Dear Diary,

Jokes have been cracked since the beginning of my marriage to Lord Wolfram von Bielefeld, for two very different reasons. The first is because I was already a von Bielefeld to begin with: I was born Lady Louisa Anastasia von Bielefeld of the Lesser von Bielefelds. Lord Wolfram, of course, was born of the Greater von Bielefelds. For all intents and purposes though, we both just write our names as von Bielefeld. The second reason is one that everyone, including myself, knows. My husband is in love with the king, and I am just the replacement.

We Lesser von Bielefelds are country gentry. We made our small fortunes in our little provincial manors and cared for the small families who worked our lands. We hardly ever leave our rural corners of Bielefeld, so it is thought by many that we are called Lesser Bielefelds because we have little to no involvement with the Capital. That isn't the reason, actually, but we are content to let others think they're right.

Unlike the Greater von Bielefelds, we Lesser von Bielefelds are a lot less beautiful. I myself have brown hair and brown eyes, and I get easily lost in a crowd. My husband is a lot less inconspicuous. You couldn't lose sight of someone like him even in Blood Pledge Castletown.

Like many von Bielefeld marriages in the past, ours was an arranged one, but slightly different. We in the nobility very rarely ever married within our own Houses for fear of inbreeding. Then again, I suppose no one really ever thought Wolfram and I would have children, but we did, thank Shinou, we did.

We have two beautiful children, just a couple of years apart. My firstborn is a little blond-haired and green-eyed angel we named Yuri, after his godfather the King. My youngest so far, a daughter, is Wilhelmina. We call her Mini, because she is a small copy of me. They are now seven and five, respectively, and they are my life's joy.

I've been told that a lot of people think I resent King Yuuri for his hold on Lord Wolfram. That is not the case. I do resent that he cannot love my husband as much as Lord Wolfram loves him, but that is all. I'm actually, if anything, thankful to him. It was on nights when Lord Wolfram cried over him that my husband and I conceived our children who are the light of my existence. It is Lord Wolfram's love for His Majesty that created my offspring. Yuri and Mini may not have been born from our love, but they were still born from love. Because of His Majesty, I have something to show for my love. The King is the reason why my marriage is complete, if not ideal.

It is now June. How quickly the year has gone by! In a few minutes, I will be packing my husband's clothes in his trunk. I feel sorely tempted, but I will not include little paintings of the children with his things. His time in the Capital is his chance to be himself without us for a while – it's his month in the year. Instead I'll pack his old pink nightgown, the one he never wears here. I'll fold it carefully and place a kiss on top of it where it would cling to his heart, before I set it on top of his other things. With it will be my wish that he would be successful this time and win the love of his life as I, for eleven months of the year, have mine.

"Louisa?" Wolfram called softly from the doorway.

She greeted him with a smile as she placed the last of Wolfram's things in his trunk. "My lord?"

Wolfram stepped into the room and locked the door. "Will you and the children be alright if I'm not around?" he asked.

She nodded and gave him a smaller, sadder smile. "I will take care of them in your absence, my lord. You don't need to worry. Please send his Majesty our regards."

He tried again. "Will you be alright?"

Louisa lowered her eyes. "Your children and the household will keep me occupied until your return, my lord. I shall not be idle."

She is a true von Bielefeld, Wolfram thought. Articulate, but vague. "I am not asking whether you will be lazy. I am asking whether or not you will… miss me."

His wife blushed and Wolfram was reminded of when he met her when she was sixteen and he, eighty-seven. She was a full-blooded Mazoku and he looked but a few years older, but he often forgot how very young she still was at twenty-seven. She was even younger than Yuuri. Wolfram gazed at his wife with an amused expression as she scrambled for something to say.

"I… I…"

"You won't?" He was toying with her now.

Louisa narrowed her eyes at him. "I won't! I have two children under ten years old to take care of and an entire manor to worry about while you're gone. When would I have time to miss you?"

For the first time in their mostly quiet, decade-long marriage, Wolfram laughed. Soon he was laughing so hard that his shoulders shook.

"What's so funny?" Louisa demanded.

Wolfram got a hold of himself and answered, "You."

"Me?"

"Yes, you," he replied. "For ten years, it has always been 'Yes, my lord' and 'Of course, my lord'. I never thought you had it in you to disagree with anything I said, let alone yell at me. It's refreshing, how you stood up to me just now. It's such a shame you just showed me that side of you today. You're a true von Bielefeld, Louisa – you're breath-takingly beautiful when you're angry."

The lady of the manor was thunderstruck. "Uh, I…"

Wolfram grinned at her and then walked up to gently take her into his arms. "I just sent a pigeon out to Yuuri that I'll be sending the reports via a runner. I don't feel like going back to the Capital this year."

Louisa laid her head on Wolfram's chest, put her arms about his waist and purred in contentment before asking, "Why?"

Wolfram breathed deeply and sighed into her hair. "I didn't want to leave… the kids."

She nodded, but because she was being held, she seemed to be rubbing her cheek against her husband's chest. "Oh. Of course. Well then, I'll unpack your clothes." she said cheerfully. She then pulled away from him and seated herself in front of the chest once more.

Wolfram scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "I… I didn't want to leave you, either."

The clothes Louisa was holding dropped from her hands. Her hands trembled, so she promptly folded them together on her lap.

Wolfram sat down in front of his wife, his back leaning on the back of the trunk. He then took her hand in his and put their clasped hands on his lap. "It's blueberry season and your blueberry cheesecakes are the best in the kingdom."

Louisa's smile returned. "Lady Celi told me it was your favorite."

"But your love is the sweetest: it leaves no room for doubt."

Her eyes grew wide in surprise. "My lord…"

Wolfram shook his head. "I love this life. I love the idea of us. I love our kids and I love living without waiting for the other shoe to drop."

She eyed him with a puzzled expression. "What are you saying?"

"I've fallen in love with you, Lady Louisa von Bielefeld. You aren't my first love, but you will be my last – the great love of my life."

Lady von Bielefeld let go of her husband's hand to go back to the humble task of unpacking his trunk, her cheeks a becoming shade of rose. She's a von Bielefeld, alright. Wolfram thought. She'd rather prove her love with actions because she finds so little value in words.

After a few moments, Louisa stopped and smiled at him. "My lord?"

Wolfram brushed her lips with his and whispered something in her ear that caused her to blush to a deep crimson. As Louisa grappled for something to say, Wolfram scooped her up and carried her to their marriage bed. He was a von Bielefeld too, after all.