Ascendance of a Bookworm (LN) - Volume 5.5 - Chapter Pr

Prologue

Streaming in through the window was the warm spring sunlight, which made the plant life a more vivid green and the flowers a vibrant array of colors. It was the perfect occasion for a casual stroll, but the castle garden was empty of people; everyone was busy with the upcoming Archduke Conference. Some cut direct paths through the garden to save time, but none were taking in the scenery.

Bonifatius, like so many others, had no time to appreciate the changing of the seasons. In fact, seeing the increasing vibrancy of the garden made him feel worse—it was a painful reminder that they had so little time before the Archduke Conference. He advanced to the tea party room, taking care not to let his irritation show on his face.

He had told his attendants to arrange a meeting with Sylvester—there was something they needed to discuss—and they had eventually decided upon this lunchtime. It was clear how full the archduke’s hands were from the fact that he was having his food brought to the break room right next to his office.

“Ah, Rihyarda...”

Among those preparing lunch in the break room was none other than Rihyarda. Only then did Bonifatius remember—she had returned to being Sylvester’s attendant. She was an unusual retainer in that she changed whom she served according to the aub’s orders. For the most part, she tended to members of the archducal family who were in difficult positions and struggling to get retainers of their own.

After being trained as an attendant by Gretchen, an old member of the archducal family, Rihyarda had followed the orders of the aub two generations ago and served Gabriele when she married in from Ahrensbach, then Veronica when the Leisegangs were ostracizing her. She had even been sent to Bonifatius’s estate by Sylvester’s father, Adelbert, the previous archduke. Bonifatius had asked for his son, Karstedt, to be tutored prior to his baptism, after which he would enter the castle as an archduke candidate.

Then, after Karstedt was baptized, Veronica had requested that Rihyarda be assigned to Georgine, who had needed a tutor they could trust. Adelbert had accepted, and Rihyarda had become Georgine’s head attendant. Later, when Sylvester was born, she had been made his nurse; as a male, he had taken priority to become the next archduke.

Sometime later, Rihyarda had come to serve Rozemyne as her head attendant. Sylvester had ordered it because Rozemyne was raised in the temple and would therefore struggle to find retainers, but Bonifatius had recently started to suspect that Sylvester had also wanted to prevent Rozemyne from socializing with her family.

“Welcome,” Rihyarda said. “Lord Sylvester’s work has taken him a bit longer than planned; he sent an ordonnanz just a moment ago and should be here soon.” She guided Bonifatius to his seat, then directed the other attendants to serve him.

“It’s his own fault, but Sylvester sure is busy, huh?” Bonifatius remarked.

“Indeed. He has never had so much work to do before. Do be gentle with him.”

“I’m not as soft as Ferdinand. An archduke doing his own work is how things were always supposed to be.”

Because of the purge, Sylvester was operating with fewer retainers than usual—but that was far from the only reason for his enormous workload. In the castle, Wilfried and Bonifatius were able to help with the duties that had previously been done by Ferdinand, but everything that was rightfully the work of an archduke had been dropped squarely in Sylvester’s lap.

“Still,” Rihyarda sighed, “I wish this hadn’t happened so close to the Archduke Conference, when he’s already so busy with his preparations...”

“You know, as the archduke, he could at least lend a hand in training Wilfried to take his place. Now that Rozemyne has outright refused to help the kid, she might even start dumping her work on him.”

Bonifatius had supported all three archdukes—his father, younger brother, and nephew. Sylvester had come to him for help three years after becoming aub. He had wanted to push Veronica and her retainers into retirement, which he had intended to do by relieving everyone above a certain age of their duties. In the end, Bonifatius and Veronica had stepped down from their roles, though they had continued to provide mana to the foundation.

Now, however, Bonifatius was anything but retired. He was frequenting the training grounds, drilling the knights, and helping with desk work—all to impress his adorable granddaughter and secure more opportunities to spend time with her.

Bonifatius had originally had a second, ulterior motive as well: if the Leisegangs had managed to establish Rozemyne as Sylvester’s successor, then he could have spent so much more time with her under the guise of training her to be the next archduchess. However, he had given up on that idea after Rozemyne shot him down and said that she would rather stay in the temple. Getting time with his granddaughter was no easy feat.

“My, my...” Rihyarda said. “Training the next archduke is your job, Lord Bonifatius. As I recall, that promise was the only reason you managed to avoid taking the archducal seat yourself.”

“Some history is too ancient to discuss...”

Rihyarda cackled. “A promise is a promise, no matter how long ago it was made.”

Bonifatius grimaced on instinct; he often found it hard to deal with Rihyarda when she knew so much about his past. As she had said, he had once made a promise to his father, who had served as the archduke two generations ago. To avoid having to rule the duchy himself, Bonifatius had agreed to become an educator of archduke candidates and transfer his knowledge to the next generation. Adelbert had not been at all well, so he had needed someone to teach his son in case he died prematurely.

“Give me a break,” Bonifatius grumbled. “I should be enjoying my retirement, but I’ve been helping out in the castle instead. I’ve even been educating Wilfried—which is more than I signed up for, if you ask me. Adelbert was sickly and needed support; Sylvester could easily manage by himself. I want to spend my time like any other grandfather: relaxing and doting on my granddaughter.”

“How can you do that when you still don’t know how to control your strength?”

Much to Bonifatius’s frustration, everyone seemed to fear for Rozemyne’s life the very moment he got close to her. People worked to keep them apart as much as possible.

I mean, I do feel bad about the time I got a bit too excited and almost threw her into the ceiling, but...

After that experience, Bonifatius had committed to memory that Rozemyne wasn’t like his other grandchildren, who were always eager to train with him.

“You two seem to be having fun,” Sylvester opined as he entered the room with his entourage. He asked Rihyarda and Karstedt to stay—as his attendant and guard, respectively—then told his other retainers to leave and eat lunch. They had an equally harsh afternoon to prepare themselves for.

Together, Bonifatius’s attendant and Rihyarda presented their lords with plates of decorated vegetables. They introduced the dish as...

“Crispy-crispy launeide-and-sujaru salad”?

Bonifatius didn’t recognize the name at all. Was it another new dish? Rozemyne’s chefs had dramatically changed the castle’s menu. After waiting for Sylvester to take the first bite, he tried what turned out to be a slightly sour vegetable.

Sylvester normally hates vegetables, but he’s eating like there’s no tomorrow. My granddaughter’s recipes are the best in the world.

Bonifatius chewed the bitter vegetables—which young children famously despised—while silently praising Rozemyne. She had prepared them in a way that stopped even Sylvester from complaining.

“So, what’s the issue?” Sylvester asked midway through the meal, the picture of exhaustion. “Concerned about something?”

“About everything.” Bonifatius knew that he was about to increase the already tiresome burden on Sylvester, but only the archduke could resolve his grievances. “First of all, you need to whip Wilfried into shape. If his attitude doesn’t change soon, I’m going to wash my hands of him.”

Sylvester took a sharp breath, his eyes wide open. Meanwhile, Rihyarda exclaimed, “Lord Bonifatius! Such words are not to be spoken lightly!”

Bonifatius was in charge of preparing Wilfried to become the next archduke; by refusing to help the boy any further, he would essentially be declaring him unfit to rule. Bonifatius understood this perfectly well.

“His attitude?” Sylvester repeated. “What do you mean? He came to me with some complaints, but that was before Spring Prayer. He even ended up coming around. Is there still a problem?”

“Have his retainers told you nothing?” Bonifatius asked.

“They informed me that the Leisegang nobles treated him cruelly and asked that I reprimand them. Of course, I requested more details. I remember the Leisegangs as being rude but never particularly cruel.”

Wilfried’s retainers had in fact spoken to the archduke, but not about their lord’s work ethic. Instead, they had reported on how the Leisegang nobles had treated him during Spring Prayer.

“He recklessly charged into the homes of one Leisegang after another, including those who wish to use this purge to eliminate all traces of the former Veronica faction,” Bonifatius explained. “A giebe trying to contain those extremists could say that Wilfried was stirring the pot, and they wouldn’t be wrong. Why did you let him go?”

“Florencia told me that, for him to gain more self-awareness as the next archduke, he needs to experience the consequences of his actions.”

A man’s decisions as the archduke could end up having a dramatic impact on the duchy he ruled, so it was crucial that he always be held accountable for them. That was why Wilfried needed more experience before assuming the role himself. Gathering intelligence was absolutely essential when it came to making the decision one considered to be most correct; only after choosing which information was trustworthy and the most accurate could one make an educated judgment.

Sylvester continued, “Spring Prayer is crucial to Ehrenfest; the duchy’s harvest is greatly dependent on the chalices we hand out. Plus, as with all such religious events, the onus falls on Rozemyne. As much as the Leisegangs might hate Wilfried, they wouldn’t risk doing anything to him. It was the perfect opportunity for him to experience their anger firsthand, in a safe environment—and to understand it more intimately than if we had merely explained the situation to him. It would also teach him the importance of gathering information... or so Florencia said.”

“I see...” Bonifatius murmured, then crossed his arms. Such experience really was important for the next archduke. “But, as it turns out, this was too great a burden for Wilfried to bear. His work ethic has gotten worse since his return from Spring Prayer. Even after five days of warning him, his attitude has not improved.”

“A mere five days?!” Rihyarda cried. “Give him more time; we all come up short every now and again. Surely this isn’t enough for you to cast him aside.” She was quick to protest, but she hadn’t seen Wilfried at work. “A mere five days” to her was “an excruciating five days” to Bonifatius and the retainers.

“The problem is not that he failed. Rather, he’s abandoning his duties as the next archduke and continuously flaunting his defiance. I cannot even begin to describe the foolishness of exposing one’s weaknesses to opposing nobles. Just how old is that buffoon?”

Wilfried was now approaching his fourth year at the Royal Academy, yet he was acting in a way that would have earned a newly baptized child a scolding. One had to wonder whether he was behaving so immaturely around the nobles of other duchies, and it went without saying that nobody would want to entrust Ehrenfest’s future to someone who acted so emotionally.

“Everyone is busy enough preparing for the upcoming Archduke Conference,” Bonifatius said. “If anyone should take the lead right now, it should be those of the archducal family who enacted the purge in the first place. Yet the next archduke is refusing to work and continues to be defiant even when warned. I can’t imagine what—if anything—must be going through his head. If nothing changes and everyone comes to despise him, then he will have brought about his own undoing. Does he not understand the severity of this?”

In the first place, Bonifatius was unable to give Wilfried too strong a scolding when they were in public. Doing so would risk making the boy look unfit to rule, which was dangerous when so many nobles already wanted Rozemyne to take his place. No matter how many times he was warned, however, Wilfried would only ever pout and say, “You’re only harsh with me because you want Rozemyne to be the next aub.”

Indeed, it made sense that Wilfried was reluctant to accept advice from someone who was supporting Rozemyne. For that reason, Bonifatius had asked Lamprecht to give warnings in his stead. Five days later, however, nothing had changed.

“Wilfried is proud to have stood among the top-ranking archduke candidates as an honor student, but those good grades won’t mean a thing unless he starts acting like a proper archduke,” Bonifatius concluded.

“You know, Florencia was worried about the same thing. She feared that his hard work was improving his grades and nothing else...” Sylvester said, bringing his spoon to his mouth while he tried to remember the conversation.

Bonifatius grimaced. It sounded as though Sylvester wasn’t taking his wife’s opinion seriously. “It seems to me that Wilfried isn’t the only one who needs to start listening more. Don’t tell me you ignored a warning that important.”

“No, no, I didn’t ignore it. Her warning was why I relieved Oswald of duty. He wasn’t giving Wilfried a proper education. It was also why I’ve started listening to the boy’s complaints about how the purge has impacted his life.”

Oswald was the embodiment of Veronica’s methods, and it seemed that his manipulation tactics had only gotten worse after Wilfried became engaged to Rozemyne and secured his position as the next Aub Ehrenfest.

“Oswald took his work seriously and was completely loyal to Wilfried,” Sylvester continued. “The problem was that he expressed this loyalty and carried out his duties exactly as he did during Mother’s era. He never realized that what had once been marks of excellence were now marks of tyranny. Or, well... maybe he did and just couldn’t change his ways. Perhaps he didn’t want to change them. At any rate, to honor his loyalty, I gave him the option of resigning to save face.”

Bonifatius had been told that Oswald resigned because of the purge, but now he knew the truth: the former head attendant had been relieved of duty after failing to give Wilfried a proper education.

“I sincerely hope that giving Wilfried a new head attendant improves things,” Bonifatius said, “but his retainers are all too soft on him. Lamprecht even said to stop comparing him to Rozemyne.”

“It was milady herself who first made that request...” Rihyarda said, referring to when everyone had worked together to help Wilfried catch up in time for his debut. “She said that my boy would end up crushed under the weight of the pressure.”

Bonifatius paused, thinking back to all the times he had compared the two at work. “That’s news to me. Still, Rihyarda... that was between his baptism and debut, wasn’t it? How long will it remain relevant? At the Royal Academy, he’s going to be compared to Rozemyne whether he likes it or not. Are his retainers really still treading on eggshells, even now that he’s going into his fourth year?”

“Milady spoke as though it would always be relevant, but I do not know how long it will actually stick. That said, indeed—it will not apply when it comes to other nobles.”

Rozemyne’s request had only been feasible when Wilfried was young and still receiving his education in the isolated northern building. It was inevitable that he would be compared to other archduke candidates at the Royal Academy, and people were guaranteed to focus on the quality of his work while he helped out in the castle. On top of all that, when he came of age, he would be compared to Ehrenfest’s other archduke candidates for the sake of picking the next aub. That was just how it was.

“Sylvester,” Bonifatius said, “if your son doesn’t intend to improve, then remove him from his position as the next archduke.”

“I would disown Rozemyne in the same breath,” Sylvester replied, narrowing his dark-green eyes.

Bonifatius sighed; he knew that Sylvester wasn’t bluffing. During this conflict with the Leisegangs, he had discovered the true reasons for Rozemyne’s adoption. She had been taken into the archducal family to save her from the tyranny of an Ahrensbach archnoble who had infiltrated the temple, to prevent Veronica from warping the lives of any more victims, and so that Sylvester could use her printing industry to bring the shaken duchy under one banner.

Even though Rozemyne had so many talents, Sylvester had absolutely no intention of making a child who wasn’t Florencia’s the next archduke. Bonifatius even recalled Sylvester telling him that, if making his granddaughter the next aub was truly his aim, he should have become the aub himself instead of running from his duty.

“How is Florencia?” Bonifatius asked, changing the subject. He still didn’t believe that Wilfried was speaking or acting as the next archduke should, but continuing his demands would get him nowhere.

Sylvester’s expression softened. “Her morning sickness has settled down, but she can hardly relax knowing that our kids are so busy. Even while she’s so unwell, she keeps trying to help with the workload, which only makes her retainers worry.”

“Could she not leave the conference preparations to the children and just perform final checks? Charlotte can more or less take care of everything else. She’s motivated and a fast learner.”

Anytime Florencia was feeling especially sick, Charlotte would go to the office where Bonifatius and the others worked to help out and ask questions. On such occasions, it was obvious how hard she was trying to support her mother. At other times, she would apparently help Brunhilde with intraduchy communications and socializing.

“Charlotte’s working hard, while Brunhilde and Clarissa are going above and beyond to prepare for the Archduke Conference,” Sylvester said, looking relieved. “The silver lining in all this is that we’ll be able to attend without Florencia needing to overexert herself.”

Bonifatius merely nodded in response, his features drawn into a frown. He agreed that Brunhilde was a reliable helper—she had said that she was used to this manner of work after preparing for the Interduchy Tournament—and it was good that Florencia’s health was being taken into consideration. However, Sylvester’s relief was exactly why he was blind to the issue staring them all in the face.

“Brunhilde is now set to become your second wife,” Bonifatius eventually said, “but the duchy’s nobles still see her as Rozemyne’s retainer. That’s how they see Rihyarda too, for that matter. As for Philine and Clarissa, they’re working under Leberecht. It seems to all that Rozemyne is heavily involved in this upcoming Archduke Conference.”

“Well, they’re not wrong. She’s transcribing books and performing a Starbind Ceremony at the royal family’s request.”

“That isn’t what I meant,” Bonifatius replied. He thought that Sylvester sounded much too relaxed, and surely he wasn’t the only one who found it so exasperating. “You don’t even have time to go to the dining hall for lunch. Florencia is unable to rest, so Brunhilde and Charlotte are doing their best to support her. Rozemyne’s retainers are working so hard that everyone assumes she’s deeply involved with the Archduke Conference, even though she isn’t even in the castle. Melchior has declared that he’ll take her place in the temple. Everyone is proving themselves—everyone except Wilfried, who seems content with grumbling about how he was treated during Spring Prayer and shirking his duties in full view of so many others! I implore you, think for one moment how the nobles visiting the office must see him!”

Sylvester fell silent. The visiting nobles wouldn’t care about how the Leisegangs were treating Wilfried, nor would they care how hurt he was feeling. Their only concern was whether he was acting like and producing results expected of the next archduke.

“In the end, it falls to you to decide who should serve as the next archduke,” Bonifatius said. “I don’t have anything else to say about the matter, but know that I’m taking a break from educating Wilfried. There’s no point rushing him when he cannot even complete the work he has been given. My time is better spent on my own duties.”

“Alright. I’ll warn Wilfried myself.”

Wilfried was bound to acknowledge a warning from his own father, the archduke—that was what Bonifatius believed, at least. He relaxed a bit, relieved to have gotten one of his concerns through to Sylvester, then looked down at the plate of meat that had been put before him. He could tell from the browned skin that it was a bird of some kind, but he couldn’t work out anything beyond that.

“This is crun-crun ju-ju farba, according to Lady Rozemyne.”

“I see,” Bonifatius replied with a nod. He knew what farbas were, but the “crun-crun ju-ju” part meant absolutely nothing to him. At the very least, it seemed that the names Rozemyne came up with often had repetitious onomatopoeia crammed into them. He had once asked whether they had something to do with the ingredients or how they were cooked, but not even the chefs knew. Rozemyne was naming her dishes in her own Rozemyne way.

Weird names aside, the recipes taste great, and my granddaughter remains amazing.

“Sylvester, have you heard any... rumors about Rozemyne lately?” Bonifatius asked. “I came across a few strange ones myself...”

“Strange rumors? Like what?” Sylvester replied. He turned to look at Rihyarda, but neither she nor Karstedt seemed to have any idea either.

“It would seem that those once of the former Veronica faction are saying—albeit only amongst themselves—that Rozemyne is in love with Ferdinand. They claim that she prioritizes him over her own fiancé, and the two apparently made physical contact when they reunited on the night of the Interduchy Tournament...”

Bonifatius hadn’t been present to witness anything like that, but Sylvester and Rihyarda had. Surely they had noticed something. His anticipation soon faded, however, as the two merely blinked in bewilderment.

“On the night of the Interduchy Tournament...?” Sylvester asked. “I don’t know about that... You were with her, right, Rihyarda? Did you see anything?”

“I was with milady the entire day but saw nothing to warrant rumors. Rest assured, I would have reported any such behavior. At most... there was the medical inspection. He did technically touch her then, but only as part of a standard procedure to check on her poor health.” She frowned and placed a hand on her cheek. “Was it Oswald who began that rumor? He certainly has a malicious interpretation of events.”

Bonifatius blinked, surprised that she had made such a quick deduction. “What makes you so sure it was him?”

“By the time it happened, Lord Sylvester and the other student retainers had already moved to the dining hall to eat. The only ones present were Lady Rozemyne, my boy Ferdinand, our other guests, and the attendants serving their meals—Oswald and me.”

Everyone understood right away. Rozemyne or Ferdinand certainly wouldn’t have spread such a rumor, and that it was being circulated through the former Veronica faction meant it could only have come from Oswald or Wilfried.

“Yes, Oswald was most likely involved,” Bonifatius said. “We shouldn’t jump to any conclusions, however. It’s possible that another noble happened to hear Rozemyne rejoicing about her reunion with Ferdinand, exaggerated the details, and then spread some deceptive rumor.” A single malicious actor could turn even the most heartwarming news into something corrupt. And with that in mind, the rumor could have come from one of Rozemyne’s retainers making an innocuous comment.

Sylvester looked contemplative. “Bonifatius, where’s that rumor spreading from? Not the source, but the people helping it circulate. Is it really only about the night of the Interduchy Tournament?”

Bonifatius had already tried to investigate the matter, to no avail; the Leisegangs were too busy despairing about Rozemyne’s refusal to be the next aub and her decision to stay in the temple to be of any use, while the nobles of the former Veronica faction were avoiding Bonifatius and his retainers for fear of punishment. Despite his best efforts, nobody had seemed to know anything.

“To be frank, I don’t know either,” Bonifatius said. “The most I can contribute is that, when I tried to warn Wilfried about all this, he said that Rozemyne was to blame for inspiring the rumor in the first place.”

“What?” Sylvester put his head in his hands. “You mean to say that Wilfried is substantiating the rumor instead of denying it? That can’t be right. He can’t be that thoughtless. Karstedt, we’re going to look into this ourselves.”

From there, Bonifatius could extrapolate that the rumors were indeed only spreading among Wilfried and those of the former Veronica faction.

“Let’s assume for a moment that Oswald was responsible,” Bonifatius ventured. “Was it revenge for being relieved of duty?”

Rihyarda shook her head. “As I see it, Oswald always has Wilfried as his top priority. It appears more likely that he was only damaging milady’s reputation to protect his lord.” She believed that he had tried to drag down Rozemyne to divert negative attention away from Wilfried. All those present recognized it as a method that Veronica had employed often.

“That’s one troublesome kind of devotion...” Sylvester muttered, his face twisting in displeasure. Rihyarda nodded in agreement, then suddenly looked worried.

“However... Lady Rozemyne has grown quite considerably. Coupled with the fact that Lord Ferdinand is no longer in Ehrenfest, I think the time has come for her to reevaluate her relationship with him. A few words of advice might be in order.”

Rozemyne had spent so long looking more or less like a child, but now she actually looked old enough to be attending the Royal Academy. This was advantageous in many regards, but a lot of things that had once been permitted due to her young appearance were now no longer acceptable. She could no longer be afforded the same leeway.

Let’s just hope Rozemyne doesn’t end up like Georgine.

Bonifatius crossed his arms as he reflected on the past. Veronica had been nothing but ruthless when raising Georgine, all to ensure that Karstedt—a Leisegang—would never become the aub. The only person who had ever treated Georgine nicely and given her any respite was her uncle, Bezewanst. He had served as the High Bishop back then, which had caused problems when it came time for Georgine to attend the Royal Academy. As a noble, she hadn’t been allowed to have any connections to the temple, so she had immediately been forbidden from contacting him. This development hadn’t come as a surprise to anyone, but Georgine had been devastated nonetheless—something she had made painfully clear.

Bonifatius had wanted to extend a helping hand to his niece, but his first wife’s relationship with Veronica hadn’t been the slightest bit positive. Plus, with Georgine viewing Karstedt as an enemy, there hadn’t been anything he could do to get closer to her.

This time, however, I’ll do the right thing. I’ll shower Rozemyne with all the love I’ve got!

Indeed, he would shower her with support to help her through the emotional torment of needing to take a step back from Ferdinand. But as Bonifatius was pondering how best to go about that, Sylvester spoke up.

“If people really are spreading those rumors, we’ll need to stamp them out. Bonifatius, have you taken action yet?”

“No matter what we do, we’re going to have a hard time putting out these fires without Rozemyne here. We would have noticed them sooner if she had been at the castle, and we would have responded faster too.”

Rozemyne’s retainers would have been quick to notice any strange rumors about their lady. Moreover, if she had been spending time with Wilfried in the castle, anyone trying to argue that she was closer to Ferdinand wouldn’t have had much of a leg to stand on. As for Bonifatius himself, although the temple’s reputation was improving with all the countrywide changes, he was still reluctant about leaving his adorable granddaughter there.

“Everybody knows Rozemyne for her brilliance and charm, so why keep drawing attention to the blemish that is her temple upbringing?” Bonifatius asked. “She would have done herself a lot more favors by leaving the temple to someone else and gathering support from the nobility.”

“I thought the same,” Rihyarda interjected, “but milady really does treasure her time in the temple. One should compare it to how apprentice knights staying in the knight dormitories are allowed to return home at regular intervals.” She had started serving Rozemyne right after the girl was baptized, so if she said that Rozemyne valued her time in the temple, Bonifatius saw no reason to doubt her.

“Still, it’s because she was raised in the temple that she needs to be taught how to be a proper first wife,” he said, the Leisegangs’ complaints coming to mind. “She should be socializing, not hiding away in the temple.”

As far as the Leisegangs were concerned, their princess was being very uncooperative. Things had settled down a bit after Brunhilde’s engagement was announced, but many houses still wanted Rozemyne out of the temple, and their cooperation would be crucial moving forward.

“Overseeing duchy industries is a job for aubs and scholars,” Bonifatius declared. “You need to take charge of the printing industry with Wilfried at your side while Florencia teaches Rozemyne how to be a first wife. That’s final.”

Sylvester yelped. “If my workload gets any more unbearable, I’ll seriously die!”

“You’re a professional when it comes to shirking duties; I’m sure you’ll discover a way to get some rest.”

Rihyarda and Karstedt both grinned, looking equal parts amused and in agreement.

Upon seeing his retainers’ smiles, Sylvester let out a displeased groan. He took another bite of meat, then scanned the room as he chewed. “I understand your point, Bonifatius, but it’s too late to tell Rozemyne to come back from the temple. Her leaving now would only cause more problems.”

“You’d need to do more work, sure, but would it really affect much else?”

The temple wasn’t of much importance to Bonifatius; it was merely where people with desires too crude to mention in public went to have their needs met. Although it had changed somewhat over the past few years, it still wasn’t a good place for someone as young as Rozemyne to be staying.

“It would affect our religious ceremonies, which would directly impact the duchy’s harvest,” Sylvester replied. “Consider also that our meetings with the merchants take place in the lower city—and nobody can deny that our business with other duchies has only been going so well thanks to the commoners’ input. Above all else, don’t forget about those children of the former Veronica faction staying in the temple; who will keep a close eye on them if not Rozemyne’s retainers?”

“Ngh...”

He was right; they had spared the children of those criminals from execution, but the archducal family still needed to watch them closely. Rozemyne was compassionate to a fault when it came to kids, but Hartmut and her other retainers would remain vigilant.

“Speaking of which—her retainers are a problem too,” Bonifatius said.

“You’re going to complain about them as well as Wilfried...?” Sylvester asked, taken aback. Rihyarda and Karstedt looked equally surprised, but Bonifatius was more amazed that they hadn’t noticed the issue themselves.

“Her retainers aren’t even trying to encourage her to perform normal socializing. In fact, they seem to be purposefully avoiding it. This behavior is sullying her good name among the Leisegangs, her power base. Something must be done.”

Bonifatius had already tried to warn Cornelius, but the boy had merely replied that the old methods weren’t applicable to Rozemyne. He had said that speeding along the generational shift and preparing to socialize like the top-ranking duchies took priority instead.

“I take no issue with this generational shift,” Bonifatius continued, “but a future first wife absolutely needs to know how to perform traditional socializing. This new form to appease the top-ranking duchies can come later, once she knows Ehrenfest’s own ways.”

Indeed, socializing with the top-ranking duchies would most likely require a new approach, but Ehrenfest nobles would only respond to more traditional methods. They would serve as her foundations and stop the earth from giving out beneath her feet.

Still, Bonifatius persisted. “Rozemyne refuses to socialize here in Ehrenfest because she claims to be too busy with temple work, but her retainers have done nothing to remedy this. How can a first wife not know proper socializing? You should appreciate better than anyone the fate of an archducal family that no longer understands its people.”

Bonifatius couldn’t see a future where Rozemyne’s shortcoming wouldn’t cause her problems. He knew that being open to new methods was important, but how would she convince the other nobles to try them if she couldn’t properly communicate with them?

“That won’t ever be feasible for Rozemyne...” Sylvester said. “She was raised in the temple. And, after she was baptized, she received an education from Ferdinand, not the Leisegangs.”

Ferdinand, too, had endured a particularly unique upbringing. His mother had passed away before his baptism, so he had entered the castle as an archducal family member without a support base to speak of. He had been ostracized by Veronica, the first wife at the time; raised without a chance to properly interact with other Ehrenfest nobles; and relegated to the temple after his father’s death. One could hardly describe him as an expert on socializing.

“Milady works hard in her own way,” Rihyarda interjected while setting a plate in front of Sylvester, “but there is much that she only understands on a surface level. She is by no means progressing as everybody hoped. My boy Wilfried is guilty of a similar cycle of errors; although he can mimic things, he seldom fundamentally understands them.”

“You would install an archducal couple incapable of proper socializing?” Bonifatius asked. “I fear for Ehrenfest’s future.”

“Brunhilde is going to support them as my second wife,” Sylvester replied. “Rozemyne’s true strength comes from the fact that she surrounds herself with people who make up for what she lacks.”

Rozemyne had very few adult retainers in her service, but her underage retainers were so well trained that it barely even mattered. Making up her retinue were Hartmut, who had been taught how to gather information by Ferdinand and Justus; her apprentice scholars, who were capable of negotiating with commoners; her guard knights, who had overcome their faults and gotten stronger; and her attendants, who could bring even top-ranking duchies to the negotiating table.

“Rozemyne is good at raising people,” Sylvester concluded. “Even I covet her retainers.”

Bonifatius paused in reflection. Damuel was a layknight, but he was gradually securing more mana through compression and was an expert at using it precisely. Judithe had been advised to prioritize her aim over her sword arm, and the rate at which she was progressing suggested that she had taken those words to heart. Angelica wasn’t the most thoughtful, but she loyally followed her orders and boasted lightning-fast reflexes. Leonore had a good memory and excellent leadership skills, which she put to use as a budding commander. And as for Cornelius, while he didn’t have any notable strengths, he didn’t have any weaknesses either, meaning he could easily fight alongside anyone.

These retainers had a common thread running through them: Rozemyne had advised them all and gotten them on the right path.

“I’m worried about her name-sworn retainers,” Bonifatius clarified, “but Rozemyne should be able to control them.”

“Right. They definitely could grow into problems.”

Bonifatius recalled when he and the children had investigated the estates of those name-sworn to Georgine. He had noticed then that those who had used name-swearing to avoid punishment by association had varying opinions about their position and contrasting degrees of appreciation for the archducal family.

“Not to mention,” Bonifatius said, “those old enough to remember when Veronica forced others to give their names came to view Rozemyne with the same fear and unease, even though she was saving their lives.”

“I don’t see why...” Sylvester said, looking annoyed as he started on his dessert. “I’m the one who suggested it.”

Bonifatius tried the dessert as well. It had an unusual yet intriguing mouthfeel, meaning it had no doubt come from his granddaughter—and that thought was precisely the issue. “These days, everyone assumes that anything bizarre and original must have come from Rozemyne. Rumor has it that you were simply acting in support of an idea she came up with. And, since you dismiss your retainers when making such important decisions, nobody can confirm otherwise.”

“Well,” Sylvester murmured, “I suppose I came up with the idea after Rozemyne suggested that we spare Viscount Dahldolf’s life in return for his name...”

“Oh...?”

Ferdinand had been instructing the Knight’s Order and doing some work in the shadows, but Bonifatius hadn’t known the details. By the time he had even noticed, it had all been over, and the entire event had been covered up.

So it did come from Rozemyne...

“Name-swearing is not something to be forced on others,” Bonifatius noted. “The problem here is that some nobles now believe Rozemyne disregarded its true meaning as an expression of voluntary loyalty. Nobles who were around to witness Veronica’s distorted version of name-swearing even fear that the unfortunate tradition might rise again.”

Unbeknownst to the archduke, Gabriele, Veronica, and Georgine had together spent three generations demanding names as proof of obedience. Under normal circumstances, names were offered willingly and as a show of absolute respect; they weren’t some commodity to be traded in exchange for one’s life. Bonifatius had to wonder whether Rozemyne knew that her suggestion had twisted the intended meaning of such a noble gesture. At this rate, she was going to receive the same criticisms and reproach as Veronica and Georgine.

“It isn’t always the case that wild new ideas are ultimately accepted,” Bonifatius remarked. “We must advise Rozemyne to spend time as a regular noble and take steps to ensure that people don’t fear her.”

“I understand your point, but our current situation would be much worse if not for Rozemyne’s input,” Sylvester rebutted. “Her original ideas have saved us more times than I can count. I’m not going to make her stop completely. Instead, I’ll just take responsibility for her actions, whatever the consequences might be. Another bad rumor or two about me won’t change a thing.” Again, he was speaking as though it were no big deal.

Bonifatius was overcome with a flash of irritation as he said, “Ehrenfest certainly won’t benefit from more crass hearsay about its archduke.” Would the considerate Rozemyne really be okay with her ideas damaging Sylvester’s reputation and forcing him to take the blame for any bad outcomes? He doubted it.

How much does she even know about all this?

Was Rozemyne being kept in the dark by her retainers just as Wilfried was by his? Did she need advice from a third party? Bonifatius crossed his arms, trying to imagine what fate would befall his granddaughter if she remained unable to socialize with even her family.