Tea Party
“Charlotte. Melchior. I am going to work now. Listen well to your nanny and be good children.”
“Yes, Mother. Bye-bye.”
I spoke to my children in the morning as always, hugging them both before standing up and reluctantly leaving the room. Every time I saw their cute smiles, the fact that I could not do the same for Wilfried sent a pang of regret through my chest.
Cursed be his grandmother...
The very moment two seasons had passed—the time period during which it was considered essential for mothers to feed their children directly—Veronica had snatched Wilfried away to raise him herself. From then until his baptism, Wilfried had been in a position where I could only hug him at dinner.
“I suppose I should be grateful that I regained the ability to raise him at all...” I mused.
I had Rozemyne to thank for that; she was the reason that Veronica—the woman who had antagonized me from my wedding day, complaining that Sylvester was supposed to have taken his first wife from Ahrensbach—was imprisoned. Plus, she had produced such an endless stream of popular trends that shifting the allegiances of noblewomen in the subsequent fallout became simple work.
But not even that was the most important thing Rozemyne had done for me: she had also saved Wilfried from being disinherited after he failed to receive the upbringing necessary of a member of the archducal family. In my eyes, she was less the saint of Ehrenfest, and more my very own saint. My savior.
I had doubted my ears when Sylvester said that he would be adopting a daughter from Karstedt, considering it could hardly be said that he was raising his own children properly. But Rozemyne’s extraordinary qualities became obvious as soon as I met her. She was beautiful, had an immense quantity of mana, astonishing quick-thinking skills, a knack for conceptualizing new inventions that instantly became trends, the motivation to actually create those inventions, and a deeply compassionate heart. She also was so feeble that she seemed to end up on the verge of death if one so much as looked away from her for a moment. Working quickly to secure and protect her for the duchy’s sake was a rare instance of Sylvester making a very wise decision, in my opinion.
Today, I would be having a tea party with Georgine, our visitor from Ahrensbach. Sylvester had begged me to attend alongside him, and while I agreed, I could hardly say I was particularly enthusiastic about it.
I already struggle to face her because of how much she resembles Veronica. And not to mention...
“I am quite concerned about the smile Lady Georgine gave Wilfried during her welcoming feast. It simply will not leave my mind.”
“You’re right to be nervous about it, Florencia. I’m going to make sure Wilfried doesn’t see her again, so seeing her off will be the last time they meet. Same goes for Rozemyne, too, of course.”
It concerned me that Sylvester was so on guard against Georgine, considering how soft he usually was on his family. I still could not believe how long he had allowed Bezewanst and Veronica to wreak havoc.
“Sylvester, why is it that you are so guarded against Georgine?”
“I don’t want my children to go through what I did,” he said, going on to explain that, while he was struggling with the intense upbringing demanded of the next aub, his older sister Georgine had tormented him endlessly. “Looking back, I can understand how she must have felt when her whole life was taken from her and all her efforts disrespected. But from when I moved to the northern building after my baptism to when she departed for Ahrensbach, she never stopped antagonizing me.”
While Sylvester was outwardly maintaining his calm, I could tell that the years of torment had left gaping wounds in his heart. The trauma from his childhood had yet to fade.
Goodness, this man... He truly is an overgrown child, having been raised with his mother’s distorted love but never given help when he truly needed it.
“Take this and follow us,” Sylvester instructed an attendant, gesturing toward a box. He then stood up, prompting me to stand as well. “Guess I’ve gotta speak to Georgine about Bezewanst and Mother. This isn’t going to be fun.”
“I know only a fraction of the circumstances, and having an outsider such as myself intervene in family matters will simply throw the discussion into chaos. This duty is yours and yours alone, Sylvester. But I will be there with you, so please stay strong.”
With that, I gave Sylvester a kiss on the cheek, hoping to raise his spirits as much as I could. We made our way to the tea party arm in arm, sitting next to one another when we arrived, and with Georgine seated across from us, the proceeding began.
Sylvester did not wish to reveal Ehrenfest’s growing assets to Ahrensbach, and so we were serving traditional fallold honey pies as sweets. They were made with honey-soaked fallold filling, and when cut into, they would often fall apart in a way that made them visually unappealing. Nobles used this opportunity to show off just how skilled their attendants were, having them expertly slice the sweets in a way that preserved their beauty before serving them. Eating them gracefully was equally as important, being an essential skill for any fine noblewoman. Rozemyne would have her chefs make them in bite-sized pieces to begin with, but this was its more traditional form.
Focusing on my hands, I deftly cut into the pie with my cutlery before taking a demonstrative bite for Georgine. Doing so actually made me feel a little nostalgic, since I had quite regularly been enjoying Rozemyne’s recipes as of late.
“Sylvester, you do know that I came here to visit our uncle’s grave, correct? How long do you intend to make me wait before taking me there?” Georgine asked, shooting him a stern look with an elegantly furrowed brow as she sipped her tea.
Sylvester briefly glanced over at me for assistance, but then clenched his fists and looked Georgine head-on. “Our uncle was executed as a criminal. Count Groschel, the patriarch of his home family, has said that they are in no way responsible for someone who had been removed from their family for the temple so many decades ago. Their refusal means he has no grave.”
“Executed, you say...?” Georgine asked. She had been informed of Bezewanst’s death by a letter from the temple, but knew no more than that. We had of course hidden such details during the Archduke Conference, since it could hardly be made public that one of our family members had waited for the aub’s absence before deliberately stirring up trouble.
Georgine clenched her fists, fixing Sylvester with a harsh glare that made it clear she was demanding answers. He stiffened, grinding his teeth at the sight, before taking a deep breath and putting on the stern expression of an archduke.
“He disobeyed my orders and prompted my mother to forge official documents, allowing a noble of another duchy into the city—an act that devolved into violence and caused conflict.”
I could see his fist shaking on his lap as he spoke. I slid my hand over his, turning it over so that I could intertwine our fingers.
Sylvester. Everything will be okay.
As I stroked his hand with my thumb, I could feel the tension drain from him ever so slightly.
“I am confident that, as the first wife of Ahrensbach, you must know how grave of a crime it is for the archduke’s seal to be used while he is absent for the Archduke Conference,” Sylvester continued. “Please. I want you to understand.”
Georgine lowered her eyes, let out a thin sigh, and then slowly raised her head. “Despite my sorrow, I understand that you had no choice but to execute him. Did you save any of his belongings, Sylvester?”
“I have much under my possession. You may take whatever you like.”
“Yes, I believe I shall.”
It appeared the box Sylvester had made his attendant carry contained Bezewanst’s former belongings.
“The box inside also contains the letters you sent him. He stored and treasured every single one in the temple. Ferdinand sent them to me the other day.”
“Oh my, you read those? How embarrassing.” Georgine gave a small smile before taking out the box of letters and an ornately decorated ink bottle. “Goodness... To think Uncle used this until the very end,” she whispered.
Judging by her response, it was safe to say that she had gifted Bezewanst the ink bottle before being married away to Ahrensbach. Her eyes crinkled nostalgically as she looked over it, and the look on her face as she touched the bundled-up letters gave her the countenance of an exceptionally loving woman. The kind smile she wore appeared so genuine that it made the cold grin she had given Wilfried and the abuse she had forced upon Sylvester almost come across as uncharacteristic mistakes of some kind.
I only ever met with the High Bishop during ceremonies, and despite Bezewanst not even being a noble, he had joined Veronica in lecturing me at length about “the duties of a wife,” so it was safe to say that my feelings toward him were by no means fond ones. He was considered such a disgrace that even his own family rejected his remains following his execution, so at the very least, it was relieving to know that someone in the world cared for him.
“He committed the crime by enlisting Mother’s help, then? Where is she now? I thought it strange that she was not present during the welcoming feast, but it would not have been proper to ask about her there.”
“She’s being imprisoned for the same crime. Right now, she’s in the forest’s Ivory Tower.”
“I would like to meet with her.”
Sylvester’s scowl deepened as he shook his head; those who had committed treason against the archduke were not allowed visitors, to prevent both escape and murder. “She committed treason. You can’t see her.”
“I am not suggesting that we speak to one another. I simply wish to see with my own eyes the conditions she is living in. Surely you understand that a child would naturally want to see their mother. Would you not make the same request if you were in my position?” Georgine asked, glaring at him. “I am the first wife of Ahrensbach. She may be my mother, but I would not help a criminal charged with such a grave crime to escape, nor would I ask for her punishment to be lessened.”
“...I will permit you to see her, but only if you wear schtappe-sealing bracelets.”
Schtappe-sealing bracelets were magic tools put on nobles who had committed crimes, and as the name implied, they sealed away one’s schtappe such that they could not cast magic. Sylvester was indirectly refusing Georgine by saying that she would need to undergo the same restrictions as a criminal, but she merely gave him a cool smile and extended her shapely wrists.
“Very well, then.”
With a bitter frown, Sylvester secured a bracelet around each of Georgine’s wrists. He might have been remembering the time he put them onto his own mother.
And so, we took Georgine to the Ivory Tower. It stretched above the nobles’ forest, existing to seal away nobles who had committed treason against the archduke. Upon our arrival, we headed for the door that was farthest inside. Aside from the bars, the room behind it was just like that of any other noble, with Veronica sitting inside wearing a pair of schtappe-sealing bracelets just like the ones on Georgine.
Veronica looked up at the sound of the opening door, then abruptly got to her feet and raced over to the bars. “Georgine!” Despite being imprisoned, she was still the archduke’s mother, so she wasn’t being mistreated in the slightest; both her clothes and hair were finely done, like always. “You must return Sylvester to his senses, Georgine. Tell him to let me out. Ferdinand is manipulating him! Please, Georgine! Save me!”
Georgine listened quietly to her mother’s desperate pleas, then turned away. Her promise had been to see Veronica without saying a word, and she kept it.
“...That will be enough, Sylvester.”
Sylvester nodded silently and started to walk away, with Georgine and me following behind him. But Veronica’s cries did not stop. “Georgine! GEORGINE!” she wailed.
Soon enough, Georgine stopped and turned around, meeting my gaze with a smile. “I am just glad to have seen my mother again. My apologies for forcing this onto you, Florencia.”
“Think nothing of it. I understand how concerned you must be.”
Her eyes then shifted slowly to Veronica, who was continuing to scream, and the smile on her lips changed ever so slightly. This smile was far from one of relief, and the sight alone sent a chill down my spine.
“Thank you for coming.”
Today I was having a tea party with Elvira, who had been entrusted with playing the role of Rozemyne’s mother. She had given me much support since I first married Sylvester back in the day; I knew little about Ehrenfest when I married into the duchy from Frenbeltag, but she taught me much of the culture here, allowed me to enter her faction, and protected me throughout no matter what happened.
Though I would never tell Sylvester that I find Elvira to be more reliable than him... He would get ever so jealous.
Once the tea and sweets were prepared, I sent away our attendants and extended a sound-blocking magic tool to Elvira, since we absolutely could not risk anyone hearing us. I silently brought my tea to my lips, took a sweet, and then offered one to my guest, who likewise sipped her drink.
“This is about Lady Georgine, I imagine?” she said with a gentle smile after setting down her teacup.
“It is. I imagine you know a lot more about this matter than I do, Elvira. My apologies for always relying on you so heavily.”
“Oh, there is no need to apologize—after all, our faction exists to help its members. I must say, though, Lady Georgine has been quite active during her time here. Just yesterday, she attended a tea party held by the former Lady Veronica faction,” she said with an exasperated, though somewhat impressed, sigh. Veronica’s faction had rapidly lost influence following her imprisonment, but Georgine’s visit was reviving their momentum rapidly and without warning.
“Her faction abounds with nobles connected to Ahrensbach, correct? They are all desperate to deepen their bonds with Lady Georgine, and if she intends to exert her influence here, meeting with old friends is going to prove essential.”
The connection between Ehrenfest and Ahrensbach had weakened considerably with Veronica’s arrest, so it was possible that Georgine was looking to strengthen her connections with houses that would support her now that she was her duchy’s first wife.
“It seems that Viscountess Dahldolf told her many things indeed at yesterday’s tea party,” Elvira said. “I must say... I am worried for Rozemyne.”
“Viscountess Dahldolf? The mother of the knight executed about two years ago for disobeying orders?”
“Indeed. Lord Ferdinand ordered the knight to protect Rozemyne, an apprentice blue shrine maiden at the time, but he instead wounded her with a schtappe and threw the entire situation into chaos. He was a fool, and she is his unfortunate mother.”
The viscountess had spread rather malicious rumors about Rozemyne—that was what Elvira had been told by one of her laynoble allies.
“Do you remember that Viscountess Dahldolf was quite close to the former High Bishop, who asserted to all who would listen that Rozemyne was a commoner?”
“Yes, I seem to recall her often asking Bezewanst for assistance after her son entered the temple. Bezewanst was Lady Veronica’s only brother from the same mother, after all.”
Elvira frowned in concern. “If there were nothing more to all this, then the disobedient knight would clearly be at fault, and there would be nothing for us to worry about,” she said, lowering her eyes before speaking again. “Rozemyne is deeply connected to the death of not only Viscountess Dahldolf’s son, but Bezewanst as well. Aub Ehrenfest is firmly denying all rumors that she is a commoner, but there is no way to hide her involvement in Bezewanst’s death. I have no idea whatsoever how this knowledge will make Lady Georgine feel, nor what she will decide to do about it.”
A sigh escaped me as I remembered how Georgine had looked while holding Bezewanst’s belongings. It was hard to imagine her eventual emotional outpour not being directed at Rozemyne.
“So, Elvira... I did attend the Royal Academy while Lady Georgine was there, briefly, but when it comes to people from Ehrenfest, I must admit that I only remember Constanze. From your perspective, what kind of person is Lady Georgine?”
There were gatherings for archduke candidates within the Royal Academy, so while I had certainly crossed paths with Lady Georgine before, I barely remembered anything about her. Perhaps that was due to the age difference between juniors and seniors, or because Constanze had so thoroughly doted on me after becoming romantically involved with my older brother.
“She is prideful and a hard worker, but perhaps due to sharing Lady Veronica’s blood, she shows no mercy whatsoever toward those she deems her enemies. It was for this reason that she mercilessly tormented Lord Sylvester when he was young in an attempt to ostracize him. Such behavior is of course not uncommon among siblings who are fighting for the seat of archduke, but even so...
“Lord Sylvester, at such a young age, was given the position purely based on his gender, which led to Lady Georgine’s engagement being canceled and her getting married off to Ahrensbach as a third wife. I can only imagine how humiliating that must have been, and I understand her feelings entirely. But the hatred she unleashed upon a child who had only just been baptized was nothing but cruel. Lord Karstedt struggled much when dealing with her.”
“Indeed. Ruling archdukes are generally preferable to ruling archduchesses,” I replied. It was important for a mother to preserve her mana to ensure that her children had a bountiful supply themselves, and for this reason, they were required to refrain from using mana as much as possible while pregnant. This was the explanation behind an archduke being able to marry any woman he wished so long as they possessed an equivalent mana quantity, while an archduchess absolutely needed to marry an archduke candidate.
“Tradition and circumstances will in no way ease whatever emotions Lady Georgine feels right now. We must exercise the utmost caution for Lord Wilfried, who so greatly resembles Lord Sylvester, and Rozemyne, who ultimately caused Bezewanst’s downfall whether it was in self-defense or not. Lady Georgine is the type to immediately home in on any weakness she sees,” Elvira explained. Her description truly did remind me of Veronica; I could imagine that they had quite similar temperaments.
“So we must be on guard against Lady Georgine wielding her power as Ahrensbach’s first wife against us...”
“Indeed, that would be wise. She did not return home to Ehrenfest a single time while third wife, but the moment she gained power, she descended upon our duchy once again.”
No matter how powerful of a greater duchy Ahrensbach was, a third wife did not deal in politics and would be of a lower status than Ehrenfest’s archduke. Elvira was insinuating that Lady Georgine had returned specifically because she was now a first wife, making her powerful enough that even Sylvester had to kneel before her. I was immediately reminded of how his fist had trembled just from facing and speaking to her.
“I must stay strong as well...”
After staying in Ehrenfest for a week, it was finally time for Lady Georgine to return to Ahrensbach. We all lined up to see her off, Rozemyne and Wilfried included, then began our lengthy farewells.
“I must thank you for having me here,” Georgine said.
“If your visit brought any peace at all to your heart, Lady Georgine, then I am overjoyed beyond words.”
I had been cautious for so long that I honestly felt a little relieved at the thought she would finally be gone. And as if to exploit the one moment when my guard was down, Wilfried dashed forward with a smile.
“We didn’t get to talk much this time, Auntie. I hope we can spend more time together soon!”
He had leapt from my blind spot, moving so fast that I had no opportunity to stop him.
Georgine’s lips curved into a grin at the suggestion. “I see. I had no idea that you wished to speak with me more. In that case... perhaps I should return next year, at around this same time?”
“Yes, please! I can’t wait!”
Wilfried, no! Whyever would you say that?!
I was struck with the urge to scornfully pinch his cheek, but now was neither the time nor place for that. Instead, I clasped my hands together and somehow managed to keep a smile forced onto my face, at which point Lady Georgine looked at me and gracefully tilted her head.
“It would not be a bother for me to accept this invitation, would it?” she asked.
In truth, I wished to reply, “It would be quite the bother indeed,” but I dared not speak so frankly. In a public setting such as this, there was only one answer I could possibly give.
“Not at all. We would love to see you again soon.”
Wilfried... you foolish boy!
Once Georgine’s carriage was out of sight, I spun around and saw that Ferdinand was already glaring down at him, the gentle smile that was previously plastered on his face having disappeared entirely. He handed some strange fan made out of white paper to Rozemyne.
“Do it, Rozemyne.”
In an instant, she brought the fan down on my imprudent son’s head with a pleasant cracking sound. “You big idiot! You shouldn’t have said that! Learn to read the mood!” I applauded her in my heart, for she had said exactly what I planned to say myself.
For the sake of Ehrenfest’s future, perhaps it is time I deeply consider having Wilfried and Rozemyne marry...
Damuel’s Proposal
As the Starbind Ceremony came to a close, Lady Rozemyne, having given a beautiful blessing as the High Bishop, gracefully exited the hall. When the doors closed behind her, the atmosphere immediately became more adult: those who had already determined their partners introduced them to their parents and wider family, while those still searching received introductions from their guardians or grouped up with friends to meet new people. It was largely those inheriting their houses who received such introductions from their guardians, while second sons and such spent this time with their friends.
I personally needed to stay with Lady Elvira to debut the dress Lady Rozemyne had designed for me, so I didn’t have the opportunity to spend this time casually with my friends. They had clamored with excitement over my new outfit before I saw them off with well wishes.
“May the Goddess of Marriage bless you all.”
“And may you be blessed as well, Brigitte.”
But as I started making my way out, the voice of Aub Ehrenfest reverberated through the hall. “Silence! I have an important announcement to make today.”
I looked over just as the archduke announced that Lord Ferdinand, who was standing on the stage beside him, would be returning to noble society. It was just as Lady Rozemyne had informed us.
This news excited a commotion among the nobility. Lady Veronica had forced Lord Ferdinand into the temple after years of pushing for his expulsion, so the aub allowing his return signaled that he was willfully ignoring her wishes. Those who had also earned the woman’s ire gleefully raised their schtappes in support, while those who had supported her raised their schtappes as well, albeit while facing the floor and wearing tight frowns.
Seeing the relative power of the faction change so drastically before my eyes caused a gasp to escape my lips, at which point Lady Elvira smoothly stepped behind me. “Brigitte, straighten your back and smile,” she warned with a quiet whisper. “The nobles in the Veronica faction will dramatically lose influence with this announcement and the confirmation that Lord Ferdinand is now Rozemyne’s guardian. They will need to search for new, higher-status nobles to support them, which means that many will approach you with the intention of getting closer to Rozemyne. You must not allow their pressure to overwhelm you, nor should you concede to them.”
I scanned the hall to see countless eyes already fixed on me from among the crowd. The nobles my age who had just moments ago looked upon my dress fondly now had cold, calculating stares. There was more attention on me than I had ever experienced before.
As I stood in place, taken aback by the sudden change, a young man began making his way over. A familiar voice called out, but it was addressing Lady Elvira, not me. A chill ran down my spine, and I spun around just in time to see him bow his head as he started to greet her.
...Hassheit?!
It was my former fiancé. He was at first glance a genial young man with a bright smile, but in truth, his eyes showed no such kindness. His expression was just as I remembered it, and the sight alone made my hair stand on end.
“It seems that the Goddess of Time has woven the threads of Brigitte’s and my fate together once again. I ask for your blessing on this day enriched with the King and Queen gods’ divine protection,” he said, trying to weasel his way into a blessing by speaking solely to Lady Elvira. But while she was currently serving as my guardian, she was purely supporting me with my dress debut; she was in no position to discuss marriage on my behalf.
“Not even the Goddess of Marriage plays her tricks on a night protected by the King and Queen gods,” Lady Elvira responded, indirectly stating that she would permit him to speak to me but only under her strict watch. She then took a step back, positioning herself such that she could watch us carefully. Hassheit was limited in what actions he could take with her so close by, and that alone gave me a great deal of strength.
I carefully looked around to see that gossip-loving nobles were all gazing our way, and in the distance, I spotted my brother weaving his way through the crowd to reach us.
Please don’t, brother...
I speedily raised a hand to stop him. As was obvious from the result of my previous engagement being canceled, were my brother the giebe to fail at dealing with Hassheit properly here, it would be our province that suffered the consequences—an outcome that needed to be avoided at all costs now that we were on the cusp of getting Lady Rozemyne’s support.
After confirming that my brother had stopped despite his worried expression, I faced my former fiancé directly. “Lord Hassheit, what business might you have with me?”
“Brigitte, aren’t you acting rather cold toward the man who, on the night of the Starbinding, just asked your guardian for permission to speak with you? When the threads that the Goddess of Marriage wove together for us were so tragically torn asunder, my heart froze over as though the God of Blizzards had struck me himself...”
Hassheit maintained that I had ended our engagement without even giving him a reason, breaking his heart for some selfish purpose. But in truth, I had ended it because he and his family were plotting to remove my brother from his seat and take the position of Giebe Illgner for themselves. And now here he was, lowering his gaze with a pained expression to draw the sympathies of our audience. His boldfaced lies just made me furious.
“Lord Hassheit, you—”
“Brigitte?”
No sooner had I opened my mouth to rebuke him than Lady Elvira called out from behind, snapping me back to my senses. While she was watching us quietly, she was standing proudly with a composed smile that exuded control. Her warning for me to keep my back straight and continue smiling flashed through my mind.
...Right. I must not be overwhelmed. I must not fall victim to his ploy.
A newfound calmness swiftly washed over me. Getting emotional here in public with so many onlookers would only give Hassheit a weakness to exploit. Were all of noble society to learn that my brother, a giebe, had been tricked and exploited, even more opportunistic nobles would come after Illgner; everything I had done to protect it thus far would have been for naught. And so I mimicked Lady Elvira’s smile, masking the anger that was stirring inside me.
“Brigitte, despite all the blows you have landed upon me, my rafel has not yet fallen. I still see you as Geduldh the Goddess of Earth, as I always have.”
While his words may have sounded like “I still love you despite how much you’ve hurt me” to those watching on, Hassheit was actually saying that he was still after Illgner. Even now he was mocking me, using euphemisms that hid his intentions from everyone else. He was deriding my province for having dropped in power when countless nobles left us following my canceled engagement, calling me a fool who had missed her chance to seize the position of giebe from my own brother while scorning him as an incompetent failure who had been so easily fooled.
But Illgner will not remain in its current state. Not now that Lady Rozemyne is giving us her support.
Oh, how I yearned to rub his face in that fact. But it was still days before Lady Rozemyne would formally request for paper to be made in Illgner. From the perspective of other nobles, our province was not receiving any support from her, and such information about this new industry was not mine to share.
“No matter how frail and emaciated Geduldh becomes, Ewigeliebe the God of Life never ceases to long for her touch. But it is only he who desires her, no one else. It is unlikely that Lady Rozemyne, your Goddess of Water, will continue to protect you for much longer,” Hassheit said, maintaining his fake noble smile as he continued his stealthy barrage of abuse.
He was saying that no other man would ask for my hand in marriage now that Illgner was struggling with fewer nobles and I was seen as prone to ending engagements. And while I served as Lady Rozemyne’s guard knight and had her support now, I would need to retire upon getting married, as all female knights do. Even considering that I had served her for a year now, few expected the archducal family to continue associating with me for very long after my retirement.
Hassheit spoke with the aim of discouraging those nobles who were seeking me for a connection with Lady Rozemyne, but I knew that she was not such a dispassionate person; she cared even for the orphans in the temple, and she treated both her attendants and commoner merchants well.
“Brigitte, I ask that you once again accept my rafel, so that I may restore your wounded honor.”
I have no interest in receiving any so-called “honor” from you.
But no matter how strongly I wanted to voice such thoughts, I couldn’t allow my true feelings to show; revealing them here would ruin the fashion debut that Lady Rozemyne had entrusted me with. But I couldn’t think of a good way to refuse Hassheit in polite noble language. All I could do in response was press my lips together and clench my fists.
“Oh, were you always such a poor theologian, Lord Hassheit?” came a mocking voice as several male knights stepped out from the crowd. I recognized them as Damuel’s friends—a group who had found the Raise Angelica’s Grade Squadron so amusing that they agreed to help out by joining us for gewinnen—and watched on as they quickly positioned themselves between Hassheit and me. “There were many who continued to yearn for Geduldh, no matter how emaciated she became. Need I even mention that not only the Goddess of Water, but the God of Fire, Goddess of Wind, and even the King and Queen gods themselves worried for the Goddess of Earth and set out in search of her?”
“Indeed. Despite your bold assertions, the truth is quite the opposite,” another knight continued. “There were more gods who thought of Geduldh when she was in poor health than not.”
“You have no need to fear for Brigitte’s sake, Lord Hassheit. You are not the only man who finds her attractive. Go on, Damuel. Now’s your time to shine.”
The knights pushed Damuel to the front of the group in an instant, at which point his gaze wandered anxiously through the crowd. Despite me doing my best to hide my emotions, it seemed they had picked up on my dissatisfaction. I instinctively placed a sheepish hand on my cheek; there was nothing more embarrassing than accidentally allowing others to see how frustrated I was.
Hassheit, seeing Damuel now standing between us, let out an exasperated sigh. “You have no place here, laynoble. Brigitte is a mednoble. You aren’t getting cocky simply because Lady Rozemyne took you on as a retainer, are you? Know your place.”
Damuel had been awkwardly scanning his surroundings, but the moment he heard those last words, a bright glint lit his gray eyes. He straightened his back and faced Hassheit head-on with a cool gaze. “I was once punished for knowing my place and standing down. But as a knight, I must stand firm when there is someone to protect, and never again shall I turn my back on what is my duty.”
With that, he turned around, kneeling before me and extending a hand.
“My fate crossed yours at the guidance of the King and Queen gods, who rule the heavens far above. I wish for you to be my Goddess of Light, Brigitte.”
The proposal came as such a shock that I could do nothing but blink in surprise. It was unthinkable for Damuel to ask my hand in marriage, both in terms of status and mana quantity. I was aware he had developed feelings for me to at least some degree, but he was no fool—he knew that it was simply not possible for us to be together, and him not voicing his affections before now was more than proof of that.
And yet here he was, proposing in a public setting, of all places. I had no choice but to refuse; given the disparity between us, an official marriage proposal simply could not survive. But as I looked down at him in a daze, he flashed a smile.
“...I understand that receiving this proposal from a laynoble will only be unsettling to you. Thus, I proclaim that by next year I will have developed my mana quantity such that it is a proud match for yours. All I ask is that you accept no other proposals until then.”
Ah... So he is doing this to save me from my current situation...
Damuel had himself addressed the mana imbalance between us, and by asking me to wait one year, he had given me enough leeway that I didn’t need to refuse him. I could spurn Hassheit’s proposal and be free of this mess.
“My sincerest apologies, Lord Hassheit. It seems that there are indeed other men who would yearn for the emaciated Geduldh. The Goddess of Time will unfortunately never weave the threads of our fates together again, but I nonetheless pray that you live well with the divine protection of the gods,” I said, quashing his chances of ever speaking to me again. I then placed my hands over Damuel’s. “Your proposal has brought much joy to my heart. I shall be here waiting one year from now.”
An impressed stir ran through the crowd. Nobody believed that a laynoble such as Damuel could develop his mana quantity enough to make him compatible with the younger sister of a giebe such as myself, but my accepting his proposal sent a message to all those watching that I had firmly rejected Hassheit for the rest of time.
With Damuel’s hand in mine, I stood up and walked over to Lady Elvira. “I wish to go and speak with Giebe Illgner, if you would allow me.”
“But of course,” she said, a satisfied smile on her face. “You have just accepted a man’s yearning love; my duty as your guardian is now complete. I shall keep an eye on Hassheit’s response for you. Go forth to Giebe Illgner.” It seemed she had appraised my behavior as suitably graceful for a guard knight serving Lady Rozemyne, which was a considerable relief.
“Lady Elvira, I owe you much.”
“Think nothing of it. I simply look forward to next year,” she teased with a refined giggle.
And so, with the group of knights protectively circling us, I led Damuel by the hand over to my brother. Even from a distance, I could tell he was a little relieved.
“Brigitte...”
“Brother, forgive me for acting on my own there,” I said. I had stopped him from getting closer when he was visibly concerned and accepted Damuel’s proposition on my own, ignoring the will of my house’s head both times.
“It’s quite alright. Things ended better than they would have had I jumped in,” he said, accepting my apology. He then looked toward Damuel. “You have my gratitude for bringing a peaceful end to that conflict, and for protecting my sister’s honor.”
“Indeed. You truly saved me there, Damuel. I thank you ever so much.”
As my brother and I thanked him, Damuel floundered so much that it was hard to imagine he was the same man who had just so boldly faced Hassheit. His eyes flitted all over the place.
“Er, well... I did have a lot of help. I could only stand there because I had my friends with me, so, um... I’ll be taking my leave now.”
Then, as if to say that his job here was done, Damuel spun around and sped back to his friends. They teasingly jabbed him with their elbows as they walked away.
“If only he were a mednoble... Do you not think the same, Brigitte?”
“Goodness, brother... Damuel said all that only to assist me,” I chided. The gossipy nobles seemed beyond excited to see how this would turn out next year, but I strongly doubted he could actually increase his mana quantity enough to make a marriage between us possible.
When the Starbinding was over, pretty much every person I knew teased me endlessly. But Damuel himself showed no signs of pursuing a romance, and so I returned to my normal life without taking his proposal very seriously at all. That is, until we made our journey to Illgner.
Lady Rozemyne had selected Illgner as the first province in which she would develop the paper-making industry, and so I returned home as her guard knight. Once there, she considerately gave me temporary leave of duty to spend time with my family, though our stay would be brief.
The next day, I was serving as Lady Rozemyne’s guard knight, accompanying her to the mountains so that we could gather materials. Then back at the mansion, I welcomed her as a member of the giebe’s family.
It was when night fell that one of the servants assigned to Damuel came to me with something to say. “Lady Brigitte, I do not know why, but Lord Damuel has gone outside despite the late hour...”
It was already some time past seventh bell. The young Lady Rozemyne was already asleep, of course, and it was late enough that the generally early-to-bed-and-early-to-rise residents of our province had all retired. Why exactly would Damuel be going out at this time of night? It wasn’t something that I was exactly proud of, but there were so few nobles in Illgner that there wasn’t exactly much one could do.
If it was his intention to cause trouble then, as a knight, I needed to stop him before anything happened. I clad myself in light armor and stepped onto the balcony. Illgner was beneath the control of the God of Darkness, and with only the moon and stars providing light, I could easily see Damuel’s ivory highbeast and the glow of mana radiating from it. I chased after him on my own highbeast.
“Damuel.”
“Brigitte? What brings you out at this hour? This may be your home province, but a woman shouldn’t be out alone.”
I had followed after Damuel, uneasy about what he may have been planning, but he responded so casually that it made any tension immediately drain from my body.
“One of the servants told me you left. What exactly are you doing out here?”
“Ah, my apologies. I didn’t mean to worry you. The truth is... Lady Rozemyne gave me some combat advice this afternoon, when we were hunting the effons. I wanted to train a little, so...” With that, he trailed off, awkwardly averting his gaze.
I widened my eyes in surprise. Lady Rozemyne wasn’t even a knight, and yet she had given him advice on how to fight? “What advice was that, exactly?”
“It was about mana usage. I’m a laynoble, so I’m used to supporting other knights. My job is usually to fight the smaller enemies while everyone else gets the big ones, or buying time for my allies to heal—that kind of thing. And providing support like that means I’ve gotten used to using as little mana as possible so that I can fight longer. I’d never even considered a fighting style where I use a lot of mana at once, but Lady Rozemyne said that I should learn, so... here I am.”
It made sense that Damuel would have a combat style focused on fighting for as long as possible while conserving his mana; matching our mana usage to our enemy was also the first thing we medknights were taught to do.
“If that’s your goal, then you should practice filling your schtappe with a swell of mana. That’s what apprentice medknights learn in the Knight’s Order.”
And so, I landed my highbeast in the forest clearing and trained with Damuel. But something took me by surprise—it somehow felt as though he had more mana than before.
“Is something wrong?” he asked.
“It seems that your mana quantity has grown a little. Has it...?”
Damuel hesitated for a moment, his eyes wavering. Only once he had checked to make sure nobody was listening did he shyly answer. “As it turns out... my mana growth period is lasting a bit longer than most. The commander told me that it continues to develop, even now.”
Never had I expected this; one’s mana capacity generally stopped increasing in size once they came of age and stopped growing themselves.
Could it be...?
“Damuel, are you sincerely intending to match my mana capacity by next year?” I asked. Had his proposal on the night of the Starbinding been genuine, and not simply a show to force Hassheit to stand down?
In response, Damuel gave something of a weak smile. “I know you didn’t take my proposal seriously, and I’m still not sure whether my mana capacity will grow enough to match yours... but I don’t want to give up,” he said, exhaling beside me as we trained.
I glanced in his direction, and what I saw immediately stirred my heart. When he turned to face me, I found myself unable to look away from his deep gray eyes.
“And that’s why I want to ask you again: if our mana capacities do match, will you accept my proposal? I want to prepare myself, before you refuse me in public.”
My heart pounded in earnest as I was caught up in his deadly serious gaze. But at the same time, warning bells were ringing in my head. I knew not to trust men so easily, and the things Hassheit had once told me soon began to run through my mind.
“Illgner has nothing at all going for it, and yet you refuse to change that. What man would want to marry you when the seat of giebe is right there and you aren’t even trying to take it? And you, personally? Worthless. There’d be nothing good about marrying into your family. Do you seriously think any man would want to marry into such a country bumpkin province? That’s hilarious.”
His words reminded me of the way everyone had reacted when I canceled our engagement to protect Illgner. My breath caught in my throat. The memories were suffocating.
“Brigitte?”
“Damuel... what do you think of Illgner?” I asked, fixing him with a scrutinizing stare. Did he see any value in marrying into my province? That was the most important question of all to me, and I refused to accept any white lies or deflections.
“That’s a very sudden question...” he said, his gaze wandering for a moment. A smile then touched his lips, and the look in his eyes seemed to soften. “I think it’s a great place. The people are kind and genuine. The giebe has a good heart, too. A lot of people say there’s nothing here, but you now have Lady Rozemyne’s support, and it’s only a matter of time before the paper-making industry blooms. I’m sure Hassheit’s going to be cursing himself soon enough. Plus... I can feel how much more lively you are here, Brigitte. You’re even, er... You’re even cuter here than you are in the Noble’s Quarter.”
Even in the darkness, I could tell how embarrassed he was. And the feeling somehow seemed to carry over to me, too.
“Ahem.” Damuel cleared his throat. “Well, I answered your question. Will you answer mine? I’m still waiting on an answer.”
He hadn’t mocked Illgner for being a country province, and he accepted me for who I was here. Plus, he was genuinely working to expand his mana quantity over the next year. What more could I ask for?
I pressed a hand against my chest to contain my racing heart and extended my other toward him. “Your proposal brought me much happiness, Damuel. I will be waiting for you at the night of next year’s Starbinding. And this time, I’m not saying it for appearances’ sake.”
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