Another chapter! Last one will be on Tuesday.

Beta-read by Kokodoru!

Once again, Luka sat at the head of a very large and long table, which was decorated with incredible amounts of food and drink, interspersed with candles, napkin rings, and expensive cutlery. The hall around them was brightly lit and lavishly decorated; the sober dark greys and reds of the old Hatsune emblem had made way to bright teal and gold.

The entire palace was a sight to behold. Better yet, the people at the event were joyous, happy, and drunk. Luka heard a healthy mix of both national languages, shouted and whispered, and everything in between. There was even music, a band in the far corner singing a catchy tune everybody else could sing along with.

"I still love it," Miku said, leaning towards her so that she could be heard over the noise.

"As do I," Luka replied, eyes also on the collection of flags that adorned the hall.

Wherever there was room, may it be between the windows, hanging from the new wooden rafters, or from individual flagpoles, hung the new flag. It had taken a lot of effort to design; they had called numerous vexillologists, been asked far too many questions, but after months of effort, they had decided on a simple design that said everything. The teal body was a perfect match to the shade of Miku's hair, reflecting their proud history and long family lineage. On the left side of the flag, also reflecting the old Empire's position relative to the Kingdom on the map, was a large golden swordfish: the animal on the Emperor's old crest. The swordfish had a thin but marked white outline, representing the newfound peace between them, and after two years, finally unifying as one.

It had taken them almost two years to iron out the details. Miku had done the bulk of the work, but her effort paid off: their two countries were unified into a single kingdom, with a single currency. For the most part, public transportation and energy issues were on the right track, and the attitude of the two peoples towards the change was slowly but surely shifting towards the positive.

There had been some backlash following their wedding, but their willingness to cooperate and make things better together had served as an excellent example. Water was supplied to the old empire's lands well within the promised six months, and Miku had lent a hand when it came to righting the local infrastructure to make sure everybody had access. As the months ticked by, it was less and less like they were lending each other manpower; the manpower was shared, and everybody could benefit from the sum of all they had. And everybody found some benefit, from the economic boost of the international ports to the north to the variety of refined goods like metals, glass, and jade from the south. The rest of the world was starting to recognize the entire nation as one body and started treating the two leaders accordingly. Miku, with her real experience with ruling, took international concerns in her hands regardless of what part of the land might be targeted or relevant, going from establishing trade routes, meeting with other world leaders, and trying to get her country within the international researcher mobility circuit. Since the two of them hoped to help science along in any way possible, Miku wanted to let their researchers and scientists go abroad and learn from others, all while promising others that their nation had much to teach in return. Citizen-born Luka was the one who took that responsibility: she was present locally, at first in her old country, and eventually throughout the entire nation, talking to citizens, majors, and other local leaders. Part of her responsibilities included tying both nations into one while lifting them out of the post-war chaos, and bringing various sectors from water, electric power, and education up to international standard. This tied into Miku's efforts of making their country more attractive, not just for researchers but for tourism, work, and general living. The Queen and Princess made a good team in that way, and once they better understood both cultures at play, the various differences and similarities, it almost became easy.

Almost.

There always was more to do.

That evening, though, they could take a few hours to celebrate. There was reason to, after all.

"Happy two years," Miku wished her, raising her glass of wine.

Luka chuckled; the speeches had been done, the food and drinks served and poured for hours now, but the tealette always insisted on saying it again, later, when nobody else could hear them. Their own little moment.

It was endearing, really.

"Happy two years," Luka said back, bringing their glasses together. The pure crystal made a beautiful, full sound. "I'm looking forward to many more."

Miku giggled between sips of wine. "As do I."

Luka drank as well, her eyes on the other woman.

It was so hard to believe that it had been two years since their wedding. Two years since that endless ceremony, their nighttime conversation, their agreement to be friends. They had not only rebuilt so much of their war-torn lands, but so many other details had changed. The flag had been one single part of such a large puzzle. Luka wore a mix of King's robes and Emperor's suit, with the crown of Princess Consort topping it all. The colors were a beautiful mix of a deep, earthy brown and steely grey, some golden decorations reminiscent of the love of gold of her ancestors, the blue gems reminding people of the Hatsune half of her family. Miku's dresses were designed in a likewise fashion, the opulent robe of a Hatsune Queen mixed and matched with the reserved, almost conservative cut of an Empress Regnant. She wore the same colors, featuring the blue of the sea more heavily, balanced with a more generous helping of gold.

The change to their attire was only the first detail of note. As anticipated, many laws had to be drafted, written and enforced, not only to encourage peace between their bitter peoples, promising equal job opportunities, protection from discrimination, higher punishment for hate crimes, protecting 'mixed' families but also to make their vision of the future real. Full gender equality was in the works, held back solely because so many higher-ups needed swaying. With two women in charge, the conversations were strained and strangely convoluted, and while they had to grapple with some impressive mental gymnastics, the two usually got their way. There was the expected resistance: many didn't want the legal age to marry to rise, many didn't want the age restrictions for relationships to be imposed, many didn't want women to own property or to start businesses. Even when it came to issues that were purely a concern for royals, like the privilege of arranged marriage for the Hatsune bloodline, they encountered resistance, flouting tradition and such.

But change was coming, no matter how slowly.

Luka could hardly believe the two of them had accomplished so much in only two years. Despite her youth and appearance, Miku was a fierce leader. Perhaps a bit spoiled, a bit brash at times, but her heart was always in the right place. Others would probably point out her somewhat sickly nature: her immune system was weaker than most, but she had no control over that. She took no nonsense from others, especially from those who underestimated her because of her youth, gender, and inexperienced appearance. She had also been a spectacular partner to work with. Luka could easily imagine working with her for the rest of her life. It had started out as a scary thought, but there, at that great dining table, adorned in their colors and surrounded by their people, she felt that this was a deal that could last forever.

The Queen stood and turned to her. With a bit of a bow, hand extended towards her, palm up, she asked, "May I have this dance?"

Luka smiled, took her hand, and followed her to the dance floor. As always, Miku led the dance. She might have been shorter, she may be the one wearing the dress, but she had had to teach the steps to Luka somehow and it had stuck. After two years, neither could fathom switching no matter how much their professors and friends might complain.

After a few rounds across the floor, Miku spoke up, her voice not only hushed but in a slightly hesitant yet good take on Luka's language. "I never asked, I think," she started, still trying to find the right words at times, "Why do you wear only men's clothes?"

It wasn't such a strange question: Miku wore pants and suits on occasion. Luka, however, would not switch. "I hate dresses," she admitted. "And skirts. There's just something about them that makes me so uncomfortable."

"Is that so? Why?"

"I can't explain it. It's always been like that for me. I've always worn jeans and shirts while all the other girls wore anything and everything. My parents were too wise to try to change that. Plus, you know, it wasn't like I was going to rule the country someday."

Miku hummed, the hand on Luka's waist following the seam upward, just a bit. "It has always suited you, fortunately."

"Did you want to see me in a dress?"

"Perhaps. I think that would suit you, too."

"Maybe. I don't know how to carry myself in a dress," Luka pointed out with a chuckle. "Imagine me, stomping around the palace with the finest couture."

The tealette rolled her eyes. "You don't stomp."

"In heels like yours? Like an elephant."

Miku chuckled. "That's fair."

"I might give it a try someday, though," Luka whispered. "Maybe."

"There's no obligation to. I was simply wondering."

Luka hummed, letting the Queen lead as the pace of the song changed, ended, and then started with a new dance.

"I had another question," Miku muttered.

Luka chuckled. "We've been married for two years. Just go ahead."

"I suspect that the day may have reminded me of this one. You said, two years ago, that you had never considered marriage."

"Right."

"Why is that?"

"I guess it was as simple as not thinking it was worth considering," she said, but the confusion on Miku's face pushed her to explain further. "I never really had any obligations towards others in that regard. Nobody cared who I married and I never needed to churn out heirs for anything. I was left to do what I wanted to do, and I wanted to do so many other things. If I were to stumble on an opportunity to make a family, that would have been great, but I would have gladly waited until my thirties for that. As far as I was concerned, I had my whole life to live as I saw fit."

Miku nodded slowly. "It's a strange thought to me, to wait so long."

"You grew up with different expectations."

"I know. Thankfully, I can now better understand why people do wait as you planned to. We have so much time to focus on things that need finishing first."

"Yeah. Getting used to being a ruler, for one."

"And learning about our differences."

"Learning about each other."

"And ourselves," Miku finished. "I was always supposed to be somebody's wife... That was the summary of what I was to be. I suppose I never had to consider who I wanted to be."

Luka nodded. "Yeah... It's a matter of perspective."

"Precisely."

Miku smiled. After a moment, she held the taller woman a little closer. "I am grateful for what you have taught me."

"As am I. I don't think I could have ever imagined that we would work together so well."

"Likewise. Every day with you is like a pleasant surprise, in that regard. It is nice."

At that moment, the dance ended. After a little nod, they agreed that it was enough for the moment. They bowed to one another, as was custom, while the others in the room applauded the dancers.

"It is nice," Luka agreed as they made their way back to the table, once the noise of the crowd had subsided.

It really was. Everything that they had found and made together was nice. This sort of outcome was beyond the scope of anything she could have imagined, back when she had been told that a marriage contract was their only way out, back when Miku declared that she too was last. From their common goals to their teamwork to the easy way they got along, nothing about their friendship was anticipated or unwelcome.

She chuckled to herself. She did not know the late Emperor all too well, but she could only imagine how much he would have loathed how things had gone since his death. She wondered which he would hate the most; his last living relative marrying the King's daughter, or letting the Kingdom absorb the Empire while at it? All things considered, the joining of their families and lands had probably been the very, very last thing on anybody's mind.

She had to wonder what her parents would think. They had never liked the Kingdom much, but Luka wanted to believe that they would be proud of all she had learned and accomplished, no matter the compromises. She wanted to believe that they would be happy for her.

Luka looked at Miku, who was observing the festivities.

She didn't get an opportunity to really look at her often. They lived in different parts of the palace, worked with different people, tackled different obstacles. When they did meet, there was always something to do, speeches to rehearse, agreements to draft, customs and protocols to practice. There was no time for idle chit-chat, which was why Miku probably had those questions saved for so long. Luka wondered what kind of questions she would ask in return if she would ever get the time to think about that. Theoretically, they could probably hang out for hours at a time. They might get along splendidly even without work keeping them together. Maybe there was room for a sincere, personal friendship. That is, if they would ever have the time for that.

Luka hummed at her own thoughts, taking in the Queen's appearance. Since their wedding, Luka had to admit that she had gotten visibly older. Granted, it was only two years, but as she had said, every year counted. Few things hadn't changed; her skin remained strikingly alabaster, her hair teal and magnificent, with eyes to match. Yet, at nineteen, she was already more a woman than a girl, tempered and hardened by her work.

She had gained an aura that commanded respect, and a hint of admiration. Luka did both. How could she not? It was almost mind-bending, to think that they were married. That she was married to this very person, despite everything that once stood between them.

"Luka?"

The Princess flinched; she had been staring. In Miku's language, she stammered, "Yes?"

"Are you alright?"

"I was thinking," she admitted.

"What about?"

"How strangely happy I am to be here with you. How, perhaps, we should hate one another. Yet we don't."

Miku nodded, and Luka realized that this was probably one of those conversations that was years overdue.

"I suppose neither of us ever had the time," Miku muttered. "I was angry when my father died, of course. And, until I realized that you were only barely related to the Emperor and had no part in the terrible war between us, I was angry at you. Even then, we already had more pressing matters to deal with."

Luka felt her smile drop a bit. "Right. That makes sense."

"You never hated me?"

"Not really. I was angry at the idea of you, I suppose. Your family, your kingdom. But when I first saw you, dressed all in black, it made it easier to see that we were in the same boat."

"Yes, I understand..." Miku leaned towards her a bit. "Having those small, yet crucial details in common helped. Being the last of our families, resigned to our fates, with far too much control over others and yet so little over our own lives? We could not be more different, but these elements paved common ground for us both to stand on."

"I know, right?" Luka said with a wink, and Miku rolled her eyes; now that the Princess knew the language better, it was all the more obvious how terrible that translation was. It really did not cross the language barrier, coming across with a tone closer to "I am aware, can you confirm?". Her playful retort faded, and Luka went on, saying, "However, we probably shouldn't have become friends so quickly, even with all that considered."

"Perhaps, perhaps not. Who else would have truly understood our situation?"

Luka paused; she hadn't considered that. Lily had been there for her since the start, growing up with her, holding her during the funeral, advising her since her first day as Empress Regnant. She would have been lost without Lily, but her friend never truly understood.

"That's a good point."

"It is sad that we had to use our shared misery to find common ground, but considering all our differences, it has served us well in the end," Miku mused.

"It has." Luka looked at her again. "I..."

"Yes?"

She didn't know how to put it in her language, so she changed to her own, speaking slowly so Miku would understand and she wouldn't have to repeat herself, "I can't help but wish that we could get to know each other a bit more, though. We've been married for two years, but it's only during these parties that we can sit down and chat."

Miku laughed. "Oh, it is not just me," she said, somewhat awkwardly. "I was thinking that we should have had these conversations months ago!"

"Exactly!"

"Perhaps we should make time for us," the Queen suggested as she ushered over the waiter, who brought in more wine.

"Could we?"

Switching to her own language, she said, "You are so preoccupied with whether or not we can, that you have forgotten to consider if we should."

"Well, I suppose that it might be a good idea. Knowing about each other's cultures is one thing, but if we don't know each other all that well beyond the scope of being coworkers..." She trailed off. "What?"

"You don't recognize that?"

"Recognize what?"

"It's..." Miku chuckled. "It is a very popular quote from our pop-culture," she said, trying her best to keep her expression stoic, yet failing comically.

"Are you telling me that you just quoted a movie or something?"

"Yes! I do that at times, but I always thought you had not watched those films. This one—"

"You quote movies often?"

"I love movies!"

Luka stared, dumbfounded. "Well, case in point then," she said, sipping her wine. "I don't even know your favorite movies. Some friends we are."

Miku laughed. "Do you like movies?"

"I love them, too! I don't know which ones you're watching, though. I didn't catch a single quote."

"What do you watch, then?"

Luka listed off some of her favorite titles, her dismay growing as recognition failed to appear on the Queen's face. "Seriously? Not a single one?"

"Perhaps the titles were translated to something very different, here."

"Or maybe we were just exposed to very different kinds of media," Luka muttered. "We should start doing movie nights. Maybe."

"Yes! Every week we watch a local or personal favorite!"

"And we could alternate who chooses each week."

"Yes, let's do it!" Miku cheered. "We should make time as soon as possible."

Luka chuckled. "Yeah. I guess we can."

"Who can deny us?" the Queen asked rhetorically.

"Well, it might be silly to put the whole country on hold for the sake of a movie night with a friend."

"Perhaps," Miku admitted with a shrug. "I would rather explain that I wish to spend more time with my wife, however. They would probably take that more seriously."

"Ah. Right. That does sound a bit more... Official."

"Quite," the Queen said with a grin. "Shall we make it a weekend event?"

"If that's easiest for you: I don't work with the particularly self-important and high-and-mighty."

"Very well. I'll let you know when we shall meet up for our movie night."

"I can have Lily make sure a room is prepared."

"Will you bring the first title?"

"I'd probably have to get them imported. I mean..." Luka chuckled. "Moved here. They're all back home."

"Then I will bring my favorite movie," Miku said happily. "I can hardly wait!"

"Likewise."

Again, they clinked glasses, but Luka's mind was already far, far away.

Being married to Miku was one thing to accept. It was a fact of her life. She was the Princess Consort to the Queen.

But it was another to call the teal woman her wife.

It was so much more personal.

Between the two of them, they had always referred to one another as friends, or even as coworkers or teammates. Since that first night, they hadn't ever used the word wife. Even with others, Luka talked about Miku as 'her Queen'. Never as 'her wife'.

Part of it stemmed from the fact that originally, Luka had been married to a minor. Miku had become an adult since, but it sat so poorly with the Princess Consort that referring to the girl as her wife had made her physically sick. Even after two years, their age difference was still somewhat uncomfortable.

Another large part of it stemmed from the discomfort of having a wife as a woman. It was unheard of in both of their countries. People still weren't all too happy about the idea. Other nations allowed same-sex marriage, and some other leaders were in such unions themselves, though out of love rather than duty. Miku dealt with them far more regularly, while Luka only ever heard of them. Maybe the tealette had gotten better acquainted with the idea. Maybe that was why she had said it so easily.

She regarded Miku again, more carefully this time. She was chatting with her advisor, some tall man named Kaito. He had the deep blue hair more common in their nation, that same pale skin. Most people in the land of the Hatsune Kingdom had either or both of those traits: pale skin and a cool colored hair. Half of the people in the room fit that description. The other half had the warmer colored hair, the deeper skin tone of those who roamed sun-baked lands, sailed simmering seas. Very few individuals in the room had a mix of those traits: one of them was an international relations expert, Gumi, who sported green hair and a beautiful tawny beige skin tone. It was almost magical to see so many different colors and shades and palettes in a single room. Luka had grown up with only those like her. The pale 'ice men' of the north had always been 'the enemy'. Now? They were friends. They were all her people. From red to blue, from alabaster to obsidian, everybody in the room was a friend.

Only Miku had teal, though. Miku was the last living person with teal.

It was almost a shame, a crying shame, that she had gotten married to a woman.

Luka directed her attention back to her wine. It didn't matter how she felt, really, about being called Miku's wife. There was so much more at stake. It simply wasn't right that her status was stopping her from finding someone who could help make sure that the rare shade of teal would endure, and more importantly, someone to love for real. It wasn't right, really, sitting there as her spouse. Perhaps that was why Luka still felt so uncomfortable with the term. It was too painful of a reminder.

If they could just be friends, it would be fine. But no; she had to be her wife.

Luka finished the wine slowly, her eye still on the Queen. She took in the way her hair looked like the wide-open ocean at noon, all blue and endless. The rest of her features were equally beautiful; eyes like the sky, posture of a Queen, elegance and power of a ruler. And when Miku turned to face her, her smile curved just so.

Luka smiled back.

Why had Miku finally used that word? Even if it was merely to explain what she was going to say, then she could have used different words. Had she been calling Luka her wife to others? Had she gotten so used to it? Luka had to admit that they had never explicitly agreed to never use the word but she knew that Miku understood her reservations. Maybe she had grown to like the idea? What if she had?

"What are you thinking about this time?"

"I don't know."

"No?"

"You called me your wife."

"Aren't you?"

"Sure. But..." Luka trailed off. "Why? After two years of being friends?"

Miku thought about it for a moment. "Does it make you uncomfortable? I know I am still somewhat young compared to you."

"It's not really about that anymore. A tiny bit, but..." Luka struggled to find the words and switched to her own language so she could express herself easier. "It's just something you call someone you love. It's a couple thing. We're married, and we're partners, but we're not in love."

"Probably not," Miku conceded, still in her own language for the same reason. "You are still my friend and my partner, but I do want to think of you as you really are, without any censorship: you are my wife, and I value that. I think I finally said it because I realized that I would not have anybody else, love or no."

Luka did a double-take. "Oh."

"I'm not sure I ever told you this before, but you are one of the best things that has ever happened to me," the Queen explained.

"Yet, I still feel like I'm keeping you from so many better things."

"What things? Love? Children?" When Luka nodded, Miku continued, "I have never, not once, had the time to imagine that I would get the chance to fall in love and live happily ever after. I am now blessed with a spouse I can depend on and trust; that is already more than anybody has ever promised me. As for children, I must admit that I care far less about my bloodline and my hair than almost everybody else. Of course, I care to some degree. But I care about my bond with you more. If we must adopt our successors, then we shall. But it will not be for some time; we still have much to do."

Luka was gobsmacked.

Miku went on. "Our union is atypical, especially for our kingdom, but that will not stop me from respecting you as my wife, much like a husband would. That is why I used that word. However..." She trailed off, and her firm royal authority withered somewhat. "Even though that is how I feel, I should not demand the same from you. You are, of course, allowed to wish for a bond that is less pragmatic. After all, you grew up with that possibility. That is why, while I cannot imagine it, and I can barely stand the thought, if you absolutely require a romantic bond to be happy, I'm willing to allow that."

"What? No! I won't ever ask for such a thing," Luka said, drawing attention from some nearby guests. After assuring them that everything was alright, she said, "I will continue to honor the promises I made originally: neither of us will step outside the borders of our union, as described by your ancestors."

"Their rules are not yours," Miku reminded her. "While I insisted on them initially, I have grown to think that it might be backward to impose them on you."

"I agreed to them back then, and I'll keep to that today. Even more so if you are willing to make an exception just for me: unless we are both agreeing to break those rules, neither of us will."

"If you insist."

"I do."

"Then we shall stay the course. However, if it would make you feel more comfortable if I were to stop calling you my wife, then I shall," Miku said gently.

"No. It's alright. Just give me a little time. I think I just need to get used to the sound."

"Very well."

"Do... Do you want me to refer to you as my wife, too?"

Miku gave her a smile. "I would, but I will not ask you to."

Luka nodded and thought about it for a while. "Then I'll try."

"There is no obligation."

The Princess looked at the Queen once again. She had known her and worked with her for all of two years, and was fated to be her life partner. Did it matter so much, that she was a woman as well if she garnered the same respect and admiration as any other potential spouse would? Did it matter so much, when they already got along so well, enjoyed each other's company so much?

She truly was a sight to behold, too. Luka felt her heart skip a beat and she tried it out once, just for herself, in her mind.

"I know. But I want to try."