Ascendance of a Bookworm (LN) - Volume 3.5 - Chapter SS3

Two Marriages 

Three years had somehow passed since I inherited the position of Viscount Illgner. 

Since the death of my father and my becoming the giebe, it was safe to say I had encountered a storm of problems. Brigitte had canceled her engagement in a fury after learning that her former fiancé Hassheit and his family sought to take my life, forcing us to band together as a family to endure the hostilities that followed. The nobles in Illgner subsequently left our province to move elsewhere, and my little sister had proven unable to find a new partner before graduating from the Royal Academy. The fact that I had needed to escort her to the stage during her graduation ceremony in place of a partner remained a painful memory for us all. 

After her graduation, Brigitte had entered the Knight’s Order, diligently working to establish new connections to lessen the abuse Illgner was suffering as much as possible. She had even agreed to go to the temple and lower city, which had enabled her to secure a position as the guard knight of Lady Rozemyne, the newly adopted daughter of the archduke. 

I had tried to stop her out of consideration for her honor, but Brigitte was determined to be useful to Illgner in any way she could—and her efforts had borne fruit, in that her position as guard knight dramatically lessened the abuse that our province received. We finally had a little room to breathe again. 

The plan had then been to obtain Lady Rozemyne’s official protection. We expressed our hopes of such, and she graciously allowed us the opportunity to develop the printing industry before the other provinces. It was the very best we could have hoped for, but it wasn’t long after starting that we ran into a string of problems: visitors from Ehrenfest revealed our shortcomings one after another, and the arrival of high-ranking nobles such as Lord Ferdinand meant that my resolve and pride as a noble, as well as my attitude toward my citizens, was constantly called into question. 

There were times when I regretted my choice to accept Lady Rozemyne’s offer—never had I expected it would demand this much change and place such a heavy burden on my people. But there was no going back now; to further its advance forward, Illgner needed to continue developing its paper-making industry. 

“We finished, milord! Check out these papers!” Carya exclaimed one summer afternoon, having burst into my office with a broad smile across her face. Volk followed close behind, regarding me with a polite bow before scolding his overenthusiastic partner. 

“Carya, you need to be more polite to Giebe Illgner.” 

“S-Sorry. I was just a little excited...” 

After her apology, Carya exited the room and re-entered. It was a remnant of how the gray priests had trained the servants in the mansion during their stay last year. 

With Lady Rozemyne currently sleeping in a jureve for recovery purposes, it seemed that Lord Ferdinand was rebuffing nobles who expressed an interest in the printing and paper-making industries. This would not last forever, though; there would soon be nobles visiting Illgner to examine our workshops, so it was necessary for the servants in the mansion to know and observe proper etiquette. 

“So you have finished, Volk?” I asked. 

“Yes, Giebe Illgner. We have reached our paper production goal.” He held out several sheets of completed paper, wearing an overjoyed smile. As someone who generally masked his emotions with a peaceful, unassuming expression, it was a rare sight to see. 

I took the sheets of paper and took inventory of them based on type. In all honesty, I hadn’t expected that they would actually succeed, but Volk and Carya had placed their faith in Lady Rozemyne’s words and poured their all into their work. Their long days of toiling in the cold river until their hands turned bright red had finally been rewarded, and their bright, satisfied smiles were like two dazzling suns. 

“So you have. I must soon leave for the Noble’s Quarter to participate in this year’s Starbind Ceremony. While I am there, I will sell the paper to the Plantin Company and arrange for your purchase, Volk.” 

“Giebe Illgner. If possible, I would much appreciate you taking the time to ask the High Priest how Lady Rozemyne is doing.” 

“Certainly.” 

I sent an ordonnanz to Brigitte, asking her to arrange a meeting with Lord Ferdinand, then left for the Noble’s Quarter by highbeast. As I was the only one coming from Illgner to attend the Starbind Ceremony, this method of travel was ideal: the province was far enough away that I wanted to minimize carriage use as much as possible. There was of course the matter of transporting the paper, but I had simply tied it onto my highbeast. It wasn’t the most respectable approach by any means, but it achieved the desired results nonetheless. 

When I arrived at the Noble’s Quarter, my head attendant stationed at my winter mansion greeted me with surprise. “You are here sooner than expected, my lord.” 

“Benefits of traveling light and alone.” 

“That is a fair bit more luggage than I would expect from someone traveling light...” 

While my head attendant looked at me with narrowed eyes, I glanced to the servants taking my luggage inside. “Could you have the boxes taken straight to my office?” I asked. “They’re important products for Illgner.” 

“As you wish. However, my lord, might I ask that you act a little more like a proper noble while you are in the Noble’s Quarter?” 

“You’re right. I shall try.”

On the day of my meeting with Lord Ferdinand, I departed for the temple in a carriage carrying our precious boxes of paper. My attendants grimaced upon hearing that we were heading to the temple, but I myself wasn’t particularly bothered; I had already heard so much about the place from Volk and Brigitte. 

I had planned my departure such that I would arrive just in time, but even then I was the last to arrive. Already in the High Priest’s chambers were Benno and Damian from the Plantin Company, Gil, Rozemyne’s head attendant, and Lord Ferdinand himself. 

“Welcome, Giebe Illgner.” 

Beneath the High Priest’s watchful eye, I announced the progress Illgner had made with the paper-making industry and sold the products we had developed. The sale itself went shockingly well; perhaps this was largely due to us having signed documents regarding the transaction ahead of time, but the establishment of a Plant Paper Guild and a set amount for the paper meant that the merchants did not even attempt to negotiate the price down. 

“Giebe Illgner, I am exceptionally pleased to have purchased such high-quality paper,” Benno said. “I look forward to doing further business with you.” 

“Of course. I feel the same.” 

When Benno had voiced his intention to fix the price of paper with a magic contract, I had quite promptly assumed he was wasting his money on something trivial. But with how smoothly our meeting had gone thus far, I had to admit it was mighty convenient. My opinion of doing business with merchants had certainly improved a little. 

With the transaction complete and the Plantin Company having exited the office, it was time for me to purchase Volk. Lord Ferdinand confirmed that the money we had earned from the Plantin Company was indeed enough, then signed the contract. 

“And with that, the contract is complete,” Lord Ferdinand announced. “I must say though, this has happened much faster than Rozemyne predicted...” 

“Indeed. Volk took his work very seriously. He believed in Lady Rozemyne’s assurance that this was possible and poured his all into making paper.” 

“I see. Has he adjusted to life in Illgner?” 

The sudden inquiry made me blink in surprise. As rude as it sounded, I had genuinely never expected Lord Ferdinand to care about the well-being of a gray priest. He must have read my expression, as he followed up with a dismissive scoff. 

“Rozemyne and her attendants were exceptionally concerned about the gray priest they had left in Illgner,” he continued. “They often expressed their worries about this Volk, and while I personally see no point in fretting about someone who has chosen to follow their own path, not everyone finds that so easy.” 

With that, Lord Ferdinand glanced at Lady Rozemyne’s nearby servants with a sardonic smile. Among them was Gil, who had made paper in Illgner with the others. I could understand why he would worry so much about Volk, and his purple eyes implored me to answer. 

“Volk is doing his best to adapt to the unfamiliar environment. He is adjusting to Illgner’s customs as best he can, and with the servants in the mansion learning temple customs from him in turn, I would like to believe we are both influencing each other in a positive direction,” I replied to Lord Ferdinand. 

Gil gave a small sigh of relief, his expression softening now that he knew Volk was well. His reaction brought a smile to my face, reminding me that Volk had expressed concerns about those at the temple as well. 

“Lord Ferdinand... might I be permitted to ask whether Lady Rozemyne has awoken yet?” 

“She shows no sign of awakening,” he replied, turning back to me after handing his copy of the contract to an attendant. “Why do you ask? I believe she will remain asleep for one more year.” 

I noticed that his sharp golden eyes were now closely examining me, and so I quickly explained that Volk had been worrying about her. 

“I also thought that he and his partner might like to receive Lady Rozemyne’s blessing at their marriage ceremony...” I added. 

“If such is their desire, they need only wait until she awakens. Whether or not they choose to do so is up to them; now that Volk is no longer a gray priest, they may do as they please,” Lord Ferdinand replied. 

I could imagine that Volk would readily wait however long it took for Lady Rozemyne to awaken, but whether Carya could match his patience was another matter entirely. 

Back when the Plantin Company had departed from Illgner, I had given Volk a room in my mansion where the single servants stayed. It would have been inconvenient for him to be the only one using the side building, and Lady Rozemyne had told me to treat him as much like any other servant as possible. As a result, he went from being one strange guest among many to standing out terribly among the other servants. 

Volk was a peaceful fellow, and on a good day he would exude and move with even more grace than I could as the giebe—though this was in part because I was so accustomed to running around a heavily forested and mountainous province. Nonetheless, his experience serving nobles had instilled into him a certain humility. 

It did not take long at all for the single women to be drawn to Volk, no doubt attracted to how different he was from the other men in Illgner. They used all manner of excuses to be near him, putting Carya in such a panic that she was trying to marry him as soon as possible. 

“I imagine they shall marry at the end of autumn—the woman Volk is taking as his wife will not want to wait.” 

“I intend to visit Illgner this autumn to see firsthand the progress of the paper-making industry,” Lord Ferdinand explained. “I will inform Rozemyne of the Starbinding and how their relationship is faring when she awakens.” 

“You have my thanks,” I replied, crossing my arms in front of my chest. 

Lord Ferdinand paused for a moment, as if debating whether or not to continue, then opened his mouth again to speak. “Giebe Illgner, this may come as unwelcome advice, but you are simply too direct and honest. Your virtuousness will only lead to you being easily exploited in noble society. I advise that you learn more about noble methods, whether you enjoy doing so or not.” His furrowed brow made him appear displeased, but his tone of voice was more relaxed than anything. 

There were few people willing to give me such warnings now that I was a giebe, and so I considered his advice beyond valuable. 

“I shall take your generous advice to heart, my lord.” 

I returned to my winter estate with my copy of the contract and the small amount left over from my purchase. Volk was now a true resident of Illgner. He would likely work as an educator for the mansion’s servants while continuing his operation of the paper-making workshops. 

I may wish to have him advise me on these matters as well... 

My behavior was certainly more appropriate in the Noble’s Quarter, but when in Illgner, I couldn’t help but relax. It would likely be a good idea to have Volk point out whenever I started to slip. 

“Welcome home, Brother.” 

“Ah, Brigitte. You’re home? Do you not have training today?” 

I returned to my estate to find Brigitte, who would normally be in the knight dorms, sitting around at ease. 

It had come to my attention that Lord Bonifatius, uncle of the current archduke and former commander of the Knight’s Order, was thoroughly training the knights serving the archducal family, improving them one by one. His training sessions were known for being excruciatingly intense, such that Brigitte had once complained that the knights would be dead in mere moments were there ever an enemy attack right after one. 

“None at all,” Brigitte answered. “That doesn’t mean I’ve spent the whole day relaxing though; Lady Elvira invited me to a tea party this morning. More importantly... how did your business go?” 

“Lady Rozemyne was right: they were able to save up enough money. I just finished buying Volk and getting all that in order.” 

“That’s good to hear. Now he and Carya can finally be happy together. Should we get them a gift of some kind?” 

I sat down in the chair opposite Brigitte and showed her my copy of the contract. A smile crept onto her lips as though it were her own marriage on the horizon, and she began to ponder what she could give them. Carya was her childhood friend, and it was heartwarming to see her so pleased about her finding happiness. 

“While I am of course happy for Carya, I’m worried about your own Starbinding...” I said. 

Last year, Brigitte had attended the Starbind Ceremony wearing a dress that Lady Rozemyne had designed for her. While there, she was approached by none other than Hassheit. It was clear that he only wanted Lady Rozemyne’s support for himself—he hounded her about giving him another chance to restore her honor, stating that none would show interest in a woman who had canceled an engagement in the past. She could not even rebuke his claims, as it was true that no other men had approached her, but she had managed to endure nonetheless without accepting his hand. 

It was then that her fellow guard knight, Damuel, came to her unexpected rescue. He and his friends stood up for Brigitte, with Damuel defending her honor by asking for her hand in marriage. There was a considerable gap between their mana capacities, but he had accounted for this by stating that he would grow his by next year’s Starbind Ceremony and request to marry her again. 

One year had passed since then, and with the Starbind Ceremony fast approaching once again, I was eager to see his progress. 

“Brigitte, can I ask what your plans are here?” 

“I’m not sure what you mean...” she replied, grabbing a nearby cushion and hugging it to her chest. She lowered her gaze briefly, then looked up at me with puppy-dog eyes. “What do you think of Damuel, Brother?” 

It seemed that she had fallen for him. She hadn’t taken his last proposal seriously, claiming that it was merely to protect her honor, but a lot had apparently changed over the past year. I was glad to see her excited about the prospect of marriage after having given up on it for so long. 

I thought back to how Damuel had behaved when visiting Illgner. It was clear that he cared a lot about Brigitte, and it was hard to find fault with his considerate personality. He also seemed to take no issue with Illgner being a country province, and Lady Rozemyne had placed much faith in him. 

“He seems like a fine man to me, but what of your mana?” I asked. “Damuel claimed he would be able to increase his capacity by this coming Starbind Ceremony, but is it not unlikely that it grew enough for you to marry one another?” 

Damuel was a laynoble, while Brigitte was a mednoble. Their capacities last year had just barely been close enough for them to bear children, so a marriage certainly wasn’t impossible, but the others in her family would no doubt rather she pick a better partner for the sake of their future children—and of course, any outsider would laugh their union off as ridiculous. It was for precisely these reasons that Damuel was getting teased, as nobody had taken his proposal as anything more than a gracious effort to protect Brigitte’s honor. No matter how hard a laynoble tried to increase their mana capacity, there was only so much progress they could make. 

“Has his capacity grown since last year?” I asked. 

“Yes, by quite a shocking amount. I still have more than him, but we’re almost equals now,” Brigitte replied somewhat shyly, the look on her face making it clear she had already decided to marry him. 

My eyes widened in surprise; never had I thought it possible for a laynoble to increase their capacity to such an extent. “Was he just a late bloomer to begin with?” 

Most people searched for marriage partners in the Royal Academy before their graduation, which meant those whose capacities developed slightly later on in their lives struggled greatly. As he was now, however, it was possible that Damuel would continue to grow further still. 

“That very well might be the case, given how dramatic his growth has been, but I think the biggest contributing factor is the mana compression method that Lady Rozemyne taught him. It works even on adults, though its effectiveness depends on the person.” 

“To think the rumors were true...” 

Word of a new compression method invented to grant Ehrenfest more mana had been floating around during last year’s winter socializing. Its source was unknown, but with every noble alive wanting to increase their capacity, it had sparked quite a buzz. 

“As of right now, it has only been taught to a select few people: the archducal couple; the knight commander and his family; Lord Ferdinand; the guard knights of the archducal family, excluding those serving Lord Wilfried; a portion of the Knight’s Order; and Lord Justus. Their plan is to gradually spread the method to others they can trust once Lady Rozemyne awakens. As for Damuel, well, um... he was taught after explaining to Lady Rozemyne that he wished to marry me.” 

Lady Rozemyne teaching Damuel her new mana compression method was surely a testament to just how much she trusted him, so his marriage to Brigitte would no doubt prove beneficial for Illgner. And with Lady Rozemyne being such a deeply compassionate person—as shown through the advice she had so willingly given to Volk—I could imagine she would continue to associate with Brigitte even if she quit being her guard knight after getting married. Now that Illgner was changing so dramatically, we truly needed that continued support. 

“As long as your mana capacities are compatible, I’ll leave this decision to you, Brigitte. If this will make you happy and you think it will be good for Illgner, that’s enough for me; I approve your marriage with Damuel, both as your brother, and as Giebe Illgner.” 

Brigitte’s amethyst eyes glimmered with joy, and she regarded me with a beaming smile as gentle as a bouquet of newly picked flowers. “Thank you, Brother. Speaking of which... Lady Elvira asked me something similar during her tea party. She wanted to know whether I intended to accept Damuel’s proposal. It was terribly embarrassing. The party itself was rather small, but the first wife of Ehrenfest herself was in attendance, so she listened as my love life was being dug into...” Her lips were pursed, but the fact that her delighted smile still shone through suggested to me that she had quite enjoyed it after all. 

“What did you say?” 

“I said that I intend to accept and return to Illgner with him.” 

“You intend to return to Illgner?” I repeated, blinking in surprise. Her response had caught me completely off guard. 

“What, do you not want me to? Is it not the duty of a married woman to start raising children? I want to raise mine in my home province.” 

With neither her nor Damuel being the heads of their respective houses, they could only remain in Ehrenfest by purchasing a home in the Noble’s Quarter. This would mean having to stay in a cramped house with no garden, rearing their children in a place she had never before lived while participating in society as a laynoble. That was why she instead wanted to start a family in the large province of Illgner, giving their children the same upbringing she had received—running across the open fields and through the mountains, not along the ivory paving of a dense city. 

“What has Damuel said about that?” 

“Hm...? His family doesn’t own any land, so I don’t think he’ll care too much about where we live. He said that he liked Illgner, and Lady Elvira praised my attachment to my hometown, so she said this would be a good opportunity to test his love for me.” 

“I see...” 

Brigitte was straightforward to a fault. Knowing that canceling her engagement had put Illgner in perilous waters, she had asked to serve as Lady Rozemyne’s guard knight, even willing to endure going to the temple and the lower city. She had been desperate to acquire any support she could from the higher classes, and as admirable as that was, being so driven by one’s love for their hometown was not proper for a knight—prioritizing the protection of one’s province and people was the expected mindset of a land-owning noble. Brigitte hadn’t changed at all, even now that she was serving as a guard knight for the archducal family. 

She is not dedicated solely to her charge, and that is the problem here. 

A sigh escaped me. Lady Elvira had almost certainly expressed support for Brigitte’s feelings and permitted her to return to Illgner because she had determined that she was unfit to continue serving as Lady Rozemyne’s guard knight. And with that settled, Lady Elvira planned to exploit her removal to test Damuel as well—not to see whether he truly loved Brigitte, but to see whether he would remain loyal to Lady Rozemyne no matter what happened. 

Were Damuel not a guard knight serving the archducal family, it certainly would have been possible for him to move to Illgner. It was an exceedingly rare opportunity for a laynoble to marry the little sister of Giebe Illgner, but he was a knight who had been raised in the Noble’s Quarter, assigned to his position of guarding Lady Rozemyne so that he could atone for a previous failure. It was very unlikely that he was considering this an opportunity to move to Illgner; in fact, him doing so was unthinkable. 

“...Brigitte, what will you do if Damuel refuses to move? Would you consider staying in the Noble’s Quarter and marrying there?” 

Her eyes widened. She thought for a moment, then shook her head. “Never. Retiring as a guard knight and living in the Noble’s Quarter won’t help Illgner, and I can’t even imagine life as a laynoble. It is thanks to Lady Rozemyne’s observations that I am able to see what Illgner lacks—I was able to see my hometown from the perspective of an outsider. I wish to use this opportunity to improve the province while leaving its good parts intact.” 

She truly would do anything for the sake of Illgner, from visiting the temple and lower city to even accepting a marriage she personally didn’t want. There was no denying she would make the ideal daughter of a land-owning noble: she was willing to accept Damuel as her husband, despite his lower status as the second son of a laynoble, all so that she could remain in her home province. 

“Brigitte, I understand now just how deeply you care about Illgner, but please remember that you are the one choosing to stand so firm on this matter. Do not resent or curse Damuel should he choose the path of a guard knight over a future with you.” 

“Brother, what do you mean by that?” Brigitte demanded, throwing aside the cushion and abruptly jumping to her feet. 

“Damuel is not like we land-owning nobles: he was raised in the Noble’s Quarter and assigned as Lady Rozemyne’s guard knight to atone for a past mistake,” I said quietly, attempting to calm her. “With his charge being a member of the archducal family, I cannot imagine he is able to leave her side, though I will of course welcome him with open arms should he ultimately come to Illgner.” 

She sat back down, shocked into silence, once again pressing a cushion to her chest. Tears started to well up in her eyes as she thought carefully about her situation, but I merely stood up. Even as her older brother, it was not my place to interject on this matter; what she did next was entirely up to her.

And so came the night of the Starbind Ceremony. Brigitte was in the grand hall wearing the same outfit as last year, though it was no longer quite so unique: many women now had dresses of a similar style, while others wore hair sticks decorated with flower ornaments much like Lady Rozemyne’s. Not everyone had taken such direct inspiration from Brigitte, however—some were dressed in attire that was rare to see in this day and age. This in particular was a rare sight to behold, considering that the ceremony was normally dominated only by whatever was the most popular fashion at the time. 

The presence of other women wearing similar dresses meant that Brigitte wasn’t drawing as much attention as last year, but many still watched her with anticipation, eager to see the next chapter in her love story. Wives particularly interested in romantic rumors were eyeing her constantly. 

As for Damuel, his knight friends were slapping him on the back and jabbing him in the sides with their elbows, going on about how jealous they were and demanding to know how he had increased his mana capacity to such an extent. 

Once Lord Ferdinand had performed the Starbinding, it was time for the unwed to begin searching for partners. Yet again the young folks set out, though only a small portion of single men and women ended up crowded with suitors. Everyone else was either focusing on closing the distance between a coworker they had a crush on or introducing their family to others in preparation for next year. 

“Brigitte.” 

Damuel stepped forward, steeling his resolve as a crowd gathered in anticipation of what was about to come. He knelt down before her and held out a stunningly radiant purple feystone. 

“My fate crossed yours at the guidance of the King and Queen gods, who rule the heavens far above,” he began, reciting the first line in the traditional proposal. “I feel that I will only continue to grow if you are by my side. I wish for you to be my Goddess of Light.” 

As everyone watched on with bated breath, Brigitte returned an elated smile, then pressed her lips tightly together. “Damuel, my light shines only within Illgner. Will you accompany me there...?” 

His eyes widened in shock as he looked up at her, unable to believe his ears. He remained on his knees, wavering slightly as she quietly awaited his answer. The two were completely still, frozen in the moment as though Dregarnuhr the Goddess of Time was playing a trick on them. 

Each beat that passed felt like an eternity. Damuel, upon seeing the immovable determination in Brigitte’s gaze, squeezed his eyes shut. He then looked downward, his brow drawn into a pained frown, and slowly shook his head. 

“...I cannot go to Illgner. I am Lady Rozemyne’s guard knight.” 

“I... I see,” Brigitte whispered. Tears streamed down her cheeks, landing upon the feystone that was just as amethyst as her eyes. 

“It is bittersweet, but there remains beauty even in love that fate has denied,” sighed a voice from behind me. I swiftly turned around. 

“Lady Elvira...” 

I took a reflexive step back upon seeing the graceful archnoble wife before me, regarding me with a calm expression and wearing a hair stick very similar to Lady Rozemyne’s. When I attempted to kneel, she waved to stop me, placing her hand on her cheek and narrowing her dark-brown eyes into a smile. I straightened my back, realizing that she was judging me as a potential enemy. 

“I too wish for Brigitte’s happiness, Giebe Illgner, much like Rozemyne does. I was truly moved by her determination to return home to Illgner, and the kindness she holds for her people. For the sake of her future happiness, I will find a suitable marriage partner for her—one willing to dedicate themselves to Illgner’s future.” 

Brigitte had chosen her home over a life with Damuel in the Noble’s Quarter, leaving me with no avenue by which to refuse an offer from an archnoble like Lady Elvira. But above all else, Illgner needed Lady Rozemyne’s support to survive, which meant maintaining a positive relationship with her mother was absolutely necessary. As Giebe Illgner, I had only one answer I could possibly give. 

“I am honored by your kind consideration, and graciously entrust finding a good husband for my little sister to you.”