Ascendance of a Bookworm (LN) - Volume 4.5 - Chapter 6

My Brother Lamprecht’s Wedding

The Starbind Ceremony in the Noble’s Quarter ended without any particular incident. Eckhart no longer had to go to the spot where unmarried people gathered, since he was now engaged to Angelica, and the two of them seemed to be in notably good moods as they dedicated themselves to their guard duty. There was the fact that Damuel had once again failed to find a cute girlfriend, but that didn’t really matter too much.

The day after the Starbind Ceremony, I received a request for a meeting from Lamprecht. He wanted to discuss his bride. Rihyarda let out a sigh after bringing me the letter.

“I know you are busy, but if you have the time to meet with him, I would recommend that you do so,” she said. “At the moment, we are all on edge simply because she is from Ahrensbach. We can only pray that she is not the second coming of Lady Gabriele.”

Gabriele was the archduke candidate who had married into Ehrenfest by force and caused all sorts of chaos back in the day. Rihyarda had initially been serving archnoble family members as an apprentice attendant, but the archducal couple at the time had requested that she start serving Gabriele instead.

“Lady Gabriele was an unfortunate woman. She was treated well as a first wife due to her status and the fact that she was from a greater duchy, but her husband truly loved his original wife, who was forcibly demoted to second wife, so their relationship ended up highly businesslike.”

Gabriele had convinced her father that Ehrenfest would welcome her with open arms, since she was an archduke candidate from a greater duchy, but her new husband did not welcome her at all. She moved to form her own faction by spreading new trends and garnering attention, and prompted the retainers she had brought from Ahrensbach to marry Ehrenfest nobles, but finding partners for them was not so easy. Ehrenfest archnobles were all related by blood and, by extension, connected to the Leisegangs. Rihyarda was no exception, though her blood connection was far from strong.

It was by approaching mednobles with high quantities of mana who were more rebellious toward the Leisegangs that Gabriele built up her forces. Her daughter Veronica had then inherited this faction to become the archduke’s first wife.

“They eventually boasted enough strength to suppress the archnobles, including the Leisegangs,” Rihyarda continued. “Those of the former Veronica faction will no doubt approach Lord Lamprecht’s bride in hope of regaining the power they once had. She may feel a certain connection with them upon learning they have Ahrensbach blood.”

“One certainly cannot help but feel nostalgic for a home they have left far behind...” I mused. Customs, climates, and culture varied a great deal even within Ehrenfest, so it was easy to imagine why someone from another duchy would feel so homesick.

“For these reasons, milady, please make sure to discuss the situation with Lord Lamprecht and the rest of your family. The very future of Ehrenfest will be shaped by whether or not this new bride joins hands with the Florencia faction.”

I was engaged to Wilfried, who had my brother Lamprecht as his retainer, so how this new bride acted was very much significant to me.

“First of all, I will ask Lamprecht what manner of person his bride is,” I said.

I sent an ordonnanz to Lamprecht stating that Mother no doubt had her own thoughts about all this as well, and from there it was decided that our discussion about his bride would take place as a family meeting. We were subsequently told to gather at Karstedt’s estate. It was going to be my first time returning home since being adopted, and given the personal nature of our coming together, I would not be accompanied by any attendants or scholars. Eckhart and of course Lamprecht were going to be there with me, so I was confident that I needed only Cornelius as my guard knight, but Angelica was already gathering her things to join us.

“I’m engaged to Lord Eckhart, so I can attend these family meetings too,” she said. “He told me to guard you, Lady Rozemyne.”

Eckhart nodded. “It’s best for you to have a female knight with you, Rozemyne, and Angelica’s perfect for the job.”

Upon hearing this, Angelica placed a hand softly on her cheek and gave a reserved, peaceful smile. “The last thing I want is to interfere with your family’s discussion,” she said. “Just tell me what you think is best, Lady Rozemyne. I’ll do whatever you order me to.”

“Hard to believe you’re Grandfather’s disciple, Angelica...” Lamprecht said. “I’m surprised you’re able to survive his insane training regimen with such a docile personality.” He was being completely deceived—which was actually rather understandable, since he barely knew Angelica. In truth, she just wanted to avoid having to think about factions and politics and all that. She was pretty much asking me to just tell her the results of the meeting outright.

Eckhart and Cornelius both knew Angelica’s true form, so they merely exchanged glances and shrugged.

“Let’s go, then,” Lamprecht said.

I climbed into my highbeast and followed after him. I was used to traveling from the temple, but I hadn’t returned to my family home a single time since moving to the castle. Truth be told, I couldn’t even remember where it was.

I only ever traveled by carriage back when I first visited the estate, and from above, the Noble’s Quarter just looks like rows of identical ivory buildings. It’s impossible for me to tell which house is which.

It wasn’t long before we landed at Karstedt’s estate. I didn’t feel anything special about being back, since I had initially only been here until my baptism, but when Elvira and all the attendants who had taken care of me at the time welcomed me home with smiles, I strangely felt a little moved.

“Welcome home, Lady Rozemyne.”

“And so I have returned.”

We were going to be holding our family meeting right after dinner, so I made sure to take my bath beforehand. That way, I could participate in the discussion until I got tired and then go to sleep as soon as I returned to my room.

Once I arrived in the dining hall, dinner began. I had been looking forward to it ever since the attendants mentioned that the head chef was pulling out all the stops. It seemed that they had been making improvements to Hugo’s recipes as well, as we were served rare mixes of ingredients and a type of dressing that I had never tried before.

“This is quite good,” I commented. “I can tell the chef worked hard.”

“I will pass your words on to the head chef,” Elvira said. “They have been putting their all into creating new recipes.”

“Rozemyne, do you have any new recipes?” Karstedt asked, looking at me with hopeful eyes.

I smiled in response and said that he would just need to look forward to my upcoming recipe book. Nicola had worked hard to put it together, so I would appreciate him chipping in to help make it successful.

Karstedt cackled and promised to buy a copy when it became available. “I see you’re as good at making sales as ever, Rozemyne,” he said.

We peacefully enjoyed the rest of our meal before clearing the room to begin our family meeting. It was then that I realized that neither Karstedt’s second wife nor my half-brother Nikolaus were in attendance. I understood that they lived in the side building, and I had never seen them at any dinners or family meetings before, but this was important. Surely they needed to be here.

“Will Trudeliede and Nikolaus not be attending?” I asked, looking around and tilting my head.

“Trudeliede is a member of the former Veronica faction. She cannot be trusted here,” Elvira replied. Trudeliede had mostly been forced onto Karstedt by Veronica, which explained why I had never spoken to her, and why Cornelius had warned me to be on guard after Nikolaus’s baptism ceremony.

Faction politics intrude even on households, huh? Nobles sure like making things difficult...

“Now then, Lamprecht. Let us hear your case,” Elvira said with a calm smile. “What manner of woman are you bringing into our house? Naturally, I have acquired some information myself, but I wish to hear it from you.”

After sitting up straight, Lamprecht began. His bride was called Aurelia. She was the daughter of Aub Ahrensbach’s little brother, but her mother was a third wife. As a result, despite Aurelia being the aub’s niece, she had spent little time with him and was treated poorly among her father’s other children. Even her younger sister fared better, for she was smart, friendly, and loved by all. Finally, Lamprecht informed us that Aurelia’s mother was an archnoble from Frenbeltag, which meant her position had suffered following the civil war.

“Where did you meet, and what was it that sparked your connection?” Elvira asked, holding a pen over the several sheets of plant paper she had set down on the table. She looked deadly serious, but... I was pretty sure she was just hungry for material for her next romance story. She pried into every detail from the first time they had met to how they had felt about having to separate and then gave a satisfied nod. “As expected, there is much one can only know by asking those involved. Some of what you said differed from what I understood.”

“I’m unsure what you heard, Mother, but Aurelia simply has naturally sharp, narrow eyes that make her resting expression look deceptively... evil. She is not a bad girl, in truth. I swear it,” Lamprecht said, hurriedly explaining that people often misunderstood Aurelia due to her features. “Please do everything in your power to get her into the Florencia faction.”

“She will soon be a part of our family regardless. No matter the situation, I will welcome her and invite her to our tea parties. What happens next, however, depends on Lady Aurelia.”

The former Veronica faction would approach Aurelia without fail. How would she judge them, and what place would she take in Ehrenfest? Lamprecht needed to be deliberate in what he said to her in order to guide her into the Florencia faction.

“Setting Lady Aurelia up to have a comfortable life here is not my job, Lamprecht, but yours as her husband,” Elvira said.

“Mother?!”

“The strength of our factions may have changed, but she is a bride you selected and petitioned to marry, no? Should you not be demonstrating that you are determined to protect your wife under any circumstances? How can you work as a knight if you cannot even do that?”

Lamprecht swallowed hard. I could see Karstedt averting his gaze out of the corner of my eye, no doubt having realized since taking me as his daughter how much of a burden he had put on Elvira during the conflict between his second and third wives.

“It is necessary to teach Lady Aurelia the politics of Ehrenfest as soon as possible,” Elvira continued. “She needs to know what Lady Gabriele and Lady Veronica did, the vengeance of the Leisegangs, what happened to Rozemyne, that her marriage may split apart the factions that were finally starting to unify, and so on. These are all matters of the past that Lady Aurelia had no involvement in, but knowledge of them will determine her future.”

Even if Aurelia wasn’t personally to blame for such events, local feeling toward Ahrensbach was simply too conflicted.

“What will you reveal, and what will you keep hidden? Who will you introduce to her, and who will you keep from her? How will you protect your wife from another duchy? I shall be watching to see how you handle all these things, Lamprecht,” Elvira said, her dark eyes gleaming as she eyed him carefully. Cornelius and Angelica gulped at the intensity of her words, and she wasn’t even speaking to them. “If Lady Aurelia were to display the skills necessary to organize the former Veronica faction and guide them into joining our faction, I would throw up my hands and welcome her with open arms.”

Lady Aurelia... You have one heck of a job ahead of you!

I was sure that Aurelia wasn’t expecting to be faced with such a Herculean task. Lamprecht wasn’t really much like Elvira, after all.

“Moving on,” Elvira said. “I will prepare your living space in a side building. It is best that you remain within the estate so that we may observe the movement of nobles. You may find this a little stifling, but you will survive.”

“Mother, what of our furniture?”

“We have some to spare that you may use. Lady Aurelia likely has her own tastes, so it would be best to wait until she arrives to purchase some of your own,” Elvira replied. In truth, it seemed like somewhat of a negligent suggestion. Perhaps it was because this matter only involved family, but it was rare for Elvira to be slack like this when she was usually so on top of things.

I wonder if she’s tired...

“Lamprecht, you are preparing for your wedding as well, no?” I asked. “Rather than leaving it all to Mother, I would suggest finding out what you will need to purchase for yourself.”

“I suppose, but is this not a task best suited for a woman?”

“Not in the least. You know Lady Aurelia’s tastes better than any of us, do you not? Mother has never met her before, so there is no way she can know what is needed. Unless, dear brother, you mean to tell me you do not know your own bride’s preferences.”

I went on to ask Lamprecht a few questions about Aurelia’s tastes, and the answers he gave were actually pretty good. It seemed that he really was keeping a close eye on her. The situation was somewhat unfortunate, but he was lucky enough to be marrying someone he actually loved, so I hoped their marriage was going to be a happy one.

“Lamprecht, what manner of jewelry does Lady Aurelia like?” Elvira asked. “What feystone did you prepare for her? Choosing furniture will prove considerably easier if we go with a common theme that is to her preference.”

Elvira continued probing further and noted down each response. She was clearly having fun with this, since it all served as new material for her stories. I had to respect her ability to keep enjoying her hobbies no matter how exhausted she was from work.

Eventually, Elvira set down her pen with a satisfied smile. “I hope that she is as sweet of a girl as you claim,” she said to Lamprecht before looking over at me. “Rozemyne, avoid contact with Lady Aurelia until her place is certain. You have more secrets that must be kept hidden than anyone in Ehrenfest and yet you speak with the least restraint.”

I nodded solemnly, unable to argue against her sound reasoning, and promised not to meet with Aurelia before I received permission from my guardians.

“Cornelius. Angelica. Keep a close eye on Rozemyne as her guard knights,” Elvira said.

“You may trust us, Lady Elvira. I won’t let her see Lady Aurelia until you say so,” Angelica replied, a heroic glint in her eyes as she accepted the job.

Elvira gave a pleased nod and then looked between Angelica and Eckhart with a quizzical expression. “Speaking of which, when will you and Eckhart marry?” she asked. “The matter is not particularly pressing and can wait until next year, unlike Lamprecht’s marriage, but it would be best to start soon. Would you not feel uneasy if things were not settled soon?”

Apparently, Eckhart was still living in the separate estate he had shared with his late first wife. For Angelica to move in, he would need to clean up the place and exchange old goods for new ones.

Eckhart grimaced slightly at Elvira’s words, but Angelica shook her head with a smile. “I’m letting Lord Eckhart decide when that happens. And since I still have a long way to go when it comes to my combat skills, I want to prioritize earning Master’s approval. I’m not in a rush. I can even wait until Lady Rozemyne comes of age,” she declared, puffing out her chest proudly.

Eckhart gave a half-hearted smile, knowing that was much too long of a wait, while Elvira cradled her head. “Until Rozemyne comes of age?” she asked. “I could never put your parents through that. I cannot believe there is a woman even less interested in marriage than Eckhart.”

Mother, you won’t find a shred of romance anywhere in Angelica’s heart. The sooner you accept her for what she is, the better.

We settled on Angelica marrying before she turned twenty so that she wouldn’t be considered socially out of date, and that marked the end of the day’s family meeting.

“Now then, Rozemyne. Off you go to bed,” Elvira said, having called the meeting to a close. I only caught a few glimpses of her expression on my way out, but she looked quite tired.

“Erm, Mother... You must be quite busy unifying factions and preparing for the brides, on top of all your scholar work, no? I may not be very useful, but I could at least offer a blessing of healing. Would you like one?”

“Of healing? I am not hurt or anything of the sort.”

“It might do something to ease your spirit. Mother, may you have Heilschmerz the Goddess of Healing’s blessing.”

I prayed to my ring and a green light slowly floated out. My hope was that it would heal Elvira’s heart, even if only a little. She gave a kind smile, as if my feelings had been conveyed.

“I thank you ever so much, Rozemyne. I feel as if my exhaustion has faded. Let us have a family tea party tomorrow; it has been far too long. Our head chef can make various sweets of their own now.”

“Certainly. I am looking forward to it.”

On the way back to my room, Cornelius slumped his shoulders. “I’m exhausted,” he said. “I knew interduchy marriages caused a lot of problems, but I didn’t think they were this much of a pain in the neck.”

“Agreed,” I replied. “I already knew that love isn’t enough to justify a noble marriage, but this surprised me as well. Are you this apprehensive because you have your heart set on someone from another duchy?”

“No, she’s from—”

Cornelius started responding as per the natural flow of conversation before suddenly clapping a hand over his mouth. He stared down at me, looking absolutely horrified. He forced a neutral expression a split second later, but it was already too late.

I cackled. “My, my... So you wish to escort a girl within Ehrenfest, then? Have you asked her already? If you wait too long, some handsome man may come and sweep her off her feet.”

“Gah... It’s like I’ve got two mothers now. Here, we’re at your room. It’s time for you to sleep. You’re tired, right? You’ve gotta be tired. You should rest now so that you can sleep with Schlaftraum’s blessing.”

And with that, Cornelius speedily pushed me into my room without answering a single one of my questions.

Our tea party the next day was also about Lamprecht’s marriage. Since the ceremony was going to be held at the duchy border, we were planning to eat lunch at Count Leisegang’s mansion before heading to the border gate.

“Will we be spending the night at Count Leisegang’s estate?” I asked.

“I would imagine so,” Elvira replied. “It has not been set in stone, but there are many members of the former Veronica faction in that area, and few other places suitable to house the archducal family—especially now that Lady Veronica has been punished.”

I recalled that I had been attacked even at Count Leisegang’s mansion during a past Spring Prayer, while I was in the side building for priests. I had been asleep, so I was unsure of the details, but I hoped the same thing wouldn’t happen again.

“You do not need to fear any attacks,” Elvira said with an elegant giggle, no doubt having read my expression. “We shall be bringing the Knight’s Order with us.”

We went on to discuss the dinnertime feast that was going to be held on the day of the ceremony, and the debut that would take place to welcome Aurelia. As our conversation went on, I suddenly remembered something.

“Speaking of which, were you unable to find a partner for Damuel, Mother? Was it too much even for your talents?” I asked.

“The timing is simply unfortunate. There is not much that can be done until the faction politics begin to settle down,” Elvira said with a troubled sigh.

Finding a wife for Damuel was apparently going to be exceptionally difficult indeed. First of all, Elvira was unable to pair him with another laynoble—although they were of the same status, they would have incompatible mana levels. Pairing him with a mednoble seemed like the natural solution, but just as Brigitte had shown resistance, it would take a lot of resolve for a mednoble to lower themselves in status to wed into the family of a layknight with no estate to inherit.

On top of all that, anyone who married the retainer of the archduke’s adopted daughter would essentially be locking their faction alignment in place. Few mednobles wanted such a thing, as their general strategy was to stick with whoever appeared to be winning. And now that Ahrensbach brides were being wed into the duchy, laynobles and mednobles alike were all watching with bated breath to see how the power structure would shift.

Of course, there was also the fact that, despite him now being my retainer, Damuel had originally been made to serve in the temple as punishment. I valued him a great deal, but outsiders had no way of knowing that—to them, it looked as though I might cut him off at any moment. The majority thought it was only a matter of time before I swapped him out, much like Bonifatius had recommended, which complicated matters further.

Upon returning to the temple, I informed Damuel of what Elvira had told me. “In short, it seems that it will prove difficult to find you a wife in the near future,” I said.

“Or in other words, I’ll never get married here?” Damuel asked, hanging his head. I was feeling too sorry for him to outright agree, so I tried to come up with a better way to phrase my response.

“It will simply take some time. You need only wait until politics have calmed down and my mothers have complete control over Ehrenfest, or when younger laynobles with my compression method grow up enough to match your mana.”

“You might as well have said it’s never going to happen...” Damuel murmured sadly, but there was no helping the situation—I didn’t have any appropriate connections among the nobility, plus it wasn’t even my place to help him.

As Damuel slouched over, dejected, I started preparing to hold a Starbind Ceremony at the border gate, which lacked a chapel, and selected which gray priests were going to accompany me.

I spent the following days under Ferdinand’s tutelage, learning to make armor from feystones and protect the gray priests. I was taught a spell that used bands of light to ensnare an opponent, a spell that produced a net to capture many foes at once, a spell to make a simple Goddess shield, and several others, all to ward against ambushes.

Better safe than sorry.

According to my retainers who traveled between the castle and the temple, a discussion had taken place in the castle regarding our guards from the Knight’s Order, the lodging arrangements, and the preparations for the feast. Everyone had now been given their duties.

A letter from Gil soon arrived, informing me that the merchants from other duchies had started to appear, and when I visited the orphanage and the workshop, I could just feel how much busier the lower city was.

The summer proved much livelier than any summer the lower city had ever seen before, and when it eventually came to an end, we prepared to depart for the duchy border.