Re: Blood and Iron

Heidi's preparations over the last few years, using the money her husband had given her, had not gone to waste. With Heinrich's exceptional organization and management skills being put to efficient use, a series of charitable institutions were founded and operated by Heidi and those under her employment.

Whether it was a network of orphanages built across the German Reich and the Russian Empire, or a large investment in doctors, nurses, and other humanitarian efforts, by the time the war began, these critical and often overlooked non-profit organizations were not only in full effect but were reaching optimal levels of performance.

Heidi herself would take one day off every week from managing her own household affairs to visit the orphanages established in Berlin, speaking to the children and seeking to aid them in any way she could. She also did her best to find reputable families of proper moral virtue to adopt them.

Considering Alya herself was a war orphan, the young woman had decided to dedicate her early adult years to working in the largest of Heidi's orphanages. She would, after all, reach the age of majority within the German Reich later this year.

For the time being, as was always the case whenever Heinrich was deployed alongside Bruno, Alya had come to live with Heidi and her children.

Bruno's oldest children were now well into their adolescence, with Eva turning 13 this year and Erwin turning 12. Perhaps because of this, Bruno's eldest son and presumed heir had started acting a little strangely around the Russian woman he had grown up with and had long thought of as an older sister.

Alya had grown into an exceptionally beautiful woman over the years, and Erwin had naturally begun to notice this as he entered the stage of development where girls became an interest of his. In the past, he would run around and play with his "older sister," but now he was incredibly timid and embarrassed whenever she spoke to him.

Today was no different, as Heidi enlisted the help of her soon-to-be teenage son to do some heavy lifting around the orphanage. Erwin was in the midst of carrying some heavy boxes full of necessary supplies into the orphanage.

He did not complain in the slightest; the boy had been properly raised by his father and mother to be a man of good moral character. The idea of complaining while helping those less fortunate than himself had never crossed his mind.

Despite the weight of the boxes, Erwin carried them with a smile, as if he were fulfilling some masculine obligation to do the labor on behalf of the otherwise fragile ladies around him.

Once Erwin had stacked the boxes in an orderly fashion and began to distribute their contents to the proper areas, Alya stopped by and made a comment with a smirk on her pretty face and a condescending tone in her elegant voice.

"Well, would you look at that? My little brother is growing up so fast! If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were becoming a man after my own heart!"

Erwin's naturally snow-white skin flushed as his cheeks became rosy in embarrassment over Alya's words. Alya wasn't oblivious; she was well aware of the boy's growing affections for her. She immediately walked over and flicked him on the forehead, trying to dismantle any notions he might have that he otherwise shouldn't.

"Listen here, you brat! You are nine years too young to have such thoughts toward me. By the time you're of proper age, I'll be an old maid! Besides, like it or not, you're a prince, and I'm a commoner! Your parents would be wise to find you a woman close in years and of proper noble heritage for you to marry! And you, little man, would do well to forget about me!"

Erwin was about to protest and mention that, by law, his mother had been a commoner at birth, as she was a bastard. Yet his father had still married her, and they loved each other more than anything despite this.

But Heidi, who happened to be nearby eavesdropping on the conversation, interrupted the heated discussion between her son and the girl she had helped raise over the years before Erwin could get a word in to defend himself.

"Alya, I need you in the kitchen. Do you mind joining me for a bit?"

Heidi's voice had a way of carrying through even the thickest stone walls, especially when she was giving orders to one of her children. The moment Alya heard the woman's sharp tone, the hairs on the back of her neck stood up, as did Erwin's.

Both of them instantly grew silent and embarrassed as Alya walked off, leaving the matter with what she had said, while Erwin felt slightly dejected over his inability to stand up for himself.

—

Alya found Heidi standing in the orphanage's kitchen, dressed in rather common attire and wearing an apron. She was scrubbing down and scouring every surface she could find in a way that was wholly unsuited to her current noble status.

This was one of the things Alya admired most about her godmother: she was a woman who placed little significance on her lofty title and her husband's vast fortune, and was more than willing to get her hands dirty when needed—something no other noble lady on the planet would even consider.

Alya quickly saw why Heidi had called her for help; the kitchen was abominably filthy. Even with Heidi's exceptional cleaning skills, it simply wasn't a one-woman job.

Alya promptly joined in the cleaning. Silence persisted between the two women for a while, until Heidi finally brought up the awkward subject as if it were the most casual topic in the world.

"So… has your father found a suitable man for you to marry yet? Surely you have many suitors trying to court you, do you not?"

Alya's face turned redder than Erwin's had moments before. She lowered her gaze, almost as if too ashamed to meet Heidi's eyes. It didn't take long for Heidi to understand what was on the young woman's mind, and she immediately blurted out her thoughts.

"The unbelievably dense bastard! Is his skull made of lead? He hasn't given a single thought to it, has he? How could he not? He does realize you'll soon reach the age of majority, right?

By all rights, you should already be properly engaged, if not setting a date for the wedding by now! What reason could he possibly have for not doing so?"

Alya looked like she wanted to die of embarrassment, but Heidi had a way of getting the girl to speak, even when she didn't want to.

"What? Have you suddenly gone mute? Speak, woman! You're not a child anymore! You have to take these matters seriously! You don't want to end up old and alone with no family to call your own except for a clowder of cats, do you?"

Alya finally sighed, heaving heavily before answering Heidi's question, knowing the woman wouldn't let such an important matter rest.

"Papa… he still thinks I'm that little girl he saved from Russia all those years ago. Even though I'll be an adult in the eyes of the law this year, he still hasn't made any real move to see me wed…"

Heidi looked at the young Russian beauty with a flash of contempt in her fierce blue eyes—not for Alya, but for her foolish bastard of an adopted father. It took her all of two seconds to come to a conclusion, making a decision without consulting Alya, Heinrich, or Bruno beforehand.

"Well, that settles it then. In a few years, when Erwin reaches the legal age to marry, he'll take you as his bride. I see no other option at this point!"

Alya's jaw dropped. She began to stutter, trying to form a protest, but ultimately fell silent as she failed to produce coherent words.

Eventually, her face turned an exceptionally bashful shade as she turned away, hiding her face from Heidi, who looked at her with a sympathetic smile. Find adventures at m v lem|p-yr