Ascendance of a Bookworm (LN) - Volume 5.2 - Chapter 10

Confrontation

Hannelore informed me that she would be leaving her seat for a moment, then calmly walked over to Lestilaut. “Brother, what in the world did you say to Lord Wilfried...?” she asked quietly.

Lestilaut raised an eyebrow and, looking at Wilfried, replied, “Nothing at all.”

His nonchalant answer made Hannelore’s face cloud over. “If that were true, then Lord Wilfried would not have raised his voice. You must have offended him greatly. Lord Wilfried, I offer my sincerest apologies for my brother’s actions.”

Wilfried snapped back to reality and offered a polite smile. “Oh, no—it was nothing that you should feel the need to apologize for, Lady Hannelore. In fact, I should apologize to you all. My shallowness caused me to flare up over a simple mid-gewinnen taunt.”

At that, Wilfried carefully sat back down, turned to Lestilaut, and moved a piece. “Father—that is, Aub Ehrenfest—does not intend to make Rozemyne the aub,” he said. “He would never do something so cruel.”

“You mean to say it would be cruel to have her become aub?” Lestilaut asked, moving a piece in response before directing Wilfried a curious look.

Wilfried nodded and moved another piece. “As you know, Rozemyne is sickly enough that she has collapsed during several tea parties. He would not force his unhealthy daughter into such a demanding role. I ask for your understanding on this matter.”

Is he attempting to clear Sylvester’s name? It is true that Sylvester wouldn’t have his unhealthy adopted daughter serve as aub.

Hearing that, I understood what must have happened: Lestilaut had used Sylvester’s bad reputation as a mid-game taunt. I’d found the unending rumors irritating as well, so I could see why Wilfried had reacted so aggressively. As an archduke candidate, I was probably expected to chastise him and prop up Dunkelfelger... but I couldn’t see myself doing that.

“I thought it only common sense that the position of aub should go to whoever has the most mana and can benefit their duchy most, but... I see,” Lestilaut said. “Due to your sister’s poor health, you will become the next aub without consideration of your competence.”

I’d assumed that Hannelore’s interjection would calm things down, but the taunts continued. Wilfried was balling his hands into such tight fists that his knuckles had turned white.

I moved to the side of the table where the gewinnen pieces were floating in place, getting in between Lestilaut and Wilfried. “I do not see what is so strange about this. Is it not normal for a healthy man with enough mana to support his duchy’s foundation to become the next aub?”

Sure, I was getting healthier, but I was still weak by any normal standards. And on top of that, I was a woman; I wouldn’t be able to carry out my duties while pregnant or after giving birth. It was totally expected that Wilfried would become the next aub instead, especially considering his high grades at the Royal Academy.

Lestilaut’s red eyes betrayed amusement. For a moment, it felt like he was teasing us—or maybe even sizing us up. I couldn’t help but falter under his terrifying stare.

“So, in short, you intend to resign yourself to becoming a first wife?” Lestilaut asked. “Despite all of your exceptional qualities?”

I shook my head. “I am not resigning myself to anything. I do not seek to be an archduchess in the first place.”

“Then what do you seek?”

I smiled; there was only one answer to that question. “I wish to become an archduke’s first wife, then the curator of my very own library. I shall gather more books than anyone has ever seen before.”

That goal was why I started the printing industry to begin with. We were gathering various stories in the Royal Academy, making new books each year, and steadily increasing our readership. From there, we would target the commoners, starting with the literate rich and then working our way down until pretty much everyone could read. Such was my ultimate ambition.

Yes, I wanted enough status to achieve my aims, but I didn’t want to do any work other than making books. I certainly didn’t want to become an archduchess; I was busy enough just being the High Bishop.

“You wish to be a first wife and own a library?” Lestilaut repeated. “That can be arranged. Become my first wife, Rozemyne.”

Excuse me...?

There was a pregnant pause, then a hysterical voice suddenly rang out. “Brother! What are you saying?!”

“Be silent, Hannelore,” Lestilaut said, waving her away.

Hannelore took a step back, her lips pressed together obediently. Those among Lestilaut’s retainers who had cried out in surprise likewise closed their mouths, overwhelmed by his intensity.

This was all so sudden that I was struggling to keep up. I wanted to believe that I’d simply misunderstood, but if all the dazed faces around me were anything to go by, that probably wasn’t the case. Still...

“My sincerest apologies, Lord Lestilaut,” I said. “I seem to have misheard you. For a moment, I thought you asked for me to be your first wife.”

“You are not mistaken,” he casually replied. “That is exactly what I said.”

I placed a hand on my cheek. His wanting me as a first wife was, in other words, a proposal. But this didn’t make any sense; Lestilaut already had someone he was gifting a hairpin to, and proposals between nobles had to go through both parties’ parents first. At least, that was what I’d assumed. Maybe romances between students at the Royal Academy didn’t get reported until afterward. I’d never really looked into it, since I was already engaged, but now that decision was backfiring.

But don’t proposals involve a feystone and a long, romantic speech filled with the names of the gods? I’m pretty sure you don’t just slip them into an otherwise normal conversation... or have I been living under a rock?

How was I supposed to take Lestilaut’s words? He knew about my engagement to Wilfried, so maybe this was all in jest, and taking it seriously would only result in me getting laughed at.

As I remained immobile, my hand still on my cheek, Lestilaut looked at Wilfried and me. “You have shown me your value. You have the mana to wield two divine instruments at once and a plethora of divine protections. You start new trends, began an industry that brings wealth to your duchy, have connections to greater duchies and the royal family, possess fame as a saint... And yet, despite all that, Lord Wilfried is calling himself the next aub—even though he knows so little about what will soon be his duchy’s primary industry.” A taunting grin spread across his face. “It would be comical were it not so sad.”

He continued, “Furthermore, Rozemyne, although grades have risen all across Ehrenfest, you and your retainers stand far above the rest, and this joint research has made the chasm between your archduke candidates more than clear. It is a crime that your duchy’s rank has risen so expeditiously due so largely to your singular influence. Those around you are not keeping up at all. Ehrenfest lurked at the bottom of the rankings before the civil war, and its neutrality secured it a middling rank after. You are ill-suited for such a place.”

There wasn’t a significant difference among our duchy’s apprentice knights; they had all undergone extensive training under Bonifatius so that they were skilled enough to protect the archducal family. Some of the dissimilarities among them were dependent on their age when they had begun using my mana compression method; otherwise, it all came down to their inherent talents and hard work.

Our apprentice scholars and attendants, on the other hand, were a separate story. My scholars who visited the temple had been molded by Ferdinand’s intense training, and my attendants had to work to be ready for anything I might start. For those reasons, they were far more capable than those serving Wilfried and Charlotte.

“A bottom-ranking duchy weighed down by such outdated methods is no place for a ceaselessly inventive mind such as yours,” Lestilaut continued. “Ehrenfest may be rising through the ranks through your power, but it will not be able to keep up with you. Its rightful place remains at the bottom of the rankings. I admire the aub’s sagacity in plucking you from the temple, but one who would not immediately declare you the next aub does not understand your value. Ehrenfest has neither the capacity nor the ability to contain you forever.”

His smile exuding confidence, Lestilaut gazed across Wilfried and all the Ehrenfest retainers in the room before returning his eyes to me. “If you have decided to live not as an aub but as a first wife, then come to Dunkelfelger. We have stockpiled countless books and documents over our long history; our collection is larger than any other in Yurgenschmidt.”

Excuse me? Books and documents stockpiled over a long history, you say? A collection larger than any other in Yurgenschmidt? Oh, be still my beating heart! It sounds so... so wonderful.

I couldn’t help being enraptured, and some powerful emotions stirred in my chest. Still, I used all my might to keep my body from visibly swaying. I needed to think carefully. This was an invitation from Dunkelfelger. There was more to this than reading books; experience made it clear that ditter was involved somehow.

“I... I will not go,” I said.

“You’re considering it.”

“N-No, I am not. A-And, erm, my engagement to Wilfried already has the king’s permission. It cannot be canceled,” I retorted, puffing out my chest. It didn’t matter what anyone said; this was a done deal.

Lestilaut waved me away as though he thought the very idea foolish. “That is permission and nothing more. There is no royal decree supporting it. Engagements within a duchy are always simple to cancel; your aub could rescind it with a single word.”

It seemed that having the king’s permission didn’t make my union to Wilfried ironclad after all. Sylvester could end it without any trouble whatsoever.

“Dunkelfelger could even pressure Aub Ehrenfest to cancel your engagement. The fact we have not done so already was only because we did not realize your value. Now, we do. By discussing business with me and not backing down in the slightest, you have all but proven that you are fit to be our duchy’s first wife. If you wish to make books and spread your knowledge, there is no better place for you. Come to me, Rozemyne.”

Financial resources, manpower, the fancy footwork required to adopt new ideas, an understanding of the importance of new technologies... One by one, Lestilaut listed off areas in which Dunkelfelger was superior. They were all things that I wanted. My heart wavered more and more.

“You will find much better workers in Dunkelfelger than in a backwater duchy like Ehrenfest.”

EXCUSE ME?! I don’t think there’s anyone in the world who can match my Gutenbergs!

All at once, my excitement ceased. Going to Dunkelfelger would mean not getting to see my family again. It would mean abandoning my important duty of serving as a bridge between the nobles and the commoners. Not to mention, Ehrenfest was home to the library that Ferdinand had given me. I wasn’t going to sever all these connections that I treasured so dearly.

“You have made a very appealing offer, but I must refuse,” I said. At times like this, I needed to be clear and direct; even the slightest hesitation would allow a greater duchy like Dunkelfelger to play me like a fiddle. Above all else, I needed to make my stance clear: I had no intention of going to Dunkelfelger.

Lestilaut moved a gewinnen piece, then stroked his chin. “I offered what I considered to be good terms, but you ultimately refuse...” he muttered. “Where was my misstep, after I made your heart waver so strongly...?”

He had clearly been able to read my emotions through my face.

I was starting to feel relieved about having escaped this predicament, but then Lestilaut’s atmosphere changed. His calm befitting a noble morphed into the intensity of a knight preparing for ditter.

“If you refuse, then I have no choice but to take you by force.”

“Lord Lestilaut?!” I exclaimed.

“Brother, you must not—”

Lestilaut once again dismissed Hannelore’s protest, his eyes like those of a predator watching its prey. “Obtain what you desire. Gather the strength required to win. Face the challenge as many times as it takes. Change your technique, change your equipment, but never give up. That is the Dunkelfelger way.”

I’d never expected Lestilaut to look at me in that way, especially when he had originally seen me as a fake saint and a spineless trickster. Plus, I already knew from Clarissa’s proposal that those from Dunkelfelger were ruthless when it came to getting what they wanted. Lestilaut’s attitude and the way he was speaking reminded me of the same forceful, dominant aura he had given off during our first confrontation over Schwartz and Weiss.

I took a step back.

“Rozemyne,” Wilfried called from behind me.

I turned to look at him.

“I can’t deny that Ehrenfest lacks in more areas than it thrives. Do you truly wish to stay?” he asked, looking uncomfortable. “I, erm... Only now, after hearing Lord Lestilaut say all that, have I come to understand your true value. I’ve always been focused on ways to keep you under control; unlike Dunkelfelger and Drewanchel, I never thought about putting all of your knowledge to use or spreading it throughout the country. I may intend to become Ehrenfest’s next aub, but my focus should be on how to use your gifts, not suppress them...”

His shoulders slumped, Wilfried continued, “I’ve been an honor student for two years in a row, and my friendship and rivalry with Ortwin made me believe I was standing shoulder to shoulder with the top-ranking duchies. And yet, when we started our joint research with Drewanchel and it came to light that my apprentice scholars were vastly inferior, I gave up. I assumed there was no beating a top-ranking duchy.”

In Ehrenfest, Wilfried was always being compared to me in a way that made him feel so mediocre. Here in the Royal Academy, however, he was able to spend time with other archduke candidates and actually develop some self-confidence. He considered himself above average for an archduke candidate, though that mindset had soon turned to arrogance that he was working hard enough already.

“The greater duchies immediately figured out all your good points and tried to make them their own,” he muttered. “That never even occurred to me. I always thought that, since making books is like a hobby to you, it was best to leave the industry in your hands.”

There was no way that Wilfried would have grown up with the sensibilities of a top-ranking duchy when he was raised in what everyone still considered a bottom-ranking one. The only way he was going to fix this was by learning while spending time with his friends from top-ranking duchies.

“If you’ve noticed that you aren’t putting me to proper use, then you need only start,” I said. “Everything I care about is in Ehrenfest. I do not intend to leave. Ehrenfest is my Geduldh.”

“I see. Then, as the next aub, I will protect you,” Wilfried declared with the utmost confidence. “Failing to do that when you want to stay in Ehrenfest would make me a failure of a brother too.”

Lestilaut gave a ferocious grin. “If you are to call yourself a future aub, then prove your worth and keep Rozemyne from us. I challenge you to a game of ditter.”

To nobody’s surprise...

“This desire for Rozemyne to become Dunkelfelger’s first wife is not just my own,” Lestilaut noted. “I made agreements with both my father and mother. I shall use whatever means necessary to secure victory and force Ehrenfest to cancel your engagement.”

In other words, he intended to use Dunkelfelger’s status as the second-ranked greater duchy to slam us with pressure. I couldn’t imagine Sylvester taking the stress of that very well.

“What happens if we refuse your challenge?” Wilfried asked.

Lestilaut scoffed. “I will simply employ the same methods I would have used upon winning.”

“And if we win? Will you give up on Rozemyne?”

“Ditter matches are sacred. I swear to the gods that, if we lose, we will trouble her no further on this matter.”

Those from Dunkelfelger were annoying to deal with, what with their aggressive nature and obsession with ditter, but when it came to agreements like this, you really could trust them. That said, Lestilaut had been whaling into us this whole time; the last thing I wanted was for everything to go as he pleased.

What’s his weakness?

In his attempt to drag us into this ditter match, he was targeting all of our weak points: the bad rumors about Sylvester, the awkward position that Wilfried was in, my love of books... I needed to land at least one clean blow on him—one that would leave a nice, big bruise—else I wouldn’t be satisfied.

What weakness could I exploit to avoid this ditter game? I scanned the room... and then my eyes fell on Hannelore. She was looking right at us, her face a picture of worry and frustration after her failed attempts to stop Lestilaut.

“In that case,” I said, “on the day that Ehrenfest wins, my brother, Wilfried, will take Lady Hannelore as his second wife.”

“What?!” Wilfried exclaimed. “Rozemyne, what are you saying?!”

“Lady Rozemyne?!”

Shock and disbelief were clear on their faces. Their retainers stirred too. Overall, it was a slightly bigger reaction than when Lestilaut had proposed to me. I’d won.

“As you might know, Lord Lestilaut, my health is tragically irregular, and Wilfried needs a second wife. Ehrenfest could ask for nothing more than for an archduke candidate from Dunkelfelger to fill that role.”

“You would drag a Dunkelfelger archduke candidate as low as Ehrenfest, of all places? Don’t make me laugh!” Lestilaut barked, his eyebrows raised in outrage as he protectively stood in front of Hannelore. It appeared that my counterattack had succeeded.

“You can decide for yourself whether we go ahead with this. I find it equally absurd that you would exploit your duchy’s position to end an engagement approved by the king himself.” If they were serious, then I was serious too. But if they were willing to play it off as a joke, then I would do the same. “So, Lord Lestilaut? Is your ditter request legitimate or merely a jest?”

Ideally, I wanted him to back down. The very thought of sending Hannelore to be Ehrenfest’s second wife was unthinkable. But while we would have no choice but to accept Dunkelfelger’s game, they would need to consult their aub about one of their own being married into a middle duchy.

Sorry, Lady Hannelore. I needed to do anything I could to avoid this ditter match.

Wilfried must have figured out that I was trying to stop the ditter match. He swiftly recovered from his surprise, then gave Lestilaut a confident grin. “Do you really think it acceptable to wager your own little sister’s future on a game of ditter? I would advise you to consult your aub first. It is simply unfair of you to continue otherwise.”

“Lord Wilfried...” Hannelore uttered. “That’s right, Brother. You cannot put our futures at stake, as a jest or otherwise. Lady Rozemyne is already engaged.”

Unfortunately, her pleas fell on deaf ears. “This is no jest,” Lestilaut said. “I am resolved to make Rozemyne my own. For the future of Dunkelfelger.”

“You must not decide such things on your own! If we lose, I—”

“Father and I will decide whom you wed,” Lestilaut said firmly, forcing the now trembling Hannelore to avert her gaze and take a silent step back. “Your answer, Ehrenfest?”

Wilfried glanced at me, his expression unsure. “Rozemyne, are you really willing to put your future in my hands?”

“No game of ditter with me as the treasure will ever be lost, Wilfried.”

My future depended on the outcome of this game. I was going to go all out.

After receiving a much-needed push from me, Wilfried turned to his retainers. “I will protect Rozemyne, the treasure of Ehrenfest, with everything I have. Everyone, lend me your power!”

“Yes, my lord!” the apprentice knights replied in unison.

Wilfried, having seemed to gain strength from that, looked up at Lestilaut. “I accept your challenge! I am the next Aub Ehrenfest, and we will not let another duchy take our treasure so easily!”

“Well said.”