Wilfried’s Day as the High Bishop
I hate how Rozemyne gets everything she wants. I’m her older brother and I finished my baptism back in spring, but she’s the one who gets all the attention. Lamprecht says she’s having it rough in her own ways, but that’s gotta be him lying to protect his little sister. I mean, a bit of running was all it took for her to fall over and almost die. How could she do anything?
Rozemyne’s the only one who gets to leave the castle whenever she wants, doesn’t get stuck with teachers, and gets complimented by Father at dinner. I’m not even allowed to go to his office since I’ll “get in the way,” but he lets Rozemyne in... It’s just not fair!
When I told Rozemyne how I felt, she suggested we switch places for a day. That was the best idea I’d ever heard. I’d get to leave the castle and all my annoying retainers, and go to the temple where I could do whatever I wanted just like Rozemyne did. Meanwhile, she could enjoy being surrounded by a bunch of teachers.
“Shall we go, Lord Wilfried?” Lamprecht asked, before spreading the wings of his highbeast and soaring up into the air. I was sitting in front of him, and the feeling of rising into the air and flying filled me with complete giddiness. It really wasn’t fair that Rozemyne had gotten to experience this first.
“Lamprecht, when I make my highbeast, is it going to be a lion like Ferdinand’s?” I asked, looking ahead at Ferdinand, who was guiding us to the temple.
Lamprecht nodded. “Yes. Children of the archduke use single-headed lions, and when you become the archduke yourself, you can make one that has three heads like the duchy’s symbol.”
I had never seen Father’s highbeast myself, but it sounded super cool. Of course he’d have a super-cool highbeast. And it was while I was thinking about the awesome lion I was going to have that I realized—
“...Rozemyne’s highbeast didn’t look like a lion, though.”
“It was peculiar, wasn’t it? I’ve never seen a highbeast like that myself, either,” Lamprecht replied.
It wasn’t long before the temple came into view. It was located right between the pure-white Noble’s Quarter and the brown, messy other side of the city. I’d heard about it being on the other side of the Noble’s Quarter, but it was a lot closer than I thought.
“Lamprecht, what’s that brown, dirty-looking area?”
“The lower city, where commoners live. It’s not a place you will ever have anything to do with, Lord Wilfried.”
A man wearing gray robes was there to welcome us when our highbeasts landed at the temple, and his eyes widened when he saw me. Ferdinand immediately got down from his highbeast and gave him a letter.
“Fran, read this. It’s from Rozemyne. The two of them are swapping places for the day,” Ferdinand said. “Wilfried, this is Fran. He’s Rozemyne’s head attendant in the temple. While you are here, you will do exactly as he says. Fran, I imagine that dealing with Wilfried will be quite the task. I shall join you at a later time.”
“Understood, High Priest. A pleasure to see you, Lord Wilfried. Shall we go and get you changed?”
“Very well,” I replied.
I was taken to the High Bishop’s chambers that Rozemyne lived in. Once there, Fran told Rozemyne’s other attendants that I was going to be the High Bishop for a day, at which point they put me in white robes. This was apparently what the High Bishop wore.
“What tea do you prefer?” an attendant called Nicola asked while Fran was reading Rozemyne’s letter. She then made me some delicious tea and served me sweets that I’d never eaten before. As they broke apart in my mouth, I was overwhelmed by an amazing sweetness.
“I’ve never had sweets like this before. Rozemyne gets all the luck. I wish I got to eat things like this all day,” I complained while taking another one.
Upon hearing that, Nicola beamed a smile. “Lady Rozemyne invented the recipes for these sweets, so if you would like to eat sweets you’ve never tasted before, I suggest you do the same and come up with the recipes yourself. Do you have any ideas? I love making things. I love eating them more, though!” she said with a chuckle, her eyes full of anticipation. But how could I know any recipes for sweets I hadn’t eaten before?
...Rozemyne invented these sweets? Is that even possible? How do you just think up sweets? I thought, stuffing my face with another as I struggled to work it out. By the time Lamprecht asked whether I was going to hand any down, I’d already eaten all but a few. I regretfully passed the rest to him.
While I was sipping the rest of my tea, Fran said something to the attendant called Monika that made her hurriedly leave the room. Ferdinand entered shortly after, almost like he’d deliberately timed it so that I’d just be finishing my drink. He was wearing the blue High Priest robes that I’d seen at Rozemyne’s baptism.
“According to Rozemyne’s chart, your schedule for today is to receive a report at the orphanage, then look over the workshop. Lamprecht and Damuel will accompany you as guards, while Fran and Monika will serve as your attendants,” Ferdinand announced.
At that, Rozemyne’s female knight who had entered with Ferdinand saluted and stepped aside. I then accompanied Ferdinand out of the room, through some hallways, and over to another building.
“This is the orphanage where children without parents are gathered. Beyond these doors is the dining hall,” Fran said, before opening them to reveal a sizable room with large but crude-looking wooden tables lined up beside one another.
I looked around, curious, and that was when I noticed all the people kneeling inside. They were all wearing the same gray robes. It was probably like the uniform that scholars wore.
“High Bishop and High Priest, please take your seats,” Fran said.
I wasn’t that eager to sit on a plain wooden board, but Ferdinand sat down like it was nothing at all, so I didn’t have much choice but to do the same.
“Getting straight to the point—I have heard there is a report for the High Bishop. Would the one responsible for the report please come forward and begin?”
An orange-haired woman stepped forward, faced me, and started giving a report that I couldn’t understand at all. Ferdinand nodded at times, while Fran was writing some stuff down on a weird board he had.
“...What are you even saying?” I asked.
“I am giving this month’s financial report,” the woman replied.
“What does that have to do with me?” I asked, and in the next instant, Ferdinand struck me on the head with a smack. The shock was the worst part, and I held my head in surprise while trying to process what had just happened.
Lamprecht was just as surprised, and he looked at Ferdinand with wide-open eyes. “Lord Ferdinand?!”
“Wh-Wh... What?!”
I could barely even speak. There was a hot, stinging pain building up where he’d hit me, but the only thing I could do was shoot him a dumbfounded glare.
“You fool. Rozemyne is the High Bishop and orphanage director. You have swapped places with her, which means that this has everything to do with you. Even if you do not understand, sit still and keep your silence. Such is Rozemyne’s duty.”
Even though I was clearly annoyed, Ferdinand just glared back and scolded me. I decided to scowl at the woman giving the report, hoping that’d make her finish this boring thing as soon as possible, but she just giggled and continued, not even skipping anything on her sheet. It sucked.
...Does she seriously not realize that I’m mad? What a dense woman.
The report was so boring that, about midway through, I decided to go and wander around instead. But when I tried to jump down from my seat, Ferdinand shot his hand down and pinched my leg.
“That hurts! Ferdinand, what’re you doing?!”
“Did you not hear me when I said to sit still, or was it simply beyond your comprehension? Are you stupid, or are you simply deaf? Perhaps even both,” Ferdinand remarked, looking down at me with cold eyes like he wholeheartedly thought I was an idiot.
Blood rushed to my head. I’d never been so humiliated in my life. I stood up to punch Ferdinand, but I’d barely even balled my fists when he clamped a hand over my forehead and thrust me back into the chair.
“Shut up, sit down, and listen. Understand?”
“Nghh... Lamprecht!”
I called the name of my bodyguard, who was making no move to help me, but Ferdinand just squeezed my head even harder.
“How many times must I repeat myself? Shut up. Sit down. And listen.”
Some of the kids started giggling as they watched Ferdinand hold me in place. I could hear them saying things like “What doesn’t he understand?” and “He just needs to listen.”
“I-I’ll listen, okay?! Just let go!”
“You fool. Do not waste the time of others with such pointless tantrums,” Ferdinand said with a derisive scoff before releasing his grip.
Pain radiated from my head as though his fingers had left permanent marks. I spent the rest of the report glaring at Ferdinand from the side, unable to stand up or do anything but stew in my anger.
Gah! Curse you, Ferdinand!
“That concludes this month’s report. I have a bit more to discuss with Fran and the High Priest, so why don’t you spend some time playing karuta with the children, High Bishop?” the woman suggested.
My ears perked up at the word “play.” I quickly looked at Ferdinand, who glanced over the orphan children before returning a slow nod and saying “Very well.”
I leapt off the bench in an instant, stretched a bit, and then followed Lamprecht and Damuel to where all the other kids were.
“So, what is karuta?” I asked.
“I’ll teach you,” one kid said. “We can play together.”
Playing against adults was one thing, but I’d never lost to any of the kids who came to play in the castle. I needed to use this opportunity to prove to all the kids who had laughed at me how amazing I really was.
“First, someone reads the written card. Then, everyone else tries to grab the art card that has the same first letter as that written card. Whoever gets the most wins,” the kid continued. “Since this is your first time playing, High Bishop, you can have one of your guards help out.”
I hadn’t played karuta before, so teaming up with Lamprecht was probably a good idea. Plus, this kid was the one who’d suggested it, so it wasn’t unfair at all.
I sat next to Lamprecht and started playing. I’d assumed Damuel would be the one reading the cards, but instead it was a kid about as old as me.
“You can read? That’s really impressive. Not even I can read yet,” I said, awestruck. But rather than appreciating the praise, the kids all gave me a confused look.
“...Huh? You’re the High Bishop, but you can’t read?”
“Thanks to the karuta and picture books Lady Rozemyne made, everyone in the orphanage can read.”
“Oh, but not Dirk! He’s just a baby,” one of the kids added, pointing at a baby crawling across the floor. It was apparently normal for all the kids in the orphanage to be able to read, and the only one who couldn’t was a baby smaller than my little brother Melchior.
...So I’m basically the same as that baby? I thought, completely taken aback. In the end, Lamprecht was only able to get the single card that was closest to us; the other kids took all the others.
“What a miserable defeat. This is what happens when you are challenged by children not instructed to lose by their parents,” Ferdinand said.
“Lord Ferdinand! You can’t just say that—” Lamprecht began, only to be interrupted.
“It is the truth, and one he needs to face,” Ferdinand said, giving another derisive laugh before moving on. “Follow me.”
Ngghhh...! Curse you, Ferdinand!
We next went through the boys’ building of the orphanage to reach the workshop. There were adults there and kids as young as me, all wearing cruddy-looking clothes, and whatever they were making had made their hands and faces all dirty.
“This is Lord Wilfried, who is serving as the High Bishop in Lady Rozemyne’s place for today,” Fran said to introduce me. At that, two young boys stepped forward, knelt down, and began their noble greetings.
“I pray for a blessing in appreciation of this serendipitous meeting, ordained by the fruitful days of Schutzaria the Goddess of Wind,” they said.
I poured mana into my ring—though I wasn’t too good at doing it yet—before I replied. “May this meeting be blessed.”
This time, I actually did pretty well. I nodded to myself, then looked up at Lamprecht, who gave me a smile and returned my nod in approval.
“Lutz, Gil—you may stand. You called Rozemyne over today, I believe. What is your business? Wilfried shall be handling it in her place.”
“We finished a new picture book and wanted to give her a copy. Please deliver this to Lady Rozemyne. And here is one for you, Lord Wilfried. Please accept it as a gift celebrating our meeting,” the green-eyed kid said before handing me two books. They were shoddily made—basically nothing more than bundles of paper. They were thin, tiny, and didn’t even have covers; it was hard to imagine that they were actually books.
“Picture books? What kind of books are those? What do you do with them?”
“You read them. Rozemyne recently started making them, and she was looking forward to the completion of this one.”
...Rozemyne made these, too?
I started flipping through one of the picture books, looking at the large black-and-white illustrations inside. Some pages had text, just like the karuta. I then glanced at the two kids, who both looked about my age. They were holding their heads high, and their eyes were full of confidence.
“...Can you two read this book?”
“Of course. We wouldn’t be able to work if we didn’t know how to read. I studied really hard to learn!” the purple-eyed kid said with a proud smile.
“It may be rare for commoners to know how to read, but even they can learn when it’s necessary for work. It may be rude to present someone who can’t read with a book the first time you meet them, but as you’re a noble, I’m certain that we don’t need to worry about that,” the green-eyed kid said nervously, glancing over at Ferdinand for confirmation.
Once again, Ferdinand smirked, looking down at me with cold, mocking eyes. “Yes, anyone who has received a noble’s education will know how to read. It would be quite unlikely to ever meet a noble who couldn’t.”
“That is a relief.”
...All nobles can read, and commoners can learn when they need to for work? I could feel my expression stiffen as I looked down at the picture book.
“Return to your work, everyone. I intend to show him what exactly is done here,” Ferdinand instructed, at which point all those who had been kneeling stood up and resumed their work. I watched them go, conscious that they’d start glancing my way, and saw the kids who had given me the picture books start counting sheets of paper and giving instructions to those who had a free hand.
“Ferdinand, why are those two kids giving instructions when there are so many adults here?”
“One is an apprentice attendant and the other is an apprentice merchant, but both are close to and have been personally trained by Rozemyne. They receive direct instruction from her, operate the workshop, and give her reports. Whether due to the enormous responsibility they carry or Rozemyne’s instruction, they are both growing blisteringly fast. It might be that she has a natural talent for raising people,” Ferdinand said. He only ever insulted and mocked me, but he was praising the kids in the workshop, and Rozemyne for having raised them.
I could feel an uncomfortable heat building up in my chest.
“That was fifth bell. We’ll be returning to your chambers now. Everyone, you have worked well today. I hope to see your dedication continue.”
“As you wish,” those in the workshop replied, kneeling and giving proud smiles at Ferdinand’s praise.
With the picture books in hand, I returned to the High Bishop’s chambers. My lessons normally ended in the afternoon at fifth bell, after which I’d be free for the rest of the day, and I’d assumed the same would be true here. But once I was back, Fran started piling a ton of boards onto the table.
“What’re those?”
“The words of prayers that you must learn before leaving for the Harvest Festival. You won’t need to know about the festival itself since you won’t be going there, Lord Wilfried, but since the prayers will prove useful for magic, I think you would find it useful to learn them now,” Fran said.
Lamprecht picked up a board and skimmed it, then widened his eyes in surprise. “Are you telling me Rozemyne is memorizing this?”
“Of course. Lady Rozemyne is the High Bishop,” Fran replied with a nod, speaking like it was the most obvious thing in the world. “You know that a single mistake in noble society could give someone a negative reputation that never goes away, yes? Now that she is the archduke’s adopted daughter, Lady Rozemyne is not permitted to fail. She is having quite a tough time during her first year since every ceremony is new to her and she must continually memorize the words to new prayers, but she is managing thanks to her admirable perseverance.”
Fran went on to list each ritual that Rozemyne had to give a prayer at one by one, counting on his fingers as he went. She had been assigned as the High Bishop in summer, meaning she had only experienced a single season’s worth of rituals. And yet she had performed the Starbind Ceremony, the summer coming of age ceremony, the autumn baptism ceremony, and would soon be heading off to administer the Harvest Festival throughout the Central District. The High Bishop had an unbelievably busy schedule.
“I can’t do this. I don’t know how to read,” I said, shaking my head after looking at the board with prayers written on it. Rozemyne had to memorize these, sure, but I didn’t. I handed the board back to Fran, who then simply passed it on to Lamprecht.
“In that case, Sir Lamprecht will read it aloud, and you will learn by repeating what he says. You may eat dinner when you are finished.”
“Wha—?!”
“Anyone can memorize something if they take it seriously. High Priest, allow me to brew some tea. You must be tired,” Fran said, before smoothly heading to the kitchen. The fact that he wasn’t listening to me at all made me so mad that I shouted at his back as he went.
“I don’t want to! I’m not going to memorize this!” I yelled, stamping my feet in anger.
Fran turned back around with a worried frown on his face. But before he could speak, Ferdinand let out a loud, exaggerated sigh.
“Good grief. Fran, it seems that Wilfried doesn’t need dinner tonight. If he hasn’t finished memorizing the prayers by sixth bell, begin eating without him. The divine gifts won’t be ready for the orphanage otherwise.”
“Understood.”
Curse. You. Ferdinand! You didn’t have to say that!
I gritted my teeth and glared at Ferdinand, but he just looked back at me with cold, narrowed eyes. He wasn’t afraid of me at all.
This is why bastards are the worst! I hate bastards! I silently shouted the word that Grandmother had said all the time, which calmed me down just a little even though I didn’t actually know what it meant.
Now that I thought about it, there was no way they wouldn’t let me eat dinner, even if I didn’t memorize any of the prayers. Up until now, I had never been punished that much for skipping out on lessons and refusing to learn to read, and this was going to be just like that. All I needed to do was wait for Ferdinand to leave.
When sixth bell rang, Ferdinand went to eat in his own chambers. I glanced Fran’s way and saw that, after seeing him off, he had gone to start serving dinner.
I knew it. Of course he cares about me more than Ferdinand’s orders.
I let out a pleased snort and waited for my dinner to be served. Lamprecht was excited to eat, saying that the food here tasted better than the stuff in the knight dorms, and the sweets were good enough that I was just as eager.
“My apologies for the wait, Sir Lamprecht. Your food has been prepared. Dame Brigitte has offered to eat later, so you may eat alongside Sir Damuel, if you would like.”
“I-I see. I wouldn’t mind eating with Damuel, but...” Lamprecht nervously looked between Fran and me.
“Do not worry, Dame Brigitte shall look after Lord Wilfried while you are having dinner. We know it would be uncomfortable for you to eat in front of him while he is unable to, so we have prepared a separate room for you,” Fran said.
I was hit by such a strong wave of shock that I almost fell over. He actually wasn’t going to let me eat, just as Ferdinand had ordered.
“Fran, do you have any idea what you’re doing?! Don’t you know who I am?!”
“I informed you that you would only be eating once you had memorized the prayers, and Lord Ferdinand has ordered me to follow through on this,” Fran said calmly. The attendants in the castle would always freak out and fall over themselves to serve me, but Fran wasn’t listening at all. What was going on?
“Who do you think is more important here, me or Ferdinand?!”
“Lord Ferdinand, of course.”
“What?! But I’m the archduke’s first son!” I yelled. “Don’t lump me in with a bastard!”
In the castle, everyone said I was of a higher status than Ferdinand since he was a bastard and I wasn’t. I’d assumed that Fran just didn’t know that, but when I looked up to see his reaction, he was shaking his head with exasperation.
“At the moment, you are serving as the High Bishop in Lady Rozemyne’s place. She has given me strict instructions not to spoil you as the archduke’s son, but to treat you in the same way that she would be treated as Lord Ferdinand’s ward.”
“To not... spoil... me?” I stammered, unable to believe what I had just heard.
That was when the memory of Rozemyne saying, “Then you will have no problem with my attendants treating you like normal,” flashed through my mind. I’d naturally replied to that by saying “Of course,” but it still didn’t make any sense.
“...Letting me eat dinner would be spoiling me?”
“Allowing you to use your status to avoid responsibilities and punishments would be spoiling you. That you think doing so is normal and appropriate shows just how spoiled you have been throughout your life, an experience not shared by Lady Rozemyne,” Fran said, before turning to face Lamprecht. “Sir Lamprecht, please begin eating. We must take the leftovers to the orphanage afterward, so delays have long-reaching consequences.”
“I...”
“It would be best for you to entrust Lord Wilfried to us. You are a reminder of his normal life, and while you are around, he will expect to be spoiled,” Fran said with a composed smile that left no room for argument. He then took Lamprecht elsewhere, leaving me alone in a room with nobody I knew very well.
“Shall I read the board for you, Lord Wilfried?” the female knight called Brigitte asked, before taking the board and standing beside me. “The attendants here may be kind and loyal, but they are not soft in the slightest. This must be a shock for you.”
She had been assigned to guard Rozemyne after her baptism, so she would probably be able to tell me from a proper noble perspective what life in the temple was like.
“Are the attendants here hard on Rozemyne, too?”
“Yes. They are doing their best to ensure that Lady Rozemyne fulfills her duties as both the archduke’s daughter and the High Bishop without error. When I first started serving her, I complained to Fran that the burden on her was much too great. But ultimately he just reprimanded me,” Brigitte said, offering a sad smile as she looked at the board. If things were bad enough that a guard knight had chosen to speak up, then Rozemyne’s situation had to be really harsh.
“And she has more than just this to memorize?”
“Yes. She has to learn not only the prayers, but the progression of each ritual, the key points to be aware of, who to give blessings to, and the total number of people involved in each ceremony. This pile of boards contains far more information than just the words to prayers. And thus far, she has always successfully completed her duty when the time came.”
I couldn’t believe how different Rozemyne’s life was from mine. It’d never occurred to me that I really was being spoiled that hard.
“...Read the board for me, please.”
“As you wish.”
Brigitte read the board aloud for me, and I repeated her words until I had memorized them. When Lamprecht finished eating and returned, his eyes widened in surprise at me.
“I see you have worked very hard. That is excellent,” Fran said, praising me for the first time before placing enough dinner for one person on the table.
I had just barely managed to finish memorizing the prayers before seventh bell, and even though I was eating later than anyone else, the food was still steaming and warm. The chefs must have waited for me so that my dinner would still taste good.
...I get it now. They’re kind, but they don’t spoil anyone.
As I started eating the warm food, I let out a sigh. I really wanted to go back to the castle. I wanted to tell Father and Mother that I had memorized a prayer, and have them compliment me for doing well.
“...Eating alone is kind of sad,” I said aloud.
“Lady Rozemyne says the same thing at times.”
“Huh. Rozemyne eats here alone sometimes.”
After dinner, the attendants bathed me, and each gave me a report on their day’s work. That had never happened before. My attendants were either busy attending me or searching for me; they never had any work to do when I wasn’t around.
Once their reports were over, it was finally time for me to sleep. I was exhausted. I’d never been this tired before in my entire life. It was the first time I’d ever used my head so much, so despite it being earlier than I usually went to bed, I’d passed out in no time.
“It is morning, Lord Wilfried.”
No sooner had I heard the voice than someone pulled aside the curtains around my bed. I shut my eyes as tightly as I could to block out the bright sunlight.
“I’m still tired.”
“It is time to wake up.”
“Lay off. I said I’m still tired!” I yelled, pulling the covers up over my head only for them to be ripped away by force. I widened my eyes, looking for who would wake me up in such a violent manner, only to see that it was none of my usual attendants. Fran forced the mattress up at an angle, making me slide right off.
“I told you that it is time to wake up. Please get changed and eat breakfast. I have already given you as much time as can be spared.”
Morning came especially early in the temple, and this was the first time I had ever been literally forced out of bed. Fran changed my clothes, then served me breakfast. My head was really fuzzy while I ate, since I’d normally still be in bed at this time.
“After breakfast, it will be time to practice harspiel,” Rozemyne’s music teacher said as she brought in the instrument. It was sized for children, and the sight alone was enough to make me grimace.
“I’m not good with harspiels. I don’t like them.”
“In that case, there is an even greater need for you to practice and improve. Music is the cultured pastime of nobles,” she said.
I knew that playing instruments was important for nobles, but not everyone was great at the harspiel. Karstedt had said I could one day pick up an instrument I liked myself, which explained why he was good at the flute. But when I said that to the music teacher, she just cocked her head.
“I have spent Spring Prayer with Lord Karstedt in the past, and while he prefers the flute to the harspiel, he was not incapable of playing the latter. Learning the notes and lyrics to harspiel songs is the foundation from which you develop your musical tastes. Wishing to play other instruments is no excuse to not play the harspiel.”
“Wh-What the...?” I stammered. Neither Karstedt nor my music teacher had ever said anything like that.
“Not to mention, since you were baptized this year, both you and Lady Rozemyne will be debuting in the winter. I have heard from the High Priest that there is a concert where all the children play a harspiel song in public. If you do not practice, will you not be bringing shame upon yourself when you cannot do what all the other children can?” she asked, reminding me of when I was the only one who couldn’t read karuta yesterday.
My cheeks flushed. Just thinking about the same thing happening in front of nobles made me feel a weird mix of pathetic, frustrated, and just plain awful.
“...Is Rozemyne practicing every day?”
“There are times when her schedule does not permit practice, but when she is in the temple, she practices every day without fail. Skills degrade if you do not spend time honing them,” the instructor said before taking out some sheet music. “Nobody improves dramatically overnight, so daily practice is key. Please continue until you can play at least one song before winter. Think of nothing else. Just focus on a single song.”
...I only needed to learn a single song before winter, so maybe I could manage.
That day, despite it being harspiel practice, all I did was hum the notes on the sheet music; I wasn’t allowed to touch the instrument even once.
When practice ended at third bell, the instructor praised me with a pretty smile. “Very good. Upon returning to the castle, please practice moving your fingers in tune with the scales you have learned. You learned them very quickly, so you must have a good memory.”
I felt a tingling sensation in my chest, maybe because I wasn’t used to being complimented. She encouraged me to keep practicing, saying that this one song was all I needed to learn to hold my head up high at the winter debut.
Back in the castle, third bell was when my morning professor would arrive. But there were no professors here. I relaxed, thinking that I was finally getting some free time, only for Fran to come in carrying a bunch of things.
“It is time to assist the High Priest with his work.”
“...Huh?”
“The High Priest is handling the bulk of the High Bishop’s work outside of performing ceremonial prayers, so in order to lessen his load, Lady Rozemyne assists him with his paperwork from third to fourth bell. Now then—please hurry up, Sir Lamprecht.”
Fran rushed me and Lamprecht along to Ferdinand’s room. There were a number of attendants there, all handling their own work. Helping out here would probably make me feel a little proud, since it was like I was on equal footing with the adults.
As I stepped inside, determined to work like the kids I had seen at the workshop yesterday, Ferdinand glanced up from his paper. “Ah, there you are. Wilfried, sit over there and practice your letters. There is a stone slate with examples for you to write on. Lamprecht, here is some math that needs to be done,” he said, pointing toward a table that his attendants were putting stone slates, paper, and cards onto. In the blink of an eye, there was ink and a calculator there as well.
“Writing letters?! So I’m not going to help with your work?!”
“What a foolish question. How in the world could you help me when you do not even know how to read and write?” Ferdinand asked, not even bothering to look up from his paperwork this time.
“But Rozemyne—”
“She could write just fine before I even met her. She quickly learned new words, and when introduced to the book room, she read its scripture so enthusiastically that I have hardly needed to teach her anything writing-related myself,” Ferdinand continued. Rozemyne had apparently learned to write without his help.
...Just what in the world is my little sister?
“Rozemyne is skilled in math, as you would expect from someone who owns a workshop and has spent so much time with merchants. The boards in front of Lamprecht contain all of the work that she would normally do. I trust that you shall handle it well, since you have so generously offered to take her place.”
Lamprecht widened his eyes at the stack of boards. He’d always empathized with me not wanting to study math, probably because he was bad at it himself.
“I thought I was here for work, but it’s just writing practice? I’m not going to bother doing that. I’m out of here!” I declared, jumping down from my chair to run away like I always did.
But Ferdinand whipped out his schtappe and chanted something quickly under his breath. Several beams of light shot out from the schtappe and wrapped around me, making it so that I couldn’t move at all. With the bands of magic holding my legs together, I clumsily fell flat on my face.
“Lord Ferdinand?! What in the world are y—” Lamprecht began in shock, but Ferdinand interrupted him by striding forward, picking me up like I was furniture, and roughly setting me back onto the chair.
“I will not allow you to run away. You said that you would be switching places with Rozemyne today. If you are truly the archduke’s son, you must at least take responsibility for the promises you make,” Ferdinand said, tying me to the chair with actual rope before dissipating the magic bands.
He was being so rough and disrespectful that I didn’t even know what to say. I had no idea why he was being allowed to do this to me, or why nobody was saying anything to him about it.
“Lamprecht, get to work already,” Ferdinand instructed. “Now is not the time to stare into space. You are wasting time.”
The fact that Lamprecht immediately shot up, straightened his back, and got right to work told me that I just couldn’t win against Ferdinand. With no other choice, I reached for the stone slate.
Ferdinand’s room was eerily quiet. The only noises were the scratching of pens, clacks of calculators, muted requests for permission, and the quiet rustle of papers as people delivered their finished work. It felt like I was going to suffocate. I tried to practice writing at first, but soon set the stone slate aside when my hands started to hurt a little. Ferdinand noticed this and stood up, walking over to examine it.
“...Is that the best you can do?”
“Lord Wilfried is very much trying his best, Lord Ferdinand,” Lamprecht answered for me.
Yeah. This is way more practice than I would ever normally do. Praise me more, I thought, cheering Lamprecht on internally. But Ferdinand just looked down at Lamprecht with the same cold eyes he gave me.
“It is because of you spoiling Wilfried in such a manner that he has grown up to be so slothful and foolish.”
Lamprecht gasped, his eyes wide open. His mouth flapped as though he was about to protest, but he ultimately just bit his lip and fell silent.
Ferdinand gave a dismissive “hmph” and then turned his icy golden eyes to me. “Wilfried, there is nobody in the castle willing to be honest with you, so it is here that I must inform you of reality. You have neither the resolve, nor the dedication, nor the attitude that the son of an archduke needs. You have noble blood, but it is wasted on a foolish, selfish child such as yourself.”
That wasn’t true; I had the proper attitude for an archduke’s son. What’s more, Ferdinand was the only one calling me foolish and selfish. Nobody else did. Everything he was saying here was wrong.
“Ferdinand! You’re being disrespectful!” I yelled.
“Disrespectful? No, I am speaking the truth. You have been baptized, yet you cannot read, write, or do math. You are an incompetent fool who uses his status as the archduke’s son to evade all responsibility. If asked to help Sylvester with his work, you would not be able to help him in the slightest. You are a useless waste of space. Do not expect me to spoil you as well.”
I growled and glared up at Ferdinand. As much as I wanted to shout that he was wrong, I couldn’t manage the words.
“Lord Ferdinand, that is going much too far!”
“You seem to be lazing about as well, Lamprecht. Rozemyne would be long finished with that amount of work by now. You are slow. I see that both servant and master are equally useless,” Ferdinand remarked, dismissing Lamprecht’s protests before looking straight at me. “Wilfried, your father experienced much grief due to problems with succession, and as long as there are no problems with your mana, he wishes for you to succeed him as his oldest son.”
I knew that. Both Father and Grandmother had said that I’d be the next archduke.
“Sylvester seems to think that a leader can be as incompetent as he wishes so long as he surrounds himself with competent allies. But there is a difference between gathering competent allies and dragging them down into the mud, forcing them to compensate for your unending failures. And unlike Sylvester, you do not have the charisma and strength of spirit to naturally gather allies.”
“Lord Ferdinand, you are expecting too much from a young child,” Lamprecht protested.
“You call him a young child, but he has already been baptized. Furthermore, he is not just any child, but the child of the archduke. Under normal circumstances, Wilfried would need to work harder and bear more responsibility than Rozemyne, who was merely adopted into the archduke’s family. However, does it seem to you that Wilfried is indeed working harder or bearing more responsibility than her? No, it does not.”
His arguments made too much sense to disagree with. One day here was enough for me to realize just how talented Rozemyne was, as well as how hard she was working each day. Her attendants were all working together to ensure she was as well suited for her roles as the High Bishop and the archduke’s daughter as possible. She was being given a mountain of tasks each day which she always completed.
But me, on the other hand... What was I doing? My only memories were of running away from work.
“Lord Ferdinand, you’re not wrong, but...” Lamprecht began, only for Ferdinand to silence him with a sharp glare, looking much, much angrier than he had been with me. For a second his light golden eyes seemed to change colors, and an instant later Lamprecht choked out a gasp, freezing in place and trembling as if glued down by the stare. As Ferdinand leaned in a little closer toward him, Lamprecht let out a weak groan of discomfort.
“Wilfried is not the only incompetent fool who puts no effort into life. You are the same. If you care for your charge’s future, Lamprecht, learn to tie him to a chair and force him to study. Veronica is no longer here.”
What does he mean by that?! I exclaimed in my mind.
Ferdinand then glanced my way. “Rozemyne is a unique girl in more ways than one, so I do not expect Wilfried to produce similar results. But if he wishes to be accepted as the archduke’s son, he needs to work at least as hard as she is. Am I wrong?”
“...No, you are right.” Lamprecht painfully forced the words out. It was like Ferdinand had cast a curse or something on him, except he didn’t have his schtappe in hand. I had no idea what he was doing to Lamprecht, but all I could do was tremble as an indescribable fear built up in my heart.
“I received a report from Fran that Wilfried successfully memorized the words to prayers last night, and successfully hummed the musical scales of a harspiel song this morning. I, myself, have been forced to accept that he was not born a fool. He can succeed when he tries and is clearly quite capable of doing so, meaning the blame falls on those who spoiled their charge and raised him into a fool. Be aware that this is your responsibility!” Ferdinand declared, before lowering his gaze and letting out a disappointed sigh.
At that point, Lamprecht collapsed onto the table.
“Lamprecht! Ferdinand, what did y—”
“Wilfried,” Ferdinand said, interrupting me with a heavy voice. As strange as it might sound, it was so overwhelming that it really did feel like there were weights pressing against my stomach.
He was looking at me with cruel eyes—cold, dark, golden slits that showed no warmth toward me whatsoever. They were terrifying eyes unlike anything I had ever seen before, and without even realizing it, my teeth had started to chatter.
“There is nothing I would like less than to serve someone as lazy, spoiled, and incapable as you. If you continue as you are, I will raise your siblings myself and crush your political future with all my might.”
Both Father and Grandmother had said that I would be the next archduke, and I thought that was true no matter what. I’d never even considered that someone might come and defy their words. Hearing that my future wasn’t actually secured was like a blow to the head that made me want to cry.
“It is tradition for the child with the most mana born from the archduke’s first wife to become the next archduke. You would do well to remember this,” he said.
I swallowed hard, just as fourth bell started to ring. My day spent swapped with Rozemyne had come to an end.
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