Ascendance of a Bookworm (LN) - Volume 4.5 - Chapter 9

The Dyeing Competition

Since Lamprecht’s and Freuden’s Starbindings had taken place at the end of summer, the summer coming-of-age and the autumn baptism ceremonies came right after. I carried out my roles for them before moving to the castle for the dyeing competition. I would be staying there for a brief period until the Harvest Festival.

“Just a bit longer, Lady Rozemyne,” Lieseleta said when we arrived. She was spreading out colorful cloth adorned with intricate magic circles (and decorations to hide these magic circles) with an overjoyed smile on her face. The embroidering for Schwartz’s and Weiss’s outfits was almost done thanks to her, Charlotte, and the others.

“They look wonderful, Lieseleta!” I exclaimed.

“There’s still a bit more that needs to be done. Let me help too,” Angelica said, her blue eyes flashing intently as she picked up a needle. She was determined to learn the magic circles. Judithe quickly grabbed some thread, not wanting to be beaten out.

Wowee. Everyone has so much girl power.

I could only bow to their overwhelming femininity, so I elected to do something else entirely.

“Damuel, Cornelius, I will entrust you with guard duty. Hartmut, Philine, there is transcribing to be done. We do not have much time, so let us hurry,” I said. My aim was to finish transcribing Dunkelfelger’s book and translating it into modern vernacular before my return to the Royal Academy.

I left the tea party preparations to Brunhilde, Elvira, and Florencia while focusing on my translation, and soon enough, the day of the dyeing competition arrived.

The tea party was being held in the afternoon, but the Gilberta Company was due to start bringing in the cloth at third bell. A messenger soon announced their arrival, so I moved to the location of the event to meet them. I was the first one there, but Florencia and Elvira came moments later. Otto paused giving instructions to his workers when he saw us and came over. We exchanged lengthy noble greetings, then Elvira peered around the room.

“Otto, what are these wooden frames?” she asked, nodding toward the objects that the Gilberta Company staff were setting up along the walls.

I immediately recognized the frames as hangers used to hold cloth. They were around two meters tall and somewhat similar in appearance to a torii, the gate built at the entrance to Shinto shrines. In fact, they were better compared to the stands used to display kimonos in Japan. Florencia and Elvira were used to merchants spreading the cloth out for them rather than hanging it up for all to see, so they didn’t quite understand. Elvira was watching the workers with her brow furrowed.

Otto responded with a subtly troubled smile. “Although this is the debut of the new dyeing method, it is also a tea party. We thought this would allow guests to view the cloth from a distance,” he said.

Normally, when nobles decided on cloth, the various options were lined up in front of them. They would feel each piece and select their favorites, which the merchants would then spread out for them. But given the nature of this event, there wasn’t enough manpower, cloth, or time for each noble in attendance to be tended to individually. Otto had apparently agonized quite a bit over how to solve this predicament.

“The craftswoman who makes Lady Rozemyne’s hairpins suggested this design,” he said. “She believed the colorful cloth would stand out well against the pure white walls of the castle. By using these hangers, it should be easier to decide on one’s preferences.”

“This event is not just being held to view new cloth,” I added, doing my best to support Otto and prevent any disagreements. “We also intend to display a new dyeing method and decide whom to reward with our exclusive business. For that reason, all cloth must be shown equally, regardless of individual preferences. It would no doubt be too much of a struggle for the Gilberta Company to host all of our guests at once on their own, but by displaying everything at once, everyone can easily identify their favorites. There should not be any issues so long as the proper steps are taken when we decide on our workshops and select our cloth.”

Elvira’s expression softened a little. “It is true that we lack the time for each piece of cloth to be directly presented to each person.”

The displayed cloth was intended to be used for winter clothing, so each piece was the divine color of winter. Rather than there being only red, however, the wall ended up decorated with a variety of colors from pink to orange. Some pieces even incorporated gradients, seamlessly blending several colors from this spectrum into one another. Most of the cloth was decorated with floral patterns, perhaps because it had been made at my suggestion.

Of course, Brunhilde wasted no time in voicing her thoughts to the Gilberta Company. “You there. Place those frames further apart,” she said. “The design on the cloth is hardly visible.”

“A-As you wish.”

“This cloth should be positioned such that this flower is easier to see.”

“Of course, my lady.”

She continued to give precise instructions on how each piece needed to be displayed. I sympathized with the staff members who were having to meet her meticulous demands, but there was no denying it—Brunhilde had impressively sharp eyes. The minor alterations she asked for truly did make the cloth look better on display.

“Lady Rozemyne...” Otto whispered quietly. He was hoping that I would intervene, since his ravaged employees were shooting him desperate looks, but I wasn’t going to stop Brunhilde. I hadn’t seen her this lively in quite a while.

“I believe the tea party will run a lot smoother if we trust Brunhilde’s sense for these things,” I said. “You may use this opportunity to learn the aesthetics of an archnoble.”

Soon enough, the castle’s attendants were hurrying about, busily getting things ready for the tea party. The tables were set, and Florencia went to oversee preparations for the sweets and such. Meanwhile, Elvira was watching the Gilberta Company’s staff as they put the cloth on display. All of a sudden, she looked up and summoned Otto, as though she had noticed something.

“It occurs to me that although the cloth is all visible, we cannot tell which piece was made by whom. Will there be name tags?” she asked.

Otto shook his head. “In order to maintain fairness, we have attached numbers to the cloth that only we of the Gilberta Company can decode. If a particular piece earns your favor enough for you to want to give that workshop your exclusive business, please state its number. We will inform you of the workshop’s name and the craftspeople who made it.”

“So we need only rely on our eyes, then. That sounds suitable for a new method such as this,” Elvira said with a nod, but I didn’t approve in the least. It was possible that this anonymity would prevent me from selecting Mom to have my exclusive business. Otto had said this was to “maintain fairness,” but it was clearly to prevent my nepotism in particular. I pursed my lips.

Come on, what’s the problem with a little nepotism?! Don’t be mean, Otto!

Having no other choice, I resolved to find Mom’s cloth on my own.

And I’ll do it too! The power of my love will see me through!

After lunch, we checked over the preparations and then waited for fifth bell, when the event was due to begin. Rihyarda had scolded me for having a light lunch so that I could gorge myself on sweets at the tea party, but Ella had started focusing on pies and tarts recently, so I needed all the room I could get.

“Lady Rozemyne, if you do not mind, there is someone I wish to reintroduce you to,” Elvira said. She had returned home for lunch and now had Aurelia with her.

Just as Elvira had feared, Aurelia was hiding her face behind a thick veil decorated with elaborate embroidery. And indeed, at first glance, Aurelia seemed to be rejecting Ehrenfest culture and expressing her allegiance to Ahrensbach traditions.

“This is Aurelia, Lamprecht’s wife,” Elvira said. “I understand that it is a little early for guests, but as she would not be comfortable entering the castle alone, I decided to bring her with me. Aurelia, this is Lady Rozemyne. She is my daughter and Lamprecht’s younger sister, but she was adopted by the archduke. I imagine you know her from the Starbind Ceremony, where she acted as the High Bishop.”

“Yes,” Aurelia replied. “I was truly happy when she blessed us.”

I went on to exchange greetings with Aurelia, but as her face was still covered, it didn’t really feel as though I was meeting her properly. “There are going to be many other nobles gathering today, so would it not be wise to remove your veil...?” I asked her.

“See, Aurelia? Lady Rozemyne thinks so too,” Elvira said.

“I’m sorry, Mother. I’ve told you, I simply... I simply cannot...” Aurelia replied, tightly gripping her veil as if obstinately securing it in place. I could tell that Elvira had urged her to remove it countless times already, aware that not being able to see someone’s face inevitably made them seem more hostile and foreign... but Aurelia’s trembling hands made it equally clear that she was terrified even while hidden beneath it.

“Aurelia, I am concerned for you,” I said. “The act of stubbornly wearing an Ahrensbach veil makes it seem as though you are refusing to embrace Ehrenfest.”

“That is not my intention whatsoever...” Aurelia murmured, but her grip didn’t appear to loosen in the slightest. I had no idea how many people had misjudged her based on her facial features before, but it had evidently been enough to traumatize her.

“If you insist on wearing a veil, perhaps you could wear one made with Ehrenfest cloth,” I proposed. “That would at least somewhat demonstrate that you consider our duchy to be your new home.”

Aurelia twitched at the suggestion. Elvira shook her head warily, but she did concede that it would help her make at least a marginally better impression.

“Today, we are going to be looking at cloth dyed with both old and new dyeing techniques, some of which I personally suggested,” I said. “Aurelia, perhaps you could select your favorite and use it to make a new veil. That alone would make a much more favorable impression.”

“I thank you ever so much for the wondrous idea, Lady Rozemyne. I would indeed like to make a new veil with Ehrenfest cloth,” Aurelia replied, her relief palpable in her voice.

Once that was decided, Elvira began walking briskly around the room, carrying out final checks with Florencia, who had similarly returned from lunch. Brunhilde was closely checking each piece of cloth with narrowed eyes, making sure they were displayed in the most effective manner. Meanwhile, I was trying to work out which one was Mom’s. There were some pieces of cloth that varied in color from orange to purple, some that varied from dark to light red, some with an uneven tie-dye, and some with repeated patterns.

Now, which one is Mom’s...?

Among the various pieces on display, some had opted to use bright colors for the flower petals, while others had used green for the leaves. They stuck out the most, since not too many people had experimented much beyond the divine color of winter.

Wait... Is Aurelia following me? Erm... Has she imprinted on me or something...?

For some reason, Aurelia was walking around with me, like a duckling following her mother. Both Florencia and Elvira were busy, so maybe it was my role as a host to entertain her.

What to talk about, what to talk about... Um... Er...

“Aurelia, can you see in front of you while wearing that?”

“Um...”

“I used a face-concealing veil in the past, but I could only see my feet, and not the faces of those I was meeting with.”

I had worn a veil during the Spring Prayer I attended as a blue shrine maiden, and while it had proven effective at stopping people from seeing my face, I hadn’t been able to see their faces either. Surely it was making it more difficult for Aurelia to socialize.

“This veil is inscribed with a magic circle, so...” Aurelia trailed off, her tone apologetic. It seemed that she could see her surroundings just fine.

“So you’re able to see the people around you, even with your face covered?”

“Y-Yes, that’s right.”

“The embroidery does seem fairly complex. Are you skilled at embroidery, Aurelia?”

“I am merely average.”

In other words, super good...? I’m pretty sure Lieseleta described herself the same way.

“You are skilled at everything, aren’t you, Lady Rozemyne? Lamprecht always boasts about being your older brother. I am told you are as compassionate as a saint,” Aurelia said.

Apparently, Lamprecht had mentioned at some point or another that he was only where he was today because I had saved him.

“Lamprecht said that you would not despise me when we first met, as you show compassion even to orphans and those of other factions, but I could not bring myself to believe it,” Aurelia continued. “And yet, on the day of the Starbind Ceremony, you graced me with kind words. I was truly happy. Even today, rather than having me remove my veil, you graciously suggested that I replace it with a new one. I can hardly express how thankful I am.”

I hadn’t known this, since I rarely had reason to meet with Lamprecht and thus rarely spoke to him, but he was apparently really grateful to me. It seemed that Aurelia was sticking to me so closely in large part because she valued his words so highly. I wanted to praise Lamprecht in turn and boost her opinion of him further, but nothing really came to mind, so I elected to continue deepening my own bond with Aurelia instead.

“In that case, as your new little sister, I will give you a piece of cloth myself. Consider it a gift in celebration of your marriage. Would you rather have something cute or pretty?”

“Given my height, I do not believe cutesy cloth would complement me very well...” Aurelia replied. She shook her head dismissively, but I could tell from her tone that she liked cute things, even if she didn’t think they suited her.

“As this is only a face covering, there is no need for you to fret about your height,” I said. “The most you should pay attention to is the color, so that you may ensure it goes with the clothes you normally wear.”

Aurelia’s face twitched nervously beneath her veil. It was as though her heart was speaking through her body, which was pretty amusing to see. I turned to Brunhilde, who was following behind me; she could provide better advice than anyone else here.

“Brunhilde, which design would best suit a veil similar to the one Aurelia is currently wearing?”

“Might I suggest this one made using both tie-dyeing and resist-dyeing?” Brunhilde responded. “If you would prefer a more prominent design, this one is quite nice. If one’s intention is to embroider a magic circle, cloth with designs on the side but none in the middle might be easiest to use.”

Aurelia began looking at the pieces of cloth on display. I couldn’t see her expression, but I could tell that she was examining them more seriously, because she was actually stopping in front of them and staring at them for much longer than before. Brunhilde was observing this process, writing down the numbers that Aurelia considered for a particularly long time.

As this went on, I returned to looking for Mom’s cloth.

Because of my time spent bonding with Aurelia, I was seated between her and Elvira when the tea party eventually began. I had received the secret order to bring up Ahrensbach and try to extract as much information from her as possible. It was a critically important mission.

Ahrensbach topics, hm...?

I sipped my tea and then turned to Aurelia. “You know, Aurelia... There are a few questions I have about Ahrensbach. Could you assist me?”

“Y-Yes. Of course. Assuming they are questions I can answer...” Aurelia replied. She sounded defensively tense, but I needed to press on with my important mission.

“How many books are there in Ahrensbach’s libraries?”

“B-Books? Libraries...?” Aurelia repeated, her voice cracking in surprise. Meanwhile, Elvira and Florencia lowered their eyes, as if showing their dissatisfaction with my choice of question.

“Indeed. As a greater duchy, the castle must be filled with books, no?”

“My apologies, but I do not know the precise number. I did not visit the castle very often. I do remember, however, that the Royal Academy’s library has many more books.”

I recalled that despite Aurelia being the archduke’s niece, she had been poorly treated as the daughter of a third wife. It made sense that she wouldn’t visit the castle on a regular basis.

“In that case, did you perhaps bring any Ahrensbach books with you when moving here?” I asked eagerly. “I have a particular fondness for stories. Dunkelfelger has many tales about strong knights, but what of Ahrensbach? If you know of any, I would love to hear them.”

Aurelia tilted her head. “If you are asking about famous knight stories, then tales about the slaying of sea feybeasts are quite popular.”

“Oh my. There are such tales in Ahrensbach?” Elvira interjected. “I would very much like to hear one.”

“This one is very widely known, but if you do not mind...”

Aurelia went on to tell us the story of a knight who slew a massive feybeast of the sea. It may have been a common tale in her home duchy, but it was tantalizingly unique here in Ehrenfest. Philine was desperately writing it down behind me.

Aurelia mentioned various sea creatures in her story, so I was sure I could secure some dried seaweed or something of the like by getting on good terms with her. My excitement rose through the roof despite having been so thoroughly quashed before.

Fish! Seafood! Yahoo!

As my mind swam with thoughts of delicious new meals, the complex design on Aurelia’s veil started to look increasingly like a school of appetizing fish.

“I learned during my geography lessons that Ahrensbach, unlike Ehrenfest, borders an ocean. What types of sea creatures can be caught there? Are they tasty? Are they delicious?” I asked, squeezing my hands together and gazing up at Aurelia with hopeful eyes.

She trembled slightly in fear.

“I... believe Ehrenfest food is more delicious,” Aurelia replied, trembling slightly under the intensity of my stare. “I do enjoy Ahrensbach food, as it is the food of my homeland, but...”

“Here in Ehrenfest, eating fish is something of an unrealistic dream...” I said, expressing my sadness that she didn’t have any for me. Aurelia likewise slumped her shoulders.

“I do have some in a time-stopping magic tool that I brought with me from Ahrensbach, but they are not edible.”

“Why not?!”

“Unfortunately, there is nothing in there that I am able to prepare.”

Aurelia had intended to bring prepared meals with her so that she could eat them whenever she grew homesick, but in the end, she had only been given raw ingredients. A proper archnoble lady did not cook for herself—such work was delegated to her chefs—and so she was unable to do anything with them, no matter how fresh they were or how much she longed to eat them. For now, she found Ehrenfest food—or rather, the food served at Karstedt’s estate—delicious and intriguing enough that she had not needed to touch the contents of her magic tool.

“Since the mana expenditure for running the time-stopping magic tool is so great, I am planning to dispose of the fish,” Aurelia said. “I will not be eating them either way.”

“Wait a moment. I implore you to reconsider! If you are going to dispose of them regardless, I ask that you at least give them to me.”

“Lady Rozemyne, asking for things in that manner is simply shameless.” Elvira chastised me, grimacing alongside Brunhilde, but disguising my desires here simply wasn’t an option. If all that valuable fish were so wastefully thrown away, I would feel enough regret to kill me a thousand times over.

Fish. Seafood. Must eat. Must eat so much. I’ll even take plain, grilled fish. Just... please. I need it.

“Aurelia, I shall have my personal chefs cook the fish. The flavor will not be exactly as you remember, since the seasoning will differ, but I can certainly create new dishes with it,” I said.

“New dishes...?” Aurelia repeated. Elvira’s eyebrows twitched.

“If a married couple does not respect one another’s cultures, everything will fall apart,” I said. “It is unfair that one should endure while the other lives freely, Aurelia, and it is only natural that you would feel sentimental about your home duchy. One never forgets the meals one grew up with. However, if you have only the ingredients, why not try making them with Ehrenfest seasoning? This, too, is interduchy diplomacy.”

It wasn’t as though I had married Aurelia myself, and I was aware that I was basically spewing nonsense in the hope that nobody paid too much attention to the actual words coming out of my mouth. But that wasn’t important. What mattered was whether I could exploit her marriage to secure myself some seafood.

“If the food you are accustomed to grows popular in Ehrenfest, will your life not become more comfortable?” I asked. “It certainly will. If you would allow me, I believe it is necessary for Ehrenfest chefs to work with Ahrensbach ingredients and create something new entirely! By doing this, we will not just break the ice, but melt it completely, and the resulting flood of our new trend will wash all across the country! Aurelia, let us join hands and work together, for a brighter future.”

“I-If you insist...”

Through sheer force alone, I was able to squeeze a promise out of Aurelia, thereby ensuring that she wouldn’t throw away her fish under any circumstances. I had secured some new ingredients, but at a price—in the end, I was unable to identify which piece of cloth on the wall was Mom’s. I only managed to narrow it down to three candidates before running out of time. In other words, I was unable to pick my personal Renaissance.

In the end, I allowed Brunhilde to pick the cloth for my winter outfit, under the condition that we would use the design Tuuli had come up with. She selected a piece with a slight gradient going from dark red to bright crimson, covered with flowers of various thickness that could have been made by repeatedly dyeing the cloth over and over.

I failed... The strength of my love simply wasn’t enough.