Ascendance of a Bookworm (LN) - Volume 4.4 - Chapter Pr

Prologue

They say there are many points in one’s life when fate diverges dramatically. It was after finishing his first year in the Royal Academy and upon returning to Ehrenfest that Wilfried experienced one such point for himself.

There were only three people in the archduke’s office: Wilfried, Karstedt, and the archduke himself. The tension in the room was so thick that one could have cut through it with a knife; it was extremely rare for Sylvester to dismiss their retainers and speak to his son not as the aub, but as a father. The purpose of their discussion, Sylvester revealed, was to gauge what Wilfried thought about being engaged to his adopted younger sister, Rozemyne.

“I’ve arranged this talk so I can hear your opinion away from anyone who might try to sway you,” Sylvester said. “So, what do you think about this?”

Wilfried hadn’t the slightest idea why an engagement was being proposed with Rozemyne, of all people. He knew that many other duchies had taken an interest in meeting with and even marrying her, considering the trends she had started in the Royal Academy—he had even replied to many such potential suitors by alluding to the possibility that her marriage prospects would be settled at the upcoming Archduke Conference. Not once, however, had it occurred to him that he might be the one engaged to her.

“Considering that she’s an archduke candidate who came first-in-class and already has powerful friends, I had assumed she was going to marry someone from a high-ranking duchy,” Wilfried replied cautiously.

“You’re right. And if she were a normal archduke candidate, that’s what I would have done. But we can’t risk sending Rozemyne to another duchy.”

A normal archduke candidate...? The peculiar response gave Wilfried pause; Sylvester clearly knew something that he didn’t.

Everyone in the Royal Academy had been talking about how abnormal it was for Rozemyne to have placed first-in-class even after spending two years in a jureve, but this felt like more than that. It was as though Sylvester was referring to something even more abnormal, even more significant... But those concerns faded away as Sylvester started listing off more standard reasons they couldn’t allow her to go.

“As you know, I adopted Rozemyne to spread throughout the duchy the industries she started in the temple. Nobody knows more about them than she does, so we suffered a lot during the two years she was asleep. The new industries haven’t yet taken root in Ehrenfest; in fact, my guess is that we’ll need at least another ten years before they do.”

Perhaps it should have come across as odd to Wilfried that a supposed child was developing industries for personal gain before she had even been baptized or that she knew the most about these industries when Ferdinand was in the temple as her guardian. But he had seen her fount of knowledge and crippling obsession with books firsthand, and so he accepted Sylvester’s words without any particular doubts.

“It does make sense that keeping Rozemyne unmarried for ten years isn’t an option when other duchies are already expressing interest in her...” Wilfried mused. It was one thing to have a man remain unwed, but unmarried women were considered past their prime after entering their twenties. If they intended to marry her to another duchy, it would need to be within the next six or seven years; ten simply wasn’t an option.

“Right. Not to mention, if we were to marry Rozemyne off to a higher-ranking duchy, we can assume it would soon start its own thriving printing industry,” Sylvester said. “And that wouldn’t exactly be good for Ehrenfest.”

Rozemyne’s obsession with books was no laughing matter—anyone could see that she would start spreading printing wherever she went, and if she were married to a prosperous duchy with excessive wealth and manpower, their progress in the industry would surpass Ehrenfest’s in the blink of an eye.

Wilfried immediately came to realize that, as the archduke, his father was making the right decision in stopping Rozemyne from marrying into another duchy.

“Plus, there’s way too much uncertainty with her,” Sylvester continued. “We don’t know if she’s too sickly to bear children, and while Ferdinand says she’s been getting healthier by the day since waking up from the jureve, we’ve got no proof she’ll stay healthy forever.”

Prior to the poisoning incident, Rozemyne had been so weak that running around or getting hit with a snowball was enough to make her collapse. She was showing gradual improvement, but would she recover enough to be fully healthy? Those who married into other duchies as first wives would often find their hold on their position become extremely precarious if they were unable to have children.

“And that’s not all. Rozemyne’s obsession with books makes her painfully shortsighted, and she speaks and acts in ways that are completely inappropriate for a noble. Sure, she’s achieving top grades, but her poor behavior makes her a problem child. She’s caused you a lot of problems in the Royal Academy, right? Imagine the damage she might do if she moved to another duchy.”

Rozemyne’s... a problem child...?

Sylvester had spoken with a wry smile, as though he expected nothing but agreement... but in truth, Wilfried was shocked beyond words. Despite having only recently been baptized herself, Rozemyne had identified the serious gaps in his education and then composed for him a learning schedule centered around resources she had made herself. She had completed her studies as a member of the archducal family while at the same time performing her duties in the temple, somehow managing to learn in a matter of days that which had taken Wilfried an entire month. But most shocking of all, despite having slept for two years after protecting Charlotte, she had still managed to come first-in-class in the Royal Academy, achieving better grades than literally all of her peers.

And yet, Sylvester was calling her a problem child. Wilfried felt a wave of disappointment wash over him; the girl who had set the bar to a seemingly unattainable height was now no better than he was. It was as though something he had considered a paragon of perfection had suddenly been revealed to have been heavily flawed all along.

But, thinking about it, Father is right...

Rozemyne was selfish when it came to books and the library—she never showed restraint, nor did she allow her opinion to be swayed. Furthermore, she was causing major problems during socializing by forming so many bonds with royalty and nobles from the higher-ranking duchies. Things had gotten so bad, in fact, that Sylvester had ordered her to sit out the Interduchy Tournament and the award ceremony. Wilfried now understood that this was because his father had determined that not taking such actions would have caused great harm to the duchy.

I see... She is a problem child.

No longer was Rozemyne the perfect archduke candidate, well above anyone’s reach. She had become a major cause for concern, one who couldn’t risk being married to another duchy.

As Wilfried nodded along in agreement, Sylvester’s expression clouded a little. “Not to mention, Rozemyne will probably want to stay in Ehrenfest forever,” he said. “At the very least, I want to grant her that.”

Rozemyne apparently had some reason for wanting to stay in Ehrenfest. Wilfried wasn’t sure what that reason was, but he wasn’t particularly curious either. If she had instead wanted to marry into another duchy but was being made to stay in Ehrenfest for political reasons, perhaps he would have been more interested... but he was curious about something else.

“I understand why we can’t send Rozemyne to another duchy... but why engage her to me?”

“Because you’re the best man for the job. The only members of the archducal family she can marry are you, Ferdinand, and Melchior.”

Plus Lord Bonifatius and Father himself, but I see the problems there.

“Melchior’s not an option, since he hasn’t been baptized and therefore won’t receive the king’s approval during the Archduke Conference in spring. Ferdinand isn’t an option right now either, since the Leisegangs want him to be the next archduke.”

“For what reason?” Wilfried asked. “Does Uncle have some history or problem stopping him from becoming the archduke?”

As far as Wilfried was concerned, Ferdinand was a skilled member of the archducal family and not someone he could compete with after he came of age. It was his understanding that his grandmother, Veronica, had only hated Ferdinand and taken such extreme precautions to prevent him from becoming the archduke because he wasn’t her blood relative, but there didn’t seem to be any bad blood between Sylvester and Ferdinand. In fact, surely Ferdinand would make a good archduke.

“It wouldn’t be good for Ferdinand to become the next archduke. First of all, it’s a known fact that he entered the temple before, and even if it was to evade Mother’s constant attacks, it’s still a political scandal. It’ll no doubt come up every single time we feud with another duchy.” Sylvester then grimaced. “He’d probably handle that on his own somehow, but we don’t need him struggling even more than he already is.”

Again, Wilfried nodded his understanding. He had been unaware that entering the temple was enough to tarnish a noble’s reputation.

“Secondly, Ferdinand becoming the archduke would weaken your and your siblings’ positions. There’s no avoiding that people get treated differently based on how close they are to the ruling aub. Charlotte’s going to be married to another duchy, and her marriage prospects will change dramatically depending on whether the next archduke is her blood-related brother or my half-brother.”

Wilfried swallowed hard; he hadn’t thought about his younger siblings’ futures. Of all the archduke candidates from other duchies he had met at the Royal Academy, it was true that few were on good terms with their half-siblings. It was something he had largely forgotten about—after all, he and Rozemyne got along well, as did Sylvester and Ferdinand—but half-siblings were generally treated as being from separate families.

“Thirdly, Florencia’s and my blood relations to Frenbeltag’s archducal couple means our two duchies are tightly knit. There’d be no avoiding our diplomatic relationship crumbling if my half-brother and adopted daughter took our place, and we can’t afford to make enemies of the west when we’re already on bad terms with Ahrensbach to the south.”

Wilfried paled as he recalled their duchy’s position on the map. Ferdinand marrying Rozemyne and becoming the next archduke would satisfy the Leisegangs but gravely damage interduchy relations. The same strong blood relations that were currently helping Ehrenfest would serve to hinder it.

“And lastly... This is a personal reason, but it’s also the most important reason for me. To Florencia, Ferdinand becoming the archduke would be a slap in the face after all the years she’s struggled and endured here. I couldn’t do that to her.”

Florencia had married into Ehrenfest as Sylvester’s first wife and given him three children after his passionate propositions won her over. To have his half-brother and adopted daughter become the next archducal couple would lead to rampant speculation among the other duchies that Florencia and her children were in some way terribly defective.

It’d be a slap in Mother’s face...?

Veronica had scorned Florencia to no end, even going as far as to snatch her dear son away the moment he was born. Her actions had torn Florencia apart, and it was only after learning this that Wilfried realized just how much his mother loved him. He agreed with Sylvester with all his heart—he couldn’t make her any sadder than he had already.

“I thought about marrying Rozemyne down in status to an archnoble, but then we wouldn’t be able to replenish the foundation’s mana properly,” Sylvester explained. “The Leisegangs would kick up a fuss too. All in all, it’d be a huge loss for Ehrenfest.”

“I guess that really does just leave me...” Wilfried said. It spoke volumes to how few options Ehrenfest had that they would choose someone whose reputation was stained from having entered the Ivory Tower.

Sylvester’s expression twisted ever so slightly. “She’s not a bad match for you, y’know? You’re in a tough spot, since you were raised by my mother and involved in the Ivory Tower incident. It’s not rare for people in situations like yours to get a second chance of sorts through marriage and end up improving their position. Marrying Rozemyne will serve to prop you up in the same way it would have propped up Ferdinand.”

Even nobles outside of the archducal family often married for the sake of greater protection, mana, manpower, wealth, and connections. Marriage was just one tool in the arsenal—a single bargaining chip to be placed on the table.

“No matter how hard you work now, nobles are going to judge you harshly. If you marry Rozemyne, however, you’ll secure and publicly establish your position as the next archduke. The Leisegangs will have no choice but to support you as her husband,” Sylvester said. “Speaking long-term, this should even repair the divide between the Leisegangs and the former Veronica faction. It’ll also grant the former’s longstanding wish to have an archduke who carries their blood, so that should make them easier to deal with.”

But no matter how understandable Sylvester’s reasons and predictions were, Wilfried couldn’t imagine a future where he was married to Rozemyne. It just didn’t feel right, somehow.

“What does Rozemyne think?” Wilfried asked after a moment, avoiding a direct answer to Sylvester’s initial question.

Sylvester winced slightly as though he had just bitten into something nasty. “We warned her about the likelihood of a political marriage back when her adoption first went through. According to her, she doesn’t care who we marry her to as long as she gets full access to the book rooms in the castle and the temple. And if we marry her to another duchy, her only concern is how many books they have.”

In other words, Wilfried was going to be less important to her than the book rooms. It was exactly the response one would expect from Rozemyne, but that didn’t make it any more pleasant to hear. It wasn’t the kind of reason he wanted a girl to have for marrying him.

“Er, Father... What will happen if I refuse to marry Rozemyne?” Wilfried asked. He had been called here to voice his opinion, not accept an archducal order, which meant there was bound to be some other option available.

Sylvester grimaced again, this time making no effort to hide his bitterness. “Then, Rozemyne will become my second wife,” he answered.

“What?!” Wilfried exclaimed, screwing up his face in disbelief. He hadn’t expected that response in the slightest—especially not from Sylvester, who had refused to take a second wife and declared publicly that he needed only Florencia.

“Bonifatius isn’t an option since he and Rozemyne are blood relatives, but she and I share no such connection. I can stop other duchies from taking her by marrying her myself... but the other duchies won’t be happy about that at all, and I still only want Florencia as my wife. It would end up being a purely political marriage, and not one that would make anyone happy.”

Sylvester wasn’t wrong about that. The very idea that he might take Rozemyne—a girl who was more or less the same age as his son—as his second wife made Wilfried sick to his stomach. Charlotte would no doubt lose her mind as well.

“Can I talk to Oswald and the others about this?” Wilfried asked. “It’s all just so sudden, I...”

“I was hoping that you’d decide here, but alright. I want to announce Rozemyne’s engagement to the nobles at the spring celebration feast, so try to get back to me as soon as you can.”

Upon returning to his room, Wilfried discussed with his retainers whether it was a good idea for him to get engaged to Rozemyne. The Ivory Tower incident had made it clear to him that their futures were directly connected to his own, and so he thought it only logical that he should ask their opinions.

“Where’s this coming from?” was the response he received. “Neither of you are old enough to be talking about marriage, are you?”

Nobody could blame his retainers for being so surprised—it was of the utmost importance to ensure that one’s partner had a mana quantity that was compatible with one’s own, and nobles only began to sense those with a similar mana quantity to themselves when they hit puberty. Setting up an engagement at too young an age was a risky move, as there was always a chance the two due to get married wouldn’t be compatible after all. Under such circumstances, the engagement would either be canceled, or it would continue anyway at the cost of them never having children.

“We can’t send Rozemyne to another duchy before the new industries take root, but other duchies are already probing about whether she’s available. Father wants an engagement that can earn the king’s approval and ward off other hopeful suitors at the upcoming Archduke Conference.”

“Aah. She did make quite a stir at the Royal Academy...” His apprentice retainers nodded, having seen her shenanigans firsthand.

“Despite it being quite rare for women to take the position, the Ivory Tower incident means that Charlotte is the strongest candidate among the nobility to become the next aub,” Oswald said. “However, if you marry Lady Rozemyne, will you not become the next archduke instead?”

“Father said the same thing. According to him, whoever marries her is all but guaranteed to become the next archduke,” Wilfried replied with an affirming nod. His retainers blinked in surprise a few times and then exchanged looks.

“But did Lady Rozemyne not say she intends to be Lady Charlotte’s ally?”

“Either way, she can’t refuse the engagement if the archduke orders it.”

“In regard to bringing the former Veronica faction into the future, you would do a much better job than Lord Melchior. It really is in the best interests of the duchy for you to become the next archduke.”

Wilfried slowly looked around as his retainers spoke their thoughts. They were all wearing delighted expressions, no doubt celebrating the idea that he might be engaged to Rozemyne.

“If you get engaged to Lady Rozemyne, Lady Charlotte will end up being removed from the race entirely. This is the perfect opportunity for you, Lord Wilfried.” These words of support came from Ignaz, one of the apprentice scholars, and the other retainers all nodded along in agreement.

Wilfried felt a pang of guilt knowing that he would be getting ahead of Charlotte through a simple engagement, but he shook his head and rejected those feelings.

Father said it’s normal to use marriage to improve one’s situation. This isn’t cowardly or unfair in the least.

“You don’t seem happy about this, Lord Wilfried, but does this being an option at all not prove that the aub has recognized your efforts and growth?” Lamprecht asked. “We as your retainers have even been allowed to learn the mana compression method, which is nothing short of a significant development.”

“Lamprecht is correct. Your perseverance in continuing to work hard despite the Ivory Tower incident is being rewarded,” Oswald added.

Wilfried was overjoyed to receive this praise; his efforts really were being appreciated. He was filled with an indescribable sense of satisfaction, as if everything was finally starting to bear fruit. It put him more in the mood to view his engagement with Rozemyne optimistically.

“Is it a good idea for me to get engaged to Rozemyne...? I mean, I understand that it means we’ll get married in the future, but I don’t even know what marriage really is...”

“As you and Lady Rozemyne are not yet of an age where mana can be sensed, it will only be at a later date that you both truly understand. Considering your position now, however, this is a very good opportunity for you.”

“Couples are family in the same way that siblings are, so while you would be building a new relationship, it would not be too different from what you have now.”

“There are many political marriages that absolutely have to happen despite the two involved not seeming compatible at all, so at the very least, this isn’t as bad as it could be.”

“Fear not; I believe you will grow to be a happy couple, in the same way that your parents are.”

His adult retainers maintained that, even though he didn’t understand now, he would surely come to understand in time. Wilfried couldn’t intuitively understand marriage, considering that he had been raised by his grandmother, but he at least recognized that his parents were on really good terms. Perhaps he and Rozemyne would be the same way.

Hm. That’s not bad at all.

Wilfried nodded to himself, imagining the kindness he had seen Florencia give Sylvester on a regular basis. Rozemyne always treated him harshly despite being so sweet with Charlotte, but if this engagement made her start being nice to him as well, it might not be all that bad.

“Following this engagement, Lady Rozemyne will certainly contain the Leisegangs, as they are her family. That will make future politics much easier for you.”

“Right. I can just leave the Leisegangs to Rozemyne.”

It was an especially alluring prospect, considering that, as it stood, the majority of the nobles voicing complaints were those affiliated with the Leisegangs. The more Wilfried listened to his retainers, the more motivated he became to accept the engagement. This optimism reassured him that discussing things with them had been the right decision after all.

“Hm... I understand all of your perspectives. I’ll accept the engagement with Rozemyne,” Wilfried said with resolve, earning cheers from his retainers.