You feel like chastising Helmid

You tried to imagine what it would be like, having a woman like Helmid for a wife, only to see her given over to some unknown young man half your age. In that light, you couldn't help but be sorry for your four-year recruit commander, and your familiarity with that man seemed to bubble up and become bitterness towards the otherwise noble Helmid. You told her that you didn't think a proper lady should behave this way, abandoning her husband to take on strangers.

That odd smile curled upon her lips again and a look of shock came into her eyes. "Hm? Y-You're... you're saying you don't approve?" It was very apparent she wasn't used to be spoken to that way.

You shook your head, summoning your courage to talk back to the legendary Paladin, who was your senior both in service and in age. You told her that the way she treated all of this, smiling and flirting, seemed tasteless to you. She was acting like a bit of a-

"A harlot?!" she interjected, with a bizarre urgency, as though she was trying to shake the word out of you. She grabbed both of your hands in hers as she leaned across the table, knocking around her tea-set.

You shook your head as you tried in vain to free your hands from her ridiculously strong grasp. You weren't meaning to say anything so insulting. You just wanted to speak honestly, and it hurt you to see the way she was neglecting her husband. Putting yourself in his shoes, the pain he felt was obvious.

"Oh… oh, yes. I apologize. I was putting words into your mouth. I know that you only meant to be honest, not hurtful."

Helmid released your hand and brushed her bangs from her face, seeming breathless for a moment, before regaining her composure. "You're right. I'm a failure as a wife… but I am also the strongest of Geod's warriors. I'll prove that in time. And I hope you will warm up to me, even if you find me reprehensible."

Her odd behavior remained fresh on your mind as she took up the cups and went off to clean them. You watched her figure as she went. The corset was very tight about her waist, making the firmness and shape of her hips clear. There still seemed to be a certain flirtatiousness in her step, as one leg switched cross the other.

She seemed somehow... rejuvenated. Was that your imagination?