Chapter 6 Direct confrontation with Erich Von Weimar!
Immediately after I returned home, I quickly wrote up a letter to my future husband.
Since it has been a while, I decided to use a stationary with a lovely floral pattern.
This time, I thought of sending a simple letter.
I’d written it quickly without taking too much time.
Erich Von Weimar-dono
I have something I’d like to discuss with you.
I’ll wait for you at the Reutlingen residence tomorrow night.
From Hermina Von Reutlingen
Since the maid heated essential rose oil for me, I dabbed the fragrance onto the letter.
I then inserted it into a envelope, tilted a small candlestick at hand, and spilled the wax on the closed spot. After that, I stamped the seal that contained the Reutlingen family crest onto it.
Since there was probably a chance that he won’t read it even if I send it to his house, I decided to have it delivered to his workplace. Three hours after I sent the letter, I received a reply. Along with a polite greeting, 「of course, I’m delighted」 was written in it.
The letter even had two pages. To think he’d go so far as to reply back with a long letter to that brief message, that person really is no ordinary man. I feel like I was a little defeated.
‘Tomorrow, I have to challenge him in a perfect condition’, I thought.
The next day.
Erich Von Weimar turned up right on the promised time. Maybe this was on his way back home from work, he’s wearing the knight uniform today.
The atmosphere was a complete 180 from when he’s in civilian clothes, maybe it’s because his hair was perfectly arranged, he had a gallant appearance.
With him like that, I apologized.
「I’m sorry for calling you out so suddenly」
「No, I’m glad」
Without alluding to any of my faults, he’d said, “It’s good that no work came up”.
It seems he was still busy as ever.
But even in this situation, he didn’t come here empty-handed.
He took a bouquet of vivid red roses that a servant had been holding and handed it over to me.
「Since it looked beautiful when I caught sight of it at town, I thought of Hermina-sama」
「My, how wonderful」
I love roses.
I received it with pleasure. After I admired the splendid flowers and enjoyed their scents, I handed them over to the maid to have them planted in a vase.
「Thank you for the beautiful flower of roses.」
「I’m happy that you like it」
Even with this, I ended up feeling impressed. He was a pro with regards to delighting women. His ingenuity at casual tricks probably can’t be copied by just anyone. That’s what I’d expect from a guy who’d been a ladies’ man for 27 years.
「Those roses are named Queen Roses, so I thought it fit Hermina-sama perfectly」
「Is that so?」
「Yes」
「If there was something called honey roses, won’t you be the perfect fit」
「Honey……？」
「Nothing, don’t mind me」
I ended our chit-chat here and moved on to the topic at hand.
「When we met before, you told me you’ll grant all my wishes, right?」
「Yes」
「No mistakes?」
“None”, he says clearly.
With that being the case, I decided to try talking about the child I heard from Keira Von Weigand yesterday.
「I met with Keria Von Weigand-sama the other day」
His face, which hadn’t stopped smiling since we’d met, froze in place. He showed me a clear change in his expression. Seeing that he was clearly upset, I hurriedly concealed the smile threatening to show on my face with my fan.
「Did she call you out, Hermina-sama?」
「Well, who knows?」
His expression swiftly turned serious and he pressed me for answers. In any event, it looks like the matter with the child was a taboo subject.
He continually asked me things like “what did she tell you?” or “was she alone?”, but I didn’t offer him any answers. Today was as much my time to ask my future husband for a favor, after all.
「I can’t believe Madame Weigand would do something like contact you」
「Rather than that, I have a favor to ask of you」
He placed a hand on his forehead and wore an agonized expression on his face, but he looked like he suddenly got what I meant when he heard my words.
Could he have guessed it?
Since he directed a burning look in my direction, a broad affirmative smile crept up on my face.
「That――you musn’t」
「My」
So he really won’t recognize the child.
“But you did tell me you’ll grant all my wishes, didn’t you?”, when I told him as much, the crease in his forehead grew even deeper.
「If you adopt her child, I’m sure in the near future, you’ll likely regret it」
「How will I regret it, specifically?」
「That’s… I can’t tell you」
It seems he can’t explain the situation in detail because of a strong pressure from somewhere not to do so.
Was he being forbidden to speak about it by the viscount family? This peerless ladies’ man, Erich Von Weimar-sama?
His family was an Earl family and it was even a distinguished family that continued since olden times. I’d thought his social status should be pretty high for that to be a problem…
「As for me, I can’t make a judgment if I can’t hear your reasons either」
「I’m very sorry, right now, I can’t tell you」
「Is that so」
Me, regret it? What on earth will I regret about it?
I thought really, really hard on it, but I couldn’t think of why I would.
Come to think of it, I noticed I’ve never regretted anything in my life. When I told him this, he a.s.serted 「if that’s so, then this would become the first in your life」 to me.
Those words sparked something in me.
「I wonder, why are you arbitrarily deciding my feelings for me?」
「That’s… I’m very sorry」
Turning his face to away, Erich Von Weimar apologized.
He had an uneasy expression. Who knew that even he would have a human side to him? I ended up staring fixedly at him.
“Shall we continue our discussion?”, when I asked, I got a strong gaze shot my way.
「Hermina-sama, I ask that you reconsider. If you simply want to adopt, there are other means to do so」
Erich Von Weimar was the second son, so he says there’s no need for a child of his own to be his heir.
「I’ll make sure you’ll inherit everything I own once I die, after all」
「Yes, that’s good, but…」
He looked anxious when he saw my expression. I guess he noticed that I won’t be swayed from my decision.
With a “Hah…”, he let out a big sigh.
「……I understand」
In the end, he eventually yielded. He says that he’ll adopt Keira Von Weigand’s child.
Taking this opportunity, I put forth another request.
「I have another thing I’d like to ask of you」
「……I’m afraid to hear it」
「It’s nothing big. If you compare it to my first request, that is」
The second request. Was something that was still related to the child.
「I’m thinking about a nanny」
Once again, Erich Von Weimar looked like he quickly understood. He’s too good at figuring things out.
「I want to make Keira Von Weigand–」
「It’s better to abandon that idea too, you know」
「Why?」
「If others in high society finds out, you’ll be placed in a bad position」
Adopting the husband’s love child and furthermore inviting the woman he had the child with, into the family. It does sound like an act of insanity. It wasn’t something a happily married woman would do.
「Should we adopt the child in secret, then?」
When he heard my request, he placed his hand on his forehead.
To think I was able to put him on the spot to this extent with the matter of legitimizing the child, I’m quite surprised.
But, a point that I was curious about came to mind.
I don’t sense that he felt pa.s.sion or love towards Keira Von Weigand at all.
I had been under that impression as she said there was love between the two of them, but could it have been one-sided? I really don’t know.
Well, the possibility that the action was done without love was also likely. That would be quite harsh, though.
Since he wore a pained expression when I happened to look at him, I decided to give some words of apology.
「Sorry, I’ve been forcing unreasonable demands on you from the very beginning」
「……I believe you’re the only one in the world who can put me on the spot like this」
「Oh my, is that so. You sure have it tough」
Though he’d said that, he eventually gave me his approval over the matter of the nanny too.
「……There’s nothing that can be done about the rumours spreading to high society, but are you truly alright with it?」
「Certainly」
Maybe I’ll be called something like, “a lunatic of a bride”, behind my back.
He wound up c.o.c.king his head to the side after asking whether it’s something to go that far for.
Not long ago, he’d told me there wasn’t a need for an heir. We could even just get along as a couple who simply goes through the motions of being husband and wife without one.
But, I can’t abandon a person in trouble.
She wasn’t a person I was acquainted with, but I want to help her out somehow.
That Keira Von Weigand, who looked like a shivering kitten.
She looked a little like the chestnut-haired kitten I used to raise.
It might be hypocrisy to give her a helping hand. But, I ended up thinking, ‘that’s fine by me’.
「You with your reputation as a philanderer and me being eccentric. I think we’ll be a good match」
「That’s――」
「We’ll make it work」
A husband and wife share the same fate.
“Let’s do our best from now on”, I said, offering my hand.
Once I flashed him a smile to dispel his wariness, he extended the clutched hand he had on his knee towards me.
Even though I thought of shaking hands, he placed his hand gently on top of mine while wearing an embarra.s.sed look on his face.
–No, I don’t mean that kind of shake.
Note: Below is the shake Hermina is talking about
FIRI: He did declare that he’ll be Hermina’s dog, lol.
I had to liberally change some parts to make it flow easier in English. If there are any experienced j.a.panese readers here, please let me know if there are better ways to translate some parts of this chapter.