Paradis Island, Holy City, Eldia National University.
Inside the principal's office, a woman with a head of large, wavy curls was arranging books on the shelves, wiping dusty spots with a cloth. Her features were not particularly beautiful, but she was clearly hardworking.
After organizing the books, she picked up a mop and bent down to clean the floor. Exhausted, she took out a handkerchief to wipe the sweat from her forehead.
Just then, a pair of large hands reached over and grasped the mop handle. "Thank you for your hard work. Let me take over," Erwin said.
"No, it's all right. You're busy with work. This is what I should be doing," the woman said softly, shaking her head. Her eyes were full of tenderness as she looked at Erwin.
Erwin paused slightly at that. "Thank you, Helena," he said.
"You don't have to say that. You're my husband, and I want to share your burdens. You don't always have to be so polite with me." There was a faint disappointment in Helena's eyes, but her voice remained gentle.
Erwin quietly regarded the woman before him, a trace of tenderness flickering in his own eyes.
Hange, Nile, and Pixis had worked together to set him up with Helena.
They had been married for two years. Their life was uneventful, and their wedding had been a modest affair, with only the veteran core members of the Survey Corps invited. Even Armin and the others had not been invited, as Erwin felt they had too many important duties to be disturbed.
But Helena had never complained. She had admired Erwin ever since her student days more than thirty years ago, yet he had never sought romance. Even now, he did not know whether he was capable of loving someone.
As