Liechtenstein hummed a little tune to herself as she toured the aisles of the supermarket, carefully placing items in the basket that swung from the crook of her arm after thoroughly examining its price and quality. Switzerland had taught her well.
Ordinarily, the man she called 'Big Brother' would have accompanied her on an errand such as this, but that was when she was little more than a child. Physically, she had grown older and more mature, and she had come to relish these small outings that she took alone. It wasn't that she didn't enjoy the company her brothers provided, but that she had started to require a little space. These errands were often easy and mindless, and gave her mind time to wander and explore the many thoughts that crossed her mind. She supposed that it was a side effect of her new-found maturity, and she had to say that she rather enjoyed it.
"Your husband is a lucky man, to have a sweet young wife like yourself," said an elderly matron nearby, and Liechtenstein looked up automatically to see who she was talking to.
She realized with a start that the old woman was referring to her, and her face flushed with sudden embarrassment.
"You misunderstand, ma'am. I run errands for my older brother; I have no husband."
"Oh!" the woman's reaction came colored with shock, but not shame. "Well, you are a very devoted little sister," she said, attempting to remedy the situation and failing utterly.
"Thank you ma'am," Liechtenstein replied, trying to keep some sense of dignity as she excused herself and went to pay for her groceries.
Old human women, she decided, were entirely too bold. Perhaps it came from being so close to death; they had nothing to lose so they could be as nosy as they pleased without consequences. She could not relate.
She left the shop quickly, her mood considerably darker than it was before. Marriage. A husband. A romantic relationship. These were the things furthest out of her reach. Despite the fact that her body had matured and was closing in on adulthood, the rest of the world still saw her as the weak little child she had been when Switzerland had taken her in off the streets. Not only that, but every male nation that came in contact with her seemed to develop a sort of sister-complex and declare himself to be like a brother to her, as if she required yet another sibling. But, even if one of them decided to take notice of her in another way, they would surely have the contents of a revolver emptied into their skull, and the threat was surely more than enough to keep every potential suitor away. And marriage was surely impossible for her, landlocked as she was between her true brother and the man who would never consider himself anything but.
In the eyes of the world, she was untouchable, and there was nothing more aggravating for a young woman of her age.
She completed the rest of her errands quickly and without joy and started to head home, her mood utterly destroyed. She hated being considered nothing but a little frilly thing on the side while around such beautiful countries like Hungary and Belgium. She wanted to be wanted. And she couldn't help but feel that no one ever would.