Additional Operations: The Party
July 1st Unified Year 1925
Letzenbourg Embassy and current residence of Prince Wilhelm von Hozollern, Berlun
Tanya had never been what you might call a party animal. In her past life, The Salaryman's experience of such celebrations had been limited to a few social gatherings after work and they had mostly been a way to help network with superiors and clients rather than an actual leisure activity. For the Salaryman, social gatherings were a means to an end, another way to help him climb the corporate ladder and gain the coveted corner office.
Her new life had also provided her with precious little experience in this regard. As an orphan, she'd never had much reason to celebrate things such as birthdays given her circumstances. Even if she'd felt the desire, the nuns could barely afford food, let alone gifts or a party for their young charges. Then, once she left the orphanage, all she'd ever attended was a few official functions such as her graduation from the military college, she had never been invited to a less formal gathering such as this.
She would like to think that this was the reason why things felt so awkward, but the truth of the matter, as always, lay with Wilhelm.
Understandably, the events in the High Command meeting had made things distinctly uncomfortable between them. Although he'd not reacted to his demotion quite as badly as she might have expected, she knew him well enough that he would be harbouring some resentment about the issue and she could almost feel it in the air between them. She would have much preferred to give him some space to cool down but events, helped by Wilhelm, had conspired to make that impossible.
Although it was supposed to be Wilhelm's birthday party, something she already thought was arrogant to the point of narcissistic during wartime, she had once again been made the centre of attention for the evening's events. In a decision that had obviously been made prior to today's meeting, the party had become a joint celebration of both the anniversary of him falling into this world and her freedom from captivity. She was one of the guests of honour.
It was a warm evening and one of Wilhelm's underlings had elected to have the celebration in the embassy gardens. The terrace had been decorated with banners wishing them both well and a second cake had been made especially for her return with the words "Welcome Back Major" emblazoned across it in flavoured icing. Wilhelm had also provided her with a stack of gifts that equalled if not exceeded his own which sat on a nearby table. It seemed Wilhelm had gone to a lot of trouble to give "her" celebration just as much prominence as his own, although she had no idea why he would go to such lengths.
The little Captain was probably regretting that decision now and Tanya couldn't help but feel a little sorry for him. In different circumstances, it might have been a nice gesture, instead, it must have felt like she was stealing his birthday as well as his rank. She hoped he would be rational enough not to blame her for this situation however, the last thing she needed was him to resent her even more. She suspected he would be difficult enough to keep under control as it was.
The party itself was a relatively small affair for someone like Wilhelm who usually basked in the limelight and liked to retain the attention of everyone around him. Rather than the expansive guest list full of VIP's that she might have expected, he had only invited a handful of officers from her battalion, the Zerbist sisters and a few others from his own company. The only invitee of note was Prince Adalbert, who was only putting in a fleeting appearance before heading back to the Summer Palace to make his report to the Emperor.
The limited guest list would have already made things a little uncomfortable for Tanya. Usually at these sorts of events, she would use her time to network and help build stronger relationships with her subordinates. However, there wasn't really anyone here she could socialise with to further her career prospects and she already had a strong rapport with her officers. She was wary of closing the gap between superior and subordinate too much. Her past life had taught her that senpai and Kohai should keep a respectful and professional distance or personal problems could bleed into their relationship, this, in turn, would affect her ability to lead and reflect badly on her as a manager.
This left her feeling uncertain about what to do and who to talk to. She could talk with Wiess, Visha and the other company commanders, she had a lot to catch up on as far as the battalion was concerned. However, she didn't want to burden them with business talk during the celebration, it was unprofessional to talk too much shop while at a social gathering and she didn't want to get the reputation as a slave driver that forced her subordinates to work while they were supposed to be on their downtime.
She also didn't feel comfortable talking with Price Adalbert, she had not expected him to be at the command meeting earlier and worried she had offended him. Although she had ultimately swayed the man to her way of thinking, it was obvious that the man truly cared for Wilhelm's welfare and had been genuinely insulted by the accusations made against the little Captain. It seemed the stories that Wilhelm was close to the Imperial family were far from exaggerated and Tanya felt it would be better to let things settle down before she tried to interact too much with any other royals.
This only left Wilhelm and the members of his company. The former was out of the question, she wanted to give him as much space as possible to calm down for the moment. As for the latter, she wasn't sure she was especially welcome amongst Wilhelm's close combat company either.
She'd received a frosty welcome from the Zerbist sisters when she first arrived, evidently, news of the incident in the conference room had managed to precede them and the sisters didn't seem especially pleased about what they had heard. The other officers in the company seemed to take their cue from the two women and also kept their distance, making the atmosphere tense and uncomfortable; at least for her.
It was only Wilhelm's efforts that stopped the entire event falling apart. He'd immediately moved to reduce the tension by addressing the elephant in the room and assured everyone that he was happy about the recent turn of events. He quickly began joking about his demotion, telling Grantz that he was considering taking up the persona of Private Ansbach again before adopting the act and picking up a plate from the buffet.
"Begging your pardon sir, but I thought you might like a snack. I promise they're much better than the potatoes and K Brot they usually give us" He joked earning a laugh from all those who had witnessed his original performance back on the Rhine.
He went on to tell everyone how relieved he was that he no longer had to shoulder so much responsibility which seemed to soften the attitudes of some of Wilhelm's officers. He claimed his only regret was he'd pushed all that burden onto Tanya and promised he would do everything he could to help and support his new superior.
"Tanya has given me the best birthday present I could imagine," he declared "now I'll get to spend more time with all of you!"
For the most part, the boy's intervention seemed to have worked. Weiss and the other company commanders, along with most of the Letzenbourgers accepted the boy's words as truth and began to attack the buffet table with the same efficiency she'd seen them take out the Dacians on her own birthday.
She doubted the sisters believed Wilhelm was telling the truth, but they must have understood what their master was doing as they too ceased their hostility. Sophia even began helping the little Captain by taking over some of his hosting duties while her sister conversed with an already tipsy Lieutenant Wiess. Only Visha seemed to be unaffected by the boy's assurances and she glanced between Tanya and Wilhelm with a worried expression. She looked as though she might have been about to say something, but Captain Zerbist pulled her aside and cheerfully invited her to try some of the sweets that had been prepared.
Tanya elected to stand alone and out of the way while trying to ignore the concerned looks from Visha as she nursed a slice of her welcome home cake. She had to admit the sweet was delicious, but the awkward situation had spoiled her appetite and even the temptation of fresh strawberries and dark chocolate couldn't persuade her to eat much of her treat.
Instead, she spent her time watching Wilhelm as he flitted around the soiree, mingling with his guests like the perfect host and she had to admit she was begrudgingly impressed.
Rather than retreat into a sullen silence as she had expected, Wilhelm seemed determined to promote the fiction that he was happy with the way everything had played out. He moved from person to person chatting happily with them and telling them all how much he looked forward to spending more time with them all. He used every one of his deceptive qualities to project the impression that he was having a good time and was upbeat about the future.
She was certain it was a lie, even at a distance she could see the tired and miserable look deep in Wilhelm's eyes and she caught the occasional wince of pain from the injuries that he still hadn't given the time to heal. He was as uncomfortable with this situation as she was, probably even more so, and it was clear he wasn't having a good time.
As usual, it seemed she was the only one that could see all this, although she suspected the Zerbist sisters were also aware but remaining quiet on the issue. Either way, she found the gesture comforting; not because it made him suffer, but because it was obviously an effort to stop any potential future conflict between the Letzenbourg Company and the 203rd. Rather than resort to a petty act of defiance as he would have done in the past, he had swallowed his pride in order to prevent any future problems. Perhaps things wouldn't be so bad with Wilhelm as a subordinate after all.
You really have grown up she smiled softly.
"He really knows how to brighten up a room doesn't he?" Came a familiar voice breaking her from her thoughts. Prince Adalbert had appeared at her side with a drink in hand and a friendly smile. She was surprised the man had managed to sneak up on her, princes weren't usually known for their stealth, well most weren't, she must have been too lost in thought to notice his presence.
"My apologies if I startled you, it's good to see you again Major. You must be glad to be reunited with your fellow officers" the man said with a slight bow.
"Prince Adalbert, indeed, I'm looking forward to getting back to work." She replied, returning the bow while silently cursing her bad luck that one of the people she had been avoiding had sought her out. She would have to be careful with her words, she was already concerned she may have upset him, the last thing she needed was to cement a bad impression.
"He said you were a workaholic," the man laughed before following her gaze back to Wilhelm. "I think that's one of the things he likes about you."
An awkward silence fell between them. Usually, small talk wasn't difficult for Tanya, she was fairly confident with her communication skills, she had an extra thirty years of experience to draw on after all. However, her current situation made things a little tricky. She had been given the opportunity to repair any damage she may have done to her reputation with the Crown Prince, however, if she said the wrong thing, she could torpedo her own career for good. She felt like she was stood in the centre of a minefield; she would need to tread very carefully to find her way out, or better yet, let him take the lead.
"It's quite the honour to be invited over on Wilhelm's birthday, he doesn't usually celebrate it," He commented eventually, giving her an avenue of conversation to seize on, even if it was about the little Captain.
"He always struck me as the social type, I assumed he would throw a big party for the occasion every year." She replied, choosing her words carefully so as not to sound as though she was insulting the little Captain. As long as she feigned interest, she should be able to improve the man's perception of her.
"He's not had many happy birthdays" he replied distantly with a thin smile before brightening slightly. "Christina and Sophia have been trying to persuade him to have some sort of a bash for years, you must have made quite the impression for him want to celebrate with you."
Probably not the impression you imagine she thought to herself grimly as she saw Wilhelm deliver another pleasantry while masking the pain and fatigue he was feeling. She was beginning to feel deeply uncomfortable with this conversation. If what Prince Adalbert was saying was true, Wilhelm had thrown this foolish event for her benefit rather than to celebrate his own birthday.
Idiot, I wouldn't have wanted this either she thought, feeling an unusual and unwanted twinge of sympathy for the boy. What was the point in putting yourself through this?
She had no regrets about forcing demotion on Wilhelm or letting him squirm a little under the gazes of their superiors. He needed to be humbled and he needed to understand his actions had far-reaching consequences that even he wasn't immune to. Most of all she needed to make sure he was supervised so he didn't do anything to ruin the Empire's, or more importantly her, chances of survival. Even so, she was thankful for what he had done to free her from captivity despite the collateral damage it had caused.
She felt bad for Wilhelm, the situation he was now in was laughably cruel. True it was technically his own doing, but he couldn't have known things would end up this way. He was currently hosting a party he didn't want, for the person who had just humiliated him, all while pretending everything was fine. She never intended that he suffer this much and she didn't envy his position. Even he didn't deserve all this.
"I'm not sure what to say about that sir" she replied honestly as she watched Wilhelm cross to his next target and begin his next offensive of faux merriment. She wondered if she should intervene somehow and give the little Captain some respite, he may have been a practised dissembler but even he would struggle to keep up the act all evening.
"Major, I have a favour to ask you" the Crown Prince continued before she could think of an acceptable reason to disentangle herself from the awkward conversation. "I know I've asked a lot of you already, given that I've asked you to look after him out there, but if possible could you try to persuade him to leave the war and come home to Father and me? He's stubborn I know but it's my hope he might listen to you."
You've done a good job winning this one over Wilhelm, she thought suppressing a sigh too good. She wondered if the boy realised exactly what he'd done to those around him; his powers of persuasion were a double-edged sword, they worked against him just as easily as they worked for him. The little Captain had practically brainwashed this man, so much so, that he was concerned enough about his welfare that he was trying to go against what Wilhelm really wanted.
"I think you overestimate my influence over him Your Highness" she replied truthfully, she certainly didn't have enough sway to get him to leave the army. "But I will talk to him."
She hoped the non-committal answer would be enough. It wasn't really a lie, she knew it wasn't possible to persuade Wilhelm on the issue and she would eventually talk to him later, albeit about his company's position in the battalion rather than what the prince had asked. She was using the same misdirection tactics that the little Captain used when he was persuading people she realised, it looked like she was picking up his bad habits. Fortunately, the man seemed to interpret her words as meaning she would talk to him about leaving the military and left it at that.
"Excuse me everyone" Captain Zerbist called tapping a glass to gather everyone's attention.
"I think we should let the guests of honour open their presents before you Imperials try to empty His Highness's wine cellar," She continued glancing at Lieutenant Weiss and earning a laugh from everyone in the room. "But first we have a small token of appreciation for everyone from Prince Wilhelm."
Soon after she and Christina began handing out small packages to everyone present save for Wilhelm. Tanya tensed instinctively as Christina approached, fearing she may still feel hostile towards her. The woman remained impassive, however, avoiding eye contact and only pausing to hand her a box with her name written on it before moving on to the next guest.
She watched the others open Wilhelm's gift with undisguised curiosity, she wasn't surprised the boy would make such an ostentatious gesture, but she still wondered what he might have planned. Especially since this would have been organised before his ignominious fall from grace.
The boxes contained a small silver pin decorated with a crest with both the Letzenbourg lion and the Imperial eagle. Below the crest read the words:
Mir wëlle bleiwe wat mir sinn, Frënn.
She recognised it as a slightly modified version of the Letzenbourg national motto which loosely translated as "We want to stay what we are, Friends."
As she opened her own parcel, she noticed her pin was different from everyone else's. Instead of silver, it was gold and although it still featured the sigils of the two countries, the motto read:
Mir kréie wat mir verdéngen.
She still wasn't confident in the Letzenbourg dialect and she wasn't completely sure what the phrase meant, at least not enough that she could divine whatever hidden meaning Wilhelm might have had behind the phrase. She did recognise the words we and deserve, however, which made her certain that this pin was more than it seemed.
She turned the pin over in her fingers and noticed a phrase she did understand etched onto the back, the nuns had been very insistent she learn Latin while she was at the orphanage. The engraving read Deus est contra nos. God is against us.
Wilhelm had a twisted sense of humour; she doubted the others had this phrase etched into their pins. This was definitely designed for her.
She looked up at the boy and noticed he wore the same badge on his collar, had it always been there? She had not seen him with a parcel of his own. Unfortunately, she had no time to dwell on the significance of these pins as both she and Will were called over to begin unwrapping their presents.
She had expected the group to mostly ignore them as they opened their gifts or at least only watch out of polite interest. Strangely, however, many of the officers stood watching the scene with genuine interest, passing cheerful comments as the contents of the packages were revealed. At first, she thought they were just interested in what royalty received as gifts, but they seemed equally as interested in her own and she began feeling uncomfortable as the eyes of those in the room fell on her.
For the most part contents of Wilhelm's gifts were surprisingly unremarkable, at least in comparison to what she would have expected someone of his social status to receive. It was still much more than the average ten-year-old in the Empire could expect but not the overt display of wealth and privilege she would have expected for a prince.
What he did receive was a wide variety of books, they were mostly fiction and were written in an assortment of different languages. She couldn't tell how Will felt about them however, he was doing his best to maintain his merry act under the gazes of all those around him but Tanya could tell that for once he wasn't enjoying being the centre of attention either.
The only gifts Wilhelm received that were of any particular note was a set of toy soldiers, evidently from someone with little to no tact considering the boy's chosen profession, and an ornate chess set that Prince Adalbert delivered with a promise that one day the man would be able to beat him. Evidently, the little captain was a chess player, she wondered if he were any good, he did have a penchant for plotting, then again, he may just be as cavalier with the game as he was everything else.
If anything, her own gifts were more extravagant than the little Captain's, although thankfully they were practical, and she could put them to good use. Aside from the high-quality chocolate, which she was far more pleased about than she would ever publicly admit, she received a leather satchel with a metal canteen and food box with a variety of long-lasting treats inside. It had obviously been designed with soldiers in mind and although it was tastefully decorated, it did not have any buttons or metal that could reflect the light and give away a soldier's position. It would be ideal to carry around when on the front lines or in the air.
She also received a set of street clothes that to her surprise was tasteful, stylish and subdued. The last time Wilhelm had attempted to give her any clothing it had been the hideous ball gown that was far too frilly and feminine for her tastes. These were styled like a suit however and obviously of very high quality. As she held them up to examine them, she heard Visha quietly gasp how cute they would look on her. She didn't quite share that assessment, but she did think they would make for suitable attire should she find herself off duty.
She felt strangely pleased by the idea of having some civilian clothes that she could use. Until now she had only really felt comfortable in her military uniform, something she found a little disconcerting considering her pacifist nature.
"I think it'll suit you," Will commented quietly favouring her a weak smile. "Hopefully they should fit, we had Visha take the measurements from one of your spare uniforms."
Tanya felt another twinge of discomfort, why had he done all this for her? And on his birthday? This had all obviously been planned before the meeting; even if he'd gotten through it unscathed as he had expected, he knew he couldn't buy her off with gifts. He had nothing to gain from all this, so why?
She wouldn't have much time to ponder however as Visha stepped forward nervously clearing her throat and broke Tanya from her thoughts.
"Erm…Prince Wilhelm" stammered Tanya's subordinate nervously, obviously not liking being in the limelight. "It isn't much, but the battalion had a collection and bought you a birthday gift, to thank you for everything."
With that, the teen proffered a box a little larger than the size of her hand out in front of her and a genuinely confused Wilhelm took it gratefully. Tanya was curious as to what her subordinates might have bought the boy, he had managed to become quite close to many of her officers and they had a high, albeit misguided, opinion of him.
Wilhelm opened the box and stared at the contents with confusion before breaking into a wide and genuine smile. He slowly reached inside the package and revealed a silver fountain pen, it seemed well made but it didn't seem particularly special. It certainly didn't seem like it should have drawn such a grin from the boy given the circumstances.
"Thank you, I will treasure it," the boy said almost in a whisper and to Tanya's surprise once again without a hint of deceit. The boy must have seen her confusion and he very carefully handed the pen to her so that she could examine it.
As she held it up to the light, she could see the words: mightier than the sword etched into the side.
She wondered which one of her subordinates had come up with such a bad joke, comedy clearly wasn't the strong suit of her intrepid band of war maniacs. It seemed that the little Captain appreciated the gift however and she could already see some of his fake high spirits being replaced by genuine cheer as she passed it back to him and he placed it almost lovingly into his breast pocket.
"It seems you have just one more gift to open Your Highness," called Sophia who also seemed to have picked up on the boy's improving mood, "from your Uncle."
"What?" a surprised sounding Prince Adalbert said suddenly and with obvious concern, "It was supposed to have been cancelled. Wilhelm, I don't think you should open that right now."
Adalbert seemed strangely distressed for the sake of a gift from his own father, what could he possibly be worried about? Wasn't Wilhelm close with the Emperor too?
"Don't be silly Bertie, if it's from Uncle I'm sure it'll be wonderful" the little Captain replied undeterred by his cousins warning as he tore into the parcel while Adalbert looked on with a pained and worried expression.
"Wilhelm, please…" the Crown Prince pressed but it was too late.
Wilhelm froze as he opened the package and all his newfound joy evaporated in an instant. The smile dropped from his face and he began turning deathly pale as he continued to stare down into the parcel. She saw his hand begin to shake slightly but he quickly hid it behind his back before anyone else could notice. He opened his mouth as if to speak but he said nothing, whatever was in the parcel had completely robbed the boy of his faculties.
"I'm sorry Wilhelm, it was never supposed to be delivered. It was sent before…."Prince Adalbert began, his voice trailing off as the little Captain remained frozen in place. He looked as though he wanted to say more but stopped himself and frowned as he glanced around at the company awkwardly. He clearly didn't want to discuss this in front of a gaggle of gawping soldiers.
Tanya carefully approached the package; judging by the boy's reaction, she was fairly sure she knew what it contained. As she suspected inside was a familiar-looking statue, one that had been the centre of a very big story recently.
She'd been informed by Lieutenant Colonel Rerugen that Wilhelm had used another copy of the Thinker to defend himself against Canaris when he visited the Admiral at his home. No doubt most of those gathered would think Wilhelm had been shocked into silence upon seeing the sculpture, and that he was perhaps reliving some trauma from the incident, but Tanya knew better.
Wilhelm had deliberately murdered the Admiral and she was certain he didn't feel any remorse over it. Although he would likely be surprised to see a duplicate of his murder weapon return to him so quickly, she couldn't believe it would have such a profound effect on him. He was an expert at recovering from the unexpected, this should be nothing for him. Besides, she'd seen him have a similar reaction to a statue like this before, long before the Admiral's murder.
The boy forced an uncomfortable smile and looked up at his cousin, who wore a pained expression due to the situation. It was clear that even Wilhelm was struggling to hide his true feelings this time.
"It's ok Bertie, I'm happy to receive anything from Uncle," the boy said with a shaky voice and Tanya was sure that no one in the room believed him.
The room fell silent as everyone stared at Wilhelm wondering what he might do next. Even the Zerbist sisters seemed unsure of what to do and looked at the little Captain pleadingly as if asking for some instruction to navigate out of this situation. He had none to give however, this situation had all but pushed him over the edge after everything he had experienced today, and he continued to stare at the statue dumbly.
"Lieutenant Wiess," Tanya cut in projecting her voice as she would when addressing her troops, causing the attention of everyone gathered to switch to her. She wasn't even sure why she was doing it, her mouth almost seemed to move of its own accord as she took charge of the situation.
"I'm surprised I would have to remind you of this given that you've drunk half of the punch already," she began with mock reproach. "But you've yet to propose a toast to our hosts."
"Sorry, Major" her deputy replied with a mix of panic and confusion as he habitually snapped to attention.
"Honestly, if you're going to take up all of Miss Zerbist's time this evening, the least you can do is say thank you to her and her boss."
Weiss turned beet red, causing the other soldiers to erupt into laughter. Even the usually taciturn Christina Zerbist seemed to be struggling to hide a grin. She felt like she might have missed something somewhere, she had only intended to remove the attention from Wilhelm but somehow it seemed she'd indivertibly made Weiss the butt of a joke. She felt bad for throwing her deputy under the bus like that and vowed to make it up to him later.
It had the desired effect however and he quickly led a toast and the whole room drank to the little Captain's good health and the hard work of the serving staff before Koenig, Neumann and Grantz led a rendition of For he's a jolly good fellow that was so bad she wondered if it could be considered a war crime. The Zerbist sisters seemed to have caught on too as Sophia resumed her hosting duties by encouraging more people, including the Crown Prince, to drink and join in the song while Christina hastily removed the item that had distressed the little Captain so much.
Wilhelm almost seemed to gradually disappear into the background, using the distraction to quietly extract himself from the party and she saw him silently re-enter the embassy. She felt a pang of concern as she saw him trudge off and felt the desire to follow him to make sure he was ok.
What am I doing? It isn't any of my business she thought shaking her head as she headed towards the doors she'd just seen Wilhelm walk through, it wasn't her fault that he'd had to go through all this why should she care?
He's my subordinate now, a good manager makes sure their staff can operate as efficiently as possible at all times she rationalised. This world didn't have any sort of workplace counselling and the various programs that the old world had to help a wayward employee, that meant that as a superior she had to take on that responsibility, even if she wasn't getting paid overtime for it. Yes, if I don't properly supervise him, it reflects badly on me as a team leader. I'll just have to speak to him myself.
As she approached the door to the interior of the Embassy, she almost bumped into Christina as she returned from her errand with a distracted and worried expression. The woman gave her a hard stare for a moment then briefly glanced back towards the house before settling her gaze back on her. Tanya was still uneasy around the maid, she was very protective over Wilhelm and given the circumstances she had expected the woman to block her way but instead, she stepped aside and bowed.
"He's in the conservatory" she whispered to her as she passed.
She wasn't sure why the woman had suddenly decided to trust her with her Master, maybe she knew that she would be unable to get through to him herself. Perhaps she had already tried and been rebuffed. Either way, Tanya was quietly relieved she would not bar her progress, she didn't doubt that the woman could have caused her a great many problems if she had wanted to.
She entered the conservatory through the double doors that led out to the gardens. The room was unlit but the moonlight and lamplight from the party outside illuminated the area enough that she could make out another table filled with treats and drinks for the guests. Obviously, the Zerbist sisters had set up this area as an alternate venue should the weather turn but since the night was warm and dry, Wilhelm had claimed it as a temporary refuge.
She saw the little Captain leaning against one of the tall windows with a drink in hand, staring out at the evening's celebrations with an unreadable expression. At first, she thought he might not have noticed her enter but she saw his shadowy silhouette glance back at her before turning back to the window.
"Come to check if I'm plotting the end of the Empire? Can't you at least trust me enough to give me a few minutes to myself?" He snarled bitterly at her.
"I came to see how you were" she replied ignoring the boy's comment. His attitude was to be expected considering all he had been through today and although he had done a commendable job of hiding his resentment in public. It would be too much to ask for him to be so amiable now they were alone.
"That present from the Emperor… you didn't seem like yourself."
She didn't see the point in beating around the bush, Wilhelm would likely be suspicious of her motives if she were subtle anyway. Sometimes it was better to get to the heart of the matter quickly and she knew that to a certain extent the little Captain would be much better off if he got some of his hostility for her out in the open.
"That sculpture, I've seen you act strangely around it before" she pressed, studying the boy's reaction.
Wilhelm's silhouette straightened and Tanya felt a deep sense of unease as the boy suddenly seemed to radiate menace. The air felt thick and prickly like it did before a thunderstorm, and the atmosphere between them seemed to darken. She could almost feel the little Captain's frustration and rage rise at her questioning and felt a twinge of anxiety as she wondered if she should have been a little more tactful. She knew how unpredictable he could be when he felt threatened.
After a long silence, the boy emptied his glass with a gulp and the pressure seemed to drop suddenly as he turned and captured her gaze in his green orbs. To her surprise it wasn't anger that met her in the boy's stare it was fear and desperation. They looked more like the eyes of someone who had been running from something; like a fox that had been chased to exhaustion or a fugitive that had run out of places to hide.
"Does he haunt you too?" He asked shakily with tears in his eyes. "Does God, try to torture you at every opportunity?"
"He's no God Wilhelm," she said reflexively and more aggressively than she intended. She felt a curious spark of panic at the thought of that the little Captain might believe the vile creature really was a divine entity rather than the fraud he truly was.
It was as she had always feared, the little Captain wasn't as mentally fortified against Being X's tricks as she was, and the creature was breaking him down. The thought that he might be overwhelmed by the false deity was oddly distressing and the idea he could become a raving fanatic like Schugel was almost terrifying.
If Being X could break Wilhelm, it opened up the possibility it could break her too, she couldn't allow that to happen. It had already started corrupting her with the Type 95 by forcing her to pray to it and she'd suffered blackouts after using the cursed item. She may have been stronger than Wilhelm, but she was not invincible, Wilhelm's breakdown may be a taste of what lay in store for her if she failed.
"You were right when you called Being X a monster." She continued, hoping to turn the boy back towards the side of rationality before the supernatural being took advantage of the weakened Wilhelm. "And yes, he taunts me every chance he gets too."
The little Captain searched her eyes for a few moments, looking for signs of deceit and Tanya was struck by the sudden role reversal between them. She was not trying to trick him, however, she was clear about her feelings towards Being X; there was no other creature in the universe that she loathed more.
Since arriving in this world, the fake god had dealt her the worst possible hand in order to prove its point. It plunged her into a world destined for war, for the express purpose of causing her suffering so she could find faith, even going so far as to "gift" her with magic potential to guarantee her life would be as dangerous as inhumanly possible. Being X had a twisted sense of humour and had seen to it that she had every disadvantage possible in this new life.
She had rallied against her fate however and fought tooth and nail to forge a new path for herself. Wilhelm may have believed that your birth defined what your future could be, but she knew that wasn't true so had worked hard from the get-go to prove Being X wrong. It had almost been enough but every time she came close to foiling Being X's plans, the creature threw another curveball at her and mocked her from both the wooden Nut Crackers and the bodies of her fallen foes. If anyone could relate to how it felt to be hounded by Being X, it was her.
Her answer seemed to satisfy Wilhelm and his features soften with relief. He broke off their impromptu staring contest and approached the buffet table in the centre of the room before pouring a fresh glass of punch for both of them.
"We're underage" she observed staring at the alcoholic fruit drink longingly. As much as she would like to treat herself, especially considering all she'd been through recently, her body was still that of a child, even if her mind still contained the memories of a thirty-year-old man. This meant that she had to be careful what she ingested due to this body's young age, especially since Being X had warned her she would receive no further reincarnations.
"There's no booze in it," the boy said smiling weakly "Christina won't usually let me drink so she made up a separate batch for us. She tried to match the taste though, I think she worries we might feel left out."
Tanya took her own glass and gingerly took a sip; it was good. The concoction was sweet and citrus flavoured from the various fruits it contained, quite a feat considering how difficult it had become to source such items in the Empire since the start of the war. It also had a slightly bitter aftertaste that quite accurately mimicked its alcoholic counterpart. It even caused her cheeks to warm slightly, which was a pleasant and welcome surprise.
By now Wilhelm had returned to the window and was staring up at the moon morosely. Tanya took another sip of her drink and observed the little Captain silently, judging it to be better to let the little Captain take the lead. He seemed to have calmed down a little now and she knew he loved the sound of his own voice, he wouldn't be able to stay quiet for long.
"You remember, don't you?" He said quietly with a hint of uncertainty, "Who you were before?"
The question may have seemed strange to most people but Tanya knew immediately what he was asking her. Despite knowing of their respective associations with Being X, they had only ever talked about their past lives on that day in the chapel in the Rhine HQ. The truth was, they knew very little about each other's past or their experiences of reincarnation. She knew his memories of his past life were limited due to some medical treatment he had received when he was younger, and she was aware he had some sort of deal with Being X that allowed his reincarnation, but she didn't know the exact details. It wasn't exactly something you drop into casual conversation.
Tanya meanwhile had avoided sharing her own past with anyone, she was all too aware how fanciful most people would find her story. Wilhelm had jumped to the conclusion when she'd mentioned Being X and although he had been correct, she had never really confirmed anything to him. She'd like to say the reason was she didn't trust him enough but if she were to be completely honest with herself, the Salaryman's death and subsequent dealings with Being X felt almost shameful. She'd been killed by an irrational man, and then sent here by an irrational creature. It was an embarrassment that she had been ended by such illogical beings.
"I remember." She said tersely as she emptied her glass, hoping her tone would show him she would add nothing more to the subject. She owed him enough for the confirmation, but she didn't feel the need to share anything else.
It was unfair she knew. She was curious about Wilhelm's past and planned to get as much information from him without offering the same in return. She knew giving him this small piece of information would make him more forthcoming with what he knew about himself, even if it was a fairly evasive reply. It was her hope that knowing a little more about his past might help her understand why he was the way he was and make it easier to deal with him in the future.
"I envy you," he said after a few moments of silence before turning towards her with a weak smile. "It must be nice knowing who you really are."
She had never thought about it before, but her new life was entirely shaped by her old one, even her goal in this world was the result of the events in the past life. Being X would no doubt have her believe that she would have been praising him if not for her past memories, it was part of the point he was trying to make but what if she'd been put in the same position as Wilhelm?
She knew she would still resist Being X with everything she had but it must have been difficult with only fragmented memories to draw strength from. She not only used the Salaryman's death but all the memories and experiences in his life to draw the logical conclusion that mankind didn't need faith in something like Being X to prosper. It was how she maintained her sense of self in this world, despite the malign influence of the Type 95. What must it be like to have that part of yourself missing?
Wilhelm didn't give her the time to dwell on these thoughts however as his expression grew gloomy once again and he turned his gaze back to the window.
"That statue, I see it every night in my dreams." The boy said in a shaky whisper as he swallowed another mouthful of his drink. "It's covered in blood and I can't move. I think it was how I died… how I was murdered."
His story went some way to explaining why the statue had been such a shock to him at least. A visual reminder of your death would certainly cause a great deal of psychological stress, especially for someone as unstable as Wilhelm. She could sympathise to an extent, to this day she was wary about standing too close to the edge of train platforms and she subconsciously found herself checking over her shoulder to make sure no one was behind her when a train did arrive.
She felt sorry for him but also oddly pleased that he was opening up to her on such an obviously sensitive matter. Even if it was simply his bottled-up emotions overflowing, it was still evidence that he still retained a certain amount of trust in her and that was something she felt she should do her best to hold on to, if only to help keep him in line in the future. Still, she wasn't sure what it had to do with being hounded by Being X.
"The bastard puts them in places to torture me and remind me of my debt, I'm sure of it." The boy continued bitterly. "You think it was a coincidence that it showed up both today and at Canaris's mansion? He's playing with me!"
Under usual circumstances, she might have thought he was being paranoid, but she'd experienced something similar herself. She had never found out where those stupid wooden soldiers that Being X spoke through back at the testing facility had come from. Everyone she had questioned had denied putting them there and she'd even seen one that she'd smashed miraculously repair itself overnight. It seemed surreptitiously placing ornaments in places they don't belong was well within Being X's power.
"As if this thing wasn't enough!" The boy continued before detaching his sword from his belt and angrily throwing it across the room.
A loud clattering noise echoed around the dark room before the room fell back into silence and the boy stared at the floor despondently.
So this is all about his debt to being X she realised, everything he does is connected to that.
Not for the first time, she wondered about his deal with Being X; somehow it didn't seem quite like the faux deity that she knew. True, Being X is a cruel bastard but he'd never seemed to be particularly interested in the lives of those in this world, only their faith. So why would he be interested in having Wilhelm kill for him?
Then again, Being X was a completely irrational creature and it was even more difficult to predict its actions than Wilhelm's. It was useless trying to explain the fake god's thought process, Being X didn't abide by logic. Just because it acted one way with her, didn't mean it would act the same way with others and all of its behaviour might be some part of a greater plan against her. He could even be purposely breaking Wilhelm down in front of her in an attempt to turn her too.
"I'm tired of it all" the boy murmured eventually, "I'm tired of the debt and the sword, I'm tired of the Saint and I'm tired of Prince Wilhelm von Hozollern. I don't even know if it's really my birthday, I'm sick of pretending that it is."
Tanya felt a knot of guilt in her stomach as she heard the boy's words, he still didn't know he had never been switched as a child and he believed that he was a fake. Canaris had told her that Operation Doppelganger had failed but he had obviously not shown Wilhelm the same courtesy. It was hardly surprising he didn't want to celebrate his birthday, in his mind, it wasn't even his.
Part of her wanted to tell him, it would at least help alleviate some of his misery and he would never need to do anything drastic to protect his secret again. She knew she couldn't however, if she revealed it to him, it would reveal that she had attempted to sell him out to Canaris, that she had truly betrayed him, she couldn't risk it. Wilhelm had been very forgiving so far but she doubted this magnanimous streak would continue if he knew the truth.
He would have to continue suffering his mistaken case of imposter syndrome. Curiously, the thought of forcing that on him made her feel slightly sick. She knew that hiding the truth from him was the rational thing to do to minimise the risk to herself, but she still felt slightly ashamed that she had to do this to him. She would just have to learn to live with it.
"Maybe I should just give up and let Him win." He murmured almost inaudibly breaking her from her thoughts.
Tanya moved quickly and completely on instinct as she dropped her glass and grasped an understandably shocked Wilhelm by the collar. Her conscious mind didn't even have time to register the rage that her body felt upon hearing the little Captain's statement but for some reason, the idea that he should just give up and succumb to that creature was so abhorrent that her unconscious mind had taken over.
"Like hell you will!" She growled as her conscious mind processed her own anger. "I won't let you give Being X the satisfaction."
She didn't want to see Being X win, that was all, or so she kept telling herself. She couldn't allow Wilhelm to become another one of that thing's puppets.
The little Captain simply stared back at her dumbly as she continued to glare at him to get her message across. Gradually his expression began to morph into a smile although his eyes still showed signs of fatigue and uncertainty. As the boy's features began to soften, Tanya felt a twinge of embarrassment at her sudden outburst and she found it increasingly difficult to hold his gaze.
"You're not afraid of him at all are you?" He whispered with undisguised admiration.
"You should focus on what you want in the future" She replied, ignoring his question. She looked away and released him from her grip before busying herself by tidying up the broken glass. Of course, she wasn't afraid of Being X. She hated the creature too much for that but the boy's sudden display of reverence made her feel strangely uncomfortable and she couldn't allow herself to show any weakness in front of Wilhelm.
"Yes…the future, you're right." He said to himself distantly before he poured a fresh glass for each of them and took a seat on a nearby sofa. "That can belong to me at least."
"You know what you want after you've beaten him don't you?" She asked as she finished tidying the mess, hoping the change in subject might help distract her from the unusual reaction to the boy she had just experienced.
"Yes," he said with a wistful look. "I'll make sure everyone gets what they deserve."
She joined him on the couch as he began describing his plans for after he'd paid his so-called debt to Being X. His confidence began to return as he described how he would use his wealth and influence to see to it that the Zerbist sisters would be compensated for their service. He spoke fondly as he shared his hopes that Christina would become a doctor or scientist, and his dream that Sophia might become the first female Prime Minister of Letzenbourg or even Imperial chancellor.
Usually, she would have pointed out the irony that he wanted to build the type of meritocracy that he falsely believed didn't exist. This time, however, she was struck by how happy the thought of helping his allies succeed made him.
She had always thought of him as a spoiled and selfish brat, but he seemed to relish the thought that his subordinates would accomplish great things despite what he thought was an unfair system. Despite his mistaken belief that meritocracy didn't exist in the Empire, she could respect his attempts to bring it about for those he felt deserved it.
"I still want to help you too," he added with a wry smile. "If you ever plan on letting me that is."
He chuckled as she shot him a look that told him she had no intention of taking him up on that offer. She'd had enough of his kind of help, she would be happy enough if he didn't stir up any more trouble. Still, it was almost endearing how committed he was to follow through with the original promise he made to her back on the Rhine and she found herself laughing along with him.
By now, all traces of the earlier gloom and despondency seemed to have melted away from the room. Maybe it was the reduced anxiety or Wilhelm's newfound amiable attitude but everything seemed much more relaxed than it had not so long ago. Her head felt a little foggy, likely a side effect of the sudden drop in tension, but despite herself, she found herself enjoying herself and could feel a contented smile start to rest across her lips.
Still, there was more she wanted to know about the little Captain's plans.
"You haven't answered my question." She said between sips, enjoying the strange warmth her drink bought to her face. "What will you do?"
Tanya stifled another laugh as she saw the boy turn a shade of crimson, it was a very rare sign of embarrassment from him and she began to see why the boy took so much enjoyment from trying to elicit the same response from her. Turnabout was fair play, perhaps she'd try to find more ways to embarrass him in future.
In truth, she expected his answer might be disappointing. Knowing Wilhelm, he would probably use the opportunity to do nothing but laze around and enjoy the wealth he'd been born into, it was the sort of childish thing she'd come to expect from him. Still, she wanted to hear him admit his laziness. She knew he could be a hard worker when he wanted to be but all too often he passed his duties onto others when he couldn't be bothered or wasn't interested in performing them. She would have to break him out of that habit now he was officially her subordinate.
Perhaps it was the influence of her old life in Japan, but she couldn't really comprehend the idea of being so idle. In her old culture your job defined who you were and your place in society, no matter your role, you had an obligation to live up to. Although it could be argued that the job of a prince was to sit around and look regal, to her it sounded more like a NEET. She felt it would be a waste of time, money and Wilhelm's own talents if that were to happen.
The still embarrassed looking little Captain was quiet for a moment before he carefully plucked the silver pen Visha had given him from his inside pocket. He turned it in his fingers for a moment and smiled as he watched the moonlight reflect off the polished metal.
"You'll probably laugh, but I'd like to be a writer. I mentioned it to Visha months ago, I'm surprised she remembered." He said eventually, still staring at the pen in his hands. "I quite like the idea of reporting for the newspapers, it might be fun to experience the news from the other side for once. Or maybe writing fiction, like something in my books."
Tanya blinked, taken aback by the little Captain's admission, he actually wanted a job. It may not have been the most taxing work in the world, and she doubted any sane news outlet would be pleased about someone as high profile as Wilhelm reporting for them. He'd probably end up writing nonsensical fantasy from his desk at home, but it was refreshing to hear that he actually had some sort of work ethic. She felt a little bad for criticizing him.
"What about you?" He questioned slurring his words slightly as he turned to face her. Swaying slightly. Obviously, the drop in tension had started to affect him too and is earlier fatigue was starting to catch up with him. "What will you do when all this is over?"
"Well, I'm not quite sure if I'll stay in the military or move into the private sector just yet. Either way, my leadership experience should ensure that I obtain a good position with decent career prospects and a stable income." She began automatically, falling into the familiar speech she had given countless times when asked as the Salaryman. "Once I've gained a comfortable position, I'll probably think about getting married and having children…"
She stopped and her words trailed off as she thought about what she had just said. Was that what she wanted?
In her past life, the Salaryman had always assumed that he would one day marry and procreate. He may not have been the romantic type, but it was expected of a company man to raise a family, it was more or less an unspoken rule. Not only was it another mark of his success as a profitable human resource it would also give him the opportunity to raise one or more human resources to profit society in the future. This would raise not only his own value as a person but the value of his children too, it was investing in the future, just as his own parents had invested in him.
But things were different now, she was no longer the Salaryman and Tanya's new body changed things.
"You? A wife and mother?" exclaimed Wilhelm with surprise as he struggled to hold back a fit of laughter. "Somehow I can't imagine you playing the ideal house frau."
Tanya shot him a glare but she knew that he was right. Although the Empire was more accepting of women in the workplace than many other nations, it was still the social norm that a mother would quit her job to look after the children. She didn't want that, she'd worked too hard.
"It seems you'll have to find yourself a stay at home husband" he laughed, finding the whole situation much funnier than it actually was. "No doubt you'll keep him on an even tighter leash than you do me."
That was another thing that bothered her. Although she was too young to entertain such an idea at the moment, she had thought about what a romantic entanglement might entail. A decent match could do wonders to help her career prospects but it would take time for her to learn to trust someone enough to allow them to become a lifelong companion. There were very few people she could imagine trusting that much.
Then of course there was the act of having a child in the first place. She may have become somewhat accustomed to her new body but she wasn't sure she'd ever be comfortable enough to carry a child. In truth the idea terrified her, it seemed like such an alien concept to her. If she were to have a child, she would have to adopt.
The more she thought about it the more she disliked the whole idea.
"I think you'd be a good parent though," Wilhelm said as his fit of laughter dissipated. "Maybe a bit strict but a good role model. I certainly think your worth looking up to."
Tanya didn't really know how to react to the boy's praise, in a strange way she felt happy about the boy's words but they also bought back the strange feeling of discomfort she experienced earlier.
Wilhelm meanwhile felt no such discomfort, if anything he seemed to be unusually relaxed. It was almost unthinkable that this was the same boy that had twice pulled a gun on her with terror in his eyes. He looked almost serene and in a genuine way for once. She didn't really understand why, but he'd opened up to her almost completely and by doing so it looked as though his worries had all melted away, at least for now.
She felt pleased with herself despite the odd feeling his praise had given her; her ability to manage her team must have grown leaps and bounds since her past life. The Salaryman had usually been given the job of letting people go but Tanya Degurechaff had proven she could build people up too. She'd even managed to win over a problem employee like Wilhelm and she felt hopeful that she could make something out of her little Captain.
There was still one question nagging at her, however, but she found herself reluctant to ruin the mood. Not only had it taken a good deal of work to get this far but she was now enjoying herself and she wasn't sure if she should risk souring the mood. Then again if she didn't ask now, she might never know.
"Why'd you throw this party Wilhelm?" she asked finding it curiously difficult to speak. "Your cousin said you don't celebrate your birthday."
To her surprise, Wilhelm chuckled. Perhaps his mood had improved too much for him to be bothered by the question or maybe he had regained enough of his former self to hide it. Either way, she found herself letting out a sigh of relief as she waited for him to answer her question.
"Maybe I'm happy you are out of prison, or maybe I just wanted to do something nice for you."
She glanced over at him, by now it seemed like the exhaustion really had gotten to Wilhelm and he was struggling to keep his eyes open and head upright. It was hardly surprising, it had been a mentally and emotionally draining day for both of them and she too was struggling to keep awake in the comfortable sofa and her body felt almost weighed down by the encroaching fatigue.
"We should get back to the party." She said struggling to find the energy to follow through with her words, in truth she felt like resting her eyes for a few moments but the others would probably be wondering what happened to them.
"Just…let me be me a few moments more." The boy slurred softly as he gently closed his hand over hers and rested his head on her shoulder.
There must have been something wrong with her, normally she wouldn't tolerate such a breach of her personal space but right now she couldn't bring herself to turf Wilhelm off of her. Besides, the night had now turned cool and the warm presence beside her was oddly comforting.
It's probably because of being locked up all week she thought as she laid her head down onto his sleepily, figuring that if he was going to use her as a pillow he could afford her the same courtesy. I'll rest for five minutes and we'll go back outside.
Wilhelm's breathing pattern told her that he had already fallen asleep as her own eyelids closed themselves and she found the rhythmic breaths almost hypnotic. She could almost feel her conscious mind slip into sleep and she listened to the peaceful sighs of the little Captain but just as sleep was about to overtake her, she remembered one last thing she owed the boy.
"Happy birthday Will." She mouthed drowsily before the night finally overtook her and she joined him in a content slumber.
Xxxxxxx
Visha spared an anxious glance at the door, it had been a long time since the Major had followed Prince Wilhelm inside and the teen felt more than a little worried for the pair. It might have been her imagination, but she was sure she sensed something off between the two, and the Prince had been very upset about the statue from the Emperor. She wasn't sure the Major was the best person to cheer him up right now, sometimes she could be a little too blunt.
"I'll raise," said Captain Zerbist, pulling her attention back to the game.
Since the official events had finished or been postponed until the guests of honour returned, the party had broken into groups who were all chatting, playing various games and in the case of Weiss and Christina, dancing to the music playing on the gramophone. Food and drink still flowed plentifully, with the deserts being delicious and the fruit punch tasty and refreshing. All and all, everyone seemed to be having a nice evening, despite the faux pas with the Prince's present and she could almost believe she had imagined the strange tension between the Major and Prince Wilhelm.
She had thought the idea of having a party was a wonderful idea. Everyone was feeling so depressed about the war dragging on and she hoped that this might help raise everyone's spirits. It might have been a little frivolous, but she thought the little bit of normality provided by a birthday party might help take everyone's minds off things.
Besides, the situation reminded her of the words her grandmother had said as they were fleeing Rus:
"Just because the Bolsheviks want to cause trouble, doesn't mean the rest of us can't have our day."
It wasn't the Communists this time, but the message was the same; just because some countries were fighting didn't mean you couldn't make some time to celebrate the things that mattered to you. The war would end eventually, but you could lose out on so many happy memories if you waited for that to happen.
As usual, she had been pulled into a game of cards, someone had been spreading rumours that she was a good card player and the Crown Prince had wanted some tips. In truth she'd been a little disappointed, she had brought a camera that Erya had given her and she'd been looking forward to taking some snaps of everyone having fun so they could look back on some happy memories. The last thing she'd wanted to do was play cards with one of the most important people in the country.
At first, she'd been terrified but she soon found that the man was almost as friendly as Prince Wilhelm and although she had still felt a little uncomfortable, she had managed to give him a few pointers. She began to wonder if all royalty were just like normal people, after all, he even seemed to get a little upset when he suspected that they were letting him win and she noticed a few similarities between the Royal cousins.
Unfortunately, he hadn't been able to stay for very long, he had to go back to the summer palace so had said his goodbyes and asked them to pass on his regards to Prince Wilhelm and the Major. She'd heard he'd been at the command meeting, so he probably had to go see the Emperor about it. She felt sorry for him for having to leave so soon, he'd seen so little of his cousin on his birthday, but she supposed even royalty had a job to do.
That left her, Neumann, Koenig and Sophia in the game while Grantz sat close to her and occasionally commented on a particularly good hand. She had to admit she was having a tougher time than usual, Captain Zerbist was a formidable player and Neumann and Koenig seemed to be trying their hardest to knock her out first. They must have still been sore from losing a month of wages the last time they played.
Fortunately for her, the cards had been on her side because she'd been a little distracted with her worries about the Prince and Major. She'd managed to hold her own for the most part, but Sophia was taking no prisoners in this game and had won several hands already, much to Neumann and Koenig's chagrin.
"Damn it! I'm out again." Complained Koenig, throwing his cards down in a huff as Sophia used her own to hide her smile.
"Me too." Neumann laughed, "You've cleared me out, I swear you two have rigged this somehow. Come on Koenig, Grantz, let's get a drink while the masters of the game duel it out."
The three stood and headed for the buffet table leaving the pair alone in their duel. Visha stared at her cards again and wondered whether to call or reraise. She had a good hand, but it wasn't unbeatable, and so far, she had struggled to notice anything that could tell her if her opponent was bluffing. She had to weigh her options carefully.
The others would probably laugh if they knew, but if she was ever in any situation where she was uncertain of what to do, she always found herself wondering what the Major would do in her place. Maybe not specifically, she knew the Commander didn't particularly care for cards, but she wondered if she would push forward or fall back in this situation.
Her eyes wandered towards the door again and she felt another twinge of anxiety as she wondered what might be going on in the darkened conservatory. What could the Major be doing? Were they ok?
"I wouldn't worry about it too much. Even sis is leaving them time to be alone" said Sophia following her gaze before gesturing over at Wiess and Christina who had stopped dancing for now and were sitting close to each other on one of the benches.
"Although maybe she's distracted." She continued with a smile. "But trust me, we'd know by now if something was wrong, they must still be talking."
"Are you sure? The Major can be...well…Wouldn't it be better if you or Christina talked to him instead?" She asked earning her a wistful sigh from the Captain.
"We would have been kicked out by now." She said with a sigh. "He can be quite insistent when he wants to be. It's probably a good sign that she's still in there."
It might have been her imagination, but it almost sounded like Sophia was jealous of the Major. Then again, maybe it shouldn't have been that surprising, she and her sister had known the boy much longer than the major had, they must have wanted to comfort him too.
Perhaps their feelings about the Prince were like the ones she had about the Major.
She had tried to get closer to the Commander on several occasions, especially since until recently they'd been the only girls in the battalion. She had always hoped she could do more to help the girl, she was older than her after all, and there was plenty of advice she could give to someone of the Major's age. But all too often it felt like there was an invisible wall between them preventing them from getting closer to each other. Maybe the difference in rank was too much to allow a relationship like that to develop.
Sophia gave her a reassuring smile before something behind her caught the older woman's attention causing her to frown slightly. Visha followed her gaze and was unsurprised to see it was her comrades that were the source of the Captains disapproval.
"What do you reprobates think you're doing?" She asked accusingly, causing all three Lieutenants to jump slightly as they stood over one of the punch bowls with a bottle of whiskey in hand.
"Christina said that was the alcoholic stuff, right?" Grantz replied nervously pointing at the second punch bowl as his comrades did their best to hide behind him. "It's all out so we thought we'd make some more."
"What are you talking about? I thought we'd kept all the alcohol out here?" A puzzled and slightly concerned looking Sophia replied as she rose and headed for the group, "I told the Prince to only drink from the one inside."
Visha placed down her cards, thankful for the distraction and picked up Erya's camera before heading towards the source of all the confusion. The commotion had also drawn the attention of Weiss and Christina, the former who was shooting glares at the soldiers who had disturbed his alone time with the maid, while the latter gave her sister a questioning look.
"No, I made sure that one of each was out here, it wouldn't make sense to have people go inside every time they wanted a drink," Christina said after a brief explanation. "It's the second batch of alcoholic stuff inside, I've seen how much Matheus can drink so I made sure some of it was kept out of the way."
Wiess reddened slightly at her comment and Visha fought giggle but she caught herself as she saw Christina scowl slightly at her sister. She felt a knot of anxiety in her own stomach as she saw the usually calm and confident Sophia squirm under her sisters withering gaze.
"Are you telling me you told His Highness to drink from the alcohol batch?"
The Captain gave her sister an embarrassed nod, and as one they all turned to stare at the darkened conservatory to listen for any sign from the pair inside. Perhaps there was another reason why they had been in there for so long.
"We should go check on them." Christina said with a sigh while lifting her glasses and pinching the bridge of her nose. She was obviously expecting the worst.
The group reluctantly followed the woman's instruction and headed inside. Nobody was particularly keen to interrupt their superiors but if what they suspected was true, it would be irresponsible not to. Still, nobody wanted to be the one to interrupt them if they were wrong.
Once they were inside it didn't take them long to find the officers, despite the darkness. They were sat side by side on a sofa on one side of the room, illuminated by the summer moon. Besides both of them were mostly empty glasses and the familiar smell of the fruity alcoholic beverage that the other officers had been enjoying. It was as they'd feared, the Prince and Major had been drinking from the wrong bowl and had fallen asleep.
She'd been a little worried at first, they were both far too young to drink after all; but after a brief examination, Christina declared that other than a nasty headache and probably some nausea in the morning, they should be fine. After the worry subsided, she found herself smiling at the scene in front of her.
Prince Wilhelm's head was resting on the Major's shoulder, while hers had fallen comfortably atop of his head. The boy's hand was clasped tightly around her hand, as though he were afraid he would lose it, and the Major's arm had found itself wrapped around the Prince's waist. Both were slumbering peacefully and happily as they each emitted a soft snore; it was almost a shame they would have to move them.
It was cute, like the sort of picture she'd seen painted on ornamental plates and it made her heart melt to see the two so at ease and natural around each other.
She almost didn't notice Captain Zerbist behind her as she smiled at the pair and was caught completely off guard as the woman tapped on the camera hung around her neck.
"You wanted to take a picture of some happy memories, right?"
Authors Notes
Hi everyone and thank you for reading.
As usual, I seem to be apologising for uploading late again, it seems my dreams of a regular upload schedule are impossible until the new year as I am having to work 6 days a week at the moment so I have very little time. I still plan on getting another chapter up within the month though and have already started working on it.
As I said previously, this chapter is a filler/character development chapter so there's not much on the plot development but hopefully, you like it. It was kinda hard work I must admit and I'm not totally sure on it if I'm honest, but I wanted to get Will and Tanya a little closer. I do not, however, condone underage drinking (Not sure If I can be sued for putting it in a fanfic but it never hurts to be wary.)
Just a few other things:
I apologise for the date being wrong in the last 2 chapters, it should have read 1925, not 1920, this has now been fixed. This is what you get for copy-pasting dates in your story, 1 mistake becomes several haha.
The text on Tanya and Wilhelm's pin: Mir kréie wat mir verdéngen means we will get what we deserve in Luxembourgish.
NEET= Not in Education, Employment or Training.
Again, I apologise for my erratic upload schedule and I hope you are all still enjoying this story.
Xanen