The soirée was hardly Mechthild’s idea of excitement, yet she attended with the same rigor she brought to the battlefield. Clad in her immaculate military dress uniform, every button gleaming, posture rigid, she looked every bit the steel-clad knight—distant, composed, untouchable.
And yet, as the music swelled, something softened. She extended her hand, palm steady but warm, toward the lady from Berlin: Erika, radiant in a delicate green gown, a white fur wrap draped over her shoulders, her hair swept into an elegant chignon.
For all her cold precision, Mechthild’s voice betrayed a quiet yearning as she asked, “Would you grant me this dance, dear lady?”
I want to thank AAA外卖小妹阿帕奇 for drawing this delicate illustration. Thank you!