Ascendance of a Bookworm (LN) - Volume 3.4 - Chapter 17

Georgine’s Visit 

Third bell rang, signaling the end of my harspiel practice. I packed up and went to help Ferdinand with his work as usual, but as soon as I entered his chambers, he looked at me with an exceedingly stern frown. 

“Rozemyne.” 

“Yes?” I asked, tilting my head gracefully. 

Ferdinand jutted his chin toward the fearsome lecture room. I couldn’t recall doing anything that would anger him, but the look in his eyes and his silent gesture were nothing if not expressions of cold anger. 

I was struck with the urge to apologize on the spot—or really, the urge to bolt right out of the room. I slowly looked up at Fran for help, my neck almost audibly creaking with fear, only for him to sadly shake his head. 

Nooo! Someone! Anyone! Help meee! 

As I tearfully entered the lecture room, literally everyone avoided meeting my gaze. 

The moment Ferdinand and I were seated facing one another, he glared at me with his golden eyes. He was not pleased at all. I inhaled sharply and straightened my back. 

“Now then, Rozemyne—you told me nothing of this, but it seems that Sylvester’s older sister will be arriving from Ahrensbach at the end of summer, hm?” 

“Oh...? Did I not tell you?” 

“No. You did not. Despite this being exceedingly important.” 

“Ngh... I’m sorry.” 

I went ahead and told Ferdinand what Sylvester had told me upon his and Florencia’s return—namely that my response announcing the former High Bishop’s death to a letter I received had resulted in Sylvester getting harassed all throughout the Archduke Conference, and that his older sister would now be coming to Ehrenfest to visit her uncle’s grave. 

“Hold it. Why was she at the Archduke Conference?” 

“What do you mean, ‘why’? She’s the older of Sylvester’s two sisters and the one who married Ahrensbach’s archduke, right? Florencia went with Sylvester, so doesn’t it make sense that his older sister would come from Ahrensbach?” I asked, not understanding the question. 

Ferdinand slowly shook his head. “She became the third wife of Ahrensbach’s archduke, and as the Archduke Conference is always attended by first wives, it is unusual that she would be there. I do not believe she attended last year, which is precisely why we were able to conceal the Bezewanst incident from her, despite it having happened during the conference.” 

It seemed to be that only the archduke’s first wife was allowed to assist the archduke and get involved in political matters. Second wives and below could at times help the first wife, assuming they were on good terms, but they couldn’t get involved in politics themselves. These customs were in place to avoid there being too many cooks in the kitchen, so to speak. 

“Oh, I see...” I said. “That makes sense.” 

“You don’t understand at all, do you?” 

“No, I do. I understand what you’re implying here.” 

Up to this point, Sylvester’s older sister had been unable to get involved in Ahrensbach politics due to being the archduke’s third wife. But her attending the Archduke Conference this year was a sign that she had somehow supplanted the archduke’s first wife. 

“...I’m just not sure how the situation will change because of that.” 

“And that is why I said you do not understand at all. For better or worse, direct familial ties hold significant influence in politics; an archducal couple is always liable to be swayed by their family. Sylvester’s other sister was married into Frenbeltag in the west, and Florencia hails from Frenbeltag herself. As both rulers of the duchy and elder siblings, they have recently had a considerable influence on our own archducal couple. You are aware of this, I believe.” 

“Yes. They pushed a number of small chalices onto us,” I replied, recalling that our archducal couple were weak to Frenbeltag’s archducal couple—that is, their older brother and sister. 

“But the situation with Frenbeltag is far from terrible,” Ferdinand continued. “They suffered massive losses from being wrapped up in the civil war, and since we are offering them our support, we are putting them somewhat in our debt. Ahrensbach, however, is another story. It is a greater duchy—a large and populous duchy compared to medial and lesser duchies—that chose the winning side of the civil war. If Sylvester’s oldest sister is now the first wife of Ahrensbach’s archduke, we will receive significantly more political pressure from them. Not only would it be incomparable to the sway Frenbeltag has on us, but we would be in no position to refuse them,” he murmured. 

It seemed that Ferdinand was much more focused on the problems that lay ahead than I was. I knew a little more about the power balance between us and the surrounding duchies now, but I still didn’t quite grasp what exactly would change within Ehrenfest. 

“What kind of person is Sylvester’s eldest sister, exactly? I don’t even know her name.” 

“Her name is Georgine. Before Sylvester was born, she was widely expected to become the archduchess of Ehrenfest.” 

“I know that much. She wrote all about it in the letters that Bezewanst had stashed away.” 

“...I do not recall being told about such letters,” Ferdinand said, glaring at me while rubbing his twitching temple. 

“Um, well... I thought they were love letters, so I decided it’d be best to leave them be,” I replied falteringly. 

“Fool! Do not hide the affairs of convicted criminals! Do you wish to be charged along with them as a co-conspirator?!” 

“I’m sorry!” 

Ferdinand immediately unleashed his fury on me; love letters were apparently even more important for me to report. I slumped my shoulders sadly as I was lectured at length about the dangers of me being charged for hiding evidence, and so on and so forth. 

“Good grief... To my knowledge, Georgine was wed to Ahrensbach because Sylvester’s grandmother on his mother’s side was the daughter of an archduke there. Truth be told... I know little about Georgine herself. She was already wed and gone by the time I started living in the castle.” 

According to what I knew from Sylvester, she was the kind of person to hold a grudge and antagonize others over matters that had taken place years and years prior. I knew she was the poster child for why one should truly avoid getting wrapped up in sibling rivalries, but I wasn’t sure whether she was only like that toward Sylvester because he took the seat of archduke from her, or whether she was like that to everyone. 

“I have seen her once. It was during Father’s... rather, during the previous archduke’s funeral. She attended, but I saw her only from a distance, and we did not exchange any greetings.” 

“Wait, really? But why?” I asked, blinking in surprise. Georgine had come as the wife of another duchy’s archduke and a daughter of the deceased. I had to go through countless formal greetings at every event just as the archduke’s adopted daughter, so as her half-brother, I expected that Ferdinand would have at least greeted her. 

“I entered the temple due to Sylvester’s mother shortly before the prior archduke’s death, and thus attended the funeral as a member of the temple. I was not there as a family member, and naturally, her status put her above greeting a mere blue priest. That is all there was to it,” Ferdinand said dryly. 

I could imagine him having to watch his father be buried from afar, unable to attend as a family member. It pained my heart, and I balled my hands into tight fists on my lap. 

“Doesn’t that mean you didn’t even get to participate in your own father’s funeral as his son?” 

“Yes. What of it?” Ferdinand replied, raising an eyebrow like it was nothing at all. 

“How can you act so indifferent about this?!” I shouted, unable to help myself. “You feel so disconnected from the rest of your family, but you called him ‘Father’! The previous archduke had to have been someone really important to you, Ferdinand, and I know it! Why are you acting so calm?! You have the right to be angry about not being allowed to visit the funeral as his son! You have the right to cry about it!” 

“...Putting aside whether or not I have the right to be annoyed, why are you yourself angry? It has nothing to do with you,” Ferdinand said, rubbing his temples as he muttered, “I cannot comprehend why you are mad.” 

“I mean, because... it’s just sad! It’s too sad... And one day, the same thing will happen to me. But I have the right to be mad—to cry about it...” 

Now that my family could no longer be my family, I wouldn’t be called to attend their funerals in the lower city. Worst-case scenario, I might not even be informed of their deaths. I was completely excluded, and I wasn’t even sure whether I could pray for their happiness from where I was. 

“Calm yourself, Rozemyne. Please, do not cry now, of all times. It will look terrible when you leave.” 

“Is now really the time to be worrying about appearances?! Show at least a little compassion here! Try to calm me down, or let me cry until it’s all out of my system, or something!” I shouted, abruptly standing up and demanding kindness. 

“Good grief, you are a handful...” Ferdinand murmured, reaching out and picking me up. He set me down on his lap, gave a brief hug, and then scoffed. “That should be enough, yes?” 

His haughty smirk was completely unfounded, and this hardly felt like him consoling me. 

“No, it’s not enough. This doesn’t feel kind or warmhearted at all.” 

“You appear to have stopped crying though, and that is enough for me. Get off.” 

Not only did he ignore my frustration, but he promptly removed me from his lap. A sigh escaped me as all the energy drained from my body; no matter how mad I got, Ferdinand wouldn’t ever understand me. I climbed back onto the bench, feeling indescribably fatigued. 

But it seemed that I wasn’t the only one who had lost their inertia—the anger Ferdinand had been exuding a moment ago had vanished completely, and he was now tapping his temple as if trying to remember what we had been talking about. 

“We have wandered too far off topic,” he said. “Sylvester informed me that she is an exceedingly troublesome person, and thus I suggest you stay on guard when she is here.” 

“What should I specifically be doing?” 

“First, never be alone. Remain with your attendants and guards at all times. Go nowhere except the feast you are required to attend, and stay within the temple as much as possible,” Ferdinand said. “I cannot offer any more detailed advice, as I do not know the woman myself.” 

I sighed. He wouldn’t open up about his family problems at all, but he was more than happy to talk at length when it came to warning me about nobles. He was overprotective, sure, but nowhere near kind or caring enough. 

Somehow, I think I can guess why Ferdinand’s one romantic relationship didn’t last... 

On a day toward the end of summer, the Noble’s Gate opened wide, and several carriages passed by the temple to enter the Noble’s Quarter. This happened all the time near the end of autumn as winter socializing approached, but it was an exceptionally rare sight this time of year. I saw it through a window in the High Bishop’s chambers, and that was how I knew Georgine had arrived. I made sure to tell Ferdinand about it when I went to his chambers to work. 

“It seems that Lady Georgine is here.” 

“Yes, I know. I just received an ordonnanz from Sylvester. The welcoming feast is to be held two days from now, and he wants us to gather at the castle. Make sure you are prepared,” Ferdinand said with a very displeased tone, before instructing his attendants on what to do in his absence. 

Likewise, I gave orders to my attendants and began preparing to go to the castle.

“Come now, milady. What outfit do you want to wear?” Rihyarda asked, launching into preparations for the feast as soon as I arrived at the castle. She was supposedly giving me a choice, but her eyes were already locked on one in particular that she had clearly set her heart on. 

“You prepared these outfits for me, didn’t you, Rihyarda? As I’ve never been to a welcoming feast for a noble from another duchy before, I would like you to choose the best one for me, if you wouldn’t mind.” 

“As you wish. You can count on me.” 

Since we were nearing the end of summer, she selected an outfit that was the divine color of summer, adorned with ornaments of autumn’s divine color. My hair ornament wasn’t a hair stick covered with fanciful flowers like usual, but rather a light veil with neat embroidery that covered my intricately braided hair. 

“Women from Ahrensbach must always wear a veil when presenting themselves in public. Veils were introduced into Ehrenfest fashion by Lord Sylvester’s grandmother, who married into the duchy from Ahrensbach. At the time, there was a sizable boom of nobles wearing them,” Rihyarda said with a nostalgic smile as she locked the veil into place using pins. 

“If you don’t mind, Rihyarda, may I ask what kind of person Lady Georgine is?” 

She froze in place, her hands midway through setting the pins, and gazed around the room as she searched for the right words. 

“...She is a very, very hard worker,” she ultimately said with audible hesitance. It seemed to me that she sounded a little sad, too. 

Soon enough, the welcoming feast began. We would be eating Georgine’s old favorites and standard Ahrensbach dishes today, with my own personal recipes being banned during the event. She and Sylvester still seemed to be on bad terms, so I wondered whether this was just him hiding the new recipes from her. 

The nobles gathered in the hall were largely wearing what seemed to be Ahrensbach fashion, just as Rihyarda had said. The majority of the women were wearing veils, while the men were wrapped in large, thin cloaks instead of their usual capes. 

Once the archducal family—including Ferdinand and I—were in position, Georgine finally entered as the guest of the evening. She walked boldly, with a level of grace that made her high status immediately apparent, and while her hair and eye color visible through the thin veil resembled Sylvester’s, her face was entirely different—she was a beautiful woman with sharp, pointed features and sculpted cheeks. 

Maybe it was because Sylvester had warned me about her resentful personality, or because Rihyarda had faltered when talking about her, or even because I expected her to speak to me about what happened to Bezewanst... but whatever it was, with each step Georgine took toward us, my stomach painfully tensed up. 

“Wilfried. Rozemyne. Greet the first wife of Ahrensbach,” Sylvester prompted, at which point we both stepped forward to meet her. She was the daughter of the previous archduke and now first wife of a duchy that was higher ranked than Ehrenfest, so we were performing the greetings to her rather than the other way around. 

“I am Wilfried, son of Aub Ehrenfest.” 

“I am Rozemyne, adopted daughter of Aub Ehrenfest.” 

“May we pray for a blessing in appreciation of this serendipitous meeting, ordained by the vibrant summer rays of Leidenschaft the God of Fire?” we asked together after having introduced ourselves. Wilfried had complained about how hard it was for him to memorize and repeat the greeting that, up until now, he had only ever received instead of given. 

“You may,” Georgine replied, her crimson lips curving into a smile. 

We poured a bit of mana into our rings, finished the blessings, and then stood. Georgine’s green eyes immediately fell on Wilfried, and she looked him over carefully. 

“Oh my. You truly, truly do resemble Sylvester when he was younger.” 

“I look like Father?” Wilfried asked happily. 

Georgine nodded with a smile. “Oh yes, quite. I could almost mistake you for him.” But despite her speaking in such a kindhearted tone, I got goosebumps all over. 

I subconsciously started rubbing my wrists. Was I the only one who felt uneasy about this? As I looked around, I saw that the only other person looking uncomfortable was Sylvester; he was wearing a stony expression that showed no emotion whatsoever, which was very rare for him. Everyone else was warmly watching the conversation between Georgine and Wilfried—even Ferdinand, of all people. 

“You look very beautiful, Auntie. Just like Grandmother!” Wilfried said with an innocent smile. He didn’t seem the least bit perturbed, but I was sure that Georgine’s eyebrow twitched ever so slightly at his comment. 

“Oh my, is that so? I believe I’ve heard that Mother doted on you considerably.” 

“That’s right!” 

An instant later, Florencia stepped forward with a calm smile, moving such that she was now shielding Wilfried. “Allow me to greet you as well, Lady Georgine,” she said before kneeling down. 

Sylvester, his eyes lowered somberly, also came forward to stand beside Florencia. He then gestured for Wilfried and me to step back, so we promptly cleared some space for him. 

Despite both Sylvester and Georgine wearing calm noble smiles, the air between them was heavy. I could feel the friction between them even from a fair distance away, and I couldn’t help but swallow nervously. 

Sylvester briefly made eye contact with Georgine, then slowly knelt as well. Her green eyes narrowed slightly beneath the thin veil as she closely watched him, and as he crossed his arms in front of his chest—a sign of humility given to one’s higher-ranking superior—her lips curved into a very satisfied grin. 

“We are pleased beyond words that Dregarnuhr the Goddess of Time has woven our threads of fate tightly together and allowed us to meet once again,” he said. The archducal couple then continued their greetings, expressing their joy at her arrival and their hopes that her first visit home in such a long while would be a comfortable one. 

Once they were done, Georgine beckoned me over. “Are you the High Bishop who so kindly replied to my letter?” she asked. 

My heart pounded in my chest, and I nervously stepped forward. “Yes. That was me.” 

“Oh, I’m very grateful that you informed me,” she said with a truly graceful smile, so strikingly beautiful that it made her seem on another level compared to all the other women present. “Sylvester has always been a lazy man; if not for you sending that letter, I am certain I would have lived out the rest of my life without hearing about this. And you are adopted, I hear. Am I right to assume he is utterly failing you as a father? To think he would force a fragile young child such as yourself to serve as the High Bishop. He surely has no understanding of just how troublesome it is being raised as a symbol. You have my sincerest sympathies.” 

Even as she was dissing the heck out of Sylvester, her graceful smile didn’t falter for an instant. Maybe that was acceptable, though, since she was his sister and that much was usually expected among family. I mean, there were some parts of what she said that I could agree with a little, but he was protecting me a great deal by keeping me as his adopted daughter, so now seemed like a good time to back him up. 

“It certainly is difficult serving as the High Bishop, but he assigned Ferdinand to help me as my guardian. He is very considerate and has done much in the way of supporting me.” 

“My my! To think he would abandon his parental duties and entrust a child to another so soon after adopting them! I must say, I truly am ashamed to be related to him. It seems that his childhood tendency of doing nothing and forcing his work onto everyone else has not changed in the least.” 

Sorry, Sylvester... My backup didn’t help at all. 

“Did he at least assign a competent guardian to you? Gods above forbid that he...” she trailed off, leaving what I could assume was “forced an incompetent buffoon to take up the position” unsaid and instead just directing me a sympathetic look. In her mind, I had probably been targeted for my abundance of mana, forced into an adoption, and then worked to the bone as High Bishop with an incompetent guardian barely helping out at all. Her tone of voice and the look on her face were enough for me to pick up on that. 

“Lord Ferdinand is my guardian, Lady Georgine, and he is very skilled.” 

“Ferdinand... I feel as though I have heard that name somewhere before,” Georgine said, turning her eyes to Sylvester. I could practically hear her say, “You never introduced me.” 

Sylvester, still as stone-faced as before, shot Ferdinand a glance before courteously introducing him. “Sister, this is Ferdinand, my half-brother. He entered the castle after you were wed to Ahrensbach, so I do not believe you two ever met.” 

Ferdinand smoothly stepped forward to stand in front of Georgine. Then, when their eyes met, he smiled. 

...What the freaking heck?! 

Ferdinand was smiling—legitimately smiling. His expression was brighter than anything I had ever seen from him before as he knelt before and greeted Georgine. 

“May I pray for a blessing in appreciation of this serendipitous meeting, ordained by the vibrant summer rays of Leidenschaft the God of Fire?” Ferdinand asked, eventually standing back up when he was done. 

Georgine asked him a few things about me and his experience being my guardian, which he answered with a smile that was now bordering on radiant. I didn’t even know what to say. He looked three times kinder and gentler than he usually did with his surly frown, so much so that it was hard to imagine him and his normal inexpressive self were the same person. The Ferdinand I was seeing here looked almost exactly like how Wilma drew him. 

It’s strange... He’s smiling so much, but somehow, it feels like he’s actually loathing this. 

Georgine, having finished being greeted by the archducal family, began walking around the hall to converse with the other nobles. It appeared that she had many associates here, having been born in Ehrenfest. 

“How do you do, Lady Georgine?” one noblewoman asked. 

“My my, if it isn’t Gloria. How truly nostalgic. It is good to see you well.” 

“I plan to hold a tea party while you are here, and I would be honored if you were to attend.” 

“Why of course. I am quite looking forward to it.” 

She was first surrounded by a group of women, but then there were men speaking to her as well. It seemed that it was the nobles older than forty who knew her and were especially pleased to see her again. 

“Lady Georgine, you are as beautiful as ever...” one man said. 

“Oh my, and you are as much of a smooth talker as ever. Aha.” 

Georgine wore the most elegant smile as she moved through the crowd of nobles, staying at its center and effortlessly maintaining conversations in a striking display of social skills that truly befitted the first wife of a greater duchy’s archduke.