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Chapter 23
"...Riza?" Roy groaned croakily as he managed to peak an eye open, "What's wrong?"
"Roy." She turned around and said in a slightly surprised tone, "I'm sorry, did I wake you up?"
"...No, is something wrong?" He asked as he eyed her outfit, then peered at the alarm clock on the bedside drawer, "It's only six-thirty."
She slipped her two rings on her left ring finger before heading towards the bed and placed a kiss on his forehead. "Good morning, Roy."
He mumbled back the greeting and pouted, "You're leaving now? I thought it was tomorrow."
Riza nodded, "I have a meeting at eight. I haven't eaten yet and I don't want to be late."
"Right..." He muttered, then propped an elbow on the pillow and sat up. "Busy day?"
"Yes." She gave another nod and lightly rested her forehead against his as she heaved a sigh. "Good thing we've already assembled the school committee, so I'm going to meet them." Her lips curled up to a tiny grin as she leant away, "I signed the contracts with the donors before we left for Xing."
He returned the grin as his onyx eyes widened ever so slightly, and he spoke proudly, grasping her hands in his. "That's great, Riza."
"I also have a few interviews; One at the radio at eleven, the other at two for The Central Times, and one more at five for Amestris Evening Post–" Her breath hitched, before continuing with a nervous smile, "I hope I get a positive public reaction."
The raven-haired man blinked at his wife's expression, slightly surprised, before sitting her down on the bed and offered a smile. "I'm sure everything will go well; Good luck, nonetheless."
"Thank you, Roy." She returned the smile, and her heart fluttered when he pulled her in for a kiss. She sat closer to him, resting her hands on his shoulders as he wrapped his arms around her, deepening the kiss.
She chuckled when she spotted her lipstick stain on his lips as they pulled away, and wiped it with her thumb.
"I should get going now," She said as she wrapped her arms around him for a brief hug, before standing, "I'll be back for dinner though, so we might come back at the same time."
He kissed her hand, "See you later then, my dear." He then watched her head towards the door, grabbing the doorknob, but quirked a brow up when she turned her head to gaze at him. "Riza?"
The corners of her light rose-pink lips lifted up to a smile, and she said with a hint of tease in her voice as her honey hazel eyes twinkled. "Don't slack off at work, Roy."
The raven-haired man blinked, dumbfounded, before sighing and giving a moue as he spoke in a mocking-upset tone. "Of course not. My dear, just what exactly do you think of me?"
The woman glanced at the clock before turning around fully, facing him as she crossed her arms. "If you haven't skipped work so frequently when I was there, I needn't say this." Her mischievous smile widened, "Mister slacker."
"Oh, you truly hurt me, Riza." He shook his head and he sighed again, then lifted the covers off him and swung his legs off the bed before stalking towards her till he stood right in front of her, their bodies mere millimetres away from each other. "Well, you know what, now that I'm fully awake, I might as well just go to work earlier."
"And take a nap?" She teased, and lightly laughed at his reaction. He growled and lifted her up, holding her by her arse as he pushed her back against the door. Startled, Riza wrapped her legs around his waist and her arms around his neck, and she scowled. "Roy!"
He silenced her with his lips, pressing them firmly against hers, once again catching her by surprise. She soon responded to the kiss, a sigh escaping her mouth as their lips moved feverishly against each other's. He nipped her lower lip gently, his tongue touching her lips, and she complied his request by parting them, allowing his tongue to slip in her mouth and massage hers.
"Roy..." She let out a muffled murmur of his name against his soft lips, enticing him to respond with a hum as he further deepened the heated kiss whilst his hand slid from her arse to her thigh, and he squeezed it.
He released her lips just to place them on her neck, smirking as he felt the grip on his shoulders tighten.
"Roy," She stifled a moan as he kissed her sweet spots tenderly, and managed to gently push him away, regaining his full attention. He glanced up at her, staring at her through his narrowed, lust-filled onyx eyes and rested his head on her chest. She slipped her fingers in his soft, dark hair, massaging his scalp, and kissed the crown of his head.
He let her down and watched her fish out a compact mirror from her pocket on her dress, and wiped the smudged lipstick mark on her lips with her handkerchief and briefly fixed her makeup.
She pushed him lightly towards the direction of the bathroom, "You should take a shower and wash your face now."
"Ah, right." He swiped a finger across his lips, and noticed a patch of his wife's lipstick on his finger, though he turned around with a light frown and crossed arms, "But to think that you were going to leave without telling me."
"I was going to leave you a note," She said apologetically and held his hand and pecked his cheek before grabbing the doorknob, "But I have to go now, Rebecca is waiting for me."
"Alright." She smiled to herself as her husband replied with a sigh.
"That meeting took a lot longer than I thought it would," Rebecca grumbled as she entered her vehicle, then handed the blonde woman a bottle before buckling her seatbelt, "Here, your orange juice."
"Thank you, Rebecca," Riza said. "It did take longer than planned, but it's just a quarter past ten, so I'm sure we'll make it to the studio before eleven."
"Well... yes," The dark-haired woman took a sip of her ice coffee and placed it between their seats, then gripped the steering wheel and stepped on the gas pedal. She glanced at the First Lady, and chortled, "Nervous? How unlikely."
Riza loosened her clenched fists, mentally wincing when she realised she left nail marks on her palms.
"But I don't blame you for being nervous," Rebecca continued, "The radio would be played tomorrow morning, and the papers and magazines in the next few days would be all about you. You can expect more interviews from different newspaper companies. But really, there's not much you need to worry about with these," She offered a wide and bright smile, "The chances of having a negative public reaction are very slim."
"I know..." Riza muttered, then faced her assistant as she returned the smile, "But thank you."
"–Good morning, Amestris, and welcome to The Radio Capital, this is your host Kate Walker. Our guest today is the First Lady of Amestris, Mrs Riza Mustang. Good morning, Mrs Mustang, thank you very much for coming today."
"Good morning. Thank you for having me, Ms Walker."
"It has been a little more than six months since Führer Mustang has proposed to you in front of the crowd, and it had certainly shocked a lot of us. Before being proposed you were his adjutant, what were your thoughts when the Führer had proposed to you?"
"I was shocked too, like everyone. Not in a hundred years did I think that he would propose to me in front of a large crowd– the whole country."
"There were a few rumours going around about the proposal; Some people suspect it to be staged, and some say it was an arranged marriage."
"Oh yes, that, my assistant has told me about it. They really have overestimated my acting abilities, then. I am sure eagle-eyed audiences have seen me shed tears on stage when he asked me to be his wife. Oh, how embarrassing it was for the first thing I do the moment I was pronounced to be the then-First Lady-to-be, was to cry in front of everyone."
"Not at all, Mrs Mustang. I have heard that you been by the Führer's side for a decade, and it must have been hard to suppress your feelings for that long with the anti-fraternisation law. To me, and plausibly a lot of people, it had shown a completely different side of Colonel Hawkeye on that stage."
"...Well, it was certainly a very... blissful moment and feeling to know that your feelings are reciprocated."
"It certainly is. How are the First Lady duties? Have you started working on the social project yet?"
"Yes, I have... It's on literacy, and I am currently working on compulsory twelve-years education."
"Compulsory education for twelve years? There are quite a lot of people who can't afford education. For them to be able to attend school, would the fees be for free?"
"Yes. Government schools would be built in every town or city all around the country, so children who couldn't afford private school fees would be enrolled in public schools."
"Are dormitories considered?"
"For larger and more remote towns, yes."
"I see... What about the funds? it must cost... quite a lot."
"We are very lucky to have The Central Bank, Amestris Construction and Central University Press and more to sponsor us for this project."
"That is fantastic. Do you have an exact timeline?"
"Our plan is to start off with Central Area, then the East, the South, and so on. The construction has just started a few days ago in the Central Area, so it is estimated for all the schools in Central to be built by the end of 1922, hence for every school in the whole country to be built by 1930. This project, as you know, requires immense manpower, so I am very grateful to our donors."
"It may seem to be a long time, but it's actually very efficient. For the East Area, would Ishval be included?"
"Yes, it would."
"Well it's been a pleasure and honour having you here, Mrs Mustang, thank you once again for being our guest."
"It's been a pleasure–"
The Central Times; Thursday, 20 June 1920
EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH FIRST LADY RIZA MUSTANG: First Lady Riza Mustang, née Hawkeye sits down with Central Times' Danielle Ambrose to have a talk about her transition from Colonel to the wife of the Führer
Danielle Ambrose: Now shall I ask the question every single person in this country is curious about: How did you feel when Führer Mustang proposed to you in front of the crowd? Was there any indication that he was planning to have you to be his wife?
Riza Mustang: No, it was completely out of the blue– I was shocked like everyone else, and I'm glad the crowd seemed to be supportive about it. Little did I know that he was already planning to take me as his wife as soon as he was announced to be Führer.
DA: What is it like to be Führer Mustang's wife and the First Lady of the country? How did you deal with the hardships faced during the transition?
RM: I feel very blessed to have Roy as my husband, he is a very sweet and caring man. But yes, the transition from a military officer to the Führer's wife is definitely not easy. I am once again very grateful to my husband, my friends and of course, the people of Amestris for being very kind and supportive. The former Führer Grumman and First Lady Mrs Bradley had also been very kind to me, whom I am also thankful for.
DA: You have been Führer Mustang's adjutant for quite a long time before you became his wife. Were there any significant changes in your relationship?
RM: Well... Though I would not say that there was a hugely significant change between us, the marriage has definitely broken the barrier between us and brought us closer in every way.
DA: Have you started working on your social project?
RM: Yes, I have. My project is on literacy– which is having compulsory education for twelve years. Public schools will be built in every area for children who cannot afford private school fees.
DA: For several schools to be built in every area would certainly cost quite a lot. Are there any sponsors for this project?
RM: Yes, we are very fortunate to have The Central Bank, Amestris Construction, Queen Elise Hospital and Central University Press to be our donors.
DA: One last question; I hope I am not being intrusive by asking if you and the Führer have any plans in having a family?
RM: Yes, we are.
Omake:
"What are you listening to, Winry?" The golden-haired man asked his wife as he watched her and their kids listen to the radio attentively. He frowned ever so slightly as they made no effort to respond, then walked over to the table.
"—It's been a pleasure and honour having you here, Mrs Mustang, thank you once again for coming."
"Miss Riza?" He murmured.
"Likewise, Ms Walker."
"You missed the whole thing, Ed." The young woman sighed and deadpanned, then grinned down at her children. "Aren't you two glad?"
He raised a brow in confusion as the two grinned back cheekily. "Just what did I miss? What did Miss Riza say?"
"Aunt Riza says she's building schools! For free!" The boy said excitedly.
"Her project is on literacy— compulsory education for twelve years, so she's having public schools built all around the country, which means the school fees are free."
The young man's golden eyes widened slightly. "Oh, that's great. From what age?"
"Six."
He looked down at his son and smiled. "So you have two more years." He averted his attention to the sapphire-eyed little girl, "Three for you."
"I'm so glad Miss Riza chose this as her social project," Winry said relievedly. "We don't have proper schools here, and the private ones are way too expensive."
"We can still afford them with my state alchemist savings…" Edward muttered under his breath, then held the little girl in his arms. "But I'm surprised how excited you two are."
"Friends! We get to make new friends!" The boy grinned toothily as the girl chortled happily.
The young man blinked, and heaved a laugh. "Well, good for you. I didn't have many friends growing up."
The young woman scoffed as she crossed her arms. "That's because you and your brother wouldn't talk to anyone."
"T-That's not true."
"You two," Winry took her daughter from her husband and faced her son. "Don't be like daddy when you're at school."
Edward grumbled, but sighed and watched his family kid and laugh with a grin.
A/N: So sorry for the very late update...
This chapter is... kinda boring, I know. Sorry again. But I still hope you enjoyed reading it!
Reviews are much appreciated!:)