Switching Places
“Welcome home, Lady Rozemyne,” Norbert said.
I had returned to the castle with Ferdinand, having been summoned by Sylvester to report on Hasse and the Harvest Festival. My plan was to read in my room until it was time for the meeting, while Ferdinand had some work he needed to take care of in his office here.
...He has work wherever he goes. Ferdinand sure loves work, huh?
“Brigitte, Damuel—please use this time to rest. You will need to accompany me back to the temple shortly, but I hope you enjoy the break nonetheless.”
“We thank you.”
When it came time for my meeting with Sylvester, Rihyarda took my book away. I exited the room with Cornelius and Angelica serving as my guards, and just as I started climbing down the stairs, Wilfried came into view.
Oh, it’s Wilfried... I hope he doesn’t bother me with any more dumb complaints.
Wilfried was probably under the impression that, as Sylvester’s adopted daughter, I was invading his territory. We were siblings in name only, and, for all intents and purposes, we were still pretty much strangers. To him, it looked like I was receiving preferential treatment despite being adopted, so it was no surprise he would be frustrated. But still.
Trying to pretend that I hadn’t seen him, my eyes moved on their own to get him out of view, but that didn’t stop me from hearing his bitter voice. “Going to Father’s room again...? No fair.”
He was grimacing, but I was the one who wanted to complain about this happening again. Holding back the urge to just completely ignore him and walk right by, I mulled things over. I think the best thing to do here is make him understand that I’m not getting better treatment at all.
“If you absolutely insist that this isn’t fair, Wilfried, then why don’t we try switching places for a day?” I asked, elegantly tilting my head and plastering on a smile to hide my frustration.
Wilfried likewise cocked his head. “Er... What do you mean?”
“I am on my way to report what I have been doing to Sylvester, after which the plan is for me to eat lunch and return to the temple. But I suggest you go to the temple in my place and spend a day as the High Bishop,” I explained. This was an idea I had thought up on the spot, but it was actually a pretty good one in my opinion; he would understand the position he was in much better after experiencing my life in the temple.
Go forth, Wilfried. Go forth and have your heart frozen by Ferdinand.
“We can have the swap last from lunchtime today until lunchtime tomorrow, planning the day ahead during the first lunch and then discussing it together during the second. I will study in your place, Wilfried, and all you have to do is be the best High Bishop you can.”
“Ooh, Rozemyne! That’s a great idea!”
“Lord Wilfried! Lady Rozemyne!” Lamprecht shouted, wearing a serious expression as he interrupted our agreement. His charge, Wilfried, was excited to be leaving the castle, but as his guard and my older brother, Lamprecht was none too pleased. It was his job to stop us from doing exactly this kind of thing, which was respectable, but I wasn’t about to let him get in my way; I was one hundred percent done listening to Wilfried whine about things being unfair each and every time he saw me.
“Lamprecht, people who do not learn lessons from being told must learn from experience instead. Furthermore, Wilfried wants this himself.” ...Plus you’re the one who wanted to show him what a big gap there is between us, dear brother, I added indirectly through a bright smile. If he wanted to stop this, he would have to stop Wilfried.
“I shall discuss this matter with Sylvester. If you go and get changed first, you should arrive after the boring part of the meeting is over,” I said, before bringing out my highbeast to get a move on.
“What the heck is that?!”
“My highbeast. Sylvester permitted me to ride him inside the main building since I would collapse from ill health otherwise.”
“I don’t even have a highbeast yet! It’s always you, Rozemyne! No fair!”
There he goes again... I held back my sigh and just started driving. “You would do well to get dressed soon; Sylvester is already waiting in his office.”
When I eventually arrived, it was already past time for the meeting to begin. Sylvester, Ferdinand, and Karstedt were already there, having cleared the room of their retainers—that is, their knights and attendants. I dismissed mine as well.
“You are late, Rozemyne.” Ferdinand chastised me the second I closed the door, so I explained the conversation I had just had with Wilfried, as well as my brilliant idea.
“At the very least, I would like Wilfried to understand how much of a slacker he is being, and how ridiculous it is for him to complain to me, of all people. There wouldn’t be an issue if he stopped going out of his way to complain to me; I would be more than happy to just avoid him entirely. But he just won’t let up, and I can’t promise to maintain my patience forever. I nearly Crushed him the other day.”
“It is quite dangerous for someone defenseless to be hit by your unconstrained Crushing,” Ferdinand observed, having once experienced it himself.
Sylvester’s eyes widened. “But what’s all this about sending him to the temple? You want him to spend a whole day with Ferdinand? That’s way too cruel.”
“Sylvester, what does that say about you making me spend every day with Ferdinand?” If anything’s not fair, it’s that. Does he not feel bad for me being thrust into my own valley of despair, with Ferdinand piling load after load of unreasonable tasks on me?
“You’re the weirdo who actually managed to get close with Ferdinand,” Sylvester fired back.
“...Wait just a second. You, the biggest weirdo I know, are treating me like a weirdo?!”
“What?! Are you calling me a weirdo?!”
Sylvester and I glared each other down, our intense staring contest only being broken when Karstedt interjected. “Now, now. Settle down. You’re both weirdos.” That seemed a bit excessive, but in any case, he then stroked his chin and gave me his support. “I understand your point, Rozemyne. Lamprecht has often mentioned that Lord Wilfried refuses to listen to anyone, so perhaps sending him to the temple will be good for him. Lamprecht has also gone to the temple on multiple occasions and is familiar with your attendants, so he will be more than capable of guarding Lord Wilfried throughout this.”
Having secured Karstedt as my ally, I turned to look at Ferdinand. At this rate, all I needed was his support to win this battle. But when I looked up at him with hopeful eyes, he returned a cold gaze. “I do not care in the least about Wilfried. Hurry up and finish your report.”
“...Fiiine.”
As I was giving my report on Hasse, Wilfried finally arrived. The way he looked around the room curiously showed that this was his first time coming here.
“Wilfried, do you seriously intend to switch places with Rozemyne? Let me give you some fatherly advice: give it up.”
Having been rejected by Sylvester the moment he entered the room, Wilfried pouted and frowned. I took a step forward and backed him up.
“Sylvester, this is what Wilfried truly wants. Please grant his wish.”
“...Rozemyne.” Wilfried looked my way with heartfelt gratitude, completely oblivious to the fact that I was actually plotting his downfall. I honestly felt a little bad about tricking him so thoroughly, but I needed to develop a heart of stone to earn back my peace.
I looked up at Ferdinand. “You promised to cheer me up, Ferdinand. And it was Sylvester who ordered you to do that, was it not?”
Sylvester immediately grimaced, and upon seeing that, Ferdinand curved his lips into a grin. I could guess that he had realized he could use this situation to get revenge on Sylvester for the unreasonable task he had given him.
“If I can complete Sylvester’s impossible task by looking after Wilfried in the temple for a day, I will gladly oblige,” Ferdinand said, watching on with great satisfaction as Sylvester grimaced even harder. Ferdinand was the biggest key player in getting Wilfried into the temple for a day, and with him on my side, I could guarantee that Wilfried would have a very fulfilling day.
I gave a bright smile. “Now that Ferdinand has given his permission, I ask that you give yours as well, Sylvester. It is about time that Wilfried sees the orphanage, understands his position, and becomes aware of what he must do. Unless his education is corrected soon, he will forever be beyond redemption.”
“...Ferdinand, did you teach her to do this? She’s spitting poison with a smile on her face,” Sylvester said with an exhausted expression, comparing us both.
Ferdinand and I exchanged eye contact. ...I mean, do you even have to ask? The answer should be obvious.
“She has always been like this.”
“His education made me like this.”
But for some reason, Ferdinand and I gave different answers. Strange, I thought, just as an exasperated Sylvester waved his hand to drive us out the room.
“Enough already. I get it. If this is what you want, Wilfried, then you can change places with Rozemyne for a day. Just remember that I tried to stop you. The end.”
“Wilfried, I suggest we discuss matters over lunch. I will need to give instructions to my temple attendants, and you will need clothes to wear at the temple,” I explained, climbing upstairs in my single-person Pandabus. The two of us were returning to the northern building after being shooed out of Sylvester’s office.
It was only once I had entered my room and gotten rid of my highbeast that I felt the strength leave my body.
“Are you alright, Lady Rozemyne?” Cornelius asked, peering at me with worry. He had been strangely overprotective ever since Wilfried caused me to faceplant back at my baptism ceremony.
“I’m just a little tired. I’ll be fine.”
Wilfried demanded to ride Lessy in my place, then complained to me when the Pandabus didn’t move. That was hardly my fault, though—we just had different mana. Dealing with him was especially tiring since there weren’t any poorly behaved kids like him in the temple, but I couldn’t let myself be exhausted. I still needed to give Fran instructions on what to do once he took Wilfried in.
“Rihyarda, I would like to write a letter. Please prepare a pen and paper.”
“Milady, what in the world makes you think that sending Wilfried to the temple is a good idea?” Rihyarda asked worriedly as she fetched a pen and paper.
“I confess to not putting much thought into the matter. At the end of the day, I spend most of my time in the temple, so I would like to know how a normal child of the archduke lives.”
At that, I started to think of what I needed to get Wilfried to understand over lunch. First was that he was going to the temple to work as the High Bishop, not play. Second was that he wasn’t allowed to complain about how my attendants treated him.
“Wilfried, while you are in the temple you will not be the archduke’s son, but the High Bishop. Please do your job properly. Furthermore, I will instruct my attendants to treat you as the High Bishop, so please do not expect them to be soft on you.”
“You’re the last person I want to hear that from. Unlike you, I’m not being spoiled,” Wilfried said with a sincere pout. He seemed genuinely unaware that he was being spoiled.
“Then you will have no problem with my attendants treating you like normal.”
“Of course.” Wilfried agreed with his chest puffed out proudly, and it seemed like he actually meant it. Lamprecht, on the other hand, noticed the subtext behind what I was saying and gave me a worried look, but I ignored him with a smile.
“There are rooms for guards in the temple, but not for noble attendants. For that reason you will be taken care of exclusively by my attendants in the temple, and as there are both men and women there, you will not lack for anything. I will ask Lamprecht to accompany you as a guard; as my brother, he is used to visiting the temple. Damuel and Brigitte will also be there.”
Wilfried’s other retainers all made expressions of obvious relief at not having to go to the temple. Only Lamprecht still looked nervous. He had no doubt noticed long ago that I wasn’t doing all this out of the kindness of my heart; he had a bad feeling about the whole situation, and good on him for being so sharp.
“Since we are switching places, I shall be using your chambers. All of your attendants seem to be men, so I ask that you permit Rihyarda to accompany me inside.”
“Yeah, sure,” Wilfried said with an excited smile.
A short while later, we had finished lunch. Rihyarda sent an ordonnanz to Damuel and Brigitte at my request, telling them when Wilfried would arrive. They were able to finish preparations in no time, so all I needed to do now was see them off to the temple.
“Ferdinand, please take care to inform Fran that he should treat Wilfried exactly as he would treat me. Here is a schedule for him. Lamprecht will be there to assist with your math, so I do not believe this will cause any interference with your work,” I said, handing Ferdinand a letter and suggesting that he use Lamprecht in my place.
Ferdinand glanced their way, then gave a poisonous smile. “Very well. Now then, Wilfried—it is time for your day as High Bishop to begin.”
I had no idea what was going on in Ferdinand’s head, but that smile was as terrifying as ever. I took a smooth step backward.
“I intended to travel exclusively by highbeast today, so we do not have a carriage prepared,” Ferdinand continued. “Wilfried, ride with Lamprecht. And now, we go!”
From there, Ferdinand drew forth his white lion, jumped on, then soared up into the sky. Lamprecht followed suit and summoned his own highbeast—a wolf with large wings. He hefted Wilfried up onto it, then spread its wings far apart before flying up into the sky.
“I must say, I’m not sure how I feel about you spending a night in a boy’s room...” Rihyarda muttered once they were gone.
“I would like to know all that I can about Wilfried’s daily life,” I replied, before following her to his room. She made sure it was in order, then called Wilfried’s head attendant to prepare the table for studying before the tutor was due to arrive.
“Oswald, you must get things ready sooner than this. Will Professor Moritz not be arriving soon?”
“Lord Wilfried always runs away, so it’s actually quite rare for his table to be prepared at all. I’m just glad that I get to do some attendant work for once.”
“What in the world are you saying? When he runs away, you must catch him and bring him back. Do not let his guards slack on their work,” Rihyarda chided with her eyebrows raised, having likely been taught something similar when raising Sylvester.
Oswald blandly shrugged his shoulders in response and got back to work preparing the table.
It wasn’t long before the tutor arrived. “May I pray for a blessing in appreciation of this serendipitous meeting, ordained by the fruitful days of Schutzaria the Goddess of Wind?” he asked.
“You may.”
“O Schutzaria, may my new student be blessed. It is a pleasure to meet you, milady. I am Professor Moritz, assigned to be your tutor. May your education proceed swiftly.”
I looked up at him, eager to begin learning. “What have you been teaching my dear brother Wilfried, might I ask?”
“He is currently practicing his letters.”
“My my! Are you saying he cannot even write the alphabet yet?! Should I take that to mean he is merely a math prodigy, with all his talent resting in numbers?” Rihyarda exclaimed. I had already known that Wilfried didn’t know how to write his letters yet, but it seemed Rihyarda was unaware of just how tragically uneducated he was. She strode right up to Moritz, getting directly in his face.
“...Er, no. He is still, uh... inexperienced, and...” Moritz’s voice grew weaker and weaker until he eventually trailed off completely.
Rihyarda’s eyes shot open, and she unleashed her own tremendous thunder on him. “Oswald! Professor Moritz! What in the world are you two doing?! Do you have any intention of raising Wilfried at all?! Everyone line up, right now!”
From that point on, nobody could stop Rihyarda; she gathered Wilfried’s attendants and his remaining guards, then started lecturing them all. The sheer extent of her anger told me that this lack of education bordered on abandonment, and could not possibly be worse. And while she shot down all of the excuses that the attendants and guards tried to make, there was still one clear, unifying cause for Wilfried’s current position. In summary: it was basically all Sylvester’s fault.
Sylvester had apparently obtained the position of archduke after battling with his older sister for it. But he hated the system that forced siblings to fight, and so he decreed that Wilfried would be his successor no matter what. Sylvester was no doubt trying to be kind and spare his son from what he hated so much himself, but that ended up being a big mistake.
Under normal circumstances, all children born to the archduke’s proper wives were equal in the line of succession, and the future archduke was selected based on who had the most mana and was most suited to the position. To that end, the attendants and teachers assigned to an archduke’s child would completely dedicate themselves to raising their charge. That only made sense given that serving the one who became the archduke would change their futures dramatically, bringing more honor to their family and all that. That was why Karstedt had put so much effort into catching the young Sylvester whenever he ran away, and why Rihyarda had scolded him so severely. It was obvious that Sylvester would be forced to do what was necessary for his growth, no matter how little he appreciated it.
But Sylvester had already willed for Wilfried to be his successor. Who, then, would dedicate themselves to raising him? Scolding a child would obviously earn their ire, so it was much easier and safer to let him do as he wished and earn his favor. For this reason, nobody bothered to admonish him; all they did was shrug and smile away his bad behavior.
“Oswald, surely you know why one with archduke blood and archnoble status such as yourself was assigned to be Lord Wilfried’s head attendant?! It was so you could oppose his selfish behavior without being silenced by his status! And we went as far as to assign Lamprecht to guard him, too! What have you even been doing?!”
In his youth, Sylvester had been caught and forced to study whenever he ran away, while Wilfried was allowed to do whatever he wished. They may have been similar in nature, but their upbringings and the knowledge they received from them couldn’t have been more different. They were shining examples that nurture mattered just as much as nature, if not more.
Not to mention that, according to what Rihyarda was ranting about now, Sylvester had changed a lot once Ferdinand entered the castle. He had been the youngest child in his family, and the appearance of a younger brother made him want to show off as hard as he could. Ferdinand was talented to be sure, but the age gap gave Sylvester an advantage, and the key to his growth was him striving to stay ahead for as long as he could.
But Wilfried had younger siblings close to his age already, and the same motivation wouldn’t apply to him. In fact, he had been lazing about for so long that his little brother and sister would surpass him in the blink of an eye. At this rate, it was inevitable that he would fail and develop an inferiority complex.
“Rihyarda, there is no point in scolding his retainers any further when the problem itself remains. I believe our only option is to discuss his education and training with Sylvester and Florencia, no?” I asked, just as Wilfried’s attendants and guards were starting to look dead inside from all the lecturing. It was clear that anything Rihyarda said from this point onward wouldn’t stick with them, meaning it was just a waste of time that would be better spent taking swifter and more effective action. Assuming the situation was as bad as it seemed, we needed to act as soon as possible.
“Indeed, milady. I’d say that Lord Sylvester doesn’t think Lord Wilfried running from his studies is a big deal because he did the same thing when he himself was younger,” Rihyarda said. “Surely he thinks that no child in the world wants to study, and is averting his gaze from the awful reality that Lord Wilfried cannot even read and write yet. I will arrange a meeting at once.” At that, she exited the room, her nostrils flaring in anger.
The pale-looking attendants and guards saw her off in a daze. They had gotten so used to spoiling Wilfried that they probably never expected to be scolded so hard, but, well... they had still catastrophically failed at doing their jobs properly.
“Now then, Professor Moritz—I suggest we use this time to write up an education plan for Wilfried.”
“But what about your studies, milady?”
“I was looking forward to seeing just how a child of the archduke is educated, but all you have brought me today is a chart of the alphabet and tables covering basic addition. These are all materials that even the children in my orphanage have mastered; I have nothing to learn from them. It seems that the orphans who work after their baptism ceremony have busier lives than the son of the archduke.” And next time, bring at least a single book I haven’t read before, I added internally. That was what I had actually been looking for, but now wasn’t the time to say it. “Wilfried will need to know his letters and numbers before winter as well, yes? I believe there is still time if we rush things starting now.”
“Lady Rozemyne, if I may... I find it hard to believe that Lord Wilfried will be able to master material that he has failed to learn over several years in such a short time span,” Moritz said, indirectly assuring me that he wasn’t a bad teacher and that Wilfried was entirely responsible for his own failures. But if you asked me, anyone who failed to teach a kid to read after several years of trying was probably just doing it wrong. Why hadn’t Moritz tried changing his approach to try and catch Wilfried’s interest?
“The orphans in my orphanage all learned the letters of the alphabet and how to do basic math over the span of a single winter. What matters is being interested and having someone to compete with.”
Assuming that things were advancing according to the schedule I had given to Ferdinand, Wilfried would be playing karuta with the orphans right about now and experiencing a humiliating defeat. My plan had been to bring in picture books, karuta, and playing cards all at once during winter to shock the noble children, but I didn’t see an issue with letting Wilfried play a little early. Assuming he really did share Sylvester’s nature, he would desperately start studying as quickly as he could to win.
“I will have Rihyarda send an ordonnanz to Ferdinand so that he may bring me study materials. I shall teach you how to use them during class tomorrow morning, Professor Moritz.”
Children tend to have very short attention spans, but having various study materials would mean that whenever Wilfried got bored of one, we could just move on to another. Each day he would learn bit by bit. I discussed with Moritz the principle of setting a bunch of small objectives for Wilfried to complete, and how each accomplishment would give him something to brag to his parents about at the dinner table. This would serve as a solid basis for the entire study plan.
At first, Moritz just blinked in surprise, but his eyes grew increasingly fearful as I continued. “Lady Rozemyne, I find it... ahem... somewhat hard to believe that you only just finished your baptism.”
“This is surely the result of Ferdinand’s teachings. And while there may be more to it than that, the scriptures say that those who try to learn a woman’s secrets rarely meet a pleasant end,” I said, punctuating my warning with a dark laugh.
This time, Moritz looked at me with genuine terror.
I did that to warn him not to dig any deeper, not to scare him... but I guess I went too far? Whoops.
So many people had treated me like an adult as of late that I’d forgotten how abnormal I really was. A normal kid wouldn’t instruct their tutor on how to teach, and they certainly wouldn’t write up study plans for an older brother who was just about their age.
“Ferdinand has said that I am not quite the average child. But Wilfried is, so please take care not to audibly compare him to me—it will only weaken his motivation,” I said.
Moritz bobbed his head in a fearful nod, looking at me like I was a freak.
Fifth bell rang and there was still no sign of Rihyarda. It was either taking her longer than expected to arrange a meeting, or she was already giving Sylvester a pretty heated lecture.
Once Moritz had left with a study plan going all the way to winter, I turned to Oswald. He was trembling in fear at the thought of Rihyarda getting him fired. “Oswald, what comes next on Wilfried’s schedule?”
“Free time, milady. Wilfried uses this time to practice his swordplay, and goes to meet his younger siblings in the main building if permitted. How shall you spend it, Lady Rozemyne?”
There was only one way I ever wanted to spend my free time. I clapped my hands together and grinned. “This castle has a book room, yes? Please take me there.”
At that, I got into my highbeast and had Oswald guide me to the book room. Wilfried’s attendants and guards were required to follow me as they normally would their charge, and I ignored how they curiously looked at and peered into Lessy as we went. They would get used to him just like the scholars in the halls who would double- and triple-take at him.
“What a large book room this is!” I exclaimed once we had arrived. It was much bigger than the temple’s, and had more inside as well. Large books lined shelves that were bursting with documents. At a glance, I could see dozens that were too large for me to carry, and hundreds that I could carry. It was much more of a book room than the one in the temple, which was more of a document storage room than anything else. This was the closest thing to a library I had seen yet. The smell of old paper and ink was so pleasant that just being here filled me with energy.
Mmm... It smells so good!
My intention had been to accelerate the whole saint plan so that I could monopolize the temple’s book room, but on second thought, it would be much better to just work in the castle’s book room as a librarian of sorts. I would have to consider marrying Wilfried so that I could get full control over this place.
“Aaah, this is bliss... To think I would stumble upon such a massive treasure trove of books. Oswald, could you hand me the leftmost book on that shelf? You may then go and do whatever other work needs to be done.”
“...To what work do you refer?” Oswald asked, looking curious but maintaining his polite tone.
“You must be busy as a head attendant, no? You may leave the bare minimum number of retainers here and return to Wilfried’s chambers,” I said.
Oswald blinked in surprise as he fetched me the book, but I really didn’t know why he was so confused. My attendants in the temple had loads of work beyond taking care of me, and Rihyarda was always busily moving around my chambers while I was reading. Surely he had a lot to do as well.
“If anyone would like to stay and read with me, they may take priority in staying behind,” I continued. “I believe it is a virtue to share this bliss with others. Furthermore, unless the matter is extremely urgent, do not speak to me before dinnertime.”
And with that said, I opened my book. A smile formed on my face as I peered at the opening page. It was a collection of short stories on chivalry collected from the songs that minstrels would sing about knights. Suffice to say, it would be a very good reference for when I started making my own original books.
Sigh... Wilfried has it so good. I wish I had free time every day.
I had been so busy lately that I hadn’t had an opportunity to read aside from the brief reprieves that Fran sometimes offered me. From the bottom of my heart, I was glad to have switched places with Wilfried.
I immersed myself in the world of stories, tracing my fingers along the paper and swaying in enticed satisfaction at the smell of the ink. My vision was filled with nothing but letters, and I blocked out all unnecessary sounds. I was so absorbed in my blissful time reading books that I didn’t even notice Wilfried’s attendants and guards watching me with confused looks on their faces.
“Milady, it’s dinner time!” Rihyarda declared, snatching the book away and bringing me back to reality. The timing was unfortunate—the princess’s knight had just started on a quest to slay a feybeast that had cursed the princess when she leapt to protect her father, the king.
“Rihyarda, may I borrow this book and bring it to my chambers?”
“Yes, of course. I shall make the necessary arrangements. And by that I mean: Oswald, take care of this. I will be taking milady to the dining hall once she’s done changing,” Rihyarda said, entrusting the book to Oswald and walking away. She had scheduled a meeting with Sylvester over dinner and was eager to really give him a piece of her mind. As expected, she had ranted quite a bit when arranging it as well.
“Rihyarda, I would like you to send an ordonnanz to Ferdinand as well.”
“Oh? And what business do you have with Ferdinand?”
“I would like him to bring study materials for Wilfried. He normally returns to his own chambers for dinner, so once sixth bell rings, we can send him a message without needing to worry about Wilfried asking what was said.”
Rihyarda shook her head and gave me an exasperated look. “Sixth bell rang a long time ago, milady.” I had apparently been so absorbed in my book that I hadn’t even noticed. Whoops.
As soon as we got back to my chambers, Rihyarda prepared the ordonnanz. The feystone grew with mana and changed into the shape of a bird, which I then spoke to.
“Ferdinand, it’s Rozemyne. I will be discussing Wilfried’s future study plan with Sylvester over dinner, so I would very much appreciate it if you could bring my karuta, picture books, and playing cards at a later time. It can even wait until Wilfried is asleep.”
“Be a dear and wait until tomorrow, my boy,” Rihyarda added, before swinging her schtappe and sending off the ordonnanz. Given that she had put her foot down, it was safe to assume Ferdinand would deliver them tomorrow.
The ordonnanz returned while I was in the middle of changing. “I will have Fran prepare what you need, but do not begin the discussion until I am there. I have already eaten and do not need food,” it said three times in Ferdinand’s cold, angry voice before returning to its feystone form. I didn’t know what Wilfried had done in the temple, but it seemed like it would be wise to ask.
Once I had finished changing, I headed to the dining hall with Rihyarda, whose brow was still knitted in anger; Oswald, who was clutching his stomach out of stress; and Wilfried’s guards, who were cautiously watching Rihyarda from afar. When we arrived, I was met with a bitterly frowning Sylvester, Karstedt grimacing like he had a headache, and Florencia wearing a peaceful smile. They were all already seated.
“My apologies for being late,” I said as I took my seat. “Thank you all for waiting.”
“Rihyarda burst into my office earlier yelling her head off. Are you behind this?” Sylvester asked me with a glare.
“...I hardly think it’s fair to blame Rihyarda for being so angry,” I responded. “Are you not aware of what an awful state Wilfried is in?”
Both Sylvester and Karstedt looked at me with confusion. It was clear from their expressions that they were completely unaware, but I decided it would be better to let Ferdinand’s sharp tongue sort them out than to try and say anything myself.
“Ferdinand will be here soon, so I suggest we leave this discussion until after we’ve finished eating,” I suggested, and Sylvester gave an enormous grimace upon hearing that Ferdinand would be coming too.
Once the food was brought in, we ate in silence for a bit until Sylvester eventually broke the ice. “I’ll hear how Wilfried is from Ferdinand soon enough, but how have you been finding the switch?” he asked.
Karstedt glanced my way, clearly interested. Oswald, on the other hand, slumped his shoulders and looked at the ground, agonized by memories of Rihyarda’s fury.
“I spent half of my study time listening to Rihyarda rage about Wilfried’s ignorance, and the other half forming a study plan for him with Moritz. There was absolutely nothing for me to learn from Wilfried’s lessons. Were you not perturbed by the reports you were given about him?” I asked.
Wilfried’s tutor and attendants had apparently avoided telling the truth, but that wasn’t the only issue—given Sylvester’s own experiences in the past, whenever he was told that Wilfried had run away and been caught, he just assumed that he had been forced to study afterward. Karstedt was also used to Sylvester running away all the time, so whenever Lamprecht mentioned that Wilfried had escaped again, he just laughed it off as a path that he himself had walked long ago.
“After fifth bell, I was given a rare block of free time, which I spent enjoying a book in the castle book room. This book room is much larger than the one in the temple, and I lack the words to describe the joy I felt... In any case, it was a blissful experience. I would like to continue switching places with Wilfried so that I may lock myself in the book room and read everything in there,” I said, conveying just how much I enjoyed my time there.
But Sylvester just shook his head in disbelief. “I don’t get you at all, but still—can’t you just read in your own spare time?”
“...Do you think I am given any free time? Once breakfast is done, I practice the harspiel until third bell, then help Ferdinand in his office until lunch. After lunch, I have meetings with business partners, potentially visit Hasse’s orphanage if not our own, study various rituals, and then practice using mana.”
“Uh...”
“Wilfried has oh-so-much free time during the day, on top of the time he spends running away from his studies, and today he was made to work all day just like I do as the High Bishop. I can only imagine what a struggle it has been for him,” I said with a smile.
Sylvester’s eyes widened. “That is far too much work for a child.”
“You are the one who put me in this situation. If not for your orders to prepare the Italian restaurant and spread printing so soon, I would be having a much easier time, so I would not like to hear the man responsible for my workload complain that I am working too much,” I said with a sigh.
“...Are you not leaving most of that to Ferdinand?” Sylvester asked, peering at me with surprise. “I sent that work your way expecting Ferdinand to do it.”
“Oh? Well, that’s not happening. Ferdinand is already busy with his duties as the High Priest, as well as the High Bishop work that I’m incapable of doing yet. Not to mention that he needs to assist you when he comes to the castle, and at times visits the Knight’s Order. How is he supposed to have the spare time to be involved with a new business when he’s already handling my full education? You expect too much from Ferdinand. He is a man of many talents, but he does not have infinite time. If you work him too hard, he will just die,” I concluded, going a bit further than I intended to.
Sylvester looked like he’d been caught completely off guard. “Wha... Work in the temple’s that hard?” he muttered.
...Um, what? Little late to be noticing that, isn’t it?
“Consider that Ferdinand is single-handedly running an organization of over one hundred people. How could that not be difficult? He has nobody he can safely delegate work to.”
“But all he ever did was ask me to send books over, since he was so bored and had nothing else to do. Not to mention all the stuff to make magic tools. Is he not glad to finally have something to keep him busy?” Sylvester asked. He was probably thinking of a time when the temple had a lot more blue priests, back before Ferdinand was burdened with an overwhelming mountain of work. But Sylvester always wanted to push things to their limits, and Ferdinand never wanted to admit there was something he couldn’t do, so it seemed the change in circumstances had never been clearly conveyed between them. Every time I gave a report to Sylvester, he had just assumed I was speaking for Ferdinand and listing the things he had done.
“Sylvester, the printing industry is progressing with me at its epicenter. I am so busy that I have no time to read books, and I would be ever so grateful if you could slow down how fast you wish for the printing industry to expand.”
“...Alright. Move things along at your own pace,” Sylvester said, letting out a sigh and waving his hand dismissively. Then, in a quiet voice, he added, “Sorry for not noticing sooner.”
Benno! Mark! Lutz! I slowed the schedule down a little! Hooray!
Just as I made a victory pose on the inside, the door to the dining hall opened and Ferdinand walked in wearing an exceptionally displeased expression. His brow was furrowed and his eyes narrowed. The atmosphere in the dining hall immediately froze over, and everyone instinctively straightened their backs.
Ferdinand walked up to Sylvester, looked over everyone who was present, then spoke. “Sylvester, your son is a disaster. Remove Wilfried from the line of succession,” he said in a quiet, angry voice. A few gasps could be heard from around the room, and Oswald, as Wilfried’s head attendant, looked as though he had died where he stood.
“Sylvester, I consider you to be a fine archduke. There are times when you avoid doing paperwork, but you always accomplish your most important duties, and courageously bear the responsibility of leadership. That is why I believed you when you said that you and Wilfried were kindred spirits, both fleeing from your teachers but ultimately doing what was expected of you,” Ferdinand said dryly.
His quiet tone was always the scariest since it emphasized his anger. I had no idea what Wilfried had done in the temple to anger him so much, and while he wasn’t mad at me, I felt my stomach constrict and the strong urge to apologize. Maybe it was because I was so used to being the one causing his anger.
“I thought that Wilfried would be a fine archduke so long as he had a skilled right-hand man to support him, but Wilfried is not you. And Lamprecht is not Karstedt. They may resemble you two in speech and manners, but you are not the same.”
“Is that not obvious...? Children are always different from their parents,” Karstedt said, stroking his chin and giving Ferdinand a confused look.
“Indeed, they are always different. But until Rozemyne pointed it out, I had assumed that your similarities would mean that your children would grow in the same way. I was wrong. Sylvester, you bear the responsibilities of archduke. Wilfried, on the other hand, uses his status as the archduke’s son to avoid any tasks or responsibilities he can. He will never grow up to be like you.”
“Wait! Ferdinand, I have a question!” I declared, shooting up a hand as he thoroughly rejected Wilfried. It was like I’d cut through the tension in the air, and everyone took a deep breath. Ferdinand looked at me as well and jutted his chin, gesturing for me to continue. “Ferdinand, what did Wilfried do to make you draw that conclusion? I think that removing him from the line of succession would have an enormous impact on noble politics, so I would like to know what gives you the confidence to suggest it.”
Sylvester gave a big nod in agreement and leaned forward, waiting to hear the answer.
Ferdinand crossed his arms and looked across the dining hall before beginning to speak. “Rozemyne is the child I know best, and so I assumed that Wilfried only seemed incompetent because I was subconsciously comparing him with Rozemyne. But that was not the case. Wilfried proved to be vastly inferior to Rozemyne’s apprentice attendants, the apprentice merchant working in the workshop, and even the temple’s orphans,” Ferdinand said, offering a scathing critique that made both Sylvester and Florencia widen their eyes in shock. What they had heard from Wilfried’s tutor and attendants differed so much from this appraisal that it was hard to believe.
“That’s going too far,” Sylvester muttered.
I couldn’t help but frown. Ferdinand wasn’t going too far; it was the truth. “Of course he’s worse than them,” I interjected.
Sylvester, Florencia, and Wilfried’s retainers all looked at me like I was crazy. Their eyes made it clear that they couldn’t believe I was comparing the archduke’s son to orphans, but I wasn’t about to back down; unless they properly understood what was going on, they wouldn’t be able to help Wilfried grow.
“The children in my orphanage are strictly trained to be capable of serving blue priests when necessary. Lutz and Gil spend each day working hard toward a clear goal, whereas Wilfried puts no effort into his studies and uses his status to avoid responsibility. They can hardly be compared. In fact, it would be rude to compare them, since Wilfried is so beneath them. But still, that alone wouldn’t be enough to get you this mad, Ferdinand. What did Wilfried do, exactly?”
Oswald hung his head in defeat. Having two people say that Wilfried was worse than the orphans made it clear that we weren’t just insulting him or being rude.
“Wilfried refused to sit and listen to anything I said. When given work to do, he made no attempt to even begin. That alone I could tolerate due to his resemblance to Sylvester, but he tried to use his status as the archduke’s son to escape. A fool who uses his status to escape responsibility has no hope of ever becoming the archduke. Remove him from the line of succession,” Ferdinand repeated coldly. He spoke from the heart, and his attitude made it clear that his position was unshakable.
The look on Sylvester’s face changed when he realized that Ferdinand had no intention of changing his mind. “Hold on, Ferdinand. We can still fix this. I ran away too when I was a kid, so—”
“Lord Sylvester! I have said many times that you and Lord Wilfried are completely different. Have you not been listening to me?!” Rihyarda exclaimed, once again unleashing her thunder and silencing Sylvester’s attempt to defend his son.
Ferdinand narrowed his eyes even more. His gaze grew distant, like he was looking at someone behind Sylvester, and his lips curved into a cold grin. “It is only natural that the child of an archduke would need to work hard to survive. A useless fool who produces no results is no child of an archduke; the time and effort spent on them would be wasted. Those who are useless have no reason to live. A failure such as Wilfried has no place in the castle, and if you do not wish to abandon him, he will need to start producing results.”
He had worded it a bit more kindly when giving me tasks to fulfill as the archduke’s adopted daughter, but the core idea was the same. I had assumed he was just being harsh on me as an outsider, but it seemed that Ferdinand had equally high expectations for all children of the archduke. That, at least, was fair and easy to understand.
But while I gave a comprehending nod, Sylvester put his hands against his temples and shook his head. “Ferdinand, that’s just too harsh for a seven-year-old child,” he said.
This only widened Ferdinand’s smile—a smile overflowing with mockery and disdain. “What are you saying, Sylvester? I am only repeating what your mother said to me day in and day out when I was brought to the castle following my baptism. Too harsh? What a laughable idea.”
My heart ached as I realized why Ferdinand was so harsh and results-driven, both toward himself and others. He had been forced into a corner from a young age, with harsh lectures and steep expectations allowing him no relief. Ferdinand lived through a childhood where he couldn’t show even a trace of weakness and needed to use potions to force his body to stay healthy. From his perspective, Wilfried was probably so spoiled that he wanted to throw up in disgust.
“Wilfried is your child and was raised by her as well, so he should know this more than well enough by now. And yet, he still acts the way he does. There is nothing that can be done but removing him from your family and expelling him from the castle. The temple will be glad to take him; at least then his mana will have some use,” Ferdinand spat dryly, the intensity of his spite and anger making all those around him gulp.
I had been somewhat aware of Bezewanst and Veronica disliking Ferdinand, but he had been close enough to Sylvester that I assumed things hadn’t been so bad. Never would I have guessed that he had been taken from his parents right after his baptism, bombarded with cruel words every day, and put through so much duress that he spent his childhood struggling to survive.
Ferdinand was so clearly right here that Sylvester could do nothing but grit his teeth, unable to argue. And that was when Florencia placed a hand on Sylvester’s shoulder. He looked up, hoping to have finally found an ally, but froze upon seeing her face.
“Sylvester, what was it that you said to me? ‘Don’t worry, I’ll entrust everything to Mother, and we can be sure he’ll at least grow up like I did.’ I believe that was the line you used to take Wilfried’s education out of my hands and give it to Veronica.”
It seemed that there had been an intense conflict between Florencia and Veronica as in-laws—namely over Florencia being denied control over Wilfried’s upbringing due to Veronica being unwilling to trust him to someone who had just married into the family. She had doted on him as her first grandson and someone who so closely resembled Sylvester, but given the present circumstances, trusting her with him instead had been a clear mistake.
She protected Bezewanst until the very end, so... I guess she’s good-hearted when it comes to blood relatives, but she spoils them so much that the bad eggs have no opportunity to grow. And she’s exceptionally cruel to outsiders in the family like Ferdinand and Florencia. Just thinking about how she probably raised Wilfried makes my head hurt.
Florencia’s child had been forcibly taken from her, and raised to become someone so incompetent that he wasn’t even fit to be a member of the archduke’s family.
“This is the result of entrusting things to Veronica. Were Wilfried to become the archduke as he is now, who do you expect to support him?” Florencia asked, the fury clear on her face as she looked at Sylvester.
“Er, well...”
“I do not care for your excuses, Sylvester. You have done something to Wilfried that can never be undone.” Despite her calm smile, it seemed as if angry fires were raging in her light-blue eyes. She looked around the room, then her intense gaze rested on Oswald. “I was wrong to have ever trusted you, Oswald.”
“Lady Florencia! Please wait! I can explain!”
“Do not feel the need to explain away your slothful inaction, nor the inaccuracy of the reports you have given us. All I wish to know is the truth,” she said.
At that, she directed a gentle smile my way. It was hard to tell who the anger radiating from beneath was directed at. She could have vented her frustrations by weeping, screaming, and bashing those responsible, but she quashed those urges and instead looked toward the future. In all honesty, I found the resulting look in her eyes beautiful.
“Rozemyne, what do you think? Will you tell me your honest thoughts on Wilfried’s environment and condition compared to your retainers?” she asked.
“Certainly, Florencia. The apprentice merchant who visits my workshop and the attendants raised in the orphanage can read, write, and do math. They learned to do so over a single winter, so it is hard for me to believe that Wilfried would be incapable of all these things despite several years of studying under a tutor. Judging from my experience today, I would say that he lacks goals, dedication, and a proper environment.”
“Is that so?” Florencia asked, her eyes searching for ways to fix the situation.
“People work harder when they have a clear goal to work toward. I think that Wilfried being assigned to the position of archduke from birth has deprived him of such a goal. There is no need for him to work hard, so he has never known the satisfaction of successfully completing a task by oneself. Not only that, but there is no one close to him to celebrate his successes, nor is there a rival for him to compete with... He does not have the proper environment to allow him to grow,” I explained.
Florencia listened closely and nodded, but Sylvester frowned. “...He doesn’t need any competition. Competing with others is one thing, but families shouldn’t need to fight like that.”
“Competition is a key component of growth. I believe that to develop one’s talent as an archduke, one must be put in an environment where they can compete with other potential successors. You may have grown to dislike competition within families, but perhaps this competition is necessary to prevent families from becoming too soft on their own?” Especially when your family already seems way too soft on one another, I added on the inside.
Florencia gave a big nod, as if she had heard my thoughts.
“Sylvester,” I continued, “if you truly wish for Wilfried to be your successor, then why did you assign Rihyarda to me rather than him? Rihyarda raised you, and she would never spoil him to earn his favor like others would, nor would she have let him remain illiterate and unable to read numbers this far into his life.”
Rihyarda was precious because she was capable of scolding Karstedt, Sylvester, and Ferdinand all at once, with love in her heart. She was better suited being assigned to Wilfried than me, given how I spent more time in the temple than the castle.
“He’ll grow up having to shoulder responsibility whether he wants it or not. Doesn’t he at least deserve a carefree childhood? Being too strict on him now would just be cruel,” Sylvester protested.
“At this rate, it would be even more cruel to let him grow up as he is now,” I said. “He would be treated like a fool for being unable to read and write despite his younger siblings being more than capable, and ridiculed as the only one unable to play the harspiel during winter gatherings. Do you disagree, Sylvester?”
I knew that Sylvester had good intentions but, under some circumstances, too much kindness was actually cruel. He was so focused on the kindness of what he was doing that he didn’t realize how bad things really were, so I had no choice but to thrust his son’s future in his face.
“...That would be true, but he’s been learning the harspiel for a while. Surely he can play some songs,” Sylvester said, thinking back to his own childhood.
Rihyarda’s eyebrows shot up and she marched forward. “Lord Sylvester, I heard from Lord Wilfried’s music professor today that he runs away from practice so frequently that he still cannot play a basic musical scale. How is he supposed to play an entire song? And how will he do the work of an archduke when, after several years of tutoring, he hasn’t even learned to read?”
“He may not be able to do it now, but he will one day.”
“You had what you needed to know drilled into you against your will, but there is nobody to drill knowledge into Lord Wilfried. You are operating on entirely different levels. Just how stubborn are you? Face reality, just as you do at work!” she exclaimed, sharply chiding the archduke himself and proving once again that she was perfect for raising the archduke’s family.
“Veronica is gone now, Sylvester. I shall be taking back control of Wilfried’s education,” Florencia said with a smile. “Just as you were unable to bring yourself to punish her and Bezewanst until the very last moment, you are unable to make the proper decision here. I cannot trust you to deal with family matters.” Discarding Sylvester from the discussion entirely, she turned her back to him and faced me directly. “Rozemyne, as the one who taught the orphans to read and do math in a single winter, how would you correct Wilfried’s learning environment? If we hurry now, we may be able to educate him before winter socializing.”
She wore the serious expression of a mother wishing to save her son, and so I gave her a nod. “I have some ideas. First, I would reintroduce competition to the line of succession. We can encourage him through fear by explaining that he won’t become the archduke if he continues to be so lazy. But fear alone won’t be enough, so I would also suggest replacing any of his retainers who do not take raising him seriously.”
“Would it not be wise to just replace them all immediately?” Florencia asked, but I shook my head with an understanding smile.
“He has spent much time around his attendants and guards, so replacing them all at once would make him uneasy. But in return, we should assign Rihyarda to watch over them.”
“Rihyarda? But she is your head attendant,” Florencia responded, looking between us both with surprise.
“I will be attending the Harvest Festival and preparing the orphanage for winter soon, so very little of my time prior to winter socializing will be spent in the castle. Rihyarda can use my absence to retrain Wilfried’s retainers.”
I had other attendants who could handle the upkeep of my castle chambers, and while Wilfried’s education was important, training his retainers—that is, his attendants and guards—was just as crucial. Not even the archduke could defy Rihyarda, and she was the best candidate for thoroughly whipping the retainers of the next archduke into shape.
“That would be ideal, but... are you willing to do that, Rihyarda?”
“Of course, Lady Florencia. We can hardly leave Lord Wilfried as he is right now,” Rihyarda said, fixing Oswald with a sharp glare. She was thinking on her feet and more than ready to adapt to the circumstances. Talk about reliable.
“In that case, Rihyarda, I hereby order you to observe Wilfried’s chambers while I am absent, and dedicate yourself to improving his situation.”
“As you wish, milady,” Rihyarda said, kneeling and lowering her head. Seeing that, the anger in Florencia’s smile faded a little with relief.
“Furthermore, I suggest that you show him his parents’ work to help him grow,” I continued. “By seeing the work his father does, he will know what the future holds for him and develop a clear goal to strive toward. It doesn’t have to be for very long, but how about having him sit in Sylvester’s office and watch him work once every two or three days?”
Wilfried threw his status around so carelessly because he didn’t understand the duties or responsibility an archduke had. It would be wise to teach him what he would need to do should he rise up to the position.
“My, what a splendid idea. So Wilfried could study in Sylvester’s office while he worked?”
“Florencia...” Sylvester trailed off, trying his best to offer some weak resistance, but she immediately shut him down with a gentle smile.
“Being a good example for your son is more important than sneaking out to visit the lower city. You will be a good father and help, won’t you?”
“...O-Of course I will,” Sylvester replied, the look in his eyes making it clear that he had no idea how she knew he had gone to the lower city. I would probably do well to learn from Florencia’s example here—she didn’t interrogate him or forbid him from going to the lower city as soon as she learned about it, but rather waited until the moment was right to give a critical strike.
“Is there anything else that can be done?” she asked me.
“...I suppose he may need a new guard as well. None of Wilfried’s current guards seem willing to capture him against his wishes and tie him to a chair without hesitation. I think Eckhart would be better suited for him than Lamprecht,” I suggested.
Lamprecht had only come of age a year and a half ago, so Eckhart with his extra years of experience would probably have more of a leg to stand on—not to mention that he had spent years with Ferdinand and deeply respected him. He would probably be as harsh on Wilfried as Ferdinand was, all while wearing a smile.
“Eckhart’s out of the question,” Karstedt said. “I asked him to guard Wilfried before his baptism, thinking there might be a chance he’d accept, but he refused.”
“‘Might be a chance’? Did you expect him to refuse?” I asked.
Ferdinand gave a light shrug. “Rozemyne, Eckhart was my guard before I entered the temple and released him from service. At the moment, he works in the Knight’s Order doing paperwork and training recruits, but when I enter the public eye he still accompanies me as my guard.”
This was my first time hearing that, but it made sense. Ferdinand was the son of an archduke as well, so it would be weirder for him to not have any guard knights. The thought just never occurred to me since I never saw any accompanying him when he was in the temple or the castle.
“I bring guards to the temple, Ferdinand, so why don’t you?”
“Our circumstances are different. You became the High Bishop at the archduke’s orders after he adopted you, while I entered the temple of my own volition to demonstrate that I would be leaving the world of politics behind,” he replied.
It was hard for me to argue with that, but I would have thought that he’d return to his old way of life now that his main political opponent, Veronica, was gone. That said, I would be the one who suffered the most from him leaving the temple.
“Eckhart has no intention of serving anyone but Ferdinand. He’s a strange man who would refuse to serve the next archduke, but happily serve a priest,” Karstedt said with a wry smile. Assuming that Eckhart really did support Ferdinand that much, it would probably be wise to avoid having him serve Wilfried, who had been raised by his enemies; forcing Eckhart to serve Wilfried would probably just lead to unnecessary tension.
“If Eckhart won’t do it, then I suppose our only choice is to train Lamprecht.”
“Hmph. No matter how much we change Wilfried’s learning environment, it won’t make a difference unless he himself resolves to change. It would be more effective to remove him from the situation entirely and focus on raising his younger siblings. The faster we get rid of useless dead weight, the better. We will only make things harder on ourselves by not solving the root of the problem,” Ferdinand said coldly with a dismissive look. It was clear that he wasn’t very fond of the conversation shifting to improving Wilfried’s situation however we could.
“Wait just a moment, Ferdinand,” I interjected. “Wilfried isn’t beyond the point of no return just yet. If only his environment was at fault, then we can still fix things. That attendant of mine who you praised earlier on—Gil—was the orphanage’s biggest problem child until just recently. Even a ten-year-old can turn their life around with the right motivation, and Wilfried is only seven. There’s still time.”
Wilfried was young enough that, as long as he did wish to change his ways, he could grow so dramatically that anyone watching would be stunned.
My support for Wilfried put a beaming smile on Sylvester’s face, and he looked at me like he had finally found hope again. “Really, Rozemyne?! There’s still time?!”
“It all depends on his motivation and effort, of course; he will never improve without putting in the necessary amount of work.”
In sharp contrast to Sylvester’s hopeful expression, Ferdinand was wearing an extremely bitter frown. Does he really want Wilfried disinherited that much? I wondered, only for him to reach out and pinch my cheek.
“Rozemyne, you have your hands full with so many tasks, and yet you intend to waste unnecessary time and effort on saving a useless fool who thinks only of escaping responsibility? His stupidity will rub off on you, and regardless, you don’t have the time. Give it up,” he instructed me. His words were barbed, but I knew he was just worrying about my health. At least, I think he was. Maybe I was just being optimistic.
I held my stinging cheek and glared at Ferdinand. “You are correct to say that I don’t have much spare time, but I would feel awful abandoning him and allowing him to be disinherited despite knowing that only his environment is at fault. His mother has finally gotten an opportunity to take his education back from Veronica. If he can be educated, would it not be wise to do so?”
“Rozemyne, I am telling you to not let your emotions guide you into taking on unnecessary work. It is a bad habit of yours,” he said, his golden eyes filled with the exasperation of a teacher looking at a disagreeable student.
I pursed my lips in a pout and looked back up at him. “...So you wouldn’t mind me getting involved if Wilfried showed motivation?”
“Elaborate.”
“There were two tasks in the schedule I gave Fran,” I said, holding up two fingers. Ferdinand leaned forward as I did so, seeming just a bit interested. “One was to memorize the words to a prayer, and the other to memorize a single harspiel tune. If Wilfried completes these tasks then it will prove that his learning environment was the problem, and that he does in fact have motivation. In this case, I would ask that you change your opinion of him and assist in his new education plan.”
“Oh? And what would you have me do?” Ferdinand replied in a cold voice that showed his utter unwillingness to comply.
I gave him a bright smile. “I ask that you instill a sense of danger in him by threatening to disinherit him, then bash Lamprecht and the others for spoiling him.”
Wilfried suddenly being told by the parents he barely spent any time with that he was being disinherited was just too sad. I wanted his parents to praise him, console him, and give him rewards to motivate him, while Ferdinand would serve as the stick that whipped him into shape. Using the right people in the right places made all the difference.
“What else...? Ah, I know—Ferdinand, how does tying Wilfried to a chair and forcing him to study sound? I would like you to etch in his heart and mind that he is about to reach the point of no return. That is your specialty, is it not?”
“Perhaps, but I cannot deny the possibility that I might go too far. Is that acceptable?” Ferdinand asked with an extremely motivated smile. He had said that he wanted to freeze Wilfried’s heart and shove him into the valley of despair, which was exactly what was needed right now.
I nodded, silently praying for Wilfried and Lamprecht’s upcoming struggles. It was better for Wilfried to be so scared that he had nightmares than be disinherited in a meeting he didn’t even know was happening.
“So, what do you intend to do if Wilfried fails to complete his tasks?”
“That would prove he has no motivation, at which point I would agree that it would be best to remove him from the line of succession and focus on training his younger siblings instead,” I answered, causing Ferdinand to raise his eyebrows in surprise. Sylvester hurriedly stood up to say that this was too much, but I continued before he could. “Unfortunately, this all happened because you spoiled him too much, Sylvester. If he doesn’t have what it takes, then you have to accept that. He will have until the day winter socializing begins. Should he fail there, the dishonor and mockery will stick with him for the rest of his life. We don’t have much time, and I’m much too busy to look after a kid with no motivation.”
Sylvester rubbed his temples and sat back down.
Ferdinand looked between the two of us and gave a malicious grin. “Rozemyne, Sylvester—Wilfried made no attempt whatsoever to learn the words of a prayer between fifth and sixth bell; hoping for anything from him is pointless.”
Sylvester was wearing a look of despair, but I wasn’t really that worried. “Maybe so, but I shall wait until lunch tomorrow to worry about that. If he truly feels nothing and does not attempt to change after seeing the orphans, the workshop, and my attendants, then I will concede that there is no chance he will improve by winter and give up on him on the spot.”
“Do not forget those words,” Ferdinand said, certain of his victory.
I smiled and nodded. “I won’t, but I am sure he will be fine. I would even bet my reading time on it.”
Ferdinand’s lips instantly twitched. He narrowed his eyes then looked me up and down, searching for my true intentions. “On what basis would you, of all people, gamble your reading time? You have barely interacted with Wilfried, correct?”
“My confidence has nothing to do with Wilfried,” I said, putting my hands on my hips and puffing out my chest with a grin of utter pride. “You will find that my attendants are simply the best there is. They have never once failed a task that I’ve given them, so of course they would succeed in making Wilfried do his work.”
Ferdinand widened his eyes, then rubbed his temples and sighed. After a moment, he crossed his arms and towered over me. “Not to hurt your pride, but I am the one who trained Fran.”
“I’m not just talking about Fran! All of my attendants are great!” I barked as ferociously as I could at this cold observation, causing everyone to burst out in laughter. It seemed that the tension in the room had finally eased.
The next morning, I gathered everyone into Wilfried’s chambers—Moritz and Oswald first, then Wilfried’s attendants, and finally Florencia and Rihyarda. Once they were all there, I showed them the karuta, picture books, and playing cards that Ferdinand had brought and how to use them, then explained that Wilfried could learn by playing rather than listening to instructions.
“You made these, Rozemyne?” Florencia asked in awe as she read a picture book and looked over the karuta.
“I thought them up, but the actual making was done by the workshop workers. The orphanage children learned to read and do math over the winter because they read the picture books, competed with karuta, and played with the cards.” They also knew the names of the Eternal Five, their subordinates, what they rule, and what their divine instruments are. “I heard from one of my guard knights that knowing about the gods would be useful for magic. I believe that having kids play with these study materials over the winter would cause the average level of education for nobles across the entire duchy to shoot up by the end of the season.”
“...Indeed. Learning all of this material before entering the Royal Academy would certainly make lessons there much easier. As the archduke’s son, it would be wise for Wilfried to know all of this ahead of time,” Florencia murmured while delicately touching the karuta. As expected, those and the picture books would sell like hotcakes among the nobles. With that in mind, it would probably be a good idea to print more before the end of winter.
“Once Wilfried returns, we can spend an afternoon teaching him with these. First, he will look at the picture karuta while the tutor reads the written karuta, then he will repeat back the words. He will then read all of the starting letters, write them out, and practice them,” I explained.
Back in my Urano days, I had learned to read and write by writing the first letter of a word while saying it aloud. This was pretty similar, and since Wilfried already knew about half of the letters on top of the ones used in his name, we would be starting with karuta that used those letters.
The general process was practicing how to write while playing with karuta, working hard to seek out the karuta with the letters you knew and getting the ones you had practiced that day. He could play with his attendants, who would wait ten seconds after the card was read before reaching out. It would be pretty easy to reduce that handicap to eight seconds, and then eventually five as Wilfried got more used to it.
As for the playing cards, it would make the most sense to start with Go Fish until he got used to the numbers. The goal would be to teach him to read them, and also show him that he shouldn’t feel frustrated even when he lost. He had to learn to lose. And naturally, he could play games other than Go Fish as well.
The picture books could simply be read aloud to him before he went to bed, once per day. Memorizing the text through speech would help him to follow the words when actually reading himself, and it would probably inspire at least a little interest in writing.
“We need his attendants to be serious about this, so I suggest ranking his attendants in karuta and replacing those who reach the bottom over thirty times. Beating Wilfried should be easy enough, do you not agree?”
The attendants stiffened, but I didn’t want them thinking that their laziness would continue to go unpunished. I’d essentially be running them through a sieve and weeding out the weak. As Ferdinand would say: “The future archduke does not need any incompetent attendants, especially when the archduke himself is so hopeless.”
“As is true for all games, Wilfried won’t learn through exclusively winning or losing. If we want him to take it seriously then we need to sometimes let him win and other times destroy him completely, alternating between the two to bring out his motivation.”
I added some suggestions for incorporating teaching into his daily life, like having him count the number of sweets given to him, or drawing numbers in sauce and not letting him eat until he read them, which made Rihyarda give a reassuring smile. “You may count on me, milady,” she said.
Shortly after fourth bell, Wilfried and Lamprecht entered the room, both looking emaciated with exhaustion. A single glance was all it took for me to know that Ferdinand had successfully traumatized them with threats, and the satisfied yet unamused expression on his face told me that I had won our bet. I let out a smug laugh, earning me a nasty glare from him.
“Welcome back, everyone. Lunch has already been prepared.”
We ate lunch with Sylvester and Florencia, listening to Wilfried talk about what he had seen in the temple. As expected, he had been shocked by the orphans and workshop workers. Once he was done, his parents praised him for successfully completing his tasks. Then, mostly as an act for Wilfried and Lamprecht’s sake, Ferdinand gave his caustic report to Sylvester and Florencia, and I too reported that Wilfried’s educational environment was nonsensical.
“...Given the circumstances, I request that his living environment be changed. If that is unfeasible, then I ask that Wilfried be disinherited,” Ferdinand said. His harsh words made Wilfried and Lamprecht pale, and they both looked pleadingly at Sylvester.
With all eyes on him, Sylvester stroked his chin as if thinking it over, then nodded. “Very well. I will make my decision based on how far he has come by winter. I will only keep him as my successor if he shows he can write the entire alphabet and all the numbers, do basic math, and play a song on the harspiel by his winter debut.”
“By the winter debut...?” Wilfried and Lamprecht choked out in unison, shocked by the sudden deadline and Sylvester’s high expectations. Who could blame them? They surely had zero confidence that they could accomplish something in a single season that Wilfried had failed for years.
“Fear not, my dear brother—I have had the learning materials that the orphans used delivered here, and given how you completed your two tasks in a single day, I believe you can finish just barely in time for winter. Though you will be doomed the instant you slow down.”
“...Right,” Wilfried replied.
“Just barely...?” Lamprecht asked, trailing off.
Wilfried already knew half of the alphabet and numbers; as long as he worked hard and followed my study guide to the letter each day, he would be able to succeed no matter what.
“You sure look like you’re in a good mood, Rozemyne. What’d you do in the castle yesterday?” Wilfried asked.
“I spent half of my day working out the study plan for you, but the rest I spent reading in the castle book room. It was a blissful day of reading before bed and right after I woke up.”
“...You like to read books? I don’t get you at all,” he said, but that was because he was illiterate. I was sure that he’d come to appreciate the joys of reading if he learned to read, and would undoubtedly weep tears of gratitude over having such a sizable book room so close to his room, just as I had.
“You want to leave the castle again, don’t you, Wilfried? How about we keep switching places for the next three days?”
“No. Never again,” Wilfried replied instantly, his face twisted with fear. It seemed that Ferdinand had bullied him pretty hard.
“But, I mean, it’s not fair that you get to live such an easy, happy life while I’m struggling so much. I wish I had so much free time and could spend all day reading.”
“Ngh... I won’t, er... say things are unfair anymore. I was wrong,” Wilfried forced out before turning away. It seemed that the initial goal of my life-swapping plan—that is, stopping Wilfried from saying that things were unfair each time he saw me because it was annoying as heck—had been completed successfully.
Perfect. Ahahaha...
“That said, I was thinking I would join you in studying this afternoon,” I began, only for Ferdinand to interrupt me.
“No, Rozemyne. You have more pressing matters to attend to, and meetings have already been arranged. You must meet with those who will be accompanying you on the Harvest Festival, then discuss matters with the scholar-official in question to begin softening up Hasse,” he explained. All of that did sound more important than helping Wilfried study. “Wilfried, learn as much from those karuta as you can before we return. Rozemyne shows no mercy, even to beginners.”
He was probably referencing the time I played reversi against him. But I had only gone all-out against him then because I knew that was the only time I’d be able to beat him. I wouldn’t go all-out on a kid like Wilfried.
“...Do you really have to hold a grudge over something so petty? I’ll warn you now—girls don’t like petty men.”
“Few find me a likable person. And as I have grown accustomed to being disliked, that is nothing for me to worry about.”
That’s not good at all... Someone hold an intervention for Ferdinand, too! He’s messed up as a person on, like, a fundamental level. But I can’t say anything to him because I love books so absurdly much that I’m also messed up as a person! Someone, please! You have to save Ferdinand in my place!
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