Perhaps those mountains of small worries had worn down Gale's already exhausted back, but if he didn't care about these things, then what would he call his sense of existence?
"If you take on too many obligations alone, what would the world matter if you're not there to enjoy it?" Historia's voice lowered into a serious whisper as she said, "I don't want you to misunderstand me, I just want you to know that I'll make sure from now on that you're okay."
"To begin with, I don't mind you caring about my safety. You know better than anyone that I'm the only person capable of saving everyone's lives. If I achieve my goals, we can create a better world without resorting to war."
"Of course, of course. If you say so, then it must be true."
Ignoring the words he had repeated several times to reassure her, Historia began to slide her fingers over Gale's wound-covered hands.
Gale could feel the difference between Historia's soft hands and his own. She, who had long since stopped being forced to work, had regained the purity that only noble families possessed.
Before long, the pain in Gale's neck began to lessen, and the headache that had been tolerable faded into something almost pleasant.
Noticing the improvement in Gale's condition, Historia pulled back slightly, still close but now leaving only a small space between them.
But they were still holding hands. Her dark eyes, slightly tinged with green, shone under the moonlight as she spoke.
"Now then, shall we get to the main topic?"
"There's a main topic?"
"Now then, shall we get to the main topic?"
"There's a main topic?" Gale was surprised by Historia's question.
"Of course! I always knew you were intelligent, Gale, but I didn't expect you to be so capable as to change the history of our country in such a short time. How can I be more useful?"
"Ah, so that's what she was curious about," Gale thought as he searched for a way to give her a satisfying answer.
Gale chuckled lightly and shook his head. "Well, you're a queen, and as you know, within your body exists the royal bloodline, similar to Dina, the current holder of the Female Titan."
"Yes, I know."
"The importance of your existence lies in your descendants, because right now, since we have no choice but to rely on the Titans, there must be someone to inherit the Founding Titan after Eren's death."
Gale didn't want to admit it, but at least in their current situation, one of Historia's descendants would have to inherit the Founding Titan.
He didn't want to tell her that it was impossible for the years to pass peacefully until that point, since it was likely that Eren would activate the Rumbling if their technological progress wasn't sufficient to match their enemies when the time to fight arrived.
"A descendant…" Historia, as a queen, accepted that reality fairly quickly.
"That would be ideal, or we could find a way for someone else to inherit the Founding Titan and have one of your descendants act as their close contact." Gale thought that would prevent Historia's descendants from inheriting the power of the Founding Titan directly.
Historia tilted her head, reflecting for a moment before responding, "Until when will we stop depending on the power of the Titans?"
"In political discussions, never. Titans are our origin, and we will reclaim all the intelligent Titans—we will always have elite warriors in our ranks. But if my projects progress quickly, in thirty years we will stop depending on the Titans."
"But forget about that. I'll make sure to find a way so we can enjoy things more." Gale didn't want Historia to disturb her peace of mind too soon.
They had eleven years before Dina passed the power of the Female Titan to someone else, and Gale would make sure to gain an advantage before she died.
"Uh… um… I, uh…" Historia stammered, clearly at a loss for words.
The spark of curiosity in her eyes had dimmed, and now they wandered as her expression grew nervous.
It was amusing. She was probably dealing with thoughts she had never had to consider before about being Gale's fiancée.
Gale shrugged and continued, "Think about it more carefully later. There's no fixed answer, but at least you should find one that you can accept for yourself."
"So, about how to be useful to me, do you have any ideas?"
"Hmm…"