She continued as she started crying silently. She felt a tiny hand gripping on her clothes and she looked down on their little one. 

"It will never happen, Fuyu. Trust me, please?" He wiped her tears and she moved closer to him for a comforting hug. 

A month after she gave birth, the Royal family prepared a carriage to bring them back to the castle. She was still unsure of accepting the marriage with the Prince but she remembered what he said that day. She should trust him. She went inside the carriage, wearing one of the family heirlooms, the Queen's wedding gown. The Prince is already in the castle and waiting for them to arrive. She smiled at their sleeping baby while carrying him in her arms. 

"It looks like we will have a sleeping ring bearer." She said softly while caressing his cheek gently with her finger. 

"Makoto will walk you in the aisle, right?" The Archduchess asked and she nodded. She felt like her heart would jump out of her chest soon. The Duchess took the little Prince from her while the oldest among them gave her the wedding bouquet. 

"Don't worry about your sleepy Prince. We will take care of him." The Duchess said and she chuckled softly. She will never get tired staring at her son's face, especially that he looks like his father. 

"I heard from Sho that the Grand Duke already proposed to you." She said to the Duchess and the older one blushed furiously. Until now, she can't believe that he has plans on marrying her. 

"I thought he was just kidding about it but it turned out that he is serious." The Duchess whispered and they gave her a teasing smile. 

"Kazuma has always been serious with you. Both of you still have a long way to go. You were able to end your relationship with Kazuki and now, you're starting a new life with Kazuma." The Archduchess said and they all agreed about it. 

They arrived at the castle after some minutes. The door went open and they went out of the carriage. The first and second battalions were there, lining up to welcome the future Princess back to the castle. She started walking while holding the wedding bouquet. Her twin brother and the General were waiting for her at the entrance. They heard something calling, so when they turned around, they saw the Baroness running towards her. Her eyes widened when she saw a pistol in her hands. The Baroness pointed it on her and pulled the trigger.