Interstellar Age

Chapter 97 Suffering Minor Setbacks

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Weeks passed since Erich first returned home with two Oni women by his side. And during this time his mother had moved out along with his younger siblings, and back to their homeworld of Alemannia, which had recently been restored to a state that was habitable. 

As for Erika, she continued to struggle with Erich's infidelity, and his complete and utter lack of care for her. However, she was not alone in this regard. As Ayumi became increasingly concerned about the relationship that Erich had with his wife.

And though, Yumi kept telling her great niece not to bring up such a troubled subject around their lover. As the days passed, and Erich's indifference towards his wife continued, the kind hearted soul that belonged to the exiled Oni Princess could not help but attempt to repair the damage. 

But in order to do this, she needed to first have an understanding about how deep the animosity between the married couple ran. Because of that, she finally cornered an intoxicated Erika, who seemed to subsist off of a diet that was almost exclusively wine, where she then invited the woman to tea. 

Naturally, Erika responded with a message similar to the phrase "get bent..." Yet Ayumi was not deterred, and because of this, she approached Erika every afternoon with the offer of tea. This went on for a total of two weeks before the former pop star finally agreed to the alien woman's request. 

Currently, Ayumi and Erika were sitting at a table which existed on a balcony raised above the beach. The warm sea breeze gently kissed the two women's faces while Ayumi poured two glasses of tea for the both of them. She wore a pleasant smile on her face, despite the scowl that Erika wore. 

After all, she was by now well aware of what the Germanic Star-Empire thought of foreigners, and had come to understand that her aunt was probably a masochist on some level. Yet despite suffering what could only be considered as mistreatment by the Germanic people, Erich continued to treat the two Oni women with the respect and kindness which they deserved. And in the end that was all that mattered to Ayumi. 

Because of this understanding of her new reality, Ayumi was not delusional enough to believe that single serving of tea would ever help Erika get over her racial prejudices, but she hoped that it would open the path forward to some form of understanding between the two of them. Thus, she wore a pretty smile as she properly introduced herself to the wife of her lover. 

"I must apologize for not introducing myself properly before this moment. Though I have wanted to become acquainted with you, I believe you understand the hostility that your husband has towards you more than anyone, and for that, I am terribly sorry."

Erika simply snorted. It was amazing enough that this filthy alien was fluent in the Germanic tongue, but to speak such kind words, clearly this whore was up to something, she just didn't know what. However, Erika did not outright speak of her hostile thoughts, and remained silent as Ayumi continued her introduction. 

"You are probably aware by now that my given name is Ayumi, but my surname is Kondo. If you know anything about my people, then you should understand what this means. I am the eldest princess of the Kondo Dynasty, and have unfortunately been exiled from my homeland because of my relationship with Erich."

This remark caught Erika completely off guard causing her to spit out the tea she was drinking while gazing upon Ayumi with a different light in her electric blue eyes. 

"You're a princess? Why the hell are you living with us? Shouldn't the party be taking care of you in some penthouse in Germania?"

Ayumi wore a bitter smile on her face as she thought about everything she had lost, but she quickly shook her head, and forced herself to have a more pleasant expression as she explained in detail what her current position was. 

"I am indeed a princess, albeit an exiled one. As for my living arrangements, I am currently a ward of the State. And due to my relationship with your husband, I believe that your leadership has arranged for Erich to be my guardian. In other words, my aunt and I are currently under house arrest. Something which would be unbearable if anyone else was our warden. In fact, I was convinced that Erich was dead after what my father did to him, but it appears your people have advanced far beyond my own in terms of medicine...." 

This statement caught Erika's attention, as she narrowed her gaze toward's the Oni woman, and spoke with a grave tone in her voice. 

"What happened to Erich?" 

It became abundantly clear to Ayumi that she said something she probably shouldn't have. But since the cat was already out of the bag, so to speak, she could only sigh and explain the whole story to Erika. Reliving her trauma was something that Ayumi did not want to do, but if it made her lover's wife understand things with a bit more clarity, she did not mind doing so. 

Erika was shocked to hear this sudden influx of information. Although she knew that Erich had already suffered one fatality during his sacrifice, which defeated Terminus, she was not aware of his other two deaths, especially this most recent one. 

Even if the Empire could bring back those who had fallen in battle, experiencing death had a long-lasting effect on one's psyche. Erika had already witnessed the effects that her husband's previous demise had on his mind, and could not fathom what he was going through after suffering such a fate yet again. 

Not to mention from Ayumi's words, it sounded like his most recent death was one that was particularly excruciating. It was one thing to die instantly in a massive explosion. But to be riddled full of bullets? That was a special kind of hell. This new only further caused Erika's heart tobleed. She had a sullen look on her otherwise pretty face as her eyes stared at her teacup, which was half empty in silence. It took the young popstar several moments voice her thoughts aloud. 

"I had no idea he went through so much.... He doesn't tell me anything...." 

Contrary to what Erika was expressing, Ayumi wore a comforting expression on her flawless face as she grabbed hold of the woman's dainty hand, while expressing her concern. 

"My heart breaks watching the two of you have such a troubled marriage. It is clear to me that you care about Erich in your own way. But he stubbornly refuses to get over the grievances that he has with you. However, I also feel like you have some unresolved issues with the man yourself. 

I will admit that I don't know much about your relationship, but I am here to help. I know you don't trust me, specifically because I am a foreigner, but I want what is best for Erich, and that means getting the two of you to reconcile your differences. Please, won't you tell me what you have done to anger him so?" 

Erika did not immediately respond to Ayumi's request. After all, she had previously vented her frustrations with Erich to the man's mother, and Krista was quick to buy into Erika's side in the dispute. However, Ayumi was clearly not going to do the same. Undoubtedly, the woman would claim that this ordeal was Erika's fault, and that she should do more to appease her husband. 

Whether it was this concern, or simply her disdain for aliens, Erika ultimately did not respond kindly to Ayumi's request. Instead, she quickly swallowed the rest of her tea, stood up, and left. But not before leaving some particularly unkind words to the Oni beauty. 

"I do not need the help of my husband's whore! If Erich wishes to speak with me about his problems, he can do so himself. Thanks for the tea, but I am afraid your company has soured what would have otherwise been a pleasant occasion...."

After saying this, Erika left Ayumi alone. And though the woman had suffered some minor setbacks in her ultimate goal, she knew that she would not be able to convince Erika to trust her from the start. Thus, Ayumi was already prepared for such a response. And planned to try again after giving Erika some time to think things through properly. 

Instead of dwelling on this momentary defeat, Ayumi quickly got to work cleaning up the area, much to the chagrin of the mansion's maids, who were quick to inform the woman that she did not have to do such a thing.