Bismarck's (attempts at) Dailies

The sun was setting over Westton Castle as John returned to his chambers, undoing the buttons on his shirt with a sigh as the door closed behind him. Three years it had been since the war's end and his duties as lieutenant largely revolved around providing relief efforts. Rebuilding villages and farms took time, and many refugees still lived in or around the capital. The Valkyrie Guard did what they could to provide help to them and keep the peace. He freed himself from his shirt and tossed it into their laundry hamper, moving to one of the windows to watch the sunset. There was one peculiarity to his magic he'd never quite gotten used to; brilliant lights weren't blinding to him, and he could stare at the orange sphere of the sun with no pain. The skies were clear and cloudless. The door opened and Claire entered.

"Oh, you're already back." she said with a sweet smile. Most days were spent apart, Claire attending to her many duties as princess and heir apparent. Sometimes he would accompany her as bodyguard when she met with envoys, but duty demanded they remain at arm's length, married or not. John returned the smile.
"Finished a bit early today."
"A bit early being about five minutes?" She approached from behind and wrapped her arms around him, placing a gentle kiss between his shoulder blades. He took one of her hands in his own.
"I'll take what I can get." he said. She sighed and rested her cheek on his back.
"We should get away. Go on a trip somewhere and let somebody else handle everything. I met with the ambassador from Phoenicia again today..."
"And how did that go?"
"As well as always. Ideologues are so tedious."
"He's passionate."
"Passionate, yes, but most people don't come to their new allies preaching their revolution." Claire sighed. "The politics of it bores me so. Does that make me a bad monarch?"
"I wouldn't say so."
"You would never say so." She released him and turned him around to embrace him properly, and they kissed. "I say we go. Go to Ydaica, or maybe go east for a month or so and just get away from it all."
"If we went anywhere, we'd be playing diplomats," said John. "And I wouldn't be enough to protect you." Claire pouted.
"Can't it just be the three of us for once? Just for once..."
"Wait, the three of us? What do you mean?" John gave her a quizzical look and she giggled. She took his hands and tugged him towards the bed, and they sat.
"You know, you've been slacking a bit lately. So disappointing from my captain-to-be."
"Slacking? How?"
"The maidenleaf plant hasn't been pruned in days." she said with a playful smile.
"It's hardly my duty to- wait, you mean...?" His eyes widened and she laughed.
"Didn't I make it obvious enough? I'm pregnant!" John's face lit up like a new sun, his eyes radiant.
"You are?! You are!" He kissed her again. "Goddess in Heaven!"
"We should go on a trip before I tell mother so we can get some time where we aren't bothered all the time. Just the two of us, before the baby."
"Of course! Of course!" John laughed and embraced her. "Our baby! Our princess!" He kissed her face and she laughed.