Hermina was thinking in circles that night, and couldn’t sleep.
She spent so much time on it, but she still had no answers.
Of course, there was no way she was going to accept the terms of what that man said. She must not give in to his threats.
But if her daughter’s birth came to light, it would be an abomination to the royal family. That case should not happen.
For now, she didn’t think she should discuss this matter with anyone else just yet. It would be best to share information with someone she trusted and resolve the matter.
The first person she should turn to was her husband. She had a feeling he would be able to come up with a good plan.
He said he was going to serve in a neighboring country for ten days, but it was already a week before that man told her to give him an answer.
There was only one thing she could do.
Somehow, she would ask her husband to delay her answer before he came back.
Of course, she had no intention of divorcing him.
The marriage to her husband was a connection that was made by her uncle, who inherited her father’s will. She wanted to cherish it for the rest of her life.
Anyway, why did that man say that Hermina should divorce her husband? She couldn’t understand why that man wanted to get rid of her.
She just couldn’t understand it.
In the first place, if she was gone for ten days, she wouldn’t be able to attend her husband’s birthday party.
Hermina felt sorry for him, thinking about the fact that he would be spending his birthday alone in a strange place.
Well, she sometimes wondered if it would be more of a surprise to go to him on another day for this.
She decided to think about her husband’s birthday party after the problem was solved.
Two days later, Hermina got a letter from her husband, who was in the neighboring country.
She didn’t think she would ever be as happy to hear from her husband as she was today.
When she opened the letter, she found an apology for the sudden business trip, a thank you for the food and the date of his return, and a thin package.
When she opened it, she found a card with rose seeds in it. They seemed to be special rose seeds from a neighboring country.
Hermina wondered if it would be safe to send such a foreign plant, but there was a seal on the back of the package that said “Customs Approved”. After all, her husband was a man of integrity.
”
”
The card said, “They say that these rose seeds will grow to be a very beautiful flower. Let’s plant them together when I get home.”
Those words were very encouraging.
Now, she had to work hard until the day they would start planting roses. She sure didn’t have time to be so pessimistic.
In the first place, there was no way Hermina would give in to that man’s threats.
There were so many things to do: taking care of her daughter, preparing for her husband’s birthday party, socializing, and serving as the count’s wife.
She also had to find out about how to grow roses from its seeds. It must be difficult to find out. Later, she thought she would go and talk to the gardener.
In the evening, Hermina would begin to write a response to the letter of her husband.
In addition to telling him not to take it too far, she also added a thank you for the rose seeds.
At the end, she wrote, “I miss you somewhat, and I can’t wait to see you.”
She folded the letterhead and placed it in an envelope. She tipped a candle, dripped wax onto the part of the letter that would seal it and pressed the countess’s coat of arms to harden it.
She handed the letter to the butler and took her dinner.
Her mother was away on a trip with her friends, so it was time to eat in silence, alone.
In the middle of sipping her post-dinner tea, she suddenly came to her senses.
She couldn’t help but feel like she wrote something outrageous in her husband’s letter.
She desperately tried to remember the contents.
“…?!”
What did she write about how she missed him so much–?
“I’m not imagining it! How dare I!”
Hermina shouted so loudly that the shoulders of the maid, who was cutting up the dessert, a cake full of cream and strawberries, shuddered.
But this was not the time to worry about it!
She told the maidservant that she would be back again and ran to the butler’s office.
Without knocking, she abruptly opened the door and found the butler working on paperwork with his glasses.
“Oh, madam–?”
“The letter! Give me that back!”
That letter contained embarrassing words that she wrote unconsciously that she couldn’t let her husband read those!
If you hold out your hand, the butler would look at you in annoyance.
“Did you put it out?”
“Yes, just in time for the carriage to leave for the neighboring country…”
Hermina fell to her knees on the spot.
The butler ran up to me, concerned, but she told him that it wasn’t a big deal.
Her voice was trembling, though, so she wasn’t very convincing at all.
Somehow, she was afraid to hear a reply from her husband, but a few days went by and she still didn’t get a letter from him.
Hermina felt sad about that, but she knew she had to focus on that man’s call now.
Then came the day of the call. It was a crisp, sunny day.
The rose buds in the garden would be swelling up with the warmth of spring.
Hermina started to prepare for the call in the morning. She had decided that she would be even more armed than last time they met.
”
”
She took the time to choose a full plate of sheet metal armor, one of her father’s collections.
With the help of a maid, she put it on.
Then, she started with her feet.
She put on her iron shoes, Sabaton. These didn’t fit the dimensions of the ones that came with the sheet metal armor full plate armor, so she adapted the ones she had.
For the other parts that didn’t fit, she wrapped a cloth then put them on.
Hermina put on the shin grieves, knee pawlins, thigh quis and other equipment that would protect her feet. This alone was quite heavy.
She wasn’t sure which was more painful, since she wore the corrective underwear corset under her dress.
She then put on a foredeck breastplate and a forearm fold to protect her torso and chest.
On each arm, she wore an arm protection canon with elbow cooters and claw gauntlets.
On her shoulders, she wore a shoulder pole and its reinforcement.
For the throat, she wore a chin guard wrapper, and finally, the Great Helmet, which covered her entire head, and she was ready to go.
She checked in the full-length mirror and it looked fine.
It took five of us to do this, but all of the girls were not used to it, and they looked terribly tired.
Hermina thanked them for their hard work.
Once they were ready, they checked to see how far they could go.
Hermina swung her sword, tried to be passive on the ground, then run.
Well, the basic movements seemed to be fine. It was a defensive fight today, so that was good.
The agreed time was getting close, so they decided to head out in the carriage.
Hermina had asked the owner of the coffee shop for permission beforehand.
When she inquired, “I’d like to come to your shop next time with full plate armor and sheet metal armor.” He replied, “We’re always waiting for you.”
–This was the moment when she thought that the owner of this shop was quite capable.
The owner of the restaurant greeted Hermina as she entered, wearing full plate armor and sheet metal armor, and said “Welcome” without any surprise. He also told her that a companion was waiting for her at the back.
She thanked him and moved to the seat where he told her to take.
The foolish man, Ignaz von Saine, was sitting with his back to her.
She calmed herself down and approached him, but her sheet metal armor and full plate armor clattered, so the other party noticed her.
”–Who are you, you?”
“How do you do? It’s me.”
“It’s you!”
Apparently, she succeeded in surprising him.
But still, that dumb face!
The hard work was worth it.
She sat down, called the owner, and ordered two coffees.
This time, she decided to start talking about the news they brought in.
“You, what are you wearing?”
“I was feeling like putting on full plate armor today.”
“Don’t talk to me like you’re choosing a dress for your mood…”
Because Hermina didn’t want that man to see her face.
She looked unconcerned as she used her husband’s sword as a talisman, supporting it with both hands like a walking stick, but she was not at peace inside.
Her forehead and hands were still sweating.
Well, maybe it was just hot inside the sheet metal armor and full plate armor.
”So, have you decided on an answer–I don’t need to ask?”
“Yeah, I’d rather put it on hold.”
“Hoo?”
“I need to think about it more.”
“And in the meantime, I should not say anything?”
“Yeah.”
“You don’t say “free of charge,” do you?”
“I was hoping you’d say that. What do you want?”
Hermina waited anxiously to see what kind of response he would give her.
She had no idea what the other man would say to her.
The man stared at her with a serious face then uttered his request.
“– Are you free tomorrow?”
“No, I’m busy.”
After Hermina’s words, the conversation was cut short.
The man’s brow furrowed and his face turned pale. Sweat also started appearing in beads on his forehead.
“Hey you, are you okay? You’re pale…”
Hermina decided to lend him her handkerchief. She tried to take it out, but she couldn’t get it out right away because it was in a pocket on the inside of her armor. She had to take her armor off, so she quickly gave up.
“So, you don’t have to go to work tomorrow, then?”
“It’s my leave before I get transferred.”
“Fu~n, is that so?”
The man, who quickly recovered, told me to come here tomorrow. “Just come here tomorrow,” he said.
Hermina asked him what he was going to do when she came, but he didn’t answer.
But, well, if you’re just going to come and keep your mouth shut, you have no choice but to obey.
”Alright, alright. I just have to come, right?”
“Don’t come dressed like that.”
“What do you mean?”
“You wearing a man’s outfit and that armor.”
“I’ll have to borrow some servant’s clothes then.”
“No, not that either! Come on in a dress, like last time!”
Apparently, he wanted to tell me to flirt.
He was a slippery bugger, Hermina thought.
“I’ll wear my dress and be here tomorrow. Will this work?”
“Ah, you break it, you’re on your own.”
“Hai hai.”
Hermina got up and tried to leave.
“Wai-, wait.”
“What?”
“Show me your face.”
“No.”
— please don’t think that everything will be at your beck and call.
Hermina wanted to say that, but she gingerly held back and left the store, saying she was busy.