Chapter 4 The young lady who stands off against a formidable enemy
Sitting facing each other, I decided to calm myself by drinking the tea for the moment.
Just like the impression I’d already had of him, Erich Von Weimar was no ordinary person, I thought.
Normally, when I use my fan and treat them like objects, I’d be able to read some kind of emotion on their faces.
And yet, he didn’t show even a hint of being shaken up, he simply looked up at me with clear eyes.
But that man was seven years my senior. It can’t be helped that he had the time to spare. Perhaps he only views me as a little girl.
Knowing that means I should be on guard.
But, he’s already found my weakness which was bird feathers. It’s vexing, so vexing.
When I sent him a fleeting glance, our eyes met dead on.
I knew he’s been staring at me for some time now.
When I asked him why, he’d just praise me for my beauty.
「Hermina-sama is beautiful like a G.o.ddess again today. When I hog you all to myself, it feels like I’ll be completely punished」
“Again today” he says. I wonder, just how many times has this guy seen me before?
No way, scary.
Besides getting praised for beauty was something embarra.s.sing too.
「It’s obvious that I’ll be beautiful. I ordered my maid to make me as such, after all」
「Ah, I see. That’s why you wanted to bring them along when you get married, isn’t it?」
「Yes」
At this point, I wanted to asked whether he was okay with me bringing my maids along, but if I get greedy that’ll be another one of my weaknesses. I still have to be patient.
When I looked at my enemy… or rather, at Erich Von Weimar, he’d been grinning with a sweet, honey-like expression. If I have that continue to enter my field of vision, I’ll end up having heartburn.
But it’ll be my loss if I look away. With an intent to challenge, I continued to stare at him.
「Hermina-sama」
「What is it?」
「Are you really alright going through with this?」
「I wouldn’t be here if I wasn’t」
「That’s true. What a relief」
Even though I’d thought the conversation had ended with this, he was a honey man who comes asking for details.
「I’ve wanted to ask this for so long, but could you perhaps tell me why you kindly accepted the marriage arrangement with me」
「Because my uncle―― the king recommended it to me」
「I see. That’s a plain and simple reason, isn’t it?」
「Yes」
It was a mystery why he asked, but he gave a deep bow and expressed his grat.i.tude.
「I’ll say this at the start. I have no intention of causing Hermina-sama inconvenience」
「Oh. Is that somonotone」
「I also intend to make your wishes all come true」
「Goodness. How wonderfulmonotone」
‘That’s why, let me fool around a little‘, is that what you want to say?
「I’ll devote my life to you」
「Oh. What dreamy wordsmonotone」
This isn’t good. All my replies ended up turning into monotones before his pretentious words. I have to be careful.
I waited for him to say something again after that but he only looked at my face, wearing a broad smile.
I wonder if the opposite side has his own conditions for me?
It felt eerie that the treatment was a little too good. Having said that, I wasn’t about to ask why.
「Which reminds me, is work still keeping you busy?」
「Yes, that’s right. For the meantime, I may have to bother you to protect the household, Hermina-sama」
「Is that so. You’re strangely busy. It’s as if you’re getting punished for something」
「That’s――… true, isn’t it?」
Just what bad things did he do to be put to work so badly that he can’t go back home?
Was it punishment for laying a hand on a maid serving a prince and getting her pregnant?
But it was a mystery why even the prince he served was put to work along with him.
Well, there was a saying that “It"s good to have a husband that is well and absent from home” and it doesn’t seem like there was any other problems.(1)
「Is there any other requests you have for me?」
「No, there’s nothing else」
「Is that so?」
With that said, the room turned completely silent.
If our business was over then I’d like him to quickly go home, so I tried suggesting that we head to the south-south west direction to the exit.
「Thank you so very much for your kindness. Well then, I suppose it’s about time I take my leave」
「Yes, until next time」
I like that he was a good mind reader.
I sent Erich Von Weimar off on the spot with a full-blown smile.
Since he went out, my smile dropped into a frown, but then, of all things, he looked back my way.
「Ah, Hermina-sama, I don’t know when we’ll next be able to meet」
「That’s fine」
Hurriedly waving my hand, I urged him to return home.
…ah, woops. The hand movement I was making was a “go away” motion.
He looked like he didn’t mind the rude treatment. Just how thick-skinned was this guy?
On the other hand, I ended up respecting him.
「Well then, I look forward to the next time we can meet again」
「Yes. Me toomonotone」
My words ended up turning into montones again since I said it without care.
–I’m completely fed up. I can’t lie for the life of me.
It was such a sloppy send off, but he’d gone home without wiping the smile on his face to the very end.
It was, how should I put it, exhausting. I ended up more tired than I’d imagined.
Was I really going to marry that man?
Somehow, I don’t feel like I’ll wi… no, no, there’s no way I’d do something like run away before a battle.
My training was still far from enough.
It had been a visit that got me thinking like that.
Several days after that, a letter arrived from a certain woman.
The sender’s name was Keira Von Weigand. Weigand was a viscount family and, wasn’t Keira the viscount’s wife?
I’d tried thinking back if I’ve ever a.s.sociated with her, but nothing came to mind. I have a feeling that she’s around 27-28 years of age. But she practically never showed her face in high society. What on earth was her business with me?
Once again, I checked the letter’s exterior. No doubt about it, the recipient’s name was mine. With my head tilted to the side, I opened the seal.
There, she’d written how she had something she’d like to discuss about Erich Von Weimar-dono.
–Ah.
The moment I saw his name, it dawned on me.
This must be that. It was about the snag in their mad love.
But well, pulling me into this, even if it was misplaced, was kind of extreme.
And she even wrote that she wanted me to come to the Weigand manor.
What reason did I have to purposely go there?
I was puzzled on what to do, but I’d just finished one stage of the wedding preparations.
Since I had a day without errands, I decided to try paying her a visit, treating it as a test to my abilities.
A few days later, it became the day I’ll meet Keira Von Weigand.
In any case, her business with me was probably something like asking me to back off for her.
Now that I think about it, I did hear that she worked as a maid at the palace. Most likely, the two were lovers.
I was thinking of how I should respond to an attack while I got dressed.
If possible, I don’t want to have a physical fight with a woman.
I’d rather end this discussion amicably for the sake of their activities im the distant future.
For the meantime, I thought about a strategy on how 『their love can last forever even after the marriage』. With me officially authorizing it, it will make it easier for them to have their tryst.
Since the maid told me that I was finished getting ready, I scanned myself on the full length mirror.
Today, I was dressed up in a round collared daytime dress.
It was green in color and had a very lovely design.
Wearing a hat with a flower decoration, I tried twirling around in front of the mirror.
「It’s perfect today too」
「Yes, Hermina-sama is the world’s best」
I decided to head out while feeling good from the maid’s words.
A maid, carrying an umbrella and a gift, followed right after.
It seems the Weigand manor wasn’t wide enough for the carriage to enter through the entryway.
We ended up getting off in the middle of the garden. Well, the roses were beautiful so it’s fine, though.
With the umbrella up, we walked until we reached the entryway.
The butler who welcomed us, greeted us with an uneasy expression.
Don’t worry, it’s not like I’m going to bite off your mistress, after all.
Even though I smiled to rea.s.sure him, the butler’s complexion gradually grew worse.
Anyway, all things considered, it’s quite surprising.
The Keira Von Weigand in my memory had an impression of a fragile and ill-fated beauty. To think that a woman like that fooled around.
The butler told me that his mistress was already waiting inside the room.
In front of the parlour room, I sucked in a breathe.
‘And so, the battle begins’, I thought, pysching myself up. Then, I knocked on the door.
(1) The saying seems to infer that the husband being away means he’s earning money for the family. In turn, it means if he’s at home, then he’s jobless.