Mercedes & Ingrid B

Ingrid
Apologies for my late arrival, Mercedes. My duties ran long, as per usual.

Mercedes
There's no need to apologize at all! Please, have a seat.

Mercedes
We've met for tea so many times, but you never seem to get used to it, do you, Ingrid?

Ingrid
Not entirely, no. I'm not accustomed to being treated so...delicately.

Ingrid
Anyway, what will we talk about today?

Mercedes
I actually wanted to gripe about something that's been bothering me.

Ingrid
You? Gripe? Now that's unusual! I'm happy to listen, of course.

Ingrid
It's the least I can do after all the kindness you've shown me.

Mercedes
Thank you. The one thing I really wanted to talk about is marriage...

Ingrid
Oh?

Mercedes
Yes. I received a letter from my adoptive father about marriage discussions with a noble family.

Ingrid
And will you accept?

Mercedes
That's the problem. No matter what I decide, I'll probably be married off anyway.

Mercedes
What I really want to do is help those in need.

Mercedes
But I think it would be more difficult to do so if I married a nobleman.

Ingrid
Understandably so. Sounds to me like you need a strategy to silence your father.

Mercedes
Sorry? To...silence him?

Ingrid
Don't you agree? It seems the best course of action would be to consider severing all ties with the family and running away.

Mercedes
We don't need to go that far.

Mercedes
I'm sorry, I really just needed to let that out. I don't need you to worry about solving my problems.

Ingrid
Oh. OK. It's...just a bit personal for me, actually.

Ingrid
My own father has brought countless marriage proposals to my attention. He always was obsessed with me carrying on the family bloodline...

Ingrid
At a very young age, my hand had already been promised to someone in marriage. But Glenn died young.

Mercedes
That must have been difficult for you. Would you have married him if he had survived?

Ingrid
Hm. That's a good question. It's hard to imagine now.

Ingrid
Although I did admire him quite a lot. He held true to the ideals of knighthood, proudly serving the king.

Ingrid
Even after all these years, I aspire to be the type of knight that he embodied.

Mercedes
I see. A very noble cause indeed.

Mercedes
How strange that we should be worrying about the same thing.

Ingrid
Even though we are such different people.

Mercedes
It's true. Enjoying a nice chat over tea with you like this makes me realize...

Mercedes
Maybe the paths we walk aren't so different after all. Don't you think?

Ingrid
I do. These tea parties of ours...they really are something special.

Mercedes
That they are. Ingrid... I would love to get to know you better, if that's OK.

Mercedes
I want to know about your childhood, your favorite books, the sweets you like, anything at all!

Ingrid
Hahaha, absolutely! I'm happy to speak with you anytime, and I want to know you better too, Mercedes.