Ascendance of a Bookworm (LN) - Volume 5.4 - Chapter 7

Brunhilde’s Suggestion

“May I have permission to speak, Aub Ehrenfest?” Brunhilde asked, stepping forth from among my otherwise silent retainers. She looked tense, but her amber eyes were full of resolve.

Sylvester nodded.

After offering a few words of thanks, Brunhilde gracefully approached Sylvester. She knelt in front of him, crossed her arms, and declared, “I am Brunhilde, daughter of Giebe Groschel. I have just finished my fifth year at the Royal Academy.”

“Yeah, you were recognized as an honor student,” Sylvester replied offhandedly. “I saw you at the Interduchy Tournament and during the awards ceremony.”

“I am honored to have received your attention,” Brunhilde said. She then looked Sylvester straight in the eye and asked, “Will you grant me the position of your second wife, Aub Ehrenfest?”

The room fell dead silent, and we all stared at the kneeling Brunhilde. I couldn’t even process what I’d just heard. And it had come completely out of the blue!

The aub’s second wife? Brunhilde? Brunhilde marrying Sylvester?!

As soon as I managed to connect the dots, I was overcome with panic. I practically leapt to my feet with a loud clatter and managed a single step toward my kneeling retainer.

“Um, what?! Hold on! Hold your horses! Take a deep breath, Brunhilde! You need to get a grip!”

“I think you need to get a grip,” Sylvester retorted. He stood up as well, came to my side of the table, and started rubbing my back. “Breathe. Breeeathe.”

“Hee hee hoo... Hee hee hoo...”

“Uh, what are those noises?”

“Sorry. They... just kind of came out. What did they mean, I wonder?”

“How the heck am I supposed to know? Calm down.”

I took in my surroundings, wide-eyed. Sylvester seemed entirely unmoved by Brunhilde’s explosive suggestion, while Bonifatius was fidgeting a little, no doubt concerned that I was losing my marbles.

“I... I don’t... Grandfather! I don’t know how to calm down!”

“I know exactly how you feel, Rozemyne.”

As we both wriggled and squirmed, Lieseleta quietly approached. “Excuse me,” she said, and produced a stuffed shumil from seemingly nowhere.

“Contain yourself, fool,” said a familiar voice. It was Ferdinand—well, his shumil equivalent. “Breathe in.”

I snapped back to reality and reflexively began sucking in air. I gulped down more and more, waiting for him to tell me to breathe out again... but he never did. My lungs soon became too full to hold any more—and, when it hurt too much to bear any longer, I finally exhaled.

“Just how much air did you want me to breathe in, Ferdinand?!” I snapped at the stuffed shumil, my eyes brimming with tears.

Lieseleta smiled. “I am glad you remembered the deep breathing technique, Lady Rozemyne. I now ask that you remember to act more like a noblewoman.”

Holding the cute shumil in her arms, she activated the magic tool again. “And you call yourself an archduke candidate?” it said. “Embarrassing.”

I swiftly returned to my chair and sat up straight. “I’m fine now. I’m calm. Let us continue our discussion.”

“Hm. That works, huh?” Sylvester mused aloud. “Good job. You can stand down.”

After praising Lieseleta for her quick-wittedness, he went back to his seat and cast his eyes from me to Brunhilde. “Judging by Rozemyne’s reaction, I assume you didn’t consult her about this,” he said.

“That is correct,” Brunhilde replied in a hushed voice. “I did not discuss this with Lady Rozemyne, nor with my father Giebe Groschel. Lady Florencia and the other archduke candidates know not about this either.”

Sylvester’s eyebrow twitched, but he let her continue.

“Lady Rozemyne is only slightly aware of this, but she is a dominant power within the Leisegang faction. My father, Giebe Groschel, also holds great influence. Had I discussed this with them in advance and put my request to you formally, Aub Ehrenfest, then it would have been very hard for you to refuse. That is why I am acting independently. If you oppose my suggestion, then you can pretend it was merely a spur-of-the-moment jest.”

It seemed she had concluded that this was the only way we could discuss the idea without it being chained to the will of the Leisegangs.

Brunhilde continued, “I also believe that, rather than having me forced upon you as your second wife, you should choose someone whom you think will be able to lead Ehrenfest. I am told that you decided to pair Lord Wilfried with Lady Rozemyne for the sake of the duchy, so I expect you will take another wife for the same reason.”

Let’s translate that: “You need to pick a second wife instead of pushing everything onto your son and adopted daughter. Stop trying to run away from your duty.”

Sylvester looked away from Brunhilde for a moment, as if conceding to her straightforward stare, then met her gaze again. “I’ll hear you out,” he said.

“My gratitude is yours,” Brunhilde replied. Then, in a calm voice and while continuing to kneel, she said, “I did not know this before hearing Lady Charlotte’s position and proactively gathering intelligence within the Leisegang faction, but it seems that Leisegang considers the archducal family’s position—that prioritizing a union with a top-ranking duchy is more important than marrying a noble within Ehrenfest, even so soon after the purge—to be very dangerous. They are once again starting to doubt that Lady Rozemyne will end up marrying Lord Wilfried.”

This position had reignited claims that I should be the duchy’s next ruler instead, strengthened the argument that neither Sylvester nor the next aub needed a wife from a top-ranking duchy, and given birth to the opinion that “we don’t want any brides from top-ranking duchies here; if raising our rank means we have to take them in, then we’d rather not raise our rank at all.”

“Up until this point, the Leisegangs have strengthened their bonds with the aub through marriage. You can assuage most of their concerns simply by taking a Leisegang wife and indicating that you respect them.”

She managed to find out all that since my meeting with Charlotte? My retainers sure are super talented.

It seemed that Hartmut wasn’t the only skilled intelligence gatherer in my service. Or maybe being a Leisegang had made it easy for her.

“A second wife can have a tremendous impact on a duchy’s future,” Brunhilde continued, “and I realize that even making this suggestion would normally require a lot more groundwork. I really did not intend to come forward, but I could no longer bear to watch matters as they were.” She looked sympathetically at Sylvester and his retainers. “My decision to speak is based on the understanding that Ehrenfest is in a dire state wherein every moment counts.”

“‘Every moment counts’?” I repeated, cocking my head. “What do you mean?”

“It seems to me that, during the purge, Aub Ehrenfest punished more than half of his retinue. The situation is so serious that he needed to borrow Lady Florencia’s retainers just to come here to the northern building. I imagine these conditions are having a significant impact on the archducal couple’s duties.”

“What?!”

Sylvester and Florencia were my adoptive parents, but I didn’t see them often enough to have memorized their retainers. My eyes widened, and I stared at Sylvester in shock.

Brunhilde explained: “Despite knowing each of your children’s workloads, you as Aub Ehrenfest sought Lady Rozemyne’s help rather than your blood daughter Lady Charlotte’s during the archducal family meeting. I assume you did this not just because you were concerned about Lady Florencia’s pregnancy but also because you needed Lady Rozemyne’s help to replenish your retinue. With her supporting Lady Florencia, it would be easier to take Leisegang nobles as retainers. You wished to obtain the Leisegangs’ support even through such indirect methods—is that correct, Aub Ehrenfest?”

Sylvester’s lips shifted up a little, but he didn’t respond. The fact that he hadn’t rejected the idea was enough to guess that her analysis was correct.

“If one also considers how Aub Ehrenfest is relying on Lord Bonifatius to obtain intelligence, it becomes clear how urgently he requires the support of the Leisegangs. In light of Lady Florencia’s condition, however, he will not be able to take a second wife for at least two years.”

Oof... He’s completely boxed in.

“However, as is obvious, I am underage; considering the one-year engagement period that would start after I graduate, we would need to wait at least two years for our Starbind Ceremony. By then, there would no longer be any risk of my mana influencing Lady Florencia’s pregnancy and birth.”

Brunhilde’s amber eyes contained an unmistakable sparkle as she continued, “If you announce that you are going to take a second wife from the Leisegang faction, I expect that their concerns will gradually fade, much like they have in the past. Marrying the daughter of the province that was both Lady Veronica’s home and the one most aggressively opposed to her would mean more to the Leisegangs than you anticipate, Aub Ehrenfest.” She smiled. “And, with a fiancée, it would be much easier for you to refuse any marriage proposals you receive during the Archduke Conference.”

Brunhilde had employed that last remark precisely because she knew that Sylvester wasn’t at all motivated to take a wife from another duchy and was agonizing over the inevitable flood of proposals.

“Lady Rozemyne often spends time locked away in the temple, but I, her attendant, am mostly in the castle,” Brunhilde said. “It would therefore be more than possible for me to stand at the forefront of socializing with the Leisegangs. I was also part of the same faction as Lady Florencia to begin with, meaning I will provide her support and never oppose her. I can make up for her absence while cooperating with Lady Charlotte, whom I even socialized alongside in the Royal Academy.”

Brunhilde puffed out her chest and continued, “I was a central figure in all of Lady Rozemyne’s tea parties and meetings with top-ranking duchies and the royal family, for I took charge of preparing for them and hosting the guests. I am confident that I have more experience socializing with top-ranking duchies than almost anyone else in Ehrenfest. Were I to become the aub’s fiancée, I would be able to cooperate with Lady Charlotte while simultaneously training attendants who would be going to the Archduke Conference.”

As the retainer of an adopted daughter, Brunhilde would struggle to speak authoritatively to the adult retainers of the archducal couple and others. As the second wife working hard to support the first, however, she would be able to do whatever was needed. It would become much easier for her to use her experience to produce attendants capable of dealing with top-ranking duchies.

“If we can compensate for Lady Florencia’s absence and make quick progress on the generational shift that Lady Rozemyne had suggested, it should become easier to make use of the younger members of the former Veronica faction,” Brunhilde said. “That should also allow you to bring back the retainers you were forced to distance.”

Sylvester narrowed his eyes just a little, watching her closely. “You’re obviously a lot more observant than I expected, and nobody can deny that you’ve considered all this very carefully. However, I’m not sure you should be so readily offering to become my second wife and—”

“That’s right!” I exclaimed. “Brunhilde! You are so considerate, talented, and amazing! It would be a complete waste for you to be the second wife of Sylvester, of all people! You’re so much cooler and more reliable than he is!”

“Uh, Rozemyne?” Sylvester said, his mouth twitching as everyone else tried to stifle their laughter. His frustrations meant nothing to me, though; I was only speaking the truth.

“I mean, he already has Florencia. He loves her more than anyone, doesn’t have eyes for any other women, and complains nonstop that he doesn’t want to take a second wife. I can’t see a future where you’re happy being married to a man like him, and that’s why I’m opposed to it. If you’re going to marry anyone, I want it to be a man who’ll treat you right and show you nothing but love and respect.”

Brunhilde’s eyes widened in bewilderment. “If that is the case, why did you agree to marry Lord Wilfried...? Do you expect him to show you love and consideration?”

“No, but he won’t mind me using Ehrenfest’s book rooms as I please. Our union will also help advance the printing industry.”

“So you agree that love has no place in matters of marriage.”

Ah! She’s right! The only love I’ve considered is my love of books!

As someone who was already engaged, I should have chosen my words more carefully instead of saying the first thing that came to mind. I desperately racked my brain, trying to figure out how I could recover from this.

“Er, um... But... You know, Wilfried and I love each other as family. We’ve always been on good terms, and his promises to Ferdinand and Giebe Leisegang mean that we’ll stay that way. Even if our marriage is a political one, I don’t think he’ll ever treat me poorly.”

Brunhilde gave me a very uncomfortable look, while Sylvester grimaced. “Rozemyne, do you think I’ll treat Brunhilde poorly?” he asked me. “She’s the daughter of Giebe Groschel. How can you think I’d do something so foolish?”

“Um. Umm... I guess that, as Aub Ehrenfest, you would indeed put some effort into being nice to her.”

“Some effort? Take this, you little fiend.” Sylvester prodded my cheeks, looking very thoroughly displeased. It actually hurt, so I called out for Bonifatius to help me.

In one smooth motion, my savior smacked Sylvester’s hand away with a loud, “Hmph!”

“GAAAH! Hold back a little, will you?! Geez!”

“Um... Do you need me to heal you, Sylvester?” I asked. “I think I heard something crack...”

“Nah, nah. The important thing right now is that your retainer wants to be my second wife and is ready for whatever that entails, while you seem entirely against the idea. Should I take this as your official stance?”

I turned to Brunhilde for her opinion.

“Lady Rozemyne,” she said with a very pretty smile, “I sought to be your retainer because I wished to market your trends. I am glad that my wish was granted, but now I can take this even further as the aub’s second wife, marketing trends through you and Lady Florencia.” Her face lit up with hope and ambition. “I would also appreciate the opportunity to challenge myself and set my own trends as a member of the archducal family.”

This wasn’t the stance of someone sacrificing themselves to contain the Leisegangs. Rather, she had found the perfect opportunity to make her dream come true and was using it to the fullest.

Ngh! Brunhilde is way too cool.

“As his second wife, Lady Rozemyne, I could take care of socializing within the duchy in your stead. There would be no need for you to learn all the ways of the old world. They are a thing of the past. I wish to unite Ehrenfest so that there are no problems whatsoever when it comes time for you to rule with Lord Wilfried.”

“The attitude of a model retainer,” Bonifatius remarked. “Very respectable. I acknowledge you as Sylvester’s second wife.”

Grandfather likes her? Wait, whaaat just happened?!

Paying my confusion no mind, Bonifatius sat back down with a satisfied grin and returned to sipping his tea. Brunhilde was giving me a fixed stare, waiting for me to either approve or refuse her suggestion.

“I think Brunhilde’s decision is best for Ehrenfest,” I eventually said, “but I would not like to lose her as a retainer.”

Brunhilde gave a small smile. “Then please allow me to serve you until my graduation, at least. That is when most female retainers are expected to resign and get married anyway, is it not?”

“That’s true, but...”

“I will train Bertilde and Gretia so that you are not troubled without me. Please rest assured.”

In the majority of cases, women who came of age would resign almost immediately to get married. Sylvester had thus told me to train new retainers and welcome some of the mature women who had already had children into my service. Looking at those of my retainers who were close to coming of age actually made me a little sad.

Sylvester sighed, having watched our exchange. “Brunhilde, what about Groschel’s successor?” he asked. “Aren’t you expected to take a husband who can support you being the next giebe?”

Oh yeah. Brunhilde was, in fact, supposed to become the next Giebe Groschel. Maybe her father would forbid her from becoming the aub’s second wife. But before we could dwell on the idea for much longer, Brunhilde dismissed the notion with a somewhat bitter smile.

“Perhaps I could go out and find a husband to that end, but my little sister, Bertilde, will surely find someone much more talented once I am Ehrenfest’s second wife and Groschel has finished its transformation into a commerce city. Besides, Father’s second wife seems to have given birth to a boy, who may end up being made the successor instead.”

If a family had a son available, they would generally make him their successor. As such, even though Giebe Groschel wouldn’t announce it until his newborn son came of age, we could guess that Brunhilde had already been told that she wouldn’t be the next giebe. I knew it was tradition, but it saddened me to think that her hard work preparing for the role had effectively been stomped on.

“I think what matters most for Groschel right now is working with the archducal family and making sure this entwickeln succeeds,” Brunhilde said. She had been planning to marry a skilled and competent man from another duchy to help support her province, but few talented men would want to marry into a province that failed its revolution.

In particular, with Florencia’s pregnancy shifting the schedule and causing various plans to change, Brunhilde thought that bringing a husband into Groschel was less important than marrying into the archducal family and using her position as second wife to ensure the entwickeln succeeded.

“Aub Ehrenfest could take responsibility for renovating Groschel, but my father would feel disrespected and may even protest,” Brunhilde explained. “By having me arbitrate as the second wife, however, we can instead make him feel that he is receiving special treatment.”

She really was overflowing with the resolve to make her province’s entwickeln succeed, no matter the cost. In my opinion, there was no one better suited to becoming the next giebe.

“I should note that I have my own reasons for wanting to become second wife,” Brunhilde said, “but I am not seeking the aub’s favor. Rather, I wish to use my skills to their fullest in service of supporting Ehrenfest.” She then confidently reiterated that Sylvester was free to refuse her proposal, since she had deliberately acted alone.

Sylvester chuckled, went over to Brunhilde, and extended a hand to her. “Your spirit’s won me over,” he said. “I’ll request a meeting with Giebe Groschel. Prepare an outfit good enough to be worn onstage during the upcoming feast and a proposal feystone.”

“I am honored,” Brunhilde replied, taking his hand with a victorious smile. Her flowing crimson hair cascaded down her back.

Bwuh... Brunhilde, marrying Sylvester?

This was something she wanted, and I knew it would be best for Ehrenfest, but still... I couldn’t really throw my hands up and celebrate. My head was a mess of conflicting emotions. I wasn’t used to the whole concept of second wives to begin with. Hearing about it in passing was fine, since I could just write it off as part of the culture in this world, but the thought that it was going to happen to someone close to me just felt wrong.

Especially when Sylvester truly loves his first wife.

Here in Yurgenschmidt, it was normal to have your father decide your partner for you, so the fact that Brunhilde had fought for and won an engagement she wanted could be seen as a huge victory. At the same time, however, I thought it was concerning that this had all been decided while the first wife was absent and pregnant. I was worried about how Florencia would take the news.

“Hmm? An ordonnanz?” Bonifatius suddenly muttered, setting down the sweet in his hand and glaring out the window. We all followed his gaze, but there was nothing there.

“I don’t see anything...” I said.

“Give it a moment.”

About ten seconds later, a rough outline of the ordonnanz came into view. It flew into the room and perched on Karstedt’s arm, all while I was still reeling over the absurd strength of Bonifatius’s eyesight.

“Commander,” the bird said, “this is a report from Gerlach.”

We all stared intently at the ordonnanz. The Knight’s Order had taken Matthias and the others to investigate Gerlach. Had something happened there?

“After we investigated several hidden rooms,” it continued, “Gerlach’s son suggested that the giebe might yet live. We ask that you come to the scene as soon as you can.”

Bonifatius was the first to stand. He met Sylvester’s gaze and nodded.

“Stay here, Karstedt,” Sylvester said. “I need to focus on winning over the Leisegangs.”

“Right,” Bonifatius added, “and there won’t be any mistakes this time. I refuse to come back empty-handed.”

And with that, he flew out of the room, his retainers hot on his heels.

“Matthias and the others—”

Before I could even finish, Sylvester replied, “They’ll be supporting Bonifatius. Karstedt, I’m going.”

Karstedt gave a firm nod in response. His fists were clenched, like he really wanted to rush off as well.

Sylvester looked back down at me, then flicked me on the forehead. “Your retainers are there, Rozemyne. You don’t need to go too. I understand your impatience, but Ferdinand was the one who always looked after you, and he’s not here anymore. There’s no longer anyone who can save you from whatever mess you end up in.”

“Right...”

“That goes for the both of us,” he said. “We’ll be in for a world of trouble if we keep acting like we used to.” And then, like Bonifatius, he briskly exited the room.

“Brunhilde, do you need any help with your outfit or proposal feystone?” I asked, my eyes still fixed on the door that Sylvester and the others had left through. “You don’t have much time, do you? Will you be able to manage?” We had returned to Ehrenfest first out of all the Royal Academy students, so we had more time before the spring feast than usual, but that still didn’t amount to much.

“I would struggle to order new clothes on such short notice, and wearing them would lead to negative assumptions that I’ve been planning this for some time...” she replied. “Thus, I simply intend to alter what I wore at the start of winter socializing to make it a bit fancier. As for the feystone, thanks to you, I already have some rather high-quality specimens. I am sure one will suffice. It would be best to begin making it now, but I must wait for Aub Ehrenfest to speak with Father.”

It was important to make it look as though Sylvester were proactively seeking the Leisegangs’ support instead of merely acting at Brunhilde’s suggestion. We would all need to pretend we hadn’t heard anything until the discussion with Giebe Groschel took place.

Brunhilde concluded, “I expect that I will receive a sudden summons from Father, then rush home to begin preparing.”

“Very well,” I said. “I am going to be spending the time until the spring feast at my leisure. I cannot leave the northern building under any circumstances, nor can we summon the Plantin Company here when wide-scale punishments have put the castle in such a grim state. Our yearly book sale is going to be canceled too, so you may dedicate yourself to your preparations.”

Ottilie and Lieseleta nodded along with me, wearing reassuring smiles, while Gretia declared that she would be working hard too. Rihyarda, in contrast, stepped forward with a bit of a stony expression, like she was agonizing over something.

“Milady, it truly does pain me to say this, but I have a heartfelt request. If possible, might you permit me to return to Lord Sylvester’s side?”

It had been Sylvester who assigned Rihyarda to me in the first place back when I became his adopted daughter. She had supported me when I was still adjusting to life as a noble and trained my retainers when I barely had any.

“You now have plenty of retainers,” Rihyarda said, “both from the Leisegang and the former Veronica factions. They all serve you properly and work very well together. Thus, I would like to return to serving Lord Sylvester, who has so few retainers right now that he is having to share with his wife.”

“I understand your concern very well, Rihyarda. It really is hard when you don’t have retainers you can trust.”

The demands placed on the archducal family required us to entrust our work, our comfort, and even our lives to our retainers. I was more aware than anyone that you couldn’t just act as you pleased; doing that would get you in trouble with those in your service. In short, trying to function without retainers you could trust was borderline impossible. Your entire world would crumble around you. I couldn’t even begin to imagine what my life would be like if I abruptly lost more than half of my current retinue.

“Now that Brunhilde is becoming Ehrenfest’s second wife, it would also be best for someone to arbitrate between her and Lady Florencia,” Rihyarda continued. “Brunhilde will surely feel more comfortable during the engagement if she can see someone familiar by the archducal couple’s side.”

“I appreciate your concern,” Brunhilde said, “and your being there will definitely help me, but will Lady Rozemyne not struggle if she loses two attendants at once?”

That was a good question. I pondered it while looking over my attendants.

“Once the feast celebrating spring is over, milady will return to the temple,” Rihyarda said. “Ottilie and Lieseleta will suffice for as long as she is there, and while Gretia’s education in the castle is not yet adequate, she is more than competent and will start catching up soon enough. You will remain her attendant at the Royal Academy, and Bertilde is expected to join her service. I do not believe she will be nearly as troubled as the archducal family is now.”

Not all of Wilfried’s attendants had been replaced, meaning there were still a few members of the former Veronica faction among them, but I didn’t know the details of what had happened to them. Melchior should have been in the winter playroom with the other kids, starting to pick his own retainers, but instead he was isolated in the northern building. He only had the adult retainers his parents had chosen for him and three older student retainers to guide him.

“Rihyarda is correct,” I said. “Out of everyone in the archducal family, Charlotte and I have the most stable entourages right now. It would be better for me to let Rihyarda go than have Charlotte move her retainers to support Florencia, especially as I intend to hide away in the temple.”

Plus, Rihyarda had served Sylvester to begin with. She would be able to resume her duties under him without the need for any adjustments or training.

Brunhilde nodded. “In that case, I will have a long conversation with Lady Elvira and make sure that Bertilde’s education is completed by next winter.” She had already begun planning for the future.

I turned my attention from Brunhilde to Rihyarda. “From the castle to the Royal Academy, you have always been there to support me. I am going to feel very lonely without you, I must admit... but I know that my adoptive father is struggling even more. Please lend him your support.”

“You have my thanks, milady.”

I informed those in my service that Ottilie was soon to be my new head attendant, then sent an ordonnanz to Sylvester. “I am returning Rihyarda to you,” it said. “Please employ her as a retainer.”

“I’m not about to steal more of your retainers!” came his immediate and very loud response, but I paid it no mind.

“Rihyarda,” I said, “this is my last order for you as your lady. Give my adoptive father a firm spanking—and make sure he does all of his paperwork. Also, I would ask that you manage the main building such that news about Brunhilde becoming Ehrenfest’s second wife does not bother my adoptive mother during her pregnancy. My wish is that she welcomes Brunhilde as an ally.”

“Consider it all done, milady. And... everyone, I entrust Lady Rozemyne to you.”

“You may count on us.”

From there, I sent Rihyarda on her way. Sylvester would have no choice but to accept her now that I was pretty much forcing her upon him. Plus, he was literally desperate for retainers he could trust right now. That much was obvious.

Sometime later, I received an ordonnanz from Sylvester, thanking me. Rihyarda had evidently managed to change his tune.