Steel Empire
Henrietta's Concerns

The light of dawn shone on Berengar's room, revealing the sight of the young Count and his lover entangled in each other's arms. As usual, this was a signal for Berengar to wake up; as for Linde, he would continue to sleep for some time. The days he woke up early to sneak back to his temporary residence had long since passed. These days, Everyone knew his relationship with Berengar, and he openly slept in his room; thus, he could sleep as long as he wanted, and Berengar never complained. 

So Berengar skillfully got out of bed, without waking Linde up, and put on his athletic clothes. As usual, the morning was filled with a five-mile run, followed by weightlifting and sword training. When he was finally done with all those things, hours had passed, and he had entered the bathroom to remove all the sweat on his body. When she opens the bathtub door and enters the pool of water, she finds Linde already enjoying herself inside. A wide smile appeared on his face as Berengar sat beside him and enjoyed the steaming water. After a long workout, soaking in a hot tub is something Berengar enjoys a lot. 

After playing around in the tub with Linde for some time, the couple left the bathroom and tidied up their looks while fulfilling everyday hygiene such as brushing and flossing. Afterwards, they got dressed and headed to the dining room, where they shared food. As always, the only other person present at the table is Henrietta, who has long been accustomed to Linde's presence, and though their relationship has improved, their relationship has, he still supports Adela in her small rivalry with Linde. Adela of course has not returned to Kufstein since she left a few months ago. 

Berengar had yet to inform Henrietta of Lambert's death at his hands in the Battle of Oberstdorf; of course, when he finally told her about such an important matter, he was not, it would be a completely fabricated story about a dying boy in a glorious crusade against the Golden Horde. After all, Henrietta had always paid attention to her two brothers, and she was still not fully aware of the crimes Lambert had committed in her life. As a child, it seemed unfair for Berengar to reveal to the girl the truth behind Lambert's guilt and the cause of his death. So she chose to let her little sister remember Lambert well, at least until she was old enough to properly understand the depth of her actions and her evil character. Because of this, Berengar drank from the skull cup, which was made from his younger brother.

"So Henrietta, how have you been lately? I'm so busy with work that I can't check on you."

Henrietta had attended classes at one of the public institutions established in Kufstein City to educate the younger generation; after all, if she had remained confined to Kufstein Castle without any contact with children her age, he must have had some problems socializing well later in life. So Henrietta had a big smile on her face as she devoured a delicious omelet on her plate. The omelet itself is filled with spinach and cheese and has become one of the girl's favorite breakfast dishes. However, the moment he heard this, his expression slightly worsened which did not go unnoticed by Berengar and Linde.

"I'm fine..."

Henrietta is a rather shy girl, and as such, she doesn't like to reveal too much about her personal life. However, Berengar was persistent and made sure to interfere in the girl's life; therefore, he asked another question.

"Do you enjoy school? Does everyone treat you well?"

Henrietta nodded as she snacked more at her breakfast; she did not say much other than

"mmm"

Regardless of his answer, Berengar did not believe that was the case; after all, he knew his little sister quite well and, therefore, became very concerned. It was not just a matter of shame; ever since Berengar got his blindfold and started drinking from the skull cup, he had an aura of intimidation all around him, which made Henrietta subconsciously fear him. Therefore, he acted as an obedient little lamb and simply nodded his head and answered Berengar's question. 

Seeing such behavior, Linde smiled gently on her face and questioned the girl on behalf of Berengar. She was a much scarier character in Henrietta's eyes, and as such, the girl was more open to talking to him.

"It's okay; why don't you tell me if you have a problem?"

Henrietta's gaze switched between Berengar and Linde for a while before she finally opened up about her problems with her school life. Being confined to the castle for most of her life, Henriettas, as mentioned earlier, was a shy girl, and as such, she did not know how to interact well with others. Berengar's worst fears about his upbringing have come true, and because of that, Henrietta reveals his difficulties at school. 

"I don't have any friends..."

With this information revealed, Berengar was not entirely surprised; he purposely incorporated it into his public education program so that he could socialize and become accustomed to the general public, but he was still the Count's younger sister, and the Count, there was a natural atmosphere of intimidation surrounding him, at least as far as ordinary people were concerned. Parents may instruct their children not to do anything that makes them angry; when combined with their shy and submissive personality, they may, most likely he was sitting alone in class all day and just doing his schoolwork. 

It seemed that Berengar's guess was correct as Linde questioned the young girl further.

"Well, are you trying to talk to anyone in your class?"

Henrietta simply shook her head in response to this question, causing Linde to smile warmly once more.

"Well, maybe you should try it?"

Henrietta's response was quick and fraught with disappointment.

"That doesn't matter ..."

"Why not?"

Henrietta's expression turned grim, which was rather adorable on her cute little face, at least as far as Berengar was concerned; however, she muttered in a soft voice

"Because I'm the Count's younger sister ..."

Although he was silent, the large dining room was almost silent other than his voice, and Berengar and Linde both heard his complaints. It was now Berengar's turn to comfort him, and he finally voiced his opinion on the matter.

"It sounds to me like other kids might be a little intimidated by your position, I'll bet you don't voluntarily interact with them, and you just sit there in class with an indifferent expression on your face. . Am I right?"

Berengar knew his sister very well, and his guesses were correct; henrietta squeezed her favorite doll that she carried everywhere into her arms and pouted, Berengar was right in terms of money, and she felt like she was being scolded. However, what he said next gave him hope.

"Why don't you try to introduce yourself to your classmates? I know you're shy, but if you try sincerely, they might stop thinking of you as a little ice princess who shouldn't be offended and instead treat you as part of the class. I'm sure the girls in your class would love to talk about your cute dress!"

Hearing this, Henrietta continued to frown until finally, she said a single sentence.

"I doubt that..."

Berengar laughed at the cute expression of the little loli and decided to go against his words.

"Is that so? Then what are the girls in your class interested in talking about?"

Henrietta's face flushed slightly as she recalled the topic that the girls in her class were constantly talking about and immediately turned her back on Berengar, which greatly confused her. As for Linde, she had an overview of what topics were popular among the little girls of Kufstein and only smiled as Berengar tried to wrap his head around her. After a few seconds of contemplation, Berengar was unable to understand it and immediately asked again.

"Henrietta, what are the girls in your class interested in?"

Hearing the Count's authoritative voice speak to him in such a powerful manner, Henrietta almost jumped out of her chair in fear. However, he only turned his head to look back between Berengar and Linde before muttering a single word.

"You..."

Berengar could not believe he was hearing properly, and because of that, he asked her once more.

"Sorry, what is it?"

Henrietta was already completely embarrassed by the conversation and shouted out what she said exactly.

"You! The girls in my class are always talking about you!"

Now it was Berengar's turn to be ashamed; this was not the demographic he wanted to be popular with; therefore, he turned to Linde for advice, who only grinned at his misfortune before teasing him.

"Geez, to believe my men are very popular with little girls!"